It stated that the loss of American lives was contrary to the intention of the German government and was deeply regretted.

On September 1 Ambassador von Bernstorff supplemented the note with a letter to Secretary Lansing giving assurance that German submarines would sink no more liners.
The Allan liner Hesperian was sunk September 4 by a German submarine; 26 lives lost, one American.
On October 5 the German government sent a communication regretting again and disavowing the sinking of the Arabic, and stating its willingness to pay indemnities.
Meanwhile depression existed among the Allies and alarm among nations outside the war over the German conquest of Russian Poland.

They captured Lublin, July 31; Warsaw, August 4; Ivangorod, August 5; Kovno, August 17; Novogeorgievsk, August 19; Brest-Litovsk, August 25, and Vilna, September 18.
Activities of spies and plottings within the United States began to divide attention with the war in Europe and the submarine situation.

Dr.
Constantin Dumba, who was Austro-Hungarian ambassador to the United States, in a letter to the Austrian minister of foreign affairs, dated August 20, recommended "most warmly" to the favorable consideration of the foreign office "proposals with respect to the preparation of disturbances in the Bethlehem steel and munitions factory, as well as in the middle west." He felt that "we could, if not entirely prevent the production of war material in Bethlehem and in the middle west, at any rate strongly disorganize it and hold it up for months." The letter was intrusted to an American newspaper correspondent named Archibald, who was just setting out for Europe under the protection of an American passport.

Archibald's vessel was held up at Falmouth, England, his papers seized and their contents cabled to the United States.