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Decoding an Intercepted Message

Making Connections

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

You will examine documents related to an infamous intercepted telegram. You will need to figure out how they go together to understand the full telegram. For each document you see, think about the kind of document that it is; any symbols, stamps, or other markings; when it was created; by whom; and why. Click on View Document Details to zoom in and see more pages.


Name:
Class:

Worksheet

Decoding an Intercepted Message

Making Connections

Examine the documents and text included in this activity. Fill in any blanks in the sequence with your thoughts and write your conclusion response in the space provided.

Look at the following two documents, then answer these questions in the response box that follows. Cite specific evidence from the documents in your answers.

What details can you decode/extract from the first two documents?
How do the two documents relate to each other?

Zimmermann Telegram as Received by the German Ambassador to Mexico


Decode Worksheet for a Portion of the Zimmermann Telegram by Edward Bell of the American Embassy in London


Enter your response
Look at the next document, focusing your attention on the section from "We intend to begin" to "Signed, Zimmermann." Answer these questions in the response box that follows and cite specific evidence from the document in your responses:

Who is the author of the telegram?
Who was the intended audience?
What was the overall purpose of the telegram?

Telegram from United States Ambassador Walter Page to President Woodrow Wilson Conveying a Translation of the Zimmermann Telegram


Enter your response



1

Activity Element

Zimmermann Telegram as Received by the German Ambassador to Mexico

Page 1



2

Activity Element

Decode Worksheet for a Portion of the Zimmermann Telegram by Edward Bell of the American Embassy in London

Page 5



3

Activity Element

Telegram from United States Ambassador Walter Page to President Woodrow Wilson Conveying a Translation of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 2



Conclusion

Decoding an Intercepted Message

Making Connections

Do you think the United States should have entered World War I based on the Zimmermann Telegram alone? Why or why not?

Your Response




Document


Zimmermann Telegram as Received by the German Ambassador to Mexico

Page 1



Document


Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 1



Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

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Letter from Ambassador Walter Page to the Secretary of State: Original Decipher of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 9



Document


Telegram from United States Ambassador Walter Page to President Woodrow Wilson Conveying a Translation of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 1



Telegram from United States Ambassador Walter Page to President Woodrow Wilson Conveying a Translation of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 2



Telegram from United States Ambassador Walter Page to President Woodrow Wilson Conveying a Translation of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 3



Telegram from United States Ambassador Walter Page to President Woodrow Wilson Conveying a Translation of the Zimmermann Telegram

Page 4