THE WORLD WAR: PERIOD OF AMERICAN NEUTRALITY 9397

341.622A/271a
The Secretary of State to President Wilson

Wasurneton, November 23, 1916.

My Dear Mr. Presrpent: You will recall that I spoke to you about
two communications to the British Government which were in the
course of preparation in regard to the unwarranted and summary
seizure and removal at sea of seamen, officers, and others from Amer-
ican vessels by British cruisers, and that you stated that you desired
to see these communications before they were forwarded to London.
I therefore enclose copies of these notes for your consideration.

The enclosure marked “A” is the proposed communication on the
China case,* which, as you will perceive, has been settled by the
release of the persons seized, although settled unsatisfactorily as to
the principle involved. This communication is merely a review of
the correspondence which has been exchanged in this case, for the
purpose of clearing up certain misapprehensions under which Lord
Grey appears to have been laboring in regard to the position of the
Government of the United States, and to set forth also for the record
the inconsistent grounds advanced by the British Government for the
seizure of the men on the China, in order that this Government might
not, if these cases should go to arbitration, be placed in the light of
having acquiesced in the British views. I do not think there is any-
thing new in the enclosure marked “A.”

The enclosure marked “B” is a proposed communication to the
British Government in regard to cases of the removal of seamen and
others from American vessels on the high seas which have occurred
since the case of the China.® It is an attempt to set forth without
prejudice the past practice of the American and British Governments
in this matter, with a view to showing that what Great Britain is
now. doing in this respect is without warrant in practice or law and
has been in the past regarded by her and by us as a most serious
offence. Enclosure “B”, therefore, is largely historical, with the
exception of the last few pages.

I desire to call your particular attention to the last paragraph of
the covering instruction of enclosure “B”, in which Mr. Page is in-
formed that this Government has in mind a proposal to arbitrate this
controversy after the war, on the condition that the men already
seized are released and no other seizures are made during the con-
tinuance of the war. As these seizures are a great annoyance to
American ship-owners, besides being an affront to the American flag,

“For text of this communication as sent, see ibid., p. 662.
* For text of this communication as sent, see ibid., p. 667.