File No. 763.72/2931
The Chargé in Germany (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 12, 8 p. m.]
4460. In an informal and unofficial conversation with Herr Jagow von to-day he told me that he could give full assurances that recent operations of German submarine boats off the coast of the United States would make no alteration of policy on the part of the German Government respecting the assurances given us last spring. He added that he had as yet received no information regarding these operations except through the Reuter press reports, but that he personally supposed that the raid of the German submarine boats was for the purpose of proving that Great Britain did not control the seas, and he alluded to the fact that British cruisers had also been stationed off our coast. He said that if the press reports were true that these cruisers had been withdrawn at our request, the German Government should have been informed to that effect. He then went on to say that the German boats would not take their prizes into American ports owing to the Appam decision. I report this merely as an informal conversation.