We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare.

Decoding revealed a message to the German ambassador to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, instructing him to propose a secret military alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event that the United States entered the war. Named for its originator, German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann, the telegram was intercepted by British intelligence. states that were promised to Mexico in the Zimmerman Telegram. entry into World War I may be the discovery of what has become known as the Zimmermann Telegram. However, perhaps the greatest impetus for U.S. ships were sunk by German submarines, pushing the United States even further toward war. And, in early 1917, the Germans decided to engage in unrestricted submarine warfare against all commercial ships attempting to cross the German blockade of Great Britain. The attack left 128 Americans dead and began to move American sentiments away from neutrality and against Germany. The United States’ entry into the war was precipitated by several events, including the sinking of the British passenger ship Lusitania in May 1915. On 6 April 1917, at the behest of President Woodrow Wilson, a special joint session of Congress voted to declare war on Germany. This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I. (Photo courtesy of the National Archives) states to Mexico in exchange for their support of the German war effort. The telegram proposed an offer of three U.S. The Zimmermann Telegram was sent in January 1917 from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to Heinrich von Eckardt, the German ambassador to Mexico.

Zimmerman telegram definition