Evening star., 1925-11-01

States, with the territory of New
Mexico, Texas and Arizona as prize
TO Mexico, and the manner in which
the British admiralty obtained Ger
many'S important correspondence dur
ing the entire war are set forth in a
final installment from the new volume
OF Page letters by Burton j. Hendrick
in The Worlds Work"
The decoded and translated dis
patches from Zimmerman, then
foreign minister of Germany, to Bern
Storff, the German Amba SSador here,
and to Eckhardt, the German Ambas-
sador in Mexico City, together with
the message of Ambassador Page to
. President Wilson form a complete
story of tremendous interest and re-
veal q state OF affairs that was at
once of great seriousness to Germany
and made the Germans utterly ridicu-
louS.
Aroused Whole Nation.
The publication of the Zimmerman
telegram had an enormous effect in
thL. country and there have been
msPy Surmises as to how it was OBJ
tafned by the American Government.
Mr.. Hendrick in his Illuminating mar
rative says:
"One day, in the latter part Of Feb
ruary, 1917, Page was requested to
call upon Mr.. Balfour at the foreign
office. Mr.. Balfour quietly handed
The Ambassador "A sheet of paper-a
|, document that, i'll it's influence upon
American policy. proved to be the most
sensational that the European War
had SO far brought forth. This paper
contained the message that will be
immortal as the Zimmerman tele-
gram. 1t disclosed the preparation
Germany was making for war with
the United States. 1t was d message
from the German foreign office in
Berlin to Won Eckhardt, the German
Minister in the City of Mexico. AS
Germany had no satisfactory method
of communicating with Mexico, this
telegram had been sent to Count
Bernstoff III Washington, with in
structions to forward it by cable to
= the German Minister in the Mexican
Republic. This latter diplomat was
directed TO enter at once into negotta-
tions with Nenustiano Carranza, Presi-
dent of Mexico. and to make an alli-
ance with Mexico for a joint German
and Mexican invasion of the United
States.
CarranZa Willing.
"In case this invasion succeeded.
Mexico was to obtain Texas, New
Mexico, and AriZona-territory which
she had lost to the United States as
q result OIL lIl6 w dI VI ioto, anu WHICH
was now to be treated as kind of
Mexican Alsace-Lorraine and be re
deemed The German plan also con-
templated an attempt to detach Japan
from her European allies and per-
suade her to join the n-MeXican
alliance. President Carranza, who, as
subsequent events disclosed, looked
not unfavorably upon this ambitious
DropoSal was the same CarranZa whom
had c,Inn0rtp6 for
the Mexican presidency among
multitude Of revolutionary candidates.
Carranza was President Of Mexico,
indeed, as the result Of a succession
of events that amounted almost to
American intervention.
Page at once transmitted this in
formation to the State Department:
Page to the President.
London,
dated February "a. 1917.
Reed. $50 pm.
"'Secretary Of State,
Washington.
"'5747. February "a
"'My 5746. February 24
Confidential 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 Wash
ington and reIayed by Bernstorff on
January 18th. You can probably OBJ
tain a copy of the text relayed by
Rernstorff from the cable office in
Washington. The first group is the
number of the telegram. one hundred
and thirty, and the second is thirteen
thousand and forty-tWo, indica ting the
number of the code used. The last
group but two is ninetyseven thou
sand five hundred and fiftysiX, which
IS Zimmermann's signature. l shall
send you by mail a copy of the cipher
text and of the de-code into German
and meanwhile 1 give you the Eng
lish translation as follows:
Japan Invited.
lave intend to begin on the first Of
February unrestricted submarine war
fare 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
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 reconquor the lost
territory in Texas, New Mexico, and
Arizona The settlement in detail is
left to you. You will inform the
President Chat Is, President Carranza
of Mexico) of the above most secretly
as soon as the outbreak of war with
the United States of America is GER
tain and add the suggestion that he
should on his own initiative, invite
Japan to immediate adherence and at
the same time mediate between Japan
and ourselves. Please call the Presi-
dents attention TO the fact that the
ruthless employment of our sub
marines now offers the prospect Of
compelling England in few months
to make peace.
"'"ZI "ZIMAIERMANN."
1.-The receipt of this information
has so greatly exercised the British
Government that they have lost no
time in communicating 1t to me to
transmit to you, in order that our
Government may be able without de-
lay to make such disposition as may
be necessary in view of the threatened
invasion of our territory.
1.-The following paragraph is strict
ly confidential:
Had German Code.
"'Early in the war, the British
Government obtained possession of
copy of the German cipher code used
in the above message and have made
it their business to obtain copies of
Bernstorff' s cipher kilograms to MeXi-
co, amongst others, which are sent
back to London and deciphered here.
This accounts for their being able to
decipher this telegram from the Ger
man Government to their representa-
tive in Mexico, and also for the delay
from January 18th until now In their