Carter Roy

Still, all of this could be blamed on accident and oversight, not willful endangerment.

But there's another layer to this theory, a choice that can't be called an accident.

Let's step away from Room 40 for just a sec.

In the summer of 1917, as the US was fighting in World War I, US Senator Robert La Follette claimed the Lusitania sinking wasn't what it looked like.

He said the ship's secret second manifest would prove it.

And as a sitting Senator, he demanded that Congress have the chance to review the documents.

In response, the Senate scheduled a vote to expel him from Congress.

Hmm, I wonder why.

La Follette threatened to bring in a customs officer who'd seen the manifest and would back him up.

And suddenly, well, wouldn't you know it, the expulsion vote was dropped.

La Follette kept his seats, though the alleged second manifest never became Senate business.

La Follette was denied a chance to prove his suspicion, but claimed he'd be vindicated by history.

So what did he think the manifest would reveal?

Contraband weapons and ammunition.

And he wasn't the only person who believed that.

In the weeks following the sinking, a survivor named Joseph Marischal threatened to sue the Cunard line for damages.

In his claims, Marischal said he heard ammunition exploding on board, just like La Follette believed.

As a former soldier, Marischal knew the sound of exploding rifle cartridges well.

Marischal didn't ask for much money, just enough to pay medical bills and help his family reunite.

But when the UK government got wind of Marischal's story about hearing rifle ammunition going off on board, they slandered him in the English papers, calling him a liar.