File No. 763.72/1900
The Ambassador in Germany (Gerard) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 23, 8 p. m.]
2469. The newspaper Deutsche Tageszeitung, to which Count Reventlow contributes, has been suppressed. The North German Gazette comments as follows:
For some time an ardent campaign has been conducted in the Deutsche Tageszeitung almost daily affecting rational [tone?] and aiming to open the eyes of its readers to the pretended dangers menacing Germany’s prestige in general and the energetic conduct of warlike operations against England in particular through a conciliatory attitude on the part of the Government in the well-known differences with America on account of submarine warfare. On the one hand the impression is created that official circles were thinking of abandoning Germany’s superiority in submarine weapons just for the sake of peace with America, and on the other hand it did not hesitate to make the foolish assertion that the addition of the United States to the number of our enemies was quite an indifferent matter. In this Monday’s edition the Deutsche Tageszeitung presumes in scarcely veiled language to ridicule the legal standpoint taken in the German notes to America and to make a personal attack on the leading statesmen.
The men who bear the responsibility and have to weigh the dangers and advantages which present themselves are beyond the reach of reproaches of timidity, weakness, or lack of backbone, whether made openly or by all kinds of circumlocution. They lay full claim to the feelings of national strength and dignity which the naval contributor of the Deutsche Tageszeitung believes himself to be the only one to represent.
Such a campaign is merely calculated to complicate the task of the Imperial Government in settling the dispute with America, not only to preserve the fighting power of our arms but also to avoid injurious effects on the general political situation. In the interest of the national defense and foreign policy it must be expected that a stop be put to this propaganda which works with empty rumors and unpolitical feelings of indignation.
This Reventlow is a voluntary retainer of Von Tirpitz. The German answer depends on the issue of the dispute between Von Tirpitz and the Chancellor. The draft of German answer will be ready Saturday but then goes to Von Tirpitz, Military, and Emperor.