Germans blush for shame when the name of Miss Cavell is mentioned.  Englishmen blush at the memory of Jeffreys, but no Englishman ever defends that fiendish butcher of women.  Americans blush at the memory of Mrs. Surratt; but few Americans will defend her execution.  The fact that Germans have risen to defend the Cavell atrocity led many Americans to conclude that the brutalising influence of militarism has made the mass of the German people less humane than are the peoples of other countries, since they defend what other peoples condemn.

Your Government has bombarded unfortified seacoast towns which Americans know from personal observation, both before the war and during the bombardment, were not defended in any way.  Mothers and babies were blown to shreds, but no military damage was done in most cases.  Dozens of helpless old men, women and children were killed for every soldier slain.  The same is true of your Zeppelin raids.  Americans believe these acts are committed for the purpose of stirring up enthusiasm among the German populace.  They believe such acts are in defiance of the rules of civilised warfare, that they are utterly inhuman and barbarous, and that a nation which approves and applauds such senseless slaughter is less civilised than other modern nations.  The British Government has steadfastly refused to accede to the clamour of a few of its citizens who urge a policy of wholesale reprisals against German open towns.  Americans honour this respect for the rules of civilised warfare and regret that even occasionally France has yielded to the provocation for reprisal raids against such a place as Freiburg.  The fact that Germany began the slaughter of babies and women in defiance of the rules of war, and has kept it up in frequent raids by warships, Zeppelins, and aeroplanes, whereas the Allies have very seldom attacked open towns, and then only as occasional reprisals following peculiarly barbarous German attacks, has won for Germany the condemnation, and for the Allies the commendation of the civilised world.

The Lusitania atrocity removed from the minds of the American people the last possible doubt as to the essential barbarity of the German Government.  No other Government pretending to be civilised has ever shocked the entire world by such a sickening crime against humanity.  It is utterly inconceivable that the American nation could descend so low in the scale of humanity as to order the deliberate destruction of an English ship bearing hundreds of innocent German women and children across the seas.  But if such a thing were conceivable, you could not find in the American navy an officer who would obey the inhuman order.  Nor do Americans believe that the English or French Governments could ever disgrace their countries’ honour by such a barbarous act.  I am shocked and surprised that a man of your position and intelligence can find it in his heart to defend an act which has for ever stained the fair name and honour of your country.