Office of the Historian

841.857 L 97/139½

The Secretary of State to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections (Pomerene)

Washington, November 26, 1917 .

My Dear Senator Pomerene: Referring to your letter of October 16th last and to our conversations regarding certain data which the subcommittee of the Committee on Privileges and Elections desires from the Department in relation to the address made by Senator La Follette before the Non-partisan League Convention at St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 20th last, I desire to call your attention to my letter of October 15th last, which, I believe, covers all of the inquiries made in your letter under acknowledgment.

In our interview, you requested to be supplied with: (1) A list of vessels of American registry or of foreign registry having Americans on board attacked or sunk by submarines, together with a statement of facts in regard thereto; (2) A statement and discussion of the law upon which the American protests to Germany regarding submarine warfare were based; and (3) A review of the violated pledges of Germany in regard to her conduct of submarine warfare.

In respect to the attacked or sunken vessels, I enclose three lists—one of American vessels (marked A),52 another of foreign vessels having Americans reported on board, on which correspondence has been published (marked B),53 and a third of foreign vessels having Americans reported on board, on which no correspondence has been printed (marked C).54 These lists also indicate briefly, in a tabulated form, certain facts regarding each vessel. The references in the last column at the right55 are to the published diplomatic correspondence, a set of which I enclose, entitled, “European War Nos. 1, 2, and 3,” respectively, and the galley proof of Part XVII (entitled “Correspondence with Belligerent Governments Regarding Submarine [Page 62] Interferences with Commercial Vessels”) of a proposed fourth volume of diplomatic correspondence in the course of being printed.56 In the documents referred to in these references further details regarding the attacks and sinkings will be found.

As to the statements and discussions of the law upon which the American protests to Germany were based, I would refer you to the following pages of the enclosed correspondence and of certain addresses of the President, which are also enclosed.57 On these pages the particular passages stating and discussing the law are marked on the margin:

  • European War No. 1, Pages 54, 74, 75, and 76.
  • European War No. 2, Pages 171, 172, and 178.
  • European War No. 3, Pages 243 and 244.
  • Addresses of the President: February 26, 1917, Pages 5 and 6; April 2, 1917, Pages 3, 4, and 5.

In regard to the violated pledges of the German Government, I enclose an informal memorandum entitled: “Violations of German Pledges Regarding Conduct of Submarine Warfare,”58 which reviews roughly, in chronological order, the German declarations of submarine warfare, the attack upon or sinking of certain vessels thereunder, and the various pledges given by the German Government from time to time up to April 6, 1917.

Very sincerely yours,

Robert Lansing
[Page 63]
[Enclosure 1]

American Vessels Attacked or Sunk by Submarines, Mines, et cetera, Since the Beginning of the Great War, and Lives Lost up to April 6, 1917

Name of Vessel Sunk or Attacked Lives Lost Date
1. William P. Frye (ship)1_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None January 28, 1915
2. Evelyn2_ _ _ _ _ Sunk 1 February 19, 1915
3. Carib2_ _ _ _ _ Sunk 3 February 23, 1915
4. Greenbrier2_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None April 2, 1915
5. Cushing3_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None April 28, 1915
6. Gulflight_ _ _ _ _ Attacked 3 May 1, 1915
7. Nebraskan_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None May 25, 1915
8. Seaconnet2_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None June 18, 1915
9. Leelanaw_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None July 25, 1915
10. Vincent (ship)2_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None September 27, 1915
11. Helen W. Martin_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None November 18, 1915
12. Owego3_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None August 3, 1916
13. Lanao (Philippine)_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None October 28, 1916
14. Columbian_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None November 8, 1916
15. Chemung_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None November 26, 1916
16. Rebecca Palmer_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None December 14, 1916
17. Sacramento_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None January 6, 1917
18. Westwego_ _ _ _ _ Attacked None January 21, 1917
19. Housatonic_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None February 3, 1917
20. Lyman M. Law (schooner)_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None February 12, 1917
21. Algonquin_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None March 12, 1917
22. Vigilancia_ _ _ _ _ Sunk 15 March 16, 1917
23. City of Memphis_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None March 17, 1917
24. Illinois (tank)_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None March 18, 1917
25. Healdton (tank)_ _ _ _ _ Sunk 20 March 21, 1917
26. Aztec_ _ _ _ _ Sunk 28 April 1, 1917
27. Marguerite (schooner)_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None April 4, 1917
28. Missourian_ _ _ _ _ Sunk None April 4, 1917
[Enclosure 2]

Vessels of Foreign Registry Destroyed or Attacked by Submarines, With Americans on Board, on Which Correspondence Is Published by the United States

Name of Vessel Registry Date of Attack Torpedoed Mine Gun Fire Warned Americans on Board Americans Killed Sunk
Agder_ _ _ _ _ Norwegian Dec. 10, 1916 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes Not stated 1 None Yes
Arabia_ _ _ _ _ British Nov. 6, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No Yes; no. not stated None Yes
Anconaf_ _ _ _ _ Italian Nov. 7,.1915 Yes _ _ _ _ _ Yes Yes do 7 Yes
Arabic_ _ _ _ _ British Aug. 19, 1915 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No do 3 Yes
Barbara_ _ _ _ _ British Oct. 20, 1916 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes Yes 3 None Yes
Delto_ _ _ _ _ Norwegian Oct. 31, 1916 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes Yes 1 None Yes
Berwindvale_ _ _ _ _ British Mar. 16, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No 4 None Yes
Falaba_ _ _ _ _ British Mar. 28, 1915 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes Yes; no. not stated 1 Yes
Laconia_ _ _ _ _ British Feb. 25, 1917 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No 20 8 Yes
Lokken_ _ _ _ _ Norwegian Nov. 12, 1916 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes Yes Yes; no. not stated None Yes
Lusitania_ _ _ _ _ British May 7, 1915 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No do 114 Yes
Imperatorf_ _ _ _ _ Russian Apr. 11, 1916 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes _ _ _ _ _ 2 Nonea Yes
Marina_ _ _ _ _ British Oct. 28, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No 51 6 Yes
Orduna_ _ _ _ _ British July 9, 1915 Yesb _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No Yes; no. not stated None No
Persia_ _ _ _ _ British Dec. 30, 1915 Yesc _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No do 2 Yes
Rowanmore_ _ _ _ _ British Oct. 26, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ Yes No 7 None Yes
Russian_ _ _ _ _ British Dec.14, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No 90 17 Yes
Sebec_ _ _ _ _ British Oct. 12, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No 1 None Yes
Sussex_ _ _ _ _ French Mar. 24, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ No 25 None Nod
Trebaarraca_ _ _ _ _ British Nov. 16, 1916 Yes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes 2 None Yes
Trippel_ _ _ _ _ Norwegian Nov. 11, 1916 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes Yes 1 None Yes
  1. Enclosure 1.↩
  2. Enclosure 2.↩
  3. For text of List C, see European War No. 4: Diplomatic Correspondence with Belligerent Governments Relating to Neutral Rights and Duties (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1918), p. 300.↩
  4. Last column not printed.↩
  5. The reference is to the publication Diplomatic Correspondence with Belligerent Governments Relating to Neutral Rights and Commerce [or Duties] (4 vols., Washington, Government Printing Office, 1915-1918).↩
  6. Copies of the addresses are not enclosed with file copy of this letter. For the address of Feb. 26, 1917, see Congressional Record, vol. 54, pt. 5, p. 4272; for that of Apr. 2, 1917, see Foreign Relations, 1917, supp. 1, p. 195.↩
  7. Not printed; consists chiefly of extracts from correspondence previously printed.↩
  8. Sunk by German cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich. [Footnote in the original.]↩
  9. Sunk by mine. [Footnote in the original.]↩
  10. Sunk by mine. [Footnote in the original.]↩
  11. Sunk by mine. [Footnote in the original.]↩
  12. Attacked by airplane. [Footnote in the original. The Owego was actually attacked by a submarine. See Foreign Relations, 1916, supp., pp. 283, 285–287.]↩
  13. Sunk by mine. [Footnote in the original.]↩
  14. Sunk by mine. [Footnote in the original.]↩
  15. Attacked by airplane. [Footnote in the original. The Owego was actually attacked by a submarine. See Foreign Relations, 1916, supp., pp. 283, 285–287.]↩
  16. Sunk by Austrian Submarine.↩
  17. Sunk by Austrian Submarine.↩
  18. One wounded. [Footnotes a, b, c, d, and f in the original.]↩
  19. Torpedo missed.↩
  20. Believed to have been torpedoed.↩
  21. Badly damaged by Torpedo.↩