How did the zimmermann telegram affect ww1
Zimmermann Telegram | National WWI Museum and Memorial
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Germany's secret proposal to Mexico, discovered
On March 1, 1917, the American public learned about a German proposal to ally with Mexico if the United States entered the war. Months earlier, British intelligence had intercepted a secret message from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the Mexican government, inviting an alliance (along with Japan) that would recover the southwestern states Mexico lost to the U.S. during the Mexican War of 1846-47.
The secret to the British interception began years earlier. In 1914, with war imminent, the British had quickly dispatched a ship to cut Germany’s five trans-Atlantic cables and six underwater cables running between Britain and Germany. Soon after the war began, the British successfully tapped into overseas cable lines Germany borrowed from neutral countries to send communications. Britain began capturing large volumes of intelligence communications.
British code breakers worked to decrypt communication codes. In October of 1914, the Russian admiralty gave British Naval Intelligence (known as Room 40) a copy of the German naval codebook removed from a drowned German sailor’s body from the cruiser SMS Magdeburg. Room 40 also received a copy of the German diplomatic code, stolen from a German diplomat’s luggage in the Near East. By 1917, British Intelligence could decipher most German messages.
Image
Image courtesy of the National Archives.Image
Image courtesy of the National Archives. Read a transcript of the decoded message.What led to the proposal of alliance to Mexico? Zimmermann sent the telegram in anticipation of resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, an act the German government expected would likely lead to war with the U.
S. Zimmermann hoped tensions with Mexico would slow shipments of supplies, munitions, and troops to the Allies if the U.S. was tied down on its southern border.
Some suspected the telegram might be a forgery to manipulate America into the war. However, on March 29, 1917, Zimmermann gave a speech in the Reichstag confirming the text of the telegram and so put an end to all speculation as to its authenticity.
The Zimmermann Telegram galvanized American public opinion against Germany once and for all. The telegram was considered perhaps Britain’s greatest intelligence coup of World War I and, coupled with American outrage over Germany’s resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, was the tipping point persuading the U.S. to join the war.
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Zimmermann Telegram | Facts, Text, & Outcome
Zimmermann, Arthur: Zimmermann Note
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- World War I The Zimmermann Telegram
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- Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg Paul von Hindenburg Erich Ludendorff Woodrow Wilson Arthur Zimmermann
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Zimmermann Telegram, also called Zimmermann Note, coded telegram sent January 16, 1917, by German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann to the German minister in Mexico.
The note revealed a plan to renew unrestricted submarine warfare and to form an alliance with Mexico and Japan if the United States declared war on Germany. The message was intercepted by the British and passed on to the United States; its publication caused outrage and contributed to the U.S. entry into World War I.
The U.S. and the German U-boat campaign
The sinkings of the Lusitania (May 7, 1915) and the Sussex (March 24, 1916) by German U-boats had brought the United States to the brink of war with Germany. American neutrality was preserved only by the adoption of the so-called Sussex pledge (May 4, 1916), which obliged German submarine captains to precede the torpedoing of merchant or passenger ships with a warning and to provide for the safety of passengers and crew of sunken ships in the wake of such attacks. In time this policy came to be seen as impracticable by the German military, and the views of commanders such as Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff prevailed over those of the chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, who had previously blocked the adoption of extreme measures in the German naval campaign.
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On January 9, 1917, Bethmann, Ludendorff, and Hindenburg met at Pless Castle in Silesia (now Pszczyna, Poland) to discuss the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare against all merchant shipping, neutral as well as belligerent. Bethmann was tasked with allaying the concerns of U.S. Pres. Woodrow Wilson in an attempt to preserve American neutrality for as long as possible. However, all three men at the Pless conference agreed that American participation in the war had to be regarded as a strong likelihood, regardless of the chancellor’s efforts. Bethmann had informed the European neutrals—Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Denmark—of Germany’s peace terms and had received a positive response.
He took the same proposal to Wilson and appealed to him to persevere in his peace efforts. However, this message, delivered to the State Department on January 31, was accompanied by a notice of the all-out submarine warfare campaign that was scheduled to begin the next day.
Wilson was reluctant to break diplomatic relations with Germany, but, yielding to public clamour and senatorial advice, he severed those ties on February 3, 1917. While announcing the break in a speech to Congress, he voiced the fervent hope that the Germans would not, by sinking American ships, compel the United States to adopt belligerent measures.
German submarines avoided attacking U.S. ships throughout February 1917, and American sentiment remained strongly pacifistic. However, Wilson’s cabinet, a large portion of the press, and numerous public leaders demanded that the U.S. government arm its merchant ships for self-defense. Agreeing that armed neutrality was the only safe policy in the circumstances, Wilson, on February 26, asked Congress for the power to arm merchantmen and take all other steps necessary to protect American commerce.
Zimmermann, relations with Mexico, and the end of American neutrality
A crucial turning point in both Wilson’s own thought and in American opinion occurred following the receipt and publication of the so-called Zimmermann Telegram. Arthur Zimmermann had succeeded Gottlieb von Jagow as Germany’s secretary of state for foreign affairs in November 1916. Jagow had resigned in protest over the proposed resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, and Zimmermann, who was seen as amenable to the policy, was selected to replace him.
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On January 16, 1917, Zimmermann dispatched a secret message to the German minister in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckhardt. It instructed Eckhardt to propose a Mexican-German alliance should the United States enter the war
on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support, and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer her lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Because the British had severed the direct undersea telegraph links between Germany and North America in the earliest days of the war, Germany was forced to route sensitive diplomatic traffic through neutral countries. Zimmermann’s coded message was thus transmitted through the American embassy in Berlin before passing though London and finally arriving at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. The telegram reached the German embassy in Washington on January 19, and it was transmitted to Eckhardt in Mexico later that day. Unbeknownst to Zimmermann, his message had been intercepted along the way and decoded by the British Admiralty Intelligence, and its contents were communicated to Wilson.
Zimmermann’s proposal seemed outrageous on its face, but Mexico had encouraged the German overture, as Mexican relations with the United States had deteriorated rapidly after Wilson’s grant of de facto recognition to Venustiano Carranza’s revolutionary government in October 1915.
Carranza’s rival, Pancho Villa, raided Columbus, New Mexico, on March 9, 1916, in order to provoke a crisis between Mexico and the United States. Wilson sent a punitive expedition under Gen. John J. Pershing in pursuit of Villa, who then craftily drew Pershing some 350 miles (more than 560 km) into Mexican territory. Fighting broke out between U.S. soldiers and Carranza’s troops in April, and war was averted only by Carranza’s and Wilson’s decision to appoint a joint high commission to negotiate. While these negotiations were going badly, in November 1916, the Carranza government informed the Germans that it could “to the extent of its powers in certain circumstances” assist German submarines operating in the Gulf of Mexico. Wilson withdrew all U.S. troops from Mexico early in February 1917, thus blunting Zimmermann’s offer, but he did not extend de jure recognition to Carranza until March 13.
Receipt from London of the text of the Zimmermann telegram on February 24, 1917, did not prompt Wilson’s decision for armed neutrality, but it did cause him to lose all faith in the German government.
Moreover, publication of the telegram in the press on March 1 set off the first nationwide demand for war with Germany.
These events pushed the United States inexorably along the road to war. A small group of pacifist senators led by Wisconsin’s Robert La Follette prevented passage of the armed ship bill by filibuster, but Wilson used his authority as commander in chief on March 9, 1917, to arm merchant ships. German submarines sank three U.S. merchant ships on March 18 with heavy loss of life. Supported by his cabinet, by most newspapers, and by a large segment of public opinion, Wilson made the decision for war on March 20, and the following day he called Congress to meet in special session on April 2. He delivered a ringing war message before that body on that date, saying that America would be privileged to give her blood and treasure to make the world safe for democracy. The Senate approved the war resolution on April 4, the House of Representatives on April 6. Later that day Wilson signed a resolution recognizing that a state of war existed between the United States and the German Empire.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.
What if the Zimmermann telegram came to the address - Articles
The details were set out in a telegram sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German embassy in Mexico. But the message fell into the wrong hands, which significantly affected the course of the war. What would happen if the telegram arrived at the address?
What happened?
Germany tried with all its might to keep the United States in a neutral status, counting on the fact that Washington would not support the Entente and would not enter the war. The task was not an easy one. Firstly, many Americans went to the front as volunteers and, joining the ranks of the British army, became participants in the hostilities against Germany. Secondly, in the Atlantic, Germany and Great Britain waged unrestricted submarine warfare, in which United States citizens were often the victims.
Of course, all German officers had an order not to touch American ships cruising the ocean.
The trouble for Germany, however, was the very intense contacts between the two English-speaking countries. And the British ships that were attacked by German submarines often ended up with citizens of the United States. The saddest example is the sinking of the Louisitania. It was a British passenger liner that was attacked on May 7, 1915 by a German U-20 commanded by Lieutenant Commander Walter Schwieger. One torpedo (according to Schwieger himself) sent the ship to the bottom. More than a thousand passengers died, including 120 US citizens, which, of course, caused a wave of protests and indignation from the US. It is believed that the sinking of the Louisitania predetermined the entry of the United States into the war. It just happened two years later. The Zimmermann telegram played a much more important role, finally convincing Washington of the need to support the Entente.
Arthur Zimmerman.
(wikipedia.org)
Let us return, however, to Zimmerman. The Foreign Minister of the German Empire was a staunch supporter of the idea that the entry of the United States into the war on the side of the Entente was inevitable and that this, in turn, would be a disaster for Germany. The diplomat came up with a rather cunning plan to create a counterbalance that would not allow the United States to send significant forces to Europe and withdraw its fleet to the Atlantic. The role of such a counterbalance was to be played by Mexico, to which Berlin was going to offer a secret alliance. The essence of the agreement is that in the event that the States join the Entente, Mexico will enter into a quadruple alliance and attack its northern neighbor. At the same time, it was supposed to thoroughly warm up anti-American sentiments in Mexico.
Moreover, all sorts of promises were launched. In the event of victory, Germany promised Mexico Texas and Arizona, that is, those territories that used to belong to this country, and then became part of the United States.
Zimmermann outlined this whole plan in his telegram, which he sent to Heinrich of Eckhard, the German ambassador to Mexico. Eckhard received the message, but along the way it was intercepted by British intelligence and deciphered in the famous Room 40 of the British Admiralty. Cryptographers solved the German cipher using the codes they already had. From that moment on, London had a deadly compromising evidence against Germany and a truly terrible trump card, which was skillfully played. The content of the telegram was handed over to the US authorities. 1 March 19On the 17th, its text was published in print. On April 6, Congress officially declared war on Germany.
Could it be otherwise?
It is unlikely. The fact is that when sending the telegram, Zimmerman showed a naivete that was surprising for a man of his position and status. The fact is that Germany did not have direct telegraphic communication with the Western Hemisphere. The British cut off cables and destroyed German stations in neutral countries in the early stages of the war.
In order to transmit diplomatic messages to its ambassadors in the countries of North and South America, Germany had to use the services of neutral countries. The Zimmermann telegram was transmitted to Mexico through two channels at once: through Sweden and the United States under the guise of a regular diplomatic message. Yes Yes. President Woodrow Wilson, who at the initial stages of the First World War still counted on maintaining warm relations between Washington and Berlin, allowed Germany to use American communication channels for its needs. Zimmerman apparently considered this channel reliable enough to use it to relay an extremely important message to Mexico.
Telegram. (pinterest.com)
What was the basis of the minister's confidence that the British did not check the diplomatic mail of neutral countries is not clear, but it was precisely in this confidence that Zimmerman's fatal mistake consisted. The telegram ended up with the British almost immediately after it was sent.
Everything else was a matter of technique. The key problem was that London had to explain to Washington exactly how this message got to British intelligence. At the same time, two secrets could not be revealed: the first is that Great Britain checks the diplomatic mail of neutral countries, the second is that the British deciphered the German codes. Both of these issues have been successfully resolved. Moreover, in the course of the solution, the telegram was intercepted again. A certain British intelligence officer in Mexico (Agent X) intercepted a message on a telegraph line between Washington and Monterrey.
This text could easily be handed over to the United States without fear of grave diplomatic consequences.
In other words, Germany herself gave the Entente a deadly trump card against itself. If Zimmerman had found another way to transmit his telegram, then the United States might have remained a neutral power.
What would change?
If the United States had not entered the war in April 1917, then after the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Germany would have received a significant advantage in the conflict.
The young RSFSR washed its hands, in fact capitulating to the enemy, which untied Berlin's hands. The German army could no longer think about the Eastern Front, where it was necessary to constantly pull the hopeless Austria-Hungary out of the swamp. All forces could be thrown to the west, where France still held out, but France was already bursting at the seams. Having broken through the front and broken the resistance of the eternal enemy, Germany would have achieved what she wanted: she would have been left face to face with her main enemy - Great Britain. The loss of all positions and allies on the Continent would force London to seek peace. For Germany, this would mean actual victory in the war.
Caricature of the Zimmermann telegram. (pinterest.com)
However, in the spring and summer of 1917, the Entente received a serious boost of both resources and people. It all started with subsidies. The United States was already engaged in intensive trade with Great Britain, and here the States began to provide economic assistance to new allies on an unprecedented scale.
And it would be fine if it was only about the supply. The US also gave France and Britain gigantic loans on fairly easy terms, at once increasing the external debt of the two countries to $24 million.
Another aid on a million scale was already of a military nature. The American fleet began active operations against Germany in the Atlantic, and soon the enemy was driven out of the ocean. In addition, more than a million soldiers went to Europe. These divisions played an important role in the victory of the French troops in the famous Battle of the Marne, took part in the expulsion of the Austrians from Italy, and also carried out several of their own operations. Apogee - the participation of the Americans in the Hundred Days Offensive, which ended in a complete victory for the Allies and forced Germany to sue for peace. As a result, the United States became the main beneficiary of the First World War.
The infrastructure of the country practically did not suffer from bombing and other actions of the enemy.
On the other hand, the timely support provided to the Entente made the United States one of the victorious countries. This was the first, but very important step towards future hegemony. Soon, the States will open their way to Asian and European markets, and the economy of post-war Germany will be fully pegged to the dollar.
The Zimmermann telegram became a ticket to a brighter future for the United States. Another thing is that the States might not have pulled it out if the "ticketer" had found a more reliable way to send his famous telegram.
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US entry into the war on the side of the Entente :: World War I
April 6, 1917
Germany agreed in early 1917 to end unrestricted submarine warfare, but only after Wilson threatened to take the most drastic measures.
However, in February and March 1917 years more American ships were sunk, and a telegram from Zimmermann to the Mexican government proposing an alliance against the United States forced Wilson to seek Congressional approval for the country's entry into the war. As a result, on April 6, 1917, Congress declared war on Germany.
Quote
Almost simultaneously with the revolution in Russia in 1917, which in the near future caused this ally to fall away and withdraw from the war, the Entente was compensated by the appearance on its side of a new powerful ally - the North American United States (USA). The accession of the United States was not only the moral support of the Entente, but in time it was supposed to give real help to its armies.
The main reason for the US taking the side of the Entente was the desire to take part in the upcoming division of the loot by the likely winners. The official reason for the break with America's central alliance was Germany's declaration on January 9 of unrestricted submarine warfare.
However, real help from America in the European theater could not follow until 1918, so the collapse of the Russian army in 1917 greatly improved the position of the Central Powers during that year.
By the time the United States entered the war, there was a poorly trained, backward regular army recruited by recruitment, numbering 190,000 people. This army was scattered in small detachments throughout the country and did not have a stable organization. The national guards of individual states, numbering 123,000 people, were even weaker - soldiers were called up annually for only 24-30 days, mainly for shooting training.
In March, an intercepted letter from the German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the President of Mexico was published in the United States with a proposal to attack the United States if they declared war on Germany, and asking Japan to terminate the alliance with the Entente and also attack the United States. The excitement caused by the letter intensified even more after receiving news of more sinkings of American ships.
All this was used by Wilson, and on April 2, 19On 17 he applied to Congress for permission to recognize Germany's challenge as a declaration of war and "to take immediate measures, not only for the fuller defense of the country, but also with a view to using all her power and all her means in order to bring the German government to the fall and thus end the war."
Interesting Facts
The Yankees (with the exception of part of the working class and many Germans, of course), and previously excited against Germany by the clever policy of England, sympathetically received Wilson's message "in defense of the rights of neutral states and the principles of humanity." This almost universal conviction of the justice of the war, which the United States entered into in the interests of the bourgeoisie, was one of the most important factors in ensuring the rapid creation of a strong army by the government, placing at its disposal all the resources of a wealthy people of 105 million and the most powerful industry in the world.
