Allies in loud tones of victory, coupled with an invitation to the
United States to interpose as a mediator. Peace, of course, would
dispose of further friction with the United States. While the
proposals were pending, moreover, American action on German violations
of her submarine agreement was suspended. What was the use of a
diplomatic rupture with Germany on the eve of peace? But Germany knew
that her official "peace kite" was making an abortive flight. Peace
she really did not expect, knowing it was not within reach; but she
was anxious to preserve friendly relations with the United States,
although daily flouting it in her conduct of the submarine war. Her
peace move was therefore shown to have had a double edge. It
postponed, but did not avert, a final crisis with the United States,
and that, indeed, might well have been its initial aim in view of the
foredoomed futility of its ostensible object. Certainly President
Wilson espoused the peace proposal for the same reason; but, as shown
in the following chapter, the efforts of both were in vain. The real
climax was to come after all.

CHAPTER LIII

RUPTURE WITH GERMANY

The movement for peace was at its crest, and President Wilson was
apparently sanguine that his efforts in furthering it were on the eve
of bearing fruit, when Great Britain planned to extend her blockade of
the German coast in the North Sea. She enlarged the dangerous area
which hitherto only barred the entry of German naval forces south into
the Straits of Dover and the English Channel by cutting off the German
North Sea coast altogether, in order to prevent the egress and ingress
of German sea raiders by the northward route and to curtail the
chances of the kaiser's warships making successful forays on the
English coast. The significance of this action was not seen until it
became known that Great Britain had discovered that Germany, while
seemingly occupied with peace, was preparing a warning to neutrals of
her intention to establish a deep-sea blockade of the entire British
and French coasts. By extending the mined area round the German coast
Great Britain sought to counteract and anticipate the new German
project, the aim of which was to starve the British Isles by a bitter
and unrestrained submarine war on all ships. The British warning of
the extended dangerous area came on January 27, 1917. Germany
announced her new policy four days later, proclaiming that it was in
retaliation o