a famous telegram written at the beginning of 1917 by
Arthur Zimmermann,
Germany's
secretary of
state for foreign
affairs during
World War I (1914-1918). The
secret telegram was
sent through the
German ambassador in
Washington,
DC to the
German ambassador in
Mexico. It instructed him to make a proposal to the Mexican
government that if the United
States entered the
war against
Germany,
Mexico should join
Germany as an
ally against the US, with a view to recovering their lost territory of
Texas,
New Mexico and
Arizona. The
director of British Naval
Intelligence at the
time,
Admiral William R. Hall (1870-1943), came into possession of the telegram and turned it over to the US
government without permission from the British
government. On March 1, 1917
American president, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), let it be published in US newspapers and although
Mexico remained neutral, the telegram created outrage amongst the
American public and
set off a nationwide
demand for
war on
Germany. Five weeks later the US declared
war and thus entered
World War I.