File No. 763.72/9089
The Swiss Minister (
Sulzer) to the
Secretary of State
Department of German
Interests IV 5
Washington,
March 4, 1918.
[Received March 6.]
Sir: Referring to my note of January 14,
1918,1 enclosing text
of a cablegram regarding the extension of the blockade zone of January
31, 1917,2 issued by
the German Government on January 5, 1918 and effective January 11, 1918,
I now have the honor to enclose the original text of this declaration,
transmitted to this Legation by the Swiss Foreign Office.
In this collection, I beg to draw your Excellency’s attention to the
description 30 degrees 0 minutes north—26 degrees 0 minutes west. This
description, due to an error in the cablegram, was given in the text
submitted to the Department of State on January 14, 1918, as 30 degrees
0 minutes north—27 degrees 0 minutes west.
Accept [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
German Declaration Extending the Blockade
Zone
Supplementary Declaration of the Blockade Zone
of the 31st January, 1917
Dating from January 11, 1918, the blockade zone around the enemy
fulcrum on the Cape Verde Islands and around that of Dakar with the
adjoining coastal district will be extended according to the
following limit detail:
| From |
Cape |
Palmas |
Lighthouse |
| To |
10° |
0′ |
N |
29° |
30′ |
W |
| “ |
17° |
0′ |
N |
29° |
30′ |
W |
| “ |
20° |
30′ |
N |
25° |
30′ |
W |
on latitude 20° 30’ N eastward to the intersection
of this parallel by the shoreline of the West African coast.
On the same date the blockade zone around the Azores will be extended
eastward to beyond our adversaries’ fulcrum, Madeira Island, so that
this district will include the following new boundaries:
| From |
44° |
0′ |
N |
27° |
45′ |
W |
| To |
44° |
0′ |
N |
34° |
0′ |
W |
| “ |
42° |
30′ |
N |
37° |
0′ |
W |
| “ |
37° |
0′ |
N |
37° |
0′ |
W |
| “ |
30° |
0′ |
N |
26° |
0′ |
W |
| “ |
30° |
0′ |
N |
17° |
0′ |
W |
| “ |
34° |
0′ |
N |
12° |
0′ |
W |
| “ |
36° |
45′ |
N |
12° |
0′ |
W |
backwards towards the starting point.
[Page 1763]
Neutral ships, which at the time of the publication of this
declaration are lying in harbours within the above-mentioned
blockade zone, may leave the district without incurring the dangers
of the newly ordered military proceedings for this sphere, if they
sail before January 18, 1918, and take the shortest route to the
free zone.
For neutral vessels, which have come into the newly declared blockade
zone, without previous knowledge of the declaration, or, without
being able to learn thereof, a sufficient prolongation of time is
established.
It is urgently counselled that neutral shipping be warned and that
they take another route.
