Question

Read the excerpt from The Dark Game.

On January 16, 1917, in a clear attempt to convince
the Mexican government to help Germany in the war,
Arthur Zimmermann, the German foreign secretary,
sent a telegram to Count von Bernstorff, the German
ambassador in Washington. The foreign secretary
wanted to be certain that this message reached von
Bernstorff, so he made arrangements for it to be
carried aboard a U-boat to Sweden and from there to
Washington through diplomatic channels.
As luck would have it, the departure of the sub was
delayed. Impatient, Zimmermann turned to his second
option: sending the message to his ambassador
through the U.S. State Department. Although Wilson
considered the United States to be neutral, he allowed
messages to be sent to von Bernstorff via the State
Department as a courtesy. The telegram sent,
Zimmermann waited for a reply. What Zimmermann
Why did Zimmermann choose to send the message
through the U.S. State Department?
O The German U-boat was grounded because it
needed repairs.
O The Americans planned to enter the war and side
with the Germans.
O The content of the message was extraordinarily
important.
O The safest way of transmitting messages was by
telegram.

Answer 1

Zimmermann sent the message through the U.S. State Department as an expedient alternative after the departure of the German U-boat was delayed, and he used it as a channel considering the U.S. was still neutral. However, this action contributed to the U.S. joining WWI after the telegram was intercepted and made public.

Step-by-step explanation:

Arthur Zimmermann, the German foreign secretary, resorted to using the U.S. State Department to send the Zimmermann Telegram because the designated German U-boat was delayed and he became impatient for the message to be delivered. The telegram was an integral communication proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico should the United States join World War I against Germany. The allure of reconquering lost territories such as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas was offered to Mexico in return for its cooperation. Transmission via the U.S. as a neutral country was seen as safe, and President Wilson had allowed messages to such officials as a courtesy, despite the U.S. claiming to be neutral in the conflict. However, the scheme backfired disastrously when British intelligence intercepted and disclosed the secret telegram to the Americans, fuelling public sentiment against Germany and contributing to the U.S. decision to join the war.