Deciphered and translated telegram from German Sec of State Zimmerman, 2/24/1917:
“ . . . we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together . . . Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.“
File Unit: 862.20212/69 THRU 862.20212/88, 1910 - 1963
Series: Central Decimal Files, 1910 - 1963
Record Group 59: General Records of the Department of State, 1763 - 2002
Transcription:
[pre-printed stationery]
[pre-printed] TELEGRAM RECEIVED. [typed] SPECIAL GREEN.
[handwritten at upper left corner, in pen] [OK?]
[handwritten near right corner, in pencil] file [illegible]
[typed] CLASSIFICATION CANCELED
Authority: letter 1-8-58
W. H. Anderson, State Dept.
By [handwritten] Mark G Eckhoff [sic], Archivist
Date [handwritten] Oct 27, 1958
[pre-printed] FROM [typed] London,
Dated Feb. 24, 1917,
Rec'd 8:30 p. m.
[rubber stamp in red ink] INDEX BUREAU FEB 26 1917 DEPT OF STATE
[rubber stamp in red ink] COUNSELOR FEB 26 1917 DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[rubber stamp in red ink] INDEX BUREAU [handwriting in ink] 862.2.0212/69
[handwriting in pencil] To London Feb 27, 1917 + +
[typed] Secretary of State,
Washington.
5747, February 24, 1 p. m.
My fifty-seven forty-six, [insert, handwritten in pencil] 763.72119/8268 [/insert] February 24, 8 a. m.
[strike] CONFIDENTIAL [/strike] FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE SECRETARY
OF STATE.
Balfour has handed me the text of a cipher
telegram from Zimmerman, German Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, to the German Minister to
Mexico, which was sent via Washington and relayed
by Bernstorff [sic] on January nineteenth. You can
probably obtain a copy of the text relayed by
Bernstorff [sic] from the cable office in Washington.
The first group is the number of the telegram,
one hundred and thirty, and second is thirteen
thousand and forty-two, indicating the number of
the code used. The last group but two is ninety-
seven thousand five hundred and fifty-six, which is
Zimmermann's [sic] signature. I shall send you by mail
a copy of the cipher text and of the de-code [sic] into
[underlined in pencil] German [/underlined] and meanwhile I give you the English translation as follows:
[stamped in red along right-hand margin near bottom] FILED APR 14 192[5?]
"We
[page 2]
[pre-printed] TELEGRAM RECEIVED.
[typed] CLASSIFICATION CANCELED
Authority: letter 1-8-58
W. H. Anderson, State Dept.
By [handwritten] Mark G Eckhoff [sic], Archivist
[typed] Date [handwritten] Oct 27, 1958
[pre-printed] FROM [typed] 2nd from London # 5747.
"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 ls left to you.
You will inform the President 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,
[strike] write [/strike] [handwritten] invite [typed] 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." Signed, ZIMMERMANN [sic]
The receipt of this information has so
greatly exercised the British Government that they
have lost no time in communicating it to me to
transmit to you, in order that our Government may
be able without delay to make such disposition as
may
[page 3]
[pre-printed] TELEGRAM RECEIVED.
[typed] CLASSIFICATION CANCELED
Authority: letter 1-8-58
W. H. Anderson, State Dept.
By [handwritten] Mark G Eckhoff [sic], Archivist
[typed] Date [handwritten] Oct 27, 1958
[pre-printed] FROM [typed] 3rd from London # 5747
may be necessary in view of the threatened invasion
of our territory.
[strike] The following paragraph is strictly confidential. [/strike]
Early in the war, the British Government obtained
possession of a copy of the German cipher code used
in the above message and have made it their business
to obtain copies of Bernstorff'e [sic] cipher telegrams to
Mexico, amongst other, which are sent back to
London and deciphered here. This accounts for
their being able to decipher this telegram from
the German Government to their representative in
Mexico and also for the delay from [underlined in pencil] January nineteenth [/underlined]
until now in their receiving the information. This
system has hitherto been a jealously guarded secret
and is only divulged now to you by the British Government
in view of the extraordinary circumstances
and their friendly feeling towards the United States.
They earnestly request that you will keep the source
of your information and the British Government's
method of obtaining it profoundly secret but they
put no prohibition on the publication of Zimmermann's [sic]
telegram itself.
The copies of this and other telegrams were not
obtained in Washington but were [underlined in pencil] bought in Mexico [/underlined]
I
[page 4]
[pre-printed] TELEGRAM RECEIVED
From [typed] 4th from London #5747.
I have thanked Balfour for the service his
Government has rendered us and suggest that a
private official message of thanks from our
Government to him would be beneficial. ["Approved Oct 27th [illegible initials]" written in pencil to left of preceding paragraph]
I am informed that this information has not
yet been given to the Japanese Government but I
think it not unlikely that when it reaches them
they may make a public statement on it in order
to clear up their position regarding the United
States and prove their good faith to their allies.
[typed] P A G E.
[typed] CLASSIFICATION CANCELED
Authority: letter 1-8-58
W. H. Anderson, State Dept.
By [handwritten] Mark G. Eckhoff, Archivist
[typed] Date [handwritten] Oct. 27, 1958
