At the second Hague conference, in 1907, Germany led the opposition against the Ameri can proposal for a form of treaty to secure obligatory arbitration at The Hague Court for certain cases of international controversy, and induced four other powers (including Austria and Turkey) to vote against it. Explaining this opposition, she said that although not op posed to obligatory arbitration in principle she was not ready to sign such a treaty with all the powers including backward as well as ad vanced.
Although various international amenities initiated by the German Imperial government brought a decline of American suspicion which had grown from Pan-German clamor, the American government after 1910 was consider ably disturbed by a new source of possible con flict with Germany furnished by insurrectionary conditions in Mexico which threatened foreign interests and raised questions concerning the application of the Monroe Doctrine. In March 1914, Senator Fall of New Mexico asked for immediate intervention in Mexico to prevent intervention by Germany.
At the beginning of the World War, which opened with Germany's brutal attack on Bel gium in order to seize northern France, the German Ambassador at Washington, without in vitation or suggestion from the American gov ernment hut to calm possible apprehension not felt, submitted a positive denial of any purpose to acquire territory in America in connection with the war; and later Dr. Dernberg, the un official representative of the emperor, elabo rated the statement to include North America and denied that Germany had the slightest in tention of violating any part of the Monroe Doctrine. Significant to Americans, however,
was the fact that Germany saw nothing im moral in taking colonies elsewhere belonging to other nations, or in the occupation or possession of small states which have strategic importance.
Later, while the American government still sought to remain neutral, the German govern ment deliberately violated American neutral rights on the seas by a system of piratical war fare, inaugurated negotiations for an alliance with Mexico and Japan against the United States and conducted a secret campaign against American domestic security by fomenting strikes, by hiring criminals to destroy property, by subsidizing a propaganda of disloyalty, by placing spies in government offices, and by other unfriendly acts which forced the United States to enter the war in order to enforce peace and preserve civilization.
Bibliography.— Coolidge, A. C., 'United States as a World Power' (1917); Edginton, T. B., 'The Monroe (1904); Fislc, George M., 'Beziehungen zwischen Deutsch land and den Vereinigten .Staaten> (1897); Henderson, J. B., 'American Diplomatic Ques tions> (1901); Latane, J. H., 'America as a World Power' (1901) ; Moore, J. B., 'Digest of International Law> (1906) ; Thayer, W. R., 'The Life of John Hay> (1915).