File No. 763.72/4942
The Ambassador in Brazil ( Morgan) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 27, 5.10 a.m.]
Embassy’s telegram of May 22, 6 p.m.1 President Braz sent the following message to Congress this afternoon:
I submit to your consideration with the accompanying authenticated documents the information received from the Brazilian Legation in Paris, regarding the sinking by a German submarine of another Brazilian merchant steamer. The Brazilian nation is fully aware of the attitude which the Government adopted upon receiving from Germany the declaration that she intended to establish a blockade by submarines of the west, as well as of a part of the southern, coast of Europe, thereby curtailing the freedom of the seas and extending indiscriminately to all parts of the world war in its most violent form. The Brazilian Government at that time presented its protest and upon the occasion of the torpedoing of the Paraná broke diplomatic and commercial relations with Germany. The torpedoing of a second ship, without warning, and the fear that our fleet and our foreign trade will continue to suffer, obliges the Government to resort to measures of defence, upon the nature of which the National Congress will decide. The members of the Government, in bringing this matter to the attention of Congress, do not seek to evade responsibility or to refrain from expressing an opinion thereon. They believe that the employment of the merchant ships of German nationality anchored in Brazilian ports is urgently necessary apart from any idea of seizure, which would not accord with the spirit of our legislation and would be at variance with the general feeling throughout the country. The employment of such ships is warranted by the principles of the Hague convention of October 18, 1907. These vessels would be held as compensation until it should be proved that they constitute private property (which even in time of war should be respected and which Brazil will respect), or that they are the property of companies of an official nature or under official supervision. [Page 291] In any case it appears to this Government that measures should be taken immediately to safeguard the public interest and the dignity of the nation.
- Not printed.↩