The Zimmermann Telegram

By: Barbara W. Tuchman

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

In the dark winter of 1917, as World War I was deadlocked, Britain knew that Europe could be saved only if the United States joined the war. But President Wilson remained unshakable in his neutrality. Then, with a single stroke, the tool to propel America into the war came into a quiet British office. One of countless messages intercepted by the crack team of British decoders, the Zimmermann telegram was a top-secret message from Berlin inviting Mexico to join Japan in an invasion of the United States. Mexico would recover her lost American territories while keeping the U.S. occupied on her side of the Atlantic.

How Britain managed to inform America of Germany's plan without revealing that the German codes had been broken makes for an incredible, true story of espionage, intrigue, and international politics, as only Barbara W. Tuchman could tell it.

©1958 Barbara W. Tuchman (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A true, lucid thriller…. Mrs. Tuchman makes the most of it with a creative writer’s sense of drama and a scholar’s obeisance to the evidence.” ( New York Times)

“The tale has most of the ingredients of an Eric Ambler spy thriller.” ( Saturday Review)

A clear explanation of a very involved plot

Would you listen to The Zimmermann Telegram again? Why?

No, but only because the explanation is so lucid, a rereading would be unnecessary, it covers all the politics relevant to the American entry in the First World War

What other book might you compare The Zimmermann Telegram to and why?

"The Guns of August" also by Barbara W Tuchman, which covers the events of August 1914 prior to and during WW1

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Beautiful clear diction.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No,as it was not that kind of book

Any additional comments?

I would read all the historic works by Barbara W Tuchman both for her detailed research and clarity of explanation

Wilson's Irony

When shipping tons of TNT to a bloodbath, one's neutrality can come to be questioned. Perhaps Wilson's hubris to make Mexico bend its knee to American honor was the unheard warning to opt out of the World's Policeman. From Bournemouth to Petrograd were rivers of blood and starvation, but Wilson was the President of not only the United States but Princeton. Surely wisdom and truth would out. Barbara Tuchman's gifts of clarity and precision leaves no one exempt from what ignited the conflagrations that saw all empires fall. Too bad she is not here to pen the Pax Americana.

Good but needs Whispersync

I read this book many years ago, so was excited to find it as an audiobook. It's a well-researched account of code breaking and its impact during WWI.

Although the narration is excellent, this story contains so many characters, plots, and subplots that the ability to refer visually to the book would be extremely helpful. Sadly, a Kindle version isn't yet available.

Nevertheless, this tale is of a pivot point in WWI history and deserves to remembered.

Story is well written

The story and the era are fascinating and McCaddon, as a narrator, speaks with fluency and diction but listening to her accent - lovely though it is - requires attention I cannot always afford to give when I am driving. I have attempted to listen to Tuchman's The Guns of August and found it hard to follow for the same reason. This could probably be ameliorated by giving the book undivided attention; do not let my review preclude you from enjoying the story.

Tuchman is a global treasure

Fantastic book. Not only am I never disappointed by Barbara Tuchman, the performer, whose name escapes me, is beyond perfect in her reading.

Excellent Narrative History

Barbara Tuchman’s study of the plot, discovery and effects surrounding the Zimmerman telegram is extremely enthralling. It tells a story that will draw the listener in from the very beginning, which is likely helped by excellent narration. McCaddon has great cadence and is strong on inflection and voice modification for different personalities in the story.
I learned a lot from the book, but two things that interested me most were the power struggle for leadership within Mexico at the time, and Wilson’s stalwart desire for peace which kept the states from joining the war. I think that his idea that a negotiated peace could endure is one that would have changed history had the World accepted it. Knowing now that Germany lost and the war guilt clause plummeted Europe into a powder keg situation that allowed for WWII, it seems that we need to revisit Wilson’s moralism and examine whether or not his theory is better than peace decided by the victors.
I would listen to this again, for sure!

Well- researched and detailed

The only problem I had with The Zimmermann Telegram is likely a function of it being an audiobook. It was so detailed that I had trouble remembering who all the people were, especially those in the earlier chapters with whom I was not readily familiar. Had it been the print version, I could have flipped back to where that person’s name initially appeared. This was not possible with the audiobook. Still, on the whole, it was a very worthwhile production.

Interesting Topic - poorly written

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a different perspective on what led to the US getting involved in WW1. The subject matter is a bit thin for an entire book and the author (while being rather accomplished for Guns of August) was a bit redundant and disorganized in laying out the details.

Great story but not an easy listen

This history is packed with characters and twists and turns, being an ignorant geek I had never heard of this episode of history, the incompetence of the diplomats and the poor strategy of both the German military and the American president offset against the surprising competence and efficiency of the codebreakers in room 40.

It is a hard listen as it needed to be read a little more slowly to allow the dense information in the story to be absorbed. Still worth the effort as it explained a lot to this ignoramus.

History for the Non-Historian

If you could sum up The Zimmermann Telegram in three words, what would they be?

Concise, clear, and understandable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

As a work of non-fiction, there really aren't characters per se. However, Tuchman's ability to convey the individual habits and traits of the many, MANY historical figures she introduces us to is wonderful. I am a historian myself and I found her portrayals and insights into the various movers and shakers (as it were) of the Zimmerman Telegram incident and the whole run up to it to be quite useful and informative.

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is able to convey the subtle wit, humor, and irony the author clearly intends in several passages. History is often dry--Tuchman's work is far from it and McCaddon's performance brings it even further to life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

While it didn't make me laugh or cry, there were several times where I had a "whoa!" moment. I've studied this period and even taught it and this book revealed to me many things I had not known before.

Any additional comments?

For the lay fan of history, this is an excellent introduction to a period of World War I that most people overlook or simply gloss over. America's involvement in the war was strictly secondary, yet its potential involvement was HUGE for both sides. Tuchman portrays the myriad schemes, plots, and intrigues in a concise, clear manner that is both easily followed and complete. For the historian, she provides a wealth of detail so rarely discussed in other works. An excellent "read" for either group.