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 courtesy of the National Archives. 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. Recommended textbook solutions
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America's History for the AP Course9th EditionEric Hinderaker, James A. Henretta, Rebecca Edwards, Robert O. Self 961 solutions What is the significance of the interception of the Zimmermann telegram group of answer choices?The Zimmermann Telegram helped turn the U.S. public, already angered by repeated German attacks on U.S. ships, firmly against Germany. On April 2, President Wilson, who had initially sought a peaceful resolution to World War I, urged immediate U.S. entrance into the war.
What was the effect of the Zimmermann telegram quizlet?The telegram suggested that in the event that Germany and the US went to war, Mexico would regain "lost territories" in the southwest if it declared war on the US. The British intercepted the telegram and passed it on to the US, leading to an escalation of tensions between the US and Germany.
How did the Zimmermann telegram influence the United States to go to war quizlet?How did the Zimmermann telegram influence U.S. entry into World War I? It revealed a proposed military alliance between Mexico and Germany.
What was the significance of the ship Lusitania quizlet?What was the significance of the ship Lusitania? It was a German ship that was sunk by the British early in the war, signaling the turning tide of the war and convincing Americans they could count on the Allies winning.
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