History 122 Research Brief
The Zimmermann TelegramDavid C. Hanson, Virginia Western Community College
Arthur Zimmermann
Germany declared war on Russia and France in April 1914, and before long most of Europe was caught up in The Great War. In early 1917 Germany planned to drive Russia from the war by aiding the Bolshevik revolution and then concentrate on defeating Britain and France. While waiting for Russia to sue for peace, Germany attempted to sever the Allied supply lines with unrestricted submarine warfare, an act they knew risked provoking the United States. After the sinking of the British liner Lusitania with 124 American civilians on board, President Woodrow Wilson struggled to maintain neutrality. But on March 1, newspapers reported that British intelligence had intercepted a secret telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Ambassador in Mexico, von Eckhardt.
Attached is the coded telegram [click here] and the message appears below. At first blush the German plan might seem farfetched, but it should be recalled that many Mexicans still harbored resentment for the conquest of their "lost territory" in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. Moreover, aggressive attempts by the Wilson administration to capture Pancho Villa and stabilize the Mexican political situation brought the two neighboring countries to the brink of war in 1916. Public reaction to the Zimmermann note was predictable (outrage) and added to the growing pressure for U.S. entry, but remarkably the president still resisted. Wilson finally took his war message to Congress on April 2, 1917.
BERLIN, JANUARY 19, 1917
WE INTEND TO BEGIN ON THE FIRST OF FEBRUARY UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE. WE SHALL ENDEAVOR IN SPITE OF THIS TO KEEP THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NEUTRAL. IN THE EVENT OF THIS NOT SUCCEEDING, WE MAKE MEXICO A PROPOSAL OF ALLIANCE ON THE FOLLOWING BASIS: MAKE WAR TOGETHER, MAKE PEACE TOGETHER, GENEROUS FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND AN UNDERSTANDING ON OUR PART THAT MEXICO IS TO RECONQUER THE LOST TERRITORY IN TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, AND ARIZONA. THE SETTLEMENT IN DETAIL IS LEFT TO YOU. YOU WILL INFORM THE PRESIDENT [OF MEXICO] OF THE ABOVE MOST SECRETLY AS SOON AS THE OUTBREAK OF WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS CERTAIN AND ADD THE SUGGESTION THAT HE SHOULD, ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE, INVITE JAPAN TO IMMEDIATE ADHERENCE AND AT THE SAME TIME MEDIATE BETWEEN JAPAN AND OURSELVES. PLEASE CALL THE PRESIDENT'S ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THE RUTHLESS EMPLOYMENT OF OUR SUBMARINES NOW OFFERS THE PROSPECT OF COMPELLING ENGLAND IN A FEW MONTHS TO MAKE PEACE.ZIMMERMANN
