The Zimmermann Telegram

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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)

Poor sound quality

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In format 3, this was very difficult to listen to. I had to increase volume well over that used for playing other books I have downloaded from Audible, and even at that volume words were sometimes unintelligible.

Stunning look at a forgotten piece of history

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Not as well known as other books by Barbara Tuchman, the Zimmermann Telegram covers an astounding piece of WWI history. The British codebreakers deserve their recognition, but so do the ingenious methods of the British govt to find a way to release the info without compromising the secrecy of the codebreaking. The obstinacy of President Wilson and his insistence on doing things his way comes into sharp focus. In order to conduct diplomatic negotiations, he allowed the Germans to send messages via the State Dept. Against the council of his own officials, Wilson allowed the Germans to send their messages CODED, never dreaming that they would abuse the privilege. When he found out that the Germans were plotting against the U.S. simultaneously, his anger against them was intractable. The plan sounded crazy: worried that the newly implemented policy of unrestricted u boat warfare might bring the U.S. into the war, the Germans decided to negotiate with Mexico (and Japan) to attack the U.S. in exchange for Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. When the contents of the telegram were released, there was some debate as to whether it was genuine. Instead of denying it and possibly delaying U.S. action with the concern it was a fake, foreign secreatry Zimmermann, the author of the telegram, confirmed its veracity with the justification that it was a proposal in case the U.S. declared war. It is a fascinating story from start to end.

Short, Sweet, And To The Point

The topic is interesting and is delivered in a compact package, which makes this a great book to ease into academic history novels from more stylistic "History Lite" novels.

Perhaps Tuchman's best work.

What made the experience of listening to The Zimmermann Telegram the most enjoyable?

This isn't just history. It reads (Listens) like a political thriller.

What did you like best about this story?

This may be Tuchman's best work. I've read four of her books and this one--perhaps because of the length--didn't bog down in the third quarter.

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

I very much enjoyed hearing a woman read this book. So very often history and political thrillers are the exclusive province of men. An excellent reading of this fine book.

Excellent Reading

The reading of this book kept my interest more than it ever would if I had been reading the book. The pauses and inflection in her voice kept me waiting for what was going to happen next. Great performance!