The men from the Wilhelm, numbering more than 400, were assigned to Fort McPherson and those from the Eitel Friedrich to Fort Oglethorpe. The men were housed in barracks surrounded by a barbed-wire stockade. They were removed from the League Island Navy Yard at Philadelphia, as their presence at the country's chief navy yard during the tense days preceding our declaration of war was regarded as perilous. Dr. Zimmermann's Defense of His Mexican Plan THE HE German Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Alfred Zimmermann, made a second statement on March 29 in attempted defense of his unsuccessful plan to create a German-MexicanJapanese alliance against the United States. His act was subjected to criticism by Hugo Haase, leader of the Socialist minority, who remarked in the Reichstag that the affair had aggravated the situation in America. According to an Amsterdam Reuter dispatch, Dr. Zimmermann replied: I wrote no letter to General Carranza. I was not so naïve. I merely addressed, by a route that appeared to me to be a safe one, instructions to our representative in Mexico. It is being investigated how these instructions fell into the hands of the American authorities. I instructed the Minister to Mexico, in the event of war with the United States, to propose a German alliance to Mexico, and simultaneously to suggest that Japan join the alliance. declared expressly that, despite the submarine war, we hoped that America would maintain neutrality. My instructions were to be carried out only after the United States declared war and a state of war supervened. I believe the instructions were absolutely loyal regards the United States. as General Carranza would have heard nothing of it up to the present if the United States had not published the instructions which came into its hands in a way which was not unobjectionable. Our behavior contrasts considerably with the behavior of the Washington Government. President Wilson after our note of Jan. 31, 1917, which avoided all aggressiveness in tone, deemed it proper immediately to break off relations with extraordinary roughness. Our Ambassador no longer had the opportunity to explain or elucidate our attitude orally. The United States Government thus declined to negotiate with us. On the other hand, it addressed itself immediately to all the neutral powers to induce them to join the United States and break with us. Every unprejudiced person must see in this the hostile atttitude of the American Government, which seemed to consider it right, before being at war with us, to set the entire world against us. It cannot deny us the right to seek allies when it has itself practically declared war on us. Herr Haase says that it caused great indignation in America. Of course, in the first instance, the affair was employed as an incitement against us. But the storm abated slowly and the calm and sensible politicians, and also the great mass of the American people, saw that there was nothing to object to in these instructions in themselves. I refer especially to the statements of Senator Underwood. Even at times newspapers felt obliged to admit regretfully that not so very much had been made out of this affair. The Government was reproached for thinking just of Mexico and Japan. First of all, Mexico was a neighboring State to America. If we wanted allies against America, Mexico would be the first to come into consideration. The relations between Mexico and ourselves since the time of Porfirio Diaz have been extremely friendly and trustful. The Mexicans, moreover, are known as good and efficient soldiers. It can hardly be said that the relations between the United States and Mexico had been friendly and trustful. But the world knows that antagonism exists between America and Japan. I maintain that these antagonisms are stronger than those which, despite the war, exist between Germany and Japan. The When I also wished to persuade Carranza that Japan should join the alliance there was nothing extraordinary in this. relations between Japan and Mexico are long existent. The Mexicans and Japanese are of a like race and good relations exist between both countries. When, further, the Entente press affirms that it is shameless to take away allies, such reproach must have a peculiar effect coming from powers who, like our enemies, made no scruple in taking away from us two powers and peoples with whom we were bound by treaties for more than thirty years. The powers who desire to make pliant an old European country of culture like Greece by unparalleled and violent means cannot raise such a reproach against us. Secretary Lansing Is Handing a United States Treasury Warrant for $25,000,000 to Constantin Brun, ( Harris & Ewing) American Sailors From the U. S. S. Hancock and Olympia in Front of the Government Buildings at St. Thomas for Ceremonies of Formal Transfer of Danish West Indies (Photo Central News Service) When I thought of this alliance with Mexico and Japan I allowed myself to be guided by the consideration that our brave troops already have to fight against a superior force of enemies, and my duty is, as far as possible, to keep further enemies away from them. That Mexico and Japan suited that purpose even Herr Haase will not deny. Thus, I considered it a patriotic duty to release those instructions, and I hold to the standpoint that I acted rightly. Austria-Hungary Breaks With United States N April 8 the Government of Austria-Hungary severed diplomatic relations with the Government of the United States. Baron Erich Zwiedinek, who had been Chargé d'Affaires of the Austrian Embassy ever since the recall of Dr. Dumba, former Ambassador, called at the State Department and demanded passports for himself, all his embassy staff, including Ambassadordesignate Tarnowski, and all Austrian Consular officers in the United States and its possessions. As soon as the announcement of the break was received by the Administration orders were given for taking possession of the Austrian merchant vessels that had been self-interned in this country. Secretary Lansing said that this was done as a precautionary measure. There were fourteen ships with a gross tonnage of 67,807. The largest was the Martha Washington, 8,312 gross tons, at New York, three others were self-interned at New York, one at Boston, three at New Orleans, one at Pensacola, two at Galveston, one at Newport News, one at Phil adelphia, and one at Tampa. The machinery in most of them had been damaged. The following was the official note handed to the American Chargé d'Affaires at Vienna in the absence of Ambassador Penfield, who had left for America a few days previously: Since the United States of America has declared that a state of war exists between it and the Imperial German Government, Austria-Hungary, as an ally of the German Empire, has decided to break off diplomatic relations with the United States, and the Imperial and Royal Embassy at Washington has been instructed to inform the Department of State to that effect. While regretting under these circumstances to see a termination of the personal relations which he has had the honor to hold with the Chargé d'Affaires of the United States of America, the undersigned does not fail to place at the former's disposal herewith the passport for the departure from AustriaHungary of himself and the other members of the embassy. At the same time the undersigned avails himself of the opportunity to renew to the Chargé d'Affaires the expression of his most perfect consideration. (Signed) CZERNIN. Belgian Relief Work Transferred RAND WHITLOCK, the American B to to withdraw from Belgian soil by President Wilson on March 24; the President also ordered the departure of all American Consular officers. The withdrawal of the American members of the Belgian Relief Commission, who had been directing the feeding of several millions of destitute Belgian and French civilians, also was necessitated by the war situation. The work of these Americans was taken up by Dutch citizens under direction of the Netherlands Government. Herbert C. Hoover, the head of the relief commission, continued to direct the work from Rotterdam, but after the American declaration of war it was understood that he would return to America to assume the position of Food Director. In the official announcement of the withdrawal the State Department at Washington very bluntly and sharply put the blame on the Germans, as the following extract from the official statement of March 24 shows: "Immediately after the break in relations the German authorities in Brussels withdrew from Mr. Whitlock the diplo matic privileges and immunities which he had up to that time enjoyed. His courier service to The Hague was stopped. He was denied the privilege of communicating with the Department of State in cipher, and later even in plain language. The members of the relief commission were placed under great restrictions of movements and communications, which hampered the efficient performance of their task. "In spite of all these difficulties, the Government and the commission were determined to keep the work going till the last possible moment. Now, however, a more serious difficulty has arisen. In the course of the last ten days several of the commission's ships have been attacked without warning by German submarines, in flagrant violation of the solemn engagements of the German Government. Protests addressed by this Government to Berlin through the intermediary of the Spanish Government have not been answered. "The German Government's disregard of its written undertakings causes grave concern as to the future of the relief work. In any event, it is felt that the American staff of the commission can no longer serve with advantage in Belgium. Although a verbal promise has been made that the members of the commission would be permitted to leave if they desire, the German Government's observance of its other undertakings has not been such that the department would feel warranted in accepting responsibility for leaving these American citizens in German occupied territory." Four Belgian relief ships loaded with food bound from America for Rotterdam were sunk by German submarines between March 25 and April 10, and it was feared that all relief measures must be abandoned. On April 17, however, it was announced that eight loaded relief ships had reached Rotterdam between April 6 and 15, indicating that the Germans had concluded to allow the relief service to continue. Vessels Sunk by Submarines HE allied nations having ceased to Treport the detailed results of the German submarine warfare, only general data can be obtained for the most part for the months of March and April. The Aztec was the chief American ship reported sunk after the destruction of the Memphis, Vigilancia, and Illinois, the three American vessels whose loss brought on the extra session of Congress and the war declaration. The Aztec was an armed merchantman; the sinking was reported on April 2, the day the President delivered his war message. She was attacked by a submarine at night near an island off Brest, without warning, and in a heavy sea. She was a slowmoving freighter of 3,727 tons, loaded with a cargo of foodstuffs, valued at $500,000, belonging to the Oriental Navigation Company. The vessel's guns were in charge of a naval detachment consisting of a Lieutenant and a crew of 11 gunners; 28 of the men on board, includ ing Boatswain's Mate Eopolucci of the United States Naval Guard, perished. The American Oil steamship Healdton was sunk March 22 in the North Sea by a German submarine, and 21 of her crew, of whom 7 were Americans, perished. The cargo was valued at $2,150,000; the United States Government War Risk Bureau lost $499,000 by the sinking of the Healdton, bringing the total losses of the bureau-including $250,000 on the Illinois-to $1,583,924; but the premiums in that period amounted to $3,167,997. On March 23 the French cruiser Danton was reported as having been torpedoed in the Mediteranean Sea; 296 men were lost, 806 saved. The vessel displaced 18,028 tons. The unarmed American steamer Missourian, which left Genoa April 4 with 32 Americans in her crew of 53-net tonnage 4,981-was sunk without warning in the Mediterranean. The American |