422 : The Atlantic 



These activities soon reached Americans even though America 

 had few merchant ships at sea. From the beginning Britain and 

 France were severe in the matter of contraband and neutral ship- 

 ping. Wilson protested and their interpretations, if altered at all, 

 grew more rigid. On February 4, 1915, Germany declared a sub- 

 marine blockade around the British Isles. Wilson protested. On 

 March 28 a German submarine sunk Falaba, a passenger ship; 

 May I, an American ship, Gulflight, was sunk without warning and 

 two Americans died; May 7, Lusitania was torpedoed by a German 

 submarine and 1,198 were lost; 124 of them were Americans. Wilson 

 sent diplomatic notes of protest to Germany but in a public speech 

 at home said, "There is such a thing as a man being too proud to 

 fight." Among Americans there was much debate as to the Presi- 

 dent's meaning. The Germans seem to have had no doubts for the 

 sinking continued and Wilson's notes continued. Shooting war 

 started in Europe in August 1914 and it was July 1915 before it oc- 

 curred to Wilson to inquire how the army and navy might be 

 strengthened. It was February 3, 1916, before he asked the country 

 to build and support a strong navy. Congress spent eight months in 

 talk before passing the Navy Bill in August 1916. 



In May 1916 Germany, in response to more of Wilson's protests, 

 agreed to respect neutral shipping and to warn merchant vessels be- 

 fore sinking them. On January 31, however, Germany changed her 

 policy again. She had decided that her submarines could sink 600,000 

 tons of shipping per month and that this would starve England 

 into defeat. She also decided that America might intervene but that 

 even in that case she would be too late and too slow to produce any 

 serious opposition. Germany announced unrestricted submarine war- 

 fare. In March 1917 five American merchant vessels were sunk by 

 German submarines. By April 6, 1917, the President and Congress 

 agreed a state of war existed between the United States and Ger- 

 many. 



At the time the United States entered the war the prospects for an 

 ultimate Allied victory were not bright. On paper the Allies had 

 many advantages. Overnight, on the declaration of war, the United 

 States Navy became a part of the belligerent forces and though its 

 building program had been neglected and though many of its ships 

 were out of date, judged by the best European standards, the total 

 number of vessels of the American and British fleets far exceeded the 

 German Navy or any navy the Germans could possibly build. 



Likewise in merchant shipping the combined Allied resources 



