841.857 L 97/131½
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the German Ambassador (Bernstorff), January 26, 1916
The German Ambassador called at 11:45 this morning and handed me a memorandum which he proposed to communicate to his Government for their approval. In the memorandum was the admission of liability of the German Government for the lives of American citizens lost on the Lusitania but no admission of the illegality of the act of the submarine commander in sinking the vessel.
After reading the memorandum I told the Ambassador that I did not think it would be satisfactory but that I would submit it to the President if he so desired. He asked me in what particulars I would have it changed. I told him in the particular as to the admission of illegality so far as neutrals were concerned. He then made several changes in the memorandum and after we went over them together he dictated them to Mr. Sweet. The result was the annexed memorandum which the Ambassador will send today to Berlin for the approval of his Government.4
Over the telephone I read the proposed memorandum to the President who said that he thought if Bernstorff could obtain that our demands would have been fully met.
I then telephoned the German Ambassador that the President considered the memorandum satisfactory and that I hoped he could secure it.
- Quoted in telegram, infra.↩