That's the best way I know to cause trouble to American shipping and to bring back the good old days of mutual hatred and distrust for a generation or two.

If that isn't playing into the hands of the Germans, what would be?
And where's the "neutrality" of this kind of action?
See here: If we let England go on, we can throw the whole responsibility on her and reserve all our rights under international law and usage and claim damages (and get 'em) for every act of injury, if acts of injury occur; and we can keep her friendship and good-will.

Every other neutral nation is doing that.
Or we can insist on regulating all naval warfare and have a quarrel and refer it to a Bryan-Peace-Treaty Commission and claim at most the selfsame damages with a less chance to get 'em.

We can get damages without a quarrel; or we can have a quarrel and probably get damages.

Now, why, in God's name, should we provoke a quarrel?
The curse of the world is little men who for an imagined small temporary advantage throw away the long growth of good-will nurtured by wise and patient men and who cannot see the lasting and far greater future evil they do.