The Zimmermann Telegram Read online

  Edgar Held and Louis Hess: Report of Agent Carothers, February 7, 1916, Archives, 812.00/17259.

  “For the sole purpose …”: Baker, vi, 68.

  Berlin press says Japanese back Villa: Gerard to State Department, March 16, 1916, Archives, 763.72/2508.

  “Villa’s attacks are made in Germany”: Gerard to Lansing, March 20, 1916, U.S. Lansing Papers.

  Collier’s correspondent: James Hopper, Collier’s Weekly, April 15, 1916.

  Agent Cobb asks for extra operatives: Archives, 862.20212/11.

  Max Weber: Report of General Funston, January 3, 1917, Archives, 862.20212.

  Krakauer, Zork & Moye: Ibid.

  “Fifty million Germans”: Gerard, Face to Face.

  German agent offers thirty-two officers: Archives, 812.20212/8 and /9.

  General Funston troubled: Funston to War Department, May 5, 1916, Archives, 812.00/18068.

  Plan of San Diego: Senate, Mexican Affairs, 1232 ff; see also Report of Vice-Consul at Monterey, June 9, 1916, Archives, 812.00/18068 and /20165.

  Carranza’s “impetuous generals”: Telegram of June 18, 1916, Archives, 862.20212.

  German reserve officers: Consul Canada, telegram of June 19, 1916, and report of Special Agent Rodgers, June 23, 1916, Archives, 862.20212/30.

  Times warned: NYT, editorial, June 23, 1916.

  A Berlin paper: Tägliche Rundschau, quoted NYT, July 12, 1916.

  “Fate offers us”: Chicago Tribune, April 21, 1916.

  “Perfectly silly of you Americans”: Bullitt, 32.

  Carranza, truculent, etc.: Lansing called him “obstinate and vain,” Diary, October 10, 1915; see also Guzman, Strode, Martin.

  Zurbarán confers with Zimmermann: Ackerman; Fails to call on Gerard: Gerard to Lansing, July 18, 1916, U.S. Lansing Papers, i, 690.

  German infiltration in Mexico: Report of Consul Canada, July 13, 1916, Archives, 862.20212/38; also Senate, Mexican Affairs; World’s Work, “German Efforts in Mexico,” December 1917; NYT, March 15, 1917; NY World, March 2, 1917; Ackerman; Martin.

  Cia. Metallurgica: Report of General Funston, January 3, 1917, Archives, 862.20212; also Cobb, January 11, 1917, ibid.

  Eckhardt’s intimacy with Carranza: Senate, Mexican Affairs, testimony of Charles E. Jones and Lathor Witzke.

  No transmitter powerful enough: A much disputed point. Reiterated reports of the existence of a secret German transmitter in Mexico were widely believed at the time but are refuted by the report of the American Military Attaché in Mexico City which stated, “There is no plant in the country capable of being used by Germany and none can be established without our knowing it.” Archives, 812.74/60.

  Señor Mario Méndez bribed: Senate, Mexican Affairs, evidence of Lathor Witzke and Major Barnes.

  Nauen and Sayville wireless: Scott, James Brown, chap. iv, “Censorship of Communications”; Hendrick, iii, 337.

  Germans circumvent Sayville: Senate, Propaganda, testimony of Captain Lester of Military Intelligence Division of General Staff, 1769. See also German Documents, i, 328, 477 ff; ii, 728. See also Rathom, “Germany’s Plots Exposed.”

  “We have traced nearly every route …”: James, 132–33.

  Herr Cronholm; Eckhardt’s letter to Bethmann: James, 132–35.

  “I now have nine decorations”: NYT, April 24, 1917, quoting Providence Journal.

  Swedish roundabout: Hendrick, iii, 338; James, 132.

  “What do these compare …”: Grew to Lansing, November 22, 1916, U.S. Foreign Relations, 1916, 868.

  “Carranza, … openly friendly”: James, 135.

  Lansing warns Carranza: Lansing to Carranza, October 27, 1916, U.S. Lansing Papers, i, 224.

  Eckhardt informed by Headquarters: James, 135.

  Reports of Japanese in Mexico: Archives, 894.20212/102, /104, /105, /119, /126.

  “Ostentatious display”: Parker, American Embassy, to State Department, Archives, 712.94/7.

  Major Carpio: Archives, 712.94/7–25.

  German admirals and generals: Holtzendorff to Hindenburg, December 22, 1916, German Documents, ii, 1262.

  CHAPTER 7. OUR FRIEND ZIMMERMANN

  “A very jolly large sort of German”: Gerard to House, November 4, 1913, Seymour, IP, i, 186.

  Times fondly called: NYT, November 22, 1916.

  Bülow on Zimmermann: Bülow, iii, 178.

  Dutch Ambassador’s story: Hanssen, 70.

  Chronically through 1916; debate on U-boat: The military and civil arguments are fully documented in Hanssen and German Documents.

  “Ugly mug”: Ludwig, 469.

  “Our situation is such …”: Speech in Reichstag Committee, January 10, 1916, Hanssen, 121.

  Bethmann like Abraham Lincoln: Gerard to House, November 4, 1913, Seymour, IP, i, 186.

  “Cause America to join our enemies”: Speech in Reichstag, March 28, 1916, Hanssen. See also Bethmann’s Memorandum of February 29, 1916, German Documents, ii, 1140.

  Bethmann’s cigarettes and “personification of despair”: Hanssen, 141.

  No replacement for Bethmann: Hanssen, 126.

  Bismarck’s advice: Reiners.

  Jagow felt inadequate: Bülow, iii, 176–77. A good portrait of Jagow is in this volume.

  Zimmermann “always pro-U-boat”: Jagow to Bernstorff, September 2, 1919, Bernstorff, Memoirs, 165.

  Zimmermann fancied himself expert on America: Gerard, My Four Years.

  Consul-General in New York: German Documents, i, 442.

  “In case of trouble”: Gerard to Wilson, January 24, 1915, Seymour, IP, i, 355.

  Zimmermann’s hobby: Ackerman; the hope of a German-American revolt “was one of Zimmermann’s hobbies.”

  Henry Morgenthau: Ambassador Morgenthau’s Story (New York: Doubleday Page, 1918), 404–405.

  Zimmermann looked forward to war: Hanssen, Ackerman.

  Imponieren: Gerard to House, August 30, 1916, Seymour, IP, ii, 331.

  “Zimmermann hollered at the Colonel”: Gerard to Lansing, February 8, 1916.

  “No use wasting words”: German Documents, i, 442.

  “Feels and thinks English”: Zimmermann in Reichstag Committee, February 22, 1917, Hanssen, 173.

  Kaiser bored by Bethmann: Gerard to House, March 6, 1915, Seymour, IP, i, 392.

  “Gasping in the reeds”: Helfferich in Reichstag, January 31, 1917, Hanssen, 165.

  “Bread and PEACE!”: Hanssen, 152.

  “Here in Germany”: Hanssen, 289.

  New York Evening Post: November 25, 1916.

  House on Zimmermann: House to Wilson, March 20 and 21, 1915; also Swope quoting House in NY World, November 8, 1916.

  Gerard on Zimmermann: Gerard to House, January 20, 1915, Seymour, IP, i, 347.

  American journalists on Zimmermann: H. B. Swope in NY World, November 8 and 22, 1916; Karl von Wiegand in NY World, November 24, 1916; NYT, November 22 and 24, 1916.

  Zimmermann conceives Mexican and Japanese Alliance: Zimmermann in Reichstag, March 5, 1917, Hanssen, 178.

  Flowery letter from Carranza: Ibid.

  “Help our submarines”: Telegram of November 8, 1916, Ibid.

  Mexico and Japan would be tempted: Ibid.; also Hazen, to whom Zimmermann explained his reasoning in an interview in 1933.

  Mexican Ambassador absent: Zimmermann in Reichstag, March 5, 1917, Hanssen, 177.

  “Neither duplicity nor secrecy”: Hirsch.

  “Knew nothing of … diplomacy”: Bülow, iii, 300.

  CHAPTER 8. THE TRAP

  “Developing very fast”: Wilson to House, December 3, 1916, Baker, vi, 391.

  “Inevitably drift”: Wilson to House, November 13, 1916, Seymour, IP, ii, 390.

  Bernstorff averted Arabic crisis: “Without his patience, good sense and untiring effort, we would now be at war with Germany.” House to Gerard, October 10, 1915, Seymour, IP, ii, 45.

  Bernstorff pleaded: German Documents, ii, 984.

  Germany’s rulers willing: German Documents, i, 265–66.

&n
bsp; No decision on land: Falkenhayn to Bethmann-Hollweg, January 2, 1916, German Documents, ii, 1116. General Falkenhayn is said to have realized that the chances of complete victory vanished at the Marne; Gooch, 54.

  Draft peace treaty: Hanssen, 107.

  Admiralty in feverish haste: Grew to Phillips, October 3, 1916, Grew papers.

  Jagow asked Gerard: German Documents, ii, 987. Gerard’s reception by Wilson, Baker, vi, 355–63.

  Blustering memorandum: German Documents, ii, 986–87.

  “Jolly the Germans”: Grew Summary. After leaving Germany upon the rupture of relations, Grew, working from his diary and notes, wrote a recapitulation of his experiences at the Berlin Embassy (now deposited with his papers at Harvard), which is here and hereafter referred to as the “Grew Summary.”

  Did not think highly of Gerard: Wilson “considers Gerard a reactionary of the worst sort and has but little confidence in his ability—too little, I think.” House diary, September 18, 1914.

  As if they were office boys: Grew Summary.

  Did not wish to be hurried: Baker, vi, 353, 365.

  Grew wired: Grew to Lansing, November 7, 1916, Grew Papers.

  “Broken in spirit”: Grew Summary.

  “At the first opportunity”: House to Wilson, November 20, 1916. House papers.

  Peace “on the floor”: Ibid.

  Lloyd George: Interview given to Roy Howard for UP, September 28, 1916.

  Briand: Current History, November 1916, 285.

  Northcliffe: NYT, November 24, 1916.

  Condescension: “There was a condescension in this attitude that was offensive.” Page diary, April 1, 1917, Hendrick, ii, 223.

  “Men and women weep”: Baker, vi, 337.

  “Make the United States a military nation”: Wilson speaking to House, August 30, 1914, Seymour, IP, i, 293. Wilson’s recognition, at this time, of the evils of a German victory is also attested to by Ambassador Spring-Rice who reported to Sir Edward Grey on September 8, 1914 that the President had said “in the most solemn way that if that [the German] cause succeeds in the present struggle the United States would have to give up its present ideals and devote all its energies to defence, which would mean the end of its present system of Government.” Spring-Rice, ii, 223.

  “We cannot wait”: Stumm to Bernstorff, December 9, 1916, German Documents, ii, 987.

  “Neither his accuracy nor his sincerity”: Wilson to House, August 31, 1915, House papers.

  “Astute and unscrupulous”: Wilson to Lansing, Baker, vi, 353.

  House admired Bernstorff: Seymour, IP, ii, 334.

  Lansing detested him: House diary, January 11, 1917.

  Bakmetieff “a reactionary”: Seymour, IP, i, 327.

  Spring-Rice better off recalled: House diary, September 20, 1916, and House to Wilson, December 3, 1916, Seymour, IP, ii, 397. Lansing also thought Spring-Rice should be replaced, Seymour, IP, ii, 397.

  Bathing Beauty episode: Thwaites and Flynn.

  Hülsen-Haeseler: Zedlitz. The episode is treated in every biography of the Kaiser.

  Deliberately procrastinating: German Documents, i, 442.

  Compromise peace would mean revolution: Rosenberg, Arthur, Birth of the German Republic (New York: Oxford, 1931).

  Ludendorff: Czernin, 143.

  Zimmermann to House: House diary, March 24, 1915.

  Eliminate Wilson as mediator: German Documents, i, 133, 156, 244, 265–66. The motive behind the German peace proposal is discussed at length in the postwar German Parliamentary Investigation.

  “Friedens Antrag”: Grew Summary.

  Zimmermann press conference: German Documents, i, 407.

  “Absolute conquerors”: German Documents, i, 420–21, ii, 1072; NYT, December 16, 1916.

  King George: Page to House, Seymour, IP, ii, 407.

  Bernstorff interview with House: House to Wilson, December 27, 1916, House papers.

  “The more we talk with Germany”: House to Wilson, December 28, 1916, House papers.

  Answer was yes: Ibid.

  Permission to use State Department cable: Hendrick, iii, 338–42. Lansing, 227. “Furthermore the American Government permitted me … to send telegrams in cipher without the contents of the same being made known to them.” Bernstorff testimony, German Documents, i, 478.

  Lansing shocked: Bernstorff to House, December 30, 1916, January 10 and 11, 1917, House papers.

  “In the hands of the liberals”: House to Wilson, January 18, 1917, House papers.

  “Permission from our government”: House diary, September 18, 1914, Seymour, IP, i, 325.

  “Moving in the right direction”: Seymour, IP, i, 271.

  “Ugliest room”: Seymour, IP, i, 253.

  “Most important world’s work”: House to Wilson, February 23, 1915.

  “God has given you”: House to Wilson, September 18, 1914.

  120 Footnote: See Edith Bolling Wilson, My Memoir, 246, who says that after her husband’s first talk with House upon his return to Paris, the President looked as if he had aged ten years, and said to her, “House has given away everything I won before we left Paris. He has compromised on every side. …”

  Bypassing State Department: House to Phillips, June 18, 1915, House papers.

  “Through us”: Grew to Phillips, October 10, 1916, Grew papers. Also, German Documents, ii, 989.

  Bethmann postwar testimony: German Documents, i, 329.

  Zimmermann testimony: German Documents, i, 479.

  Lansing diary entries: January 21 and May 5, 1916.

  Bernstorff complains of Lansing: Bernstorff to House, December 30, 1916, and January 10, 1917, House papers.

  Phillips telephoned: House to Wilson, January 17, 1917. House papers.

  “Unofficially through me”: Ibid.

  “If we can tie up Germany”: House to Wilson, January 20, 1917, House papers.

  House tells Lansing to see President: House diary, January 23, 1917.

  “We should know”: Spencer, 61.

  “There will be no war”: Wilson speaking to House, January 4, 1917, Seymour, IP, ii, 412.

  CHAPTER 9. THE TELEGRAM IS SENT

  U-boat victory in six months: Views of the German military leaders on use of the U-boat are fully documented in the testimony and correspondence of Generals Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and Falkenhayn, and Admirals Capelle, Holtzendorff, and Tirpitz in German Documents. Bethmann’s testimony, beginning i, 340, presents the opposed point of view.

  “Will amount to nothing”: German Documents, i, 525.

  High command dialogue: German Documents, ii, 1317–19.

  Triumvirate: Kurenberg, 313.

  His Majesty was pale: From von Valentini’s notes of the occasion, Ybarra, 144.

  Pless conference of January 9: Quoted remarks are all from German Documents: Holtzendorff’s, ii, 1219–20, 1270; the Naval Memorandum, 1219–77; opinions of Albert, Haniel, Papen, et al., i, 148, ii, 868–76, 1183–99, 1307; concluding remarks of Bethmann, Holtzendorff, and Hindenberg, ii, 1320–21. See also Ludendorff’s account in his memoirs, i, 380.

  Kaiser’s grunts: from von Valentini’s notes, Ybarra, 145.

  “I order … Wilhelm I R”: German Documents, ii, 1210.

  Von Reischach: Reischach, 283.

  Von Valentini: Gooch, 17; Ybarra, 145.

  “If it is not trumps”: German Documents, i, 150.

  Zimmermann on Western states: Hanssen, 173.

  Zimmermann on Yellow Peril: Hanssen, 168.

  Enticing Mexico: Hanssen, 178; also Hazen.

  Zimmermann to Austrian emissary: Czarnin, 133–38.

  “You must … be dilatory”: German Documents, ii, 1013.

  Hotel Adlon dinner: Gerard, My Four Years, 361–63.

  “Our personal friendship”: Ibid. and Grew Summary.

  “Running no risk”: Grew Summary.

  Jollying them to the limit: Ibid.

  Deutschland canceled: German Documents, ii, 1337, n. 1.

  U-boat commander: Nichol
as Everitt, British Secret Service During the War (London: Hutchinson, 1920).

  Text of telegram: German Documents, ii, 1337; text is also in Hendrick, James, Lansing, Sims; German text in Hendrick, 111, 345.

  “Those blundering Germans”: Memorandum of January 28, 1917, Lansing, 208.

  “Highly entertained”: Ewing.

  Wilson an honorable mediator: German Documents, i, 283.

  Zimmermann on Wilson: Ibid.

  “Absolutely no reliance”: German Documents, i, 269.

  “Any possible means”: Ibid., ii, 1019.

  Period of grace: German Documents, ii, 1108, 1112.

  U-boats already at sea: Ibid., 876, 1113.

  Bernstorff’s last plea: Ibid., 1047.

  Jacob Noeggerath: Maximilian of Baden.

  January 29 meeting at Pless: German Documents, ii, 876; Ludendorff, i, 379–81.

  Washington taken by surprise: Lansing, 213.

  Bernstorff calls on Lansing: Lansing 209–12.

  “Finished with politics”: NYT, February 4, 1917.

  Danish journalist: NYT, May 3, 1917, from Copenhagen, recalling interview with Zimmermann the previous February.

  Zimmermann in Reichstag: Hanssen, 168.

  “Icebergs and fish”: Brooklyn Eagle quoted by Bailey, 641.

  Lansing’s press conference: Lansing, 215.

  The President told House: House diary, February 1, 1917.

  Japan, Idaho, and Oregon: NYT, February 2, 1917.

  “What shall I propose?” Houston, i, 230.

  “White race strong”: Houston, i, 229.

  “I refuse to believe”: Baker, vi, 458.

  Hall tells Page: Hendrick, ii, 215.

  After-theater supper: Gerard, My Four Years, 375–76.

  Zimmermann to newspapermen: German Documents, i, 409; his violent language and emotion: Gerard, My Four Years, 377.

  “Warmest way possible”: Grew Summary.

  Telegram of February 5: Text in German Documents, ii, 1338; also in Hendrick, James, Sims.

  Laredo, February 5: Archives, 262.20212/56; report from El Paso, ibid., /58 and /59; report from San Salvador, ibid., /79.

  “The schoolteacher”: Ibid., /61.

  Page diary: April 1, 1917, Hendrick, ii, 223.

  CHAPTER 10. “THE MOST DRAMATIC MOMENT IN ALL MY LIFE”