In reply to this declaration the German Government gave this
Government the following assurances:
The German Government is prepared to do its utmost to confine the
operations of war for the rest of its duration to the fighting
forces of the belligerents, thereby insuring the freedom of the seas,
a principle upon which the German Government believes, now as before,
to be in agreement with the Government of the United States.
The German Government, guided by this idea, notifies the Government
of the United States that the German naval forces have received the
following orders:
In accordance with the general principles of visit and search and
destruction of merchant vessels recognized by international law,
such vessels, both within and without the area declared as naval
war zone, shall not be sunk without warning and without saving
human lives, unless these ships attempt to escape or offer resistance.
But neutrals cannot expect that Germany, forced to fight for her
existence, shall, for the sake of neutral interest, restrict the use
of an effective weapon if her enemy is permitted to continue to apply
at will methods of warfare violating the rules of international law.
Such a demand would be incompatible with the character of neutrality,
and the German Government is convinced that the Government of the
United States does not think of making such a demand, knowing that
the Government of the United States has repeatedly declared that it
is determined to restore the principle of the freedom of the seas
from whatever quarter it has been violated.