File No. 763.72111N83/85
The Chargé in Norway ( Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 29, 3.45 p.m.]
1185. My telegram No. 1184 today.1 Following is the translated text of Norwegian Government’s instructions to its Legations at Washington, London, Paris, and Berlin to announce this Government’s decision to mine Norwegian territorial waters in order to prevent their violation by belligerent submarines:
I request the Legation to make a verbal announcement to the Foreign Office concerned, while referring to your two previous representations (see my telegrams of August 19 and 28) to the following effect:
The Norwegian Government has noted the answer which, in reply to its former representations, it has received from the British Government to the effect that it had been established that a British submarine had violated the Norwegian resolution of January 30, 1917, in respect of which violation, the Norwegian Government has lodged the most definite protest. In regard to the other instances complained of, assurances have been received from the American, British, and French Governments that no submarines belonging to these countries have violated the above-mentioned resolution. The Norwegian Government is still without a reply from the German Government to its former representations. The Norwegian Government has previously given warning that it will be obliged to take special military measures in [Page 1788] the areas affected in order to maintain its rights. Up to the present, the Norwegian Government has delayed taking such special measures except that it has caused to be extinguished certain lights on the west coast of Norway which was done amongst other reasons owing to the violation of the resolution. The Government as a matter of fact before taking steps towards a more effective measure, desired to give all the belligerents concerned opportunities to furnish it with the fullest possible information as it could not of course in advance be considered precluded that there might in individual cases at least to a certain extent be extenuating circumstances. With the passing of time, however, the Norwegian Government’s anxiety has increased as it has not been able to close its eyes to the risk that the numerous cases which have already been observed with certainty might at any time be succeeded by others. The Norwegian Government, therefore, finds that it must now proceed to lay mines in certain areas. In so doing, the Norwegian Government will take care that peaceful commercial navigation will not be stopped in traffic along the Norwegian coast.
The present circular telegram sent to Legations Berlin, London, Paris, Washington.
London advised.
- Not printed.↩