Arthur Zimmermann
The historical account on cryptography is incomplete without mentioning the diplomatic intrigue, the Zimmermann telegram and the man responsible, German Foreign Secretary, Arthur Zimmermann. Born in Marggrabova, he studied law, serving as the vice-consul at Shanghai and consul in 1900 at Tientsin and working with the diplomatic branch of the German civil service in 1905 in a subordinate capacity.
It was in the year 1916 that he became the foreign secretary on November 25 owing to the support of the military rulers, Paul Von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff along with the submarine policy. The date 19 January 1917 was when he sent the Zimmermann telegram to the German minister in Mexico through the German Ambassador in Washington as a repercussion to the threat from America. When this was intercepted by the British, it brutally embarrassed Germany and was crucial in President Woodrow Wilson's involvement of America in the First World War. It revealed German support for the Mexican invasion of the US.
After this telegram was deciphered, Zimmermann perplexed political spokesmen everywhere by admitting to the authenticity of the telegram in a speech where he claimed that these were actions to be taken only after the US declared war, and that President Woodrow was the culprit behind loosening ties between America and Germany. Before dying in 1940, he withdrew himself from his post.
Reference
- Who's Who: Arthur Zimmermann
- http://www.firstworldwar.com/bio/zimmermann.htm
- A profile of Arthur Zimmermann, About.com: European History
- http://europeanhistory.about.com/cs/worldwar1/p/prazimmermanbio.htm
- Images
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AZIMA.jpg (public domain image)
