View source for President Wilson's Address to Both Houses of Congress in Joint Session, February 3, 1917

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'''President Wilson's Address to Both Houses of Congress in Joint Session, February 3, 1917<sup>1</sup>'''<br>

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS: The Imperial German Govern- <br>
ment on the thirty-first of January announced to this Government <br>
and to the governments of the other neutral nations that on and after <br>
the first day of February, the present month, it would adopt a policy <br>
with regard to the use of submarines against all shipping seeking to <br>
pass through certain designated areas of the high seas to which it is <br>
clearly my duty to call your attention. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let me remind the Congress that on the eighteenth of April last, <br>
in view of the sinking on the twenty-fourth of March of the cross- <br>
channel passenger steamer Sussex by a German submarine with- <br>
out summons or warning, and the consequent loss of the lives of <br>
several citizens of the United States who were passengers aboard <br>
her, this Government addressed a note to the Imperial German Gov- <br>
ernment in which it made the following declaration: <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“If it is still the purpose of the Imperial Government to prose- <br>
cute relentless and indiscriminate warfare against vessels of com- <br>
merce by the use of submarines without regard to what the Gov- <br>
ernment of the United States must consider the sacred and indisput- <br>
able rules of international law and the universally recognized dic- <br>
tates of humanity, the Government of the United States is at last <br>
forced to the conclusion that there is but one course it can pursue. <br>
Unless the Imperial Government should now immediately declare <br>
and effect an abandonment of its present methods of submarine war- <br>
fare against passenger and freight-carrying vessels, the Government <br>
of the United States can have no choice but to sever diplomatic rela- <br>
tions with the German Empire altogether."<br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In reply to this declaration the Imperial German Government gave <br>
this Government the following assurance: <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The German Government is prepared to do its utmost to con- <br>
fine the operations of war for the rest of its duration to the fighting <br>
forces of the belligerents, thereby also insuring the freedom of the <br>
seas, a .principle upon which the German Government believes, now <br>
as before, to be in agreement with the Government of the United <br>
States. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The German Government, guided by this idea, notifies the Gov- <br>
ernment of the United States that the German naval forces have re- <br>
ceived the following orders : In accordance with the general prin- <br>
ciples of visit and search and destruction of merchant vessels recog- <br>
nized by international law% such vessels, both within and without the <br>
area declared as naval war zone, shall not be sunk without warning <br>
and without saving human lives, unless these ships attempt to es- <br>
cape or offer resistance. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"But," it added, "neutrals can not expect that Germany, forced <br>
to fight for her existence, shall, for the sake of neutral interest, 're- <br>
strict the use of an effective weapon if her enemy is permitted to con-<br> 
tinue to apply at will methods of warfare violating the rules of in- <br>
ternational law. Such a demand would be incompatible with the <br>
character of neutrality, and the German Government is convinced <br>
that the Government of the United States does not think of making <br>
such a demand, knowing that the Government of the United States <br>
has repeatedly declared that it is determined to restore the principle <br>
of the freedom of the seas, from whatever quarter it has been violated." <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To this the Government of the United States replied on the eighth <br>
of May, accepting, of course, the assurances given, but adding, <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The Government of the United States feels it necessary to state <br>
that it takes it for granted that the Imperial German Government <br>
does not intend to imply that the maintenance of its newly announced <br>
policy is in any way contingent upon the course or result of diplomatic <br>
negotiations between the Government of the United States and any <br>
other belligerent Government, notwithstanding the fact that certain <br>
passages in the Imperial Government's note of the 4th instant might <br>
appear to be susceptible of that construction. In order, however, to <br>
avoid any possible misunderstanding, the Government of the United <br>
States notifies the Imperial Government that it can not for a moment <br>
entertain, much less discuss, a suggestion that respect by German <br>
naval authorities for the rights of citizens of the United States upon <br>
the high seas should in any way or in the slightest degree be made<br>
contingent upon the conduct of any other Government affecting the <br>
rights of neutrals and non-combatants. Responsibility in such mat- <br>
ters is single, not joint; absolute, not relative." <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;To this note of the eighth of May the Imperial German Govern- <br>
ment made no reply. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the thirty-first of January, the Wednesday of the present week, <br>
the German Ambassador handed to the Secretary of State, along <br>
with a formal note, a memorandum which contains the following <br>
statement: <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"The Imperial Government, therefore, does not doubt that the <br>
Government of the United States will understand the situation thus <br>
forced upon Germany by the Entente Allies' brutal methods of war <br>
and by their determination to destroy the Central Powers, and that <br>
the Government of the United States will further realize that the <br>
now openly disclosed intentions of the Entente Allies give back to <br>
Germany the freedom of action which she reserved in her note ad- <br>
dressed to the Government of the United States on May 4, 1916." <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;"Under these circumstances Germany will meet the illegal meas- <br>
ures of her enemies by forcibly preventing after February 1, 1917, <br>
in a zone around Great Britain, France, Italy, and in the Eastern <br>
Mediterranean all navigation, that of neutrals included, from and <br>
to England and from and to France, etc., etc. All ships met within <br>
the zone will be sunk." <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I think that you will agree with me that, in view of this declara- <br>
tion, which suddenly and without prior intimation of any kind delib- <br>
erately withdraws the solemn assurance given in the Imperial Gov- <br>
ernment's note of the fourth of May, 1916, this Government has no <br>
alternative consistent with the dignity and honour of the United <br>
States but to take the course which, in its note of the eighteenth of <br>
April, 1916, it announced that it would take in the event that the <br>
German Government did not declare and effect an abandonment of <br>
the methods of submarine warfare which it was then employing <br>
and to which it now purposes again to resort. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have, therefore, directed the Secretary of State to announce <br>
to His Excellency the German Ambassador that all diplomatic rela- <br>
tions between the United States and the German Empire are severed, <br>
and that the American Ambassador at Berlin will inmmediately be <br>
withdrawn; and, in accordance with this decision, to hand to His <br>
Excellency his passports. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Notwithstanding this unexpected action of the German Govern- <br>
ment, this sudden and deeply deplorable renunciation of its assur-<br>
ances, given this Government at one of the most critical moments <br>
of tension in the relations of the two governments, I refuse to be- <br>
lieve that it is the intention of the German authorities to do in fact <br>
what they have warned us they feel at liberty to do. I can not bring <br>
myself to believe that they will indeed pay no regard to the ancient <br>
friendship between their people and our own or to the solemn obli- <br>
gations which have been exchanged between them and destroy Amer- <br>
ican ships and take the lives of American citizens in the wilful prose- <br>
cution of the ruthless naval programme they have announced their <br>
intention to adopt. Only actual overt acts on their part can make me <br>
believe it even now. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;If this inveterate confidence on my part in the sobriety and pru- <br>
dent foresight of their purpose should unhappily prove unfounded; <br>
if American ships and American lives should in fact be sacrificed by <br>
their naval commanders in heedless contravention of the just and <br>
reasonable understandings of international law and the obvious dic- <br>
tates of humanity, I shall take the liberty of coming again before <br>
the Congress, to ask that authority be given me to use any means that <br>
may be necessary for the protection of our seamen and our people in <br>
the prosecution of their peaceful and legitimate errands on the high<br> 
seas. I can do nothing less. I take it for granted that all neutral <br>
governments will take the same course. <br>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We do not desire any hostile conflict with the Imperial German <br>
Government. We are the sincere friends of the German people and <br>
earnestly desire to remain at peace with the Government which speaks <br>
for them. We shall not believe that they are hostile to us unless and <br>
until we are obliged to believe it; and we purpose nothing more than <br>
the reasonable defense of the undoubted rights of our people. We <br>
wish to serve no selfish ends We seek merely to stand true alike in <br>
thought and in action to the immemorial principles of our people <br>
which I sought to express in my address to the Senate only two weeks <br>
ago. — seek merely to vindicate our right to liberty and justice and <br>
an unmolested life. These are the bases of peace, not war. God <br>
grant we may not be challenged to defend them by acts of wilful in- <br>
justice on the part of the Government of Germany! <br>

<hr>
<sup>1</sup><i>Congressional Record</i>, February 3 1917, p. 1917.