Zimmermann Note (19 Jan. 1917) A secret telegram containing a coded message from the German Foreign Secretary Alfred Zimmermann, to the German minister in Mexico City. It instructed the minister to propose an alliance with Mexico if war broke out between the USA and Germany, Mexico being offered the territories lost in 1848 to the USA.
The British intercepted and decoded the message, and passed it to the US State Department. It was released on 1 March 1917 as German–US relations were deteriorating over unrestricted submarine warfare. The Note was considered an overt act of German aggression, in blatant disregard of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) which rejected European interference in matters concerning the American hemisphere.
Coming after years of debate, it was the final catalyst to propel the USA into World War I, with war being declared on Germany on 6 April 1917.
How to cite this entry: "Zimmermann Note" A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. Jan Palmowski. Oxford University Press, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 19 January 2012
