134: The Zimmerman Telegram

The Zimmerman Telegram. This is not the actual telegram sent from Berlin to Count Bernstorff in Washington, but rather the forwarding telegram Bernstorff sent on to the German Embassy in Mexico City.

 
The Mexican Revolution is winding down, and the prospects of a war between Mexico and the USA are diminishing, much to the disappointment of the German government. With a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare planned for February 1, 1917, the German government devises a contingency plan to induce Mexico to declare war on the United States. Unfortunately for the German government, British Intelligence is monitoring their diplomatic communications.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor
Composed by Johannes Brahms in 1861. Public domain.
Performed by The Advent Chamber Orchestra, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license. Source.

Siegfried Idyll
Composed by Richard Wagner in 1869. Public domain.
Performed by Steve’s Bedroom Band, and used pursuant to a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license. Source.

Closing War Theme

 

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

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