this agreement was a note (September 1, 1915) from
Count von Bernstorff to Secretary Lansing announcing that his
instructions concerning Germany's answer to the last American note on
the _Lusitania_ contained this passage:

"Liners will not be sunk by our submarines without warning and without
safety of the lives of noncombatants, provided the liners do not try
to escape or offer resistance."

The German Ambassador added that this policy had been decided on
before the _Arabic_ was sunk. Secretary Lansing, commenting upon this
abatement of Germany's sea war methods, said: "It appears to be a
recognition of the fundamental principles for which we have
contended." A settlement of the _Lusitania_ case, however, was
deferred until that of the _Arabic_ had been satisfactorily disposed
of.

The atmosphere was clearer. But Germany was still silent regarding the
report of the submarine commander, on whose version of the _Arabic's_
destruction hinged the question whether Germany would disavow his act.
The report that the submarine had been sunk revived in London, but the
British admiralty maintained an impenetrable silence regarding its
truth or falsehood. The circumstantial story was that the submarine
later sighted a cattle boat, and was engaged in shelling it when a
British patrol boat appeared and, opening fire, sank the submarine
with its crew except two or three survivors. Hence London concluded
that in the disappearance of the submarine lay Germany's reason for
her readiness to climb down to the United States on the _Arabic_
controversy.

On September 7, 1915, nineteen days after the _Arabic_ was sunk,
Germany appeared to disprove this story of furnishing a report to the
American Government giving the submarine commander's account of the
sinking. This delay was in contrast to the promptitude with which the
German Government had officially announced the sinking of the
_Lusitania_. The British openly charged that Germany could not have
heard from the submarine commander, for the sufficient reason, they
iterated, that he was drowned with his craft, and that the German
Government, waiting in vain for him to report, had resorted to
"manufacturing" a report to conform with its preconceived theories of
the _Arabic's_ destruction. This, however, remained an unsolved press
controversy in face of the British admiralty's silence. The American
Government gave no indication that it took cognizance of the charge,
or that the Briti