imposing upon a civilized people of 70,000,000 the choice between
destitution and starvation or submission to Great Britain's commercial
will, then Germany today is determined to take up the gauntlet and
appeal to similar allies.

Germany trusts that the neutrals, who so far have submitted to the
disadvantageous consequences of Great Britain's hunger war in silence,
or merely in registering a protest, will display toward Germany no
smaller measure of toleration, even if German measures, like those of
Great Britain, present new terrors of naval warfare.

Moreover, the German Government is resolved to suppress with all the
means at its disposal the importation of war material to Great Britain
and her allies, and she takes it for granted that neutral Governments,
which so far have taken no steps against the traffic in arms with
Germany's enemies, will not oppose forcible suppression by Germany of
this trade.

Acting from this point of view, the German Admiralty proclaimed a naval
war zone, whose limits it exactly defined. Germany, so far as possible,
will seek to close this war zone with mines, and will also endeavor to
destroy hostile merchant vessels in every other way. While the German
Government, in taking action based upon this overpowering point of view,
keeps itself far removed from all intentional destruction of neutral
lives and property, on the other hand, it does not fail to recognize
that from the action to be taken against Great Britain dangers arise
which threaten all trade within the war zone, without distinction. This
a natural result of mine warfare, which, even under the strictest
observance of the limits of international law, endangers every ship
approaching the mine area. The German Government considers itself