The revelations, by the British Ministry of Economic Warfare, concerning the manner in which the U. S. mails were being used for the purpose of evading the Allied blockade, indicate that a regular traffic in exchange, and even foodstuffs is being carried on. Since the beginning of the war 6,000 letters and 50,000 parcels were seized as contraband, while the. sending of parcels of food to Germany from the United States has reached tremendous proportions. All these it is reported were regarded as contraband and confiscated. Reichmarks amounting to no less than 5,270,000, cheques and drafts valued at U.S.$425,000, U. S. currency amounting to $9,900 and sterling £17,800 have thus been intercepted, while industrial diamonds worth more than £2,000,000 were found in the letter post, but as the bulk was addressed to neutral countries they were allowed to proceed. It was obvious, from some of the other discoveries made in the course of examining the U. S. mail, that packets were addressed to people in neutral countries though their ultimate destination was Germany, and from the vast amount of evidence which has been accumulated it is apparent that pro-German interests in the United States have been making use of the postal service as the best means of giving assistance to Germany. Such a practice, calculated to defeat in part, even if not wholly, the Allied economic warfare is just as much a breach of neutrality as if an attempt were made by American cargo shipping to force the Allied blockade, and there is much to support the view that the Allies are entitled in view of the evidence, to take such steps as may seem proper to them by terminating practices which are calculated to thwart the end which they have in view. The despatch of marks to Germany is undoubtedly designed for the purpose of giving Germany foreign exchange in banks in America. The sender purchases Marks at a German bank or agency, and a record of the purchase is forwarded to Germany, where the receiver cashes it, German banks and agencies receiving the value therefore in foreign exchange which may sooner or later be devoted to the purposes of the Reich.
It has to be remembered that in the United States there is a very substantial proportion of the population which is either German descent or of German sympathy. Men and women, perfectly good citizens of America have relatives still living in the Reich, and other bonds still connecting them with the old world, which have not yet been eradicated by the flux of time. First and foremost they may be excellent citizens of the United States, yet secondarily Germany is still the home of their forebears. It is only to be expected that they will do their utmost to assist their relations and friends to last out the stranglehold which the Allies are perfecting on German economic life. They are actuated by motives which can be fully understood, and with which there must be considerable sympathy. There are, as well as these, German agents, official as well as unofficial, who are doing their utmost to cir-cumbent the Allied blockade. There can be no possible complaint that they should be doing so as long as they commit no breach of American neutrality. Nevertheless it does not matter how proper their conduct may be from the point of view of American domestic legality; the fact is that they are seeking to circumvent the Allied blockade. It follows that Great Britain and France must take steps to render nugatory the effect of these attempts, and the only manner in which this can be done is by examination of neutral mails for contraband, and its seizure when discovered. It would be the height of folly if this were not done, for while the contraband smuggled into Germany by such means might not be great compared with what is being stopped by the blockade, military necessity demands that every trickling stream of such goods, exchange or information should {be checked, lest in the sum total it represents more assistance to Germany than ithe Allies could wisely permit. The examination of U. S. mail consigned to Germany in neutral bottoms at ports to which the vessels have been diverted for the purpose of examination of cargoes in connection with the blockade is, on the face of it, no more than the logical completion of the intention with which the diversion was first arranged for.
Though it has been claimed that there is lan immunity from such a practice on the part of the letter mail, it is not claimed that the same applies to parcel mail. The Allied view is that there is no immunity for either class of postal matter, as both provide a channel whereby intelligence and substantial assistance can be given to the enemy. The made as to what the attitude of the Allies will be on the matter. Obviously it cannot be the wish of either Great Britain or France unduly to antagonize public opinion in the United States. The information issued by the Ministry of Economic Warfare, it is hoped, will be widely published in America for it clearly establishes the reasons why present Procedure becomes necessary, and why, to a very large extent, it should be adhered to. A counsel of perfection would be for the United States to censor its own mail, but to do so would in fact constitute a departure from the principles of naturality upon which Congress and the people insist, even if the censorship were equally directed against whatever improper use of the mails the Allies might be responsible for, if any. Yet the position appears to be this: if the United States permits its mail bags to be used for the purpose of evading the Allied blockade of Germany, that in itself must be an unneutral proceeding; if it does not take steps itself to prevent the practice, that also is unneutral, while if it does the same reproach may with justice be levelled. On the whole of the fact, therefore, the conclusion to be drawn is that what the Allies are doing at the moment is the best solution of the problem, for which it can with safety be said, that whereas German naval action means the destruction of neutral mail, that of the Allies at the most means a certain delay, and the prevention of contraband reaching its intended destination.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.