Hi all,
My question pertains to the Zimmerman Telegram. For people who don't know what that was, here's a very quick rundown. During World War I, Germany sent a coded telegram to Mexico, notifying them that they planned to resume submarine attacks in the Atlantic. Germany proposed that if the United States should declare war on Germany, Mexico would join Germany in war against the United States. Mexico would be given the opportunity to retake territory in the Southern United States. Mexico rejected this offer.
My question is: do we have any primary sources that show whether Mexico ever toyed with accepting this offer? Any insight into communication that occurred among Mexican leaders/decision-makers about this offer would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Yes, the Mexican government under Carranza did put some serious thought into accepting the offer but ultimately and wisely decided against it for a variety of reasons including the dubious probability of German help, the asymmetrical balance of power between the American and Mexican militaries, and the fact that Mexico was still not entirely done with its devastating civil war/ revolution.
The Mexicans rightly saw the telegraph as an act of desperation on the part of Germany and chose not to act on it despite it being a tempting offer.