Germany's unrestricted-submarine-warfare announcement confronted Wilson with a decision he had hoped to avoid while pursuing a negotiated peace. In the book's account, Robert Lansing favoured an immediate diplomatic break, and consultations with the cabinet and senators produced agreement that relations should be severed. Wilson announced the break on 3 February while withholding a declaration of war. He still distinguished attacks without warning from the handling of merchant ships under prize rules. Colonel House expected the rupture to lead to war because he believed Germany intended to press its submarine blockade to the limits. Their different expectations concerned whether room for peace remained after diplomacy had broken down.
Notable Point · 1:18:46-1:23:18
A diplomatic break without an immediate declaration of war
Wilson's diplomatic break is distinguished from declaring war, while Colonel House doubts that the separation can hold.