 |
THE ZIMMERMANN TELEGRAM
Britain's intelligence advantage also accelerated the United States' entry into the war, which profoundly influenced the outcome of the entire conflict.
American public opinion had become increasingly anti-German since the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, but US policy remained strictly neutral.
 |
|
German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann
(Photos of the Great War) |
|
 |
|
| The Zimmermann Telegram after it had been de-coded (NARA) |
|
This changed when German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann tried to promote a major conflict between Mexico and the United States - a scheme brought to light by the Room 40 codebreakers.
By early 1917, the Germans believed that the US would eventually enter the war on the Allies' side. However, they thought that it would be unable to intervene in Europe if it was embroiled in a major conflict on its own doorstep.
In January 1917, Zimmermann sent a telegram to his ambassador to Mexico, Heinrich J F von Eckhardt, urging him to try and foment hostilities between Mexico and the United States. Under this proposal, Mexico would go to war with the US in an attempt to regain territory lost to the Americans in the 19th century:
'We make Mexico a proposal of alliance... [with] 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.'
Arthur Zimmermann
However, Zimmermann's transmission was intercepted by Britain and passed on to the men of Room 40. The telegram's 1,000 code-groups were deciphered over the course of two weeks and the contents passed on to the American ambassador in London.
On 1 March, details of the telegram were published in the US press, and on 6 April, the United States formally declared war on Germany. The Room 40 codebreakers had played a major role in helping to change American policy.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, the Room 40 codebreakers made a major contribution to the ultimate Allied victory at the end of World War I. Their efforts gave the Royal Navy a great tactical advantage at Jutland, and this enabled the blockade to continue without interruption. They also played a key role in accelerating the United States' entry into the war.
In World War II, the codebreakers of Bletchley Park -in some cases, veterans of Room 40 - would build on these achievements to help secure a second Allied victory.
|
|
|
|
|
