Rating: 
Summary: Excellent history of sadly forgotten episode
Review: While the Zimmerman Telegram is one of the most important documents in history, and is perhaps the greatest result of code breaking in history, it is nonetheless frequently overlooked. Most people have at least heard "Remember the Lusitania" which had essentially nothing to do with the U.S. entering WWI. Few, however, are familiar with this short telegram that is truly a hinge on which history turned.One cannot blame Barbara Tuchman for this, however, as this work brings alive the intrigue of the time like no other. Reading like a spy novel, and yet all the more chilling because it's true, Tuchman navigates the reader through the murky waters of WWI intrigue. We learn how, in a misguided effort to distract the U.S. from Europe, Germany sought to foment trouble on the U.S./Mexican border. We learn how the British scrambled to inform the Americans of this, without comprimising their sources. And we learn how a tortured President Wilson was forced to take the steps towards war. "The Zimmerman Telegram" is history as it should be written; loaded with primary sources, and with the breathless pace that events really unfolded. While better known for "The Guns of August", it is this work that makes me rank Barabara Tuchman as one of the best historians of the 20th Century. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: If it weren't true.....
Review: you might think it too contrived. This is an intriguing story, incredibly well written, by one of the best authors of the period. The story concerns the German government's double-dealing during WWI and their efforts to keep the U.S. out of the European theater by any means possible. To tell more would be unfair to the reader of this review, but suffice it to say that this roughly 200 page paperback is a one day read that will leave you well informed and most entertained.
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