File No. 857.857/65
The Ambassador in Germany ( Gerard) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 13, 9 p.m.]
4871. The following note relative to the sinking of the Norwegian steamer Lokken has just been received:
Foreign Office,
Berlin, January 11,
1917.
The undersigned has the honor to inform his excellency Mr. James W. Gerard, Ambassador of the United States of America, in reply to the note of Mr. J. C. Grew, dated December 11 last (Foreign Office No. 14831), on the subject of the sinking of the Norwegian steamer Lökken by a submarine of unknown nationality as follows:
The investigation conducted by the German naval authorities has shown that the Lökken was stopped by a German submarine on November 11, 1916. The steamer had absolute contraband on board—namely, coal for the Algerian state railways. She was therefore captured and sunk, since it was not feasible under the given circumstances to take her into a German port. Care was taken for the rescue of the crew by the submarine taking the two boats in tow and conducting them to a steamer, which took the men on board.
The undersigned requests that the above may be communicated to the American Government, and avails himself [etc.] Zimmermann.