Rating: 
Summary: Re: D.G.
Review: Like the World War Two Enigma saga, the Zimmerman Telegram is a story that arguably gains even more relevance than ever before in today's information age. In short, in 1917 British intelligence leaked to the United States the fact that German's Foreign Office was plotting to co-opt Mexico into World War One on the side of the Central Powers, using as an inducement the prospect of regaining territories lost to America during the Mexican War of 1846. It was this revelation, and not unrestricted submarine war, that triggered Wilson's declaration of war against Germany. Tuchman weaves a story that takes us from Japan (which also harbored ambitions of annexing American territory), through North America and over to London, where Room 40's codebreakers discovered the Kaiser's diabolical plot to seize Texas and then agonized over how and whether to tell Washington. Particularly amusing are the stories of Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador to America, a notorious ladies' man whose influence the French and British successfully undermined using pictures of the Count with two young swimsuit-clad women.
Rating: 
Summary: Barbara's Back!
Review: Ms. Tuchman wrote "The Guns of August" which I believe is the best book ever written about WWI. Unfortunately, she also wrote the book, "The Proud Tower" about the times just before WWI. The Proud Tower was a bore. As such, I wasn't sure what to think before I bought this one. I was hopeful that it might be good and, I was right. The Zimmerman Telegraph is a very good book which, if you like history and mystery, you should enjoy. The Zimmerman Telegraph was especially interesting to me because, while I was in school, I had a professor who taught his belief that the Zimmerman Telegraph was a fraud. It was not. The Zimmerman telegaph was very real and with it the British may have changed the tides of history. .But first, what is the Zimmerman telegraph? Mr. Zimmerman was a German ambassador during WWI. As the war progressed, both sides looked for allies which would tip the scales in the war in Europe. Mr. Zimmerman, and his cohorts, were instructed to induce Mexico into fighting on the German side, if American declared for the allies. Because General Pershing, who was to lead the Amercian troops in Europe, had invaded Mexico during this time (to attack a bandit revolutionary Pancho Villa); Because America had taken about 1/3 of Mexico eighty years earlier; And because America's army was one of the smallest in the world - Mexico's entry into the war seem possible to German leaders 5000 miles away. Mr. Zimmerman, in secret code, wired back and forth to Germany to learn what he should do, and what he should offer. Worse, at times, the Germanys borrowed American supplies, while negotiating about declaring war on America. The British learned about these messages and wanted to share them with the Americans. But how could they do it, without arrising their suspicions and those of later American professors? The truth is an exciting mystery story filled with real people whom we love and hate, because Ms. Tuchman makes them so real. She has a talent, when applied, which makes the past - present. I could picture these events as they happened, understand the people, and even sympathize with the ones I didn't like before I read this book. The other thing Ms. Tuchman does so well is to explain motivations. In Europe, for example, there was disputed land between Germany and France. This land was take in 1870. In 1914, the shame of this action still was present throughout France. Indeed, in many units, it was a battlecry. Surely some Mexicans felt the same about California? Ms. Tuchman shows us why some people felt that a Germany-Mexican alliance was a good thing. And a thing which the Mexicans would want. There is much more that this book discusses. But, as referenced above, this book is mainly about how the British broke the German codes and how they "leaked" this information to the Americans. War is never fought for one reason. But the main reason America fought in WWI may have been this telegram - and the Germany-Mexican alliance it proposed. A masterful job by Ms. Tuchman.
Rating: 
Summary: So entertaining, I felt guilty reading it.
Review: The real reason behind the U.S.'s entry into WWI. In just 200 pages, Tuchman balances an international cast of major and supporting characters; intrigues, both serious and ludicrous; and lessons in the contemporary state of global politics. Tuchman wraps this mix up with a crackling narration that places this whole sordid affair into context without overburdening the text with cumbersome details. An incredible accomplishment, but no surprise since it's a Barbara Tuchman book.
Rating:
Summary: History as Thriller, Drama and Comedy
Review: The story of the Zimmermann Telegram is a gem of history that literally is a ripping good yarn. The nutshell: In the middle of WWI, German foreign minister Zimmermann -- worried about how to keep America occupied on our side of the Atlantic and out of the Allied camp -- sent a telegram instructing his Mexican envoy to propose an alliance between Mexico, Japan and Germany. The payoff for our southern neighbor: the restoration of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico to the country of Mexico. This very fine book is many facets tightly woven in 200 pages: British code breakers. German diplomatic efforts. President Wilson's unshakable will for neutrality. Mexican and Japanese intrigue. Submarine warfare. Mexican revolution and America's chase for Pancho Villa. The story has drama (the fight to persuade Wilson that US interests lay with the Allies and not in being a neutral broker of peace), excitement (British code breaking efforts and the intrigue to get the telegram published / into American hands), and near comedy (German bungling with codes, diplomatic missions and high strategy)written by the masterful Barbara Tuchman. The author takes all these elements -- which are almost Shakespearean in their complexity and interplay -- and crafts a terrifically exciting history. A very fine read.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful events leading to American involvement in WWI.
Review: The story that Barbara Tuchman tells in The Zimmermann Telegram is one of international diplomacy in the period just before World War One. Tuchman centers her story on the apex of a single article of communication (the telegram) and expands from there. The story begins in the North Sea just before the British declaration of war on Germany. The British cable ship Telconia dredges the sea searching for five cables at the bottom connecting Germany's communication with the of the European and North American continents. All five cables are cut. Furthermore, Britain coaxed Eastern Telegraph, the American owner of the only other cable to North America (running from North Africa to Brazil), to pull the cables that would allow German communication with the world. Germany was now bound to wireless communication for the duration of the war. This is significant because it allowed the British to secretly intercept all German communications, and begin to decode them in the British Naval Intelligence office referred to as "Room 40". Inside Room 40, Britain learned to crack the German code. This is how the British, and consequently the Americans, were able to learn about the Zimmermann Telegram. The Telegram put the British in a precarious position. They desperately needed the United States to become a belligerent and enter the war against Germany if Britain hoped to win the war. At the same time if the British gave the Americans the Telegram and it was released, the Germans might deduce the existence of Room 40 and discover that their code had been unraveled, thereby compromising all British ability to "listen in" on the Germans for the rest of the war. Additionally, the Telegram was no guarantee that the United States would declare war against Germany or that the Americans would even believe the authenticity of the Telegram. It is the analysis of U.S., German, and British players and the revelation of how The Zimmermann Telegram was eventually delivered to the U.S. Government (without compromising Room 40, and at the same time successfully brought the U.S. into war against Germany) that Tuchman wrote about. Tuchman's style was objective in construction by use of factual evidence from many sources. She wrote the book fairly, comparing both the British and German sides. She illustrated that there were supporters on both sides in the United States. Through all of the descriptions she portrayed Woodrow Wilson as neutral until the end, and discussed the external forces on Wilson that tried to persuade him in all directions. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and former President Theodore Roosevelt supported the side of Britain and war; Robert LaFollette and other isolationist senators on the side of non-intervention. Tuchman centered all events on the final outcome-would the Americans be persuaded to believe the authenticity of the Zimmermann Telegram? Would they declare war on Germany because of it? Tuchman was persuasive in her argument that it was ultimately the Zimmermann Telegram that caused Wilson to ask Congress for belligerency. Her sources were mostly first-hand accounts taken from the journals and diaries of major participants in the events that surrounded the Zimmermann Telegram. Important to her research were notes supplied by British Admiral Hall's (Director of British Naval Intelligence) private secretary, as well as personal papers of Joseph Grew (U.S. Ambassador) and those papers of Ambassador Walter Hines Page. Further research by Tuchman was accredited to help from the Foreign Office Archives Office in London and the historical manuscripts of both President Wilson and Secretary of State Lansing. Because The Zimmermann Telegram was well researched and convincing in its points, Tuchman revealed to the reader a deeper level of understanding surrounding the events that led up to the American declaration of war against Germany. Tuchman shrugged off the commonly held elementary notions that it was the sinking of the Lusitania, or the declaration of German unrestricted submarine warfare that caused the U.S. to declare its belligerency. She argued that while these events were certainly considerations in the decision for war, they were not enough to cause the U.S. to break its policy of neutrality. She was successful in persuading the reader that it was the secret German proposal of a pact with Mexico and Japan that became the proverbial straw. Tuchman's thesis that the Zimmermann Telegram was the single most important reason that America declared war against Germany was a believable one. It clearly showed evidence for the German government's theory that a secret pact with Mexico and Japan would be her only chance of defeating The United States in a war. Tuchman pointed out that Germany made only two significant blunders that forced America into the war declaration. First, Germany's mistaken ignorance that German intelligence was so superior to that of the Allies that the Allies could have never cracked the German code. Secondly, Zimmermann's puzzling admission of the authenticity of the telegram when much of the American public and Congress believed it to be a British hoax (Britain could not reveal the authenticity without compromising Room 40). In conclusion, Tuchman gave an exciting dimension of suspense to the events surrounding America's entry into World War One by revealing first person accounts and minor personalities that played a role in the events leading to this crux. She made the valid argument that it was the Zimmermann Telegram that ultimately brought Wilson and the American Congress (and people) to this decision after a long period of neutrality toward Germany.
Rating:
Summary: Better than a Bond story!
Review: This book is history at its very best. Tuchman has brought to life an amazing story of espionage and deceit that reads like an Ian Fleming novel. Her fluid writing style keeps you turning the pages. Although the outcome is known, the reader still finds themselves asking what will happen. The book covers Germany's pre-war intrigues in Mexico, and then once the war starts, follows the agents sent to America to keep us out of the war. She discusses how German spies plotted to take over munitions factories and stop the flow of war goods to the Allies...and how they nearly succeeded. The story also discusses how Wilson was tormented by the decision to bring America into the war, and how he really did wish peace for the world. Yet, when confronted with the Zimmerman Telegram, which offered Mexico the reacquisition of Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, Wilson was left with no choice but war. It is incredible at how a blunder by one German official was able to bring the world's most powerful nation into the fold against them. Yet that stays with the theme of WW I, and the Zimmerman Telegram may have been the biggest blunder of the war. Thanks to Barbara Tuchman, we know how it all came to pass.
Rating:
Summary: Super example of how the US gets into trouble.
Review: This book should be MANDATORY reading in every history class in this nation at least ONCE. This is especially topical NOW given current events since 9/11/01. America has been played for the sap in past history and this is just one grisly example. A few more weeks and WW1 would have NOT involved the US except for the sneaky exploits of Admiral Sir William Reginald Hall, plus Germany's Zimmerman. In a nutshell: we were set up! Tuchman did the people of the US a great service by writing this, which reads extremely fast. It is gripping and, alas, true. Oh if only this had not happened. How different our world would be.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Story of Intrigue
Review: This is one of my favorite Barbara Tuchman works. It is the story of the Zimmermann Telegram, a message sent by the German Foreign Minister to the Mexican Government in early 1917. In essence the Telegram was an attempt to make Mexico a German ally in the event of the US entering World War I on the Allied side, with the bait being the possibility of Mexico reclaiming the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. When British Intelligence intercepted and decoded the Telegram they made certain that the US government and public heard about it quickly in the hopes of bringing the US into the war. The book is more than just the story of the Telegram itself. It includes a run through of the various German espionage efforts in the US before and during World War I and a good description of the unease felt by the US at the mysterious German machinations, including possibly collusion with Japan and an attempt to take control of the Panama Canal. Like all of Tuchman's works, The Zimmermann Telegram is scholarly without being dull, and a real delight.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Story of Intrigue
Review: This is one of my favorite Barbara Tuchman works. It is the story of the Zimmermann Telegram, a message sent by the German Foreign Minister to the Mexican Government in early 1917. In essence the Telegram was an attempt to make Mexico a German ally in the event of the US entering World War I on the Allied side, with the bait being the possibility of Mexico reclaiming the states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. When British Intelligence intercepted and decoded the Telegram they made certain that the US government and public heard about it quickly in the hopes of bringing the US into the war. The book is more than just the story of the Telegram itself. It includes a run through of the various German espionage efforts in the US before and during World War I and a good description of the unease felt by the US at the mysterious German machinations, including possibly collusion with Japan and an attempt to take control of the Panama Canal. Like all of Tuchman's works, The Zimmermann Telegram is scholarly without being dull, and a real delight.
Rating:
Summary: History at its best
Review: This is the book that introduced Barbara Tuchman to the world, and what an introduction! In this slim volume, Tuchman covers the events leading up to the telegram that sent America to war. The book covers the fascinating topic of dimplomatic espionage in the years before and durning the first world war. In what sounds like something from a James Bond novel, Tuchman describes Germany's attempts to nudge Mexico and Japan into a war with the United States, as well as heightening America's own insecurities about her territory. It is amazing that even in the 20th century, Americans still felt that a foreign invasion was a very real threat. Tuchman then proceeds to describe in detail how the telegram sent by Zimmerman was delivered to America at exactly the right time to bring us into the war. In short, the book is a great, quick read that illuminates one of the most exciting stories in our history.
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