and preparing it for entry into the First World War a few weeks later. The Zimmermann telegram contributed to changing public opinion in the U.S. When Zimmermann himself, however, confirmed its authenticity, Americans were outraged. A majority believed it was yet another forgery of Allied propaganda. In the United States, the publication of the telegram at first caused disbelief. The Zimmermann Telegram refers to a telegram sent by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador to the United States, Count Johann. Thus, Mexico became an important hub for Germany’s global strategy during the war. There were Mexican-Japanese talks about cooperation, too. much like Mexico, albeit for different reasons. In addition, in 1916, the German Empire had already looked for closer ties to Japan, which stood in antagonism to the U.S. Zimmermann implicitly built upon these negotiations in his telegram. At some point the Mexican side suggested an action against the United States. The negotiations were continued in 1916 and a military joint action remained on the agenda. Already in 1915, Carranza himself had confidentially explored the possibility of cooperation with Germany in an initiative against neighboring Guatemala and British Honduras. A closer look at the German-Mexican secret rapprochement in 1915–1916 is necessary to understand it. The telegram gave Von Eckardt instructions on what to do if the United States entered WWI on the side of the Allies. Carranza, however, tried not to be harsh with the German representative because he wanted to keep the possibility for further cooperation alive.Ĭontemporaries and historians have, since the moment of its publication, wondered about the motives for Zimmermann’s incredible blunder, which he admitted publicly on 3 March 1917. Mexican President Venustiano Carranza (1859–1920) rejected the offer, which would have meant leading a suicidal war against the overpowering United States. Japan was to be invited to join the alliance as well. In that case, Germany wanted to generously support the Mexicans and offer them Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona as war booty. The British Secret Service deciphered it and found that it contained alarming news: Germany, after returning to unrestricted submarine warfare that February, was willing to join forces with Mexico should the United States decide to enter the war on the side of the Allies. Arthur Zimmermann (1864–1940), the German minister of foreign affairs, authored the note and forwarded it to Mexico via the embassy in Washington. Materials created by the National Archives and Records Administration are in the public domain.Press outlets around the world published the diplomatic correspondence between the German foreign office and its representative in Mexico on 1 March 1917, causing a major earthquake in public opinion worldwide. "The Zimmerman Telegram." Social Education 45, 4 (April 1981): 266 This text was adapted from the article "The Zimmerman Telegram" by Mary Alexander and Marilyn Childress.Ĭitation: Alexander, Mary and Marilyn Childress. The Zimmermann Telegram had such an impact on American opinion that, according to David Kahn, author of The Codebreakers, "No other single cryptanalysis has had such enormous consequences." It is his opinion that "never before or since has so much turned upon the solution of a secret message. The Zimmermann telegram painted a future for people from Texas to California of invasion, the loss of their land, and conquest by the soldiers of Mexico and. On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress formally declared war on Germany and its allies. The American press published news of the telegram on March 1. Government in an effort to capitalize on growing anti-German sentiment in the United States. Several weeks later, on February 24, the British presented the Zimmermann telegram to the U.S. ![]() In response to the breaking of the Sussex pledge, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Germany. In frustration over the effective British naval blockade, Germany broke its pledge to limit submarine warfare on February 1, 1917. The Zimmermann Telegram On JanuBritish signals intelligence intercepted and decrypted a coded German telegram from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann that was intended for Germany’s ambassador to Mexico. In 1916 Woodrow Wilson was reelected President for a second term, largely because of the slogan "He kept us out of war."Įvents in early 1917 would change that hope. While armies moved across the face of Europe, the United States remained neutral. In this Decoding a Messageexercise, students decode a fictitious message using a simple substitution code.īetween 1914 and the spring of 1917, the European nations engaged in a conflict that became known as World War I.
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