“The
story of the Zimmermann telegram is undoubtedly the single most important
episode in the history of wartime cryptography. It demonstrates the value
of secure communication against the catastrophe of a broken code.” 1
116,516 Americans had perished in the World War I. A simple telegram had been at fault for that. For the three years France, Germany, and Britain had already been in war, America had remained neutral. What did the telegram contain to persuade peaceful President Woodrow Wilson to take part in the war? Why did America join forces with Britain and France instead of the Germans? How did a single telegram change the course of World War I?
1 http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/secrecy/page4a.htm