United States, reserving for future consideration the legality and
propriety of the deceptive use of the flag of a neutral power in any
case for the purpose of avoiding capture, desires very respectfully to
point out to his Britannic Majesty's Government the serious consequences
which may result to American vessels and American citizens if this
practice is continued.

The occasional use of the flag of a neutral or an enemy under the stress
of immediate pursuit and to deceive an approaching enemy, which appears
by the press reports to be represented as the precedent and
justification used to support this action, seems to this Government a
very different thing from an explicit sanction by a belligerent
Government for its merchant ships generally to fly the flag of a neutral
power within certain portions of the high seas which are presumed to be
frequented with hostile warships. The formal declaration of such a
policy of general misuse of a neutral's flag jeopardizes the vessels of
the neutral visiting those waters in a peculiar degree by raising the
presumption that they are of belligerent nationality regardless of the
flag which they may carry.

In view of the announced purpose of the German Admiralty to engage in
active naval operations in certain delimited sea areas adjacent to the
coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, the Government of the United States
would view with anxious solicitude any general use of the flag of the
United States by British vessels traversing those waters. A policy such
as the one which his Majesty's Government is said to intend to adopt
would, if the declaration of the German Admiralty be put in force, it
seems clear, afford no protection to British vessels, while it would be
a serious and constant menace to the lives and vessels of American
citizens.