The Zimmermann Telegram

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 10 January 2017

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1917, British code-breakers exposed a German plot against the United States which helped alter the course of World War One . The Americans had remained neutral during the first three years of war, but by 1917, Germany was planning to restart unrestricted submarine warfare which it feared would trigger America's entry into the war on the Allied side. German foreign minister, Arthur Zimmermann, proposed a Mexican attack on the United States. Photo: (L) The Zimmermann telegram in code as sent from Washington to Mexico (R) A portion of the telegram as decrypted by British intelligence.(US National Archives and Record Administration)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	BBC BBC.
0:02.0	BBC.
0:06.0	Hello and thank you for downloading Witness from the BBC World Service with me Alex Last
0:11.0	and today we go back to January 1917 when British code breakers uncovered a German
0:17.5	plot against the United States before it entered World War I.
0:23.0	Berlin.
0:25.0	1stre null 4,000,
0:30.0	Berlin, Berlin, foreign office, January 16th, 1917.
0:35.0	Most secret for your excellencies personal information.
0:41.2	In January 1917 as the First World War was entering its third year, British
0:46.4	Intelligence intercepted a top secret encoded telegram from the Imperial
0:51.8	German Foreign Minister Art of Zimmerman to his from the Imperial German foreign minister,
0:53.4	Arthur Zimmerman, to his ambassador in the United States,
0:57.6	then the only major Western power which had stayed out of the war. Behind the code lay a stunning message,
1:05.0	which could alter the course of the conflict
1:08.0	and its revelation would become one of the greatest coups
1:11.0	for British intelligence during the First World War.
1:14.0	Since the start of the war, the British had been trying to intercept the deciphered German
1:21.3	communications.
1:22.3	A unit of British naval intelligence based in
1:25.6	room 40 in the Admiralty building in London was at the centre of British code-breaking
1:31.3	operations.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.