DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

22 MARITIME DANGER ZONES.
adopted by Germany the British Admiralty hold themselves
at liberty to adopt similar measures in self-defense,
thus increasing the dangers to navigation in the
North Sea.
It is not stated in the Memorandum whether the contact
mines are floating or anchored, but it is presumed
from the expression "scattering contact mines indiscriminately"
that it was the intention to convey the idea
that the mines referred to are floating mines.
The limitation placed upon the use of floating contact
mines by Article 1 of The Hague Convention of 1907
relative to the Laying of Automatic Submarine Contact
Mines is that they shall become harmless within one hour
after being laid.
The Secretary of State is loath to believe that a signatory
to that Convention would wilfully disregard its
treaty obligation, which was manifestly made in the interest
of neutral shipping.
All restrictions upon the rights of neutrals upon the
high seas, the common highway of nations, during the
progress of a war, are permitted in the interests of the
belligerents, who are bound in return to prevent their
hostile operations from increasing the hazard of neutral
ships in the open sea so far as the exigencies of the war
permit.
If an enemy of His Majesty's Government has, as asserted,
endangered neutral commerce by an act in violation
of The Hague Convention, which can not be justified
on the ground of military necessity, the Secretary of
State perceives no reason for His Majesty's Government
adopting a similar course, which would add further dangers
to the peaceful navigation of the high seas by vessels
of neutral powers.
The Secretary of State, therefore, expresses the earnest
and confident hope that His Majesty's Government may
not feel compelled to resort, as a defensive measure, to a
method of naval warfare, which would appear to be contrary
to the terms of The Hague Convention and impose
upon the ships and lives of neutrals a needless menace
when peaceably navigating the high seas.
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, August IS, 1914.
File No. 763.72/419.
Memorandumfrom the British Embassy.
The British Embassy presents its compliments to the
Department of State, and with reference to its memorandum
of August 11 on the subject of contact mines in
the North Sea has the honour to communicate the following
telegram received from His Majesty's Government:
"German action and the measures it may entail are a
source of grave danger to shipping. British Admiralty
will, however, from time to time and subject to naval
exigencies, try to indicate certain routes and channels for