Message to the Congress
April 2, 1917
Gentlemen of the Congress:
I have called the Congress into extraordinary session because there
are serious, very serious, choices of policy to be made, and made
immediately, which it was neither right nor constitutionally
permissible that I should assume the responsibility of making.
On the 3d of February last I officially laid before you the
extraordinary announcement of the Imperial German Government that on
and after the first day of February it was its purpose to put aside
all restraints of law or of humanity and use its submarines to sink
every vessel that sought to approach either the ports of Great Britain
and Ireland or the western coasts of Europe or any of the ports
controlled by the enemies of Germany within the Mediterranean. That
had seemed to be the object of the German submarine warfare earlier in
the war, but since April of last year the Imperial Government had
somewhat restrained the commanders of its undersea craft in conformity
with its promise then given to us that passenger-boats should not be
sunk, and that due warning would be given to all other vessels which
its submarines might seek to destroy when no resistance was offered or
escape attempted, and care taken that their crews were given at least
a fair chance to save their lives in their open boats.
The precautions taken were meager and haphazard enough, as was proved
in distressing instance after instance in the progress of the cruel
and unmanly business, but a certain degree of restraint was observed.