words and the
correspondence that had been carried on between the two countries.

The _Lusitania_ was sunk May 7, 1915. A thousand lives were lost, many
of them Americans. A roar of anger rose from America and the civilized
world at the brutality of this act, as well as at the dastardly
disregard of the rights of neutral nations. "They were warned," said the
Germans glibly, as if their "warning" was sufficient. For a nation that
had made huge profits in selling munitions at other times to warring
peoples their "warning" would have been ridiculous had it not been
tragic. The commander of the U-boat received a German medal for his
"gallantry" in sinking the _Lusitania_ and sending hundreds of innocent
victims to their watery graves. As if to add insult to injury Germany
proclaimed a holiday for her schools on the occasion.

President Wilson still held to his patient course. He would give Germany
every opportunity to explain the act before he himself acted. May 13,
1915, his first so-called "_Lusitania_ letter" was written. Germany
replied May 28th, declaring that she was justified in sinking the great
vessel. On June 9th, the President sent his "second _Lusitania_ letter,"
and correspondence followed which plainly indicated that Germany was
trying to evade the real issue.

July 31, 1915, saw the "third _Lusitania_ letter," for even then the
President was doing his utmost to avoid war, if avoidance was possible.
On August 19, 1915, the _Arabic_ was torpedoed by a U-boat and still
other Americans lost their lives. The German ambassador to the United
States, Count von Bernstorff, however, apparently thought to stave off
action by pledging (orally) for his country that her submarines would
not sink "liners" without warning.

The ambassador's words were not unlike those previously received, for
instead of the matter being settled, still more unsatisfactory
correspondence followed and other boats also were sent to the bottom of
the sea.

The following February, Germany made certain proposals that had an
appearance of a grudging or compulsory willingness on her part to
provide for the _Lusitania_ victims, but within a few days (March 24,
1916), another passenger steamer, the _Sussex_, was torpedoed, and among
the lost were Americans.

The feeling in Washington was becoming tense and was still more
intensified in April, when Germany sneeringly explained that she was not
positive whether or not she sank the _Sussex_. She d