A prohibition of exports as a weapon against the blockade is not possible as the prevailing prosperity would suffer by it.
"The inquiries made by House have led Wilson to believe that our enemies would not be unwilling to consider peace.

In view of the present condition of affairs, I repeat that there is only one possible course, namely, that Your Excellency [Von Jagow] empower me to declare that we will enter into negotiations with the United States touching the conduct of the submarine war while the negotiations are proceeding.

This would give us the advantage that the submarine war, being over Mr.Wilson's head, like the sword of Damocles, would compel him at once to take in hand the task of mediation." This dispatch seems sufficiently to explain all the happenings of the summer and winter of 1916-1917.

It was sent to Berlin on April 26th; the German Government gave the _Sussex_ "pledge" on May 4th, eight days afterward.

In this reply Germany declared that she would now expect Mr.
Wilson to bring pressure upon Great Britain to secure a mitigation or suspension of the British blockade, and to this Mr.Wilson promptly and energetically replied that he regarded the German promise as an unconditional one and that the Government of the United States "cannot for a moment entertain, much less discuss, a suggestion that respect by German naval authorities for the rights of citizens of the United States upon the high seas should in any way or in the slightest degree be made contingent upon the conduct of any other government affecting the rights of neutrals and non-combatants.