"The Imperial Government will not expect the Government of
the United States to omit any word or any act necessary to
the performance of its sacred duty of maintaining the rights
of the United States and its citizens and of safeguarding
their free exercise and enjoyment."

Germany replied to this note on May 29. It stated that it had heard
that the Lusitania was an armed naval ship which had attempted to use
American passengers as a protection, and that, anyway, such passengers
should not have been present. It added:

"The German commanders are consequently no longer in a
position to observe the rules of capture otherwise usual and
with which they invariably complied before this."

To the foregoing the United States maintained in a note sent to the
German Government on June 9 that the Lusitania was not an armed vessel
and that she had sailed in accordance with the laws of the United
States, and that "only her actual resistance to capture or refusal to
stop when ordered to do so ... could have afforded the commander of
the submarine any justification for so much as putting the lives of
those on board the ship in jeopardy."

In support of this view the note cited international law and added:

"It is upon this principle of humanity, as well as upon the
law founded upon this principle, that the United States must
stand."

Exactly one month later, on July 9, came Germany's reply. Its preamble
praised the United States for its humane attitude and said that
Germany was fully in accord therewith. Something, it asserted, should
be done, for "the case of the Lusitania shows with horrible clearness
to what jeopardizing of human lives the manner of conducting war
employed by our adversaries leads," and that under certain conditions
which it set forth, American ships might have safe passage through the
war zone, or even some enemy ships flying the American flag. It
continued:

"The Imperial Government, however, confidently hopes the
American Government will assume to guarantee that these
vessels have no contraband on board, details of arrangements
for the unhampered passage of these vessels to be agreed
upon by the naval authorities of both sides."

It is to this reply that the note of the United States Government made
public on July 24 is an answer.

Germany's reply of July 8 and President Wilson's final rejoinder of
July 21--which was given to t