File No. 763.72111G27/4
The Acting Secretary of State to the German Ambassador ( Bernstorff )Washington , October 30, 1914.
My dear Mr. Ambassador: The Department has been advised that the German gunboat Geier put into the port of Honolulu, and one October 15 the captain requested permission to make repairs to render the vessel seaworthy, and estimated the time for this work to be one week. The naval constructor of the United States at the port of Honolulu examined the vessel on October 20, and recommended that the time be extended eight days from October 20, in order to place the boilers in a seaworthy condition. On October 27, the German consul at that port requested from eight to ten days additional time in which to make repairs to steam and feed piping and boilers that have been found to be in a leaking condition. Upon a further examination, the United States naval constructor reports that he is unable to state how long repairs should take, as [Page 585] conditions requiring remedy may be found as work progresses. It is also reported that, on account of the generally bad condition of the piping and boilers, further time may be required to complete all repairs.
The circumstances in this case point to the gunboat Geier as a ship that at the outbreak of war finds itself in a more or less broken-down condition and on the point of undergoing general repairs, but still able to keep the sea. In this situation the Government believes that it does not comport with a strict neutrality or a fair interpretation of the Hague conventions, to allow such a vessel to complete unlimited repairs in a United States port. The Government therefore has instructed the authorities to notify the captain of the Geier that three weeks from October 15 will be allowed the Geier for repairs, and that if she is not able to leave American waters by November 6, the United States will feel obliged to insist that she be interned until the expiration of the war.
I am [etc.]