Question

British government leaders didn't present the Zimmermann telegram to Wilson for a few weeks. Hall reminded them that outrage was growing in America over Germany's announcement late in the day of January 31 that the German navy would resume unrestricted submarine warfare. In fact, that policy provoked the U.S. government to cut diplomatic relations with Germany in February.

On February 24, when Hall sensed that the Zimmermann telegram would tip the balance in favor of the U.S. joining the Allied forces, the British home secretary presented the telegram to President Wilson. One week later, news of the Zimmermann telegram was splashed across the front page of American newspapers. On April 6, 1917, the Congress of the United States declared war on Germany and its allies.

—The Dark Game,
Paul Janeczko

Write four to five sentences supporting the inference that the British waited until they were sure the telegram would encourage the US to enter the war. Identify at least two pieces of evidence from the passage, and explain how that evidence leads to the inference.

Answer 1

The passage supports the inference that the British deliberately waited until they were sure the Zimmermann telegram would push the United States into the war. First, the text says British leaders “didn't present the Zimmermann telegram to Wilson for a few weeks,” which implies a conscious delay rather than an immediate disclosure. Second, Hall’s own action — that “on February 24, when Hall sensed that the Zimmermann telegram would tip the balance in favor of the U.S. joining the Allied forces, the British home secretary presented the telegram to President Wilson” — shows they timed the release to maximize its political impact. Combined with the prior outrage in the United States over Germany’s January 31 announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare (which had already led the U.S. to cut diplomatic relations), these details indicate the British waited until the telegram would strengthen and exploit existing American anger. The quick publicizing of the telegram and the U.S. declaration of war a few weeks later further support that the delay was tactical and effective.