History of the World War : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest warMarch, Francis A., Jr.
History
History of the World War : $b An authentic narrative of the world's greatest war
March, Francis A., Jr.
World War, 1914-1918
On the first of February we intend to begin submarine warfare
unrestricted. In spite of this, it is our intention to endeavor to keep
neutral the United States of America.
If this attempt is not successful, we propose an alliance on the
following basis with Mexico: That we shall make war together and
together make peace. We shall give general financial support, and it is
understood that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in New Mexico,
Texas and Arizona. The details are left to you for settlement. You are
instructed to inform the President of Mexico of the above in the
greatest confidence as soon as it is certain that there will be an
outbreak of war with the United States, and suggest that the President
of Mexico, on his own initiative, should communicate with Japan
suggesting adherence at once to this plan; at the same time, offer to
mediate between Germany and Japan.
Please call to the attention of the President of Mexico that the
employment of ruthless submarine warfare now promises to compel England
to make peace in a few months.
ZIMMERMAN.
This was almost three months before the United States entered the war.
As an example of German blindness and diplomatic folly it stands
unrivaled in the annals of the German Foreign Office.
Plots against shipping were the deadliest in which the German
conspirators engaged. Death and destruction followed in their wake. In
direct connection of von Bernstorff and his tools with these outrages
the following testimony by an American secret service man employed by
Wolf von Igel is interesting. It refers to an appointment with Captain
von Kleist, superintendent of Scheele's bomb factory in Hoboken, N. J.
"We sat down and we spoke for about three hours. I asked him the
different things that he did, and said if he wanted an interview with
Mr. von Igel, my boss, he would have to tell everything. So he told me
that von Papen gave Dr. Scheele, the partner of von Kleist in this
factory, a check for $10,000 to start this bomb factory. He told me that
he, Mr. von Kleist, and Dr. Scheele and a man by the name of Becker on
the Friedrich der Grosse were making the bombs, and that Captain
Wolpert, Captain Bode and Captain Steinberg, had charge of putting these
bombs on the ships; they put these bombs in cases and shipped them as
merchandise on these steamers, and they would go away on the trip and
the bombs would go off after the ship was out four or five days, causing
a fire and causing the cargo to go up in flames. He also told me that
they have made quite a number of these bombs; that thirty of them were
given to a party by the name of O'Leary, and that he took them down to
New Orleans where he had charge of putting them on ships down there,
this fellow O'Leary."
About four hundred bombs were made under von Igel's direction;
explosions and fires were caused by them on thirty-three ships sailing
from New York harbor alone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account