The Zimmerman Telegram Leads United States into WW I

self | April 6 2017 | Self

[Retain Mike]

The Zimmerman Telegram finally prompted the decision Great Britain had been wishing for since the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915. The text asked the Mexican government to enter the war on the side of Germany, if the U.S. declared war when Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917. The German ambassador offered for them to make war and peace together, offered generous financial support, and to sustain an understanding Mexico was to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

The British were monitoring messages neutrals such as the U.S. and Sweden were improperly forwarding for the Germans, because they were enforcing a tight blockade of trans-Atlantic cable use. One time they complained of such practices, but in such a way that they convinced the Swedes and Germans that though the messages contained German code groups they could not read them. The Swedes stopped using this particular path, but found other ways to work around the prohibition. The British then decided there was more to be gained by allowing the evasions, because they could actually read entire German messages.

For this fatal message, the German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann used two of these new paths to contact his ambassador in the U.S., who then contacted the Mexicans through the German ambassador there. Now the British had the very thing that could bring the U.S. into the war, but through methods and channels considered too useful to be revealed. Especially since they involved decrypting messages sent through Sweden and the U.S.

The British solved their dilemma by devising the subterfuge of using the telegram as received in Mexico. They didn’t have a copy, but their agent “T” obtained a copy from the Mexico City telegraph office. Two suspicions were confirmed that it was transmitted in an old code and that several details were changed in retransmission. They could now bring the message to the Americans without revealing that they were reading newer German codes or that they knew about these channels for the evasion of neutrality. The British presented the telegram with the following cover message.

“Early in the war the British government obtained possession of a copy of the German cipher code used in the above message and have made it their business to obtain copies of Bernstorff’s cipher telegrams to Mexico, among others, which are sent back to London and deciphered here. This accounts for there being able to decipher this telegram from the German Government to their Representative in Mexico, and also for the delay from January 19 until now in their receiving the information. This system has hitherto been a jealously guarded secret and is only divulged to you now by the British government in view of the extraordinary circumstances and their friendly feeling toward the United States. They earnestly request that you keep the source of your information and the British government’s method of obtaining it profoundly secret, but they put no prohibition on the publication of Zimmermann’s telegram itself.”

Now the British and Americans faced the task of conspiring to prove the validity of the telegram without revealing the supposed source. The German Foreign Minister removed this conundrum himself by unexpectedly confirming the telegram was genuine.

[Retain Mike]

One of my favorite stories from the many books I have read on the history of codebreaking and secret service involves how we got into World War One. On April 6 one hundred years ago, the U.S. declared war on Imperial Germany.

[Gay State Conservative]

save for later

[AU72]

Wilson was determined to get the US in the War.
With German unrestricted submarine warfare it was going to happen.

[dfwgator]

Britain needed “Brexit” in 1914. Would have saved them (and us) a lot of grief.

[jmaroneps37]

Given that Wilson was so eager to get us into the war it is not very hard to believe the whole thing was hoax. From November 25 1783 until Wilson ordered it discontinued in 1916, Americans celebrated Evacuation Day as the day the last English ship left New York harbor. Evacuation day was a bigger celebration than July 4th but Wilson didn’t want to offend the British so he killed it. Democrats will do things like that. Read more on the climate of the days leading up to April 6, 1917 just weeks after Wilson was reelected on a promise not to get us into the war. German Americans did not want to fight Germany for England and Irish Americans felt the same way. Wilson gave Puerto Ricans limited citizenship specifically so he could draft Puerto Rican men into the Army since very few Americans wanted to get into Europe’s war.

[alternatives?]

Funny. Britain was worried about their supremacy in naval power. Regardless, it was gone in 20 years and additional German battleships wouldn’t have made any difference.

[Eric Pode of Croydon]

it is not very hard to believe the whole thing was hoax

Except that when asked, Zimmermann said, "Yes, it's true, I sent it". If he had denied it, there would be no way to prove him wrong without exposing the British cryptanalysis that had gotten the telegram to Wilson.

The Zimmermann telegram ranks high on the list of "most boneheaded moves in history". Had the Germans not sent it, America's entry to the war would likely have been delayed further, and not much of a delay would have been needed in order for the Germans to have taken Paris in spring 1918.

[fatboy]

In many ways the political situation the world is in today mirrors the situation in July 1914.

[Ciaphas Cain]

Woodrow Wilson along with Lyndon Johnson are overwhelming examples of why public school teachers should never EVER be allowed to be President.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Years ago I read a book by western artist Olaf Wieghorst about when he was in the US cavalry on the border. He said they found evidence that the Germans had promised the following..
IF Mexico would join Germany in the war, upon defeat of the USA...
A return of all former Mexican Territory to Mexico.
Five states to be given to the blacks.
All Indian lands returned.
All white males bank accounts confiscated then executions.

[NTHockey]

Wilson was determined to get the US in the War.
With German unrestricted submarine warfare it was going to happen.

FDR was determined to get the US in the War.(end Depression)
With a Japanese attack, it was going to happen.

[Wizdum]

The Somme and the battles around Verdun had bled both the French and the British white. They needed an influx of bodies to their ranks.

Their aspirations were for American boys to arrive, trained or not to fill out the ranks of the French and British to continue the stupidity of frontal assaults in trench warfare.

Pershing to his credit and under orders was determined that the American Army....when it came into being....would fight as an American Army, under it's own leadership. Until that time.......blacks were sent to French units complete with French arms and uniforms and the rest were sent for training.

Once the Germans saw that the Americans fought with an almost fanatical zeal, they were wary of any direct confrontaion.

[alternatives?]

“With German unrestricted submarine warfare it was going to happen.”

A blockade is an act of war. Britain had the resources to blockade Germany with surface ships. Germany had to rely on submarines. In theory, we could have declared war on both.

[dixie1202]

Change the names of the New England Patriots and Philadelphia 76ers. The latter in particular is VERY offensive to the British

[phormer phrog phlyer]

I was in Kansas. City a couple of weeks ago and went to to WWI memorial and museum. For those who have not been it is well worth your time and I would recommend it.

[archy]

I was in Kansas. City a couple of weeks ago and went to to WWI memorial and museum. For those who have not been it is well worth your time and I would recommend it.

Two others worth your atttention, should you ever be in their neighborhood:

The one in Newark, NJ, not far from the former Trump Casino there. The statuary depicting various representative people affected by the Great War was sculpted by artist Gutzon Borglum, better known for his depictions of four American presidents on Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.

And in Vincennes, Indiana, where, when the Indiana Military Museum there ran out of building space to display their memoriabilia and relics of the great War, began digging a zig-zag trench across their property's back lot....and then manned it. The use of poisonous chlorine gas from the city's nearby water treatment plant might be going a bit too far, however.... Gas, boys, GAS!

[archy]

I was in Kansas. City a couple of weeks ago and went to to WWI memorial and museum. For those who have not been it is well worth your time and I would recommend it.

Two others worth your atttention, should you ever be in their neighborhood:

The one in Newark, NJ, not far from the former Trump Casino there. The statuary depicting various representative people affected by the Great War was sculpted by artist Gutzon Borglum, better known for his depictions of four American presidents on Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.

And in Vincennes, Indiana, where, when the Indiana Military Museum there ran out of building space to display their memoriabilia and relics of the great War, began digging a zig-zag trench across their property's back lot....and then manned it. The use of poisonous chlorine gas from the city's nearby water treatment plant might be going a bit too far, however.... Gas, boys, GAS!