File No. 763.72111K92/86
The German Ambassador (Bernstorff) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 26.]
Mr. Secretary of State: Pursuant to your kind note No. 1661 of the 16th instant, I first called on the commanding officers of H.M.S. Kronprinz Wilhelm and Prinz Eitel Friedrich, for an explanation of the disappearance of some members of their crews. It appears from their report that the following petty officers left their ships in a dingey at about 4 o’clock on Sunday, the 10th of October: Quartermasters Ruedebusch, Hoffmann, Biermann, Forstreuter and engineer aspirants Lustfeld and Fischer. The commanding officer of Kronprinz Wilhelm reported the occurrence to the commandant of the Newport News Navy Yard on the 15th ultimo. How the fugitives made good their escape could not be ascertained. Marine Staff Surgeon Dr. Krüger-Kroneck and Lieutenant Koch have not returned from the leave that was granted them. The clandestine disappearance of Dr. Krüger-Kroneck is all the more unaccountable as he, being a physician, might have obtained release from internment in the same way as it was accommodatingly granted to a number of surgeons of the interned ships. Press reports indicate that Lieutenant Koch is now a prisoner in England. The present whereabouts of all the other absconders is not known to me or their superior officers.
Captain-Lieutenant Bauer was still on board H.M.S. Prinz Eitel Friedrich, on March 16, but was no longer there on the 17th. Until then the commanding officer had no other directions than that of letting no one go on shore and had accordingly notified his officers and men that there was no shore leave to be had for the time being. Not until the 19th of March did he receive permission for his crew to get leave to go to certain defined places on land: “Officers on parole and men under guard of American soldiers.” Captain-Lieutenant Koch, therefore could not have broken his parole, but merely disobeyed orders. There can be no question, therefore, of his being sent back to the United States on the above-stated ground.
As for the seamen Sturm and Kasper, they left the Kronprinz Wilhelm as early as October 14; their attempt to escape took place before the time when the Navy Department’s order that no one should leave the ship became known to the ship on October 15, it being dated October 14.
I believe the foregoing particulars will prove of some help in clearing up the matter, which I have reported to my Government.
Accept [etc.]