lives
resulting from the sinking of the steamship Lusitania, adverts at some
length to certain information which the Imperial German Government has
received with regard to the character and outfit of that vessel, and
your Excellency expresses the fear that this information may not have
been brought to the attention of the Government of the United States.
It is stated in the note that the Lusitania was undoubtedly equipped
with masked guns, supplied with trained gunners and special
ammunition, transporting troops from Canada, carrying a cargo not
permitted under the laws of the United States to a vessel also
carrying passengers, and serving, in virtual effect, as an auxiliary
to the naval forces of Great Britain. Fortunately these are matters
concerning which the Government of the United States is in a position
to give the Imperial German Government official information. Of the
facts alleged in your Excellency's note, if true, the Government of
the United States would have been bound to take official cognizance in
performing its recognized duty as a neutral power and in enforcing its
national laws. It was its duty to see to it that the Lusitania was not
armed for offensive action, that she was not serving as a transport,
that she did not carry a cargo prohibited by the statutes of the
United States, and that, if in fact she was a naval vessel of Great
Britain, she should not receive clearance as a merchantman; and it
performed that duty and enforced its statutes with scrupulous
vigilance through its regularly constituted officials. It is able,
therefore, to assure the Imperial German Government that it has been
misinformed. If the Imperial German Government should deem itself to
be in possession of convincing evidence that the officials of the
Government of the United States did not perform these duties with
thoroughness the Government of the United States sincerely hopes that
it will submit that evidence for consideration.

Whatever may be the contentions of the Imperial German Government
regarding the carriage of contraband of war on board the Lusitania or
regarding the explosion of that material by the torpedo, it need only
be said that in the view of this Government these contentions are
irrelevant to the question of the legality of the methods used by the
German naval authorities in sinking the vessel.

But the sinking of passenger ships involves principles of humanity
which throw into the background any special c