Step-by-step explanation:
Based on the information in the excerpt, a reader can infer that the Germans sent secret diplomatic messages to their ambassador in Washington, DC, and the British saw the transatlantic cables as an opportunity to gain access to those messages.
The British couldn't tap the cables the way they could tap phone lines, so they cut all five of the cables that carried communications through the channel.
Therefore, it can be inferred that without the underwater cables, the Germans had no way of communicating with their ambassadors.
The excerpt does not provide any evidence to suggest that the Germans were planning to lay new cables as quickly as possible.
It is also unclear whether the German ambassador in Washington, D.C. was aware of the situation or not.