From ACAPHOENIX@msn.comSat Oct 12 07:17:39 1996 Date: Sat, 12 Oct 1996 04:05:11 UT From: "William G. Sutton" Reply to: ACA-L To: ACA-L@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU Subject: Re: ZIMMERMAN REVISITED Randy and Others, The order given below is confusing. It was probably copied from a publication that had it in two columns on two pages. I have separated those pages with a line of asterisks. If it is read in the order of first page, left column, right column, then page two, left column, right column, it will be correct order. One group also has a type. It is corrected in parenthesis. The English translation is: We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between japan and ourselves. Please call the President's attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace. The Zimmermann Telegram of January 16, 1917 and its Cryptographic Background by William G. Friedman and Charles J. Mendelsohn, Ph.D. Cheers, Phoenix ---------- From: ACA-L on behalf of Randy Nichols, ACA President (1994-1996) Sent: Friday, October 11, 1996 10:36 PM To: ACA-L@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU Subject: ZIMMERMAN REVISITED JIMBO, one of our newest students asked about the famous Zimmerman Telegram. He was looking for a translation of the famous Zimmerman Telegram. (Actually there were a several of them intercepted - check: Flicke War Secrets in the Ether, 1994.) Most texts on the Zimmerman Telegram do not give the full Group - by - Group Decodement. The version I have was sent by Ambassador Bernstorff to German Minister Von Eckhardt in Mexico on January 19, 1917. I had a little time to work with it, so here is a close translation per code group. The 130 is the number of the telegram and the 13042 is the code series. The telegram starts with the third group. 130 = Nr. 3 13852 = stop (13851)*** 13042 4458 = gemeinsamen 13401 = Auswaertiges Amt 17149 = Friedensschluss 8501 = telegraphiert 14471 = stop 115 = vom 16ten Januar 6706 = reichliche 3528 = colon 13850 = finanzielle 416 = Nr. 1 12224 = Unterstuetzung 17214 = Ganz Geheim 6929 = und 6491 = Selbst 14991 = Einverstaendnis 11310 = zu 7382 = unsererseits 18147 = entziffern 15857 = dass 18222 = stop 67893 = Mexiko 21560 = Wir 14218 = in 10247 = beabsichtigen 36477 = Texas 11518 = am 5870 = comma 23677 = ersten 17553 = Neu 13605 = Februar 67893 = Mexiko 3494 = un 5870 = comma 14936 = eingeschraenkten 5454 = Ar 98092 = U-boot 16102 = iz 5905 = krieg 15217 = on 11311 = zu 22801 = a 10392 = beginnen 17138 = frueher 10371 = stop 21001 = verlorenes 0302 = Es wird 17388 = Gebeit 21290 = versucht 7446 = zurueck 5161 = werden 23638 = erobert 39695 = Vereinigte Staaten 18222 = stop von Amerika 6719 = Regelung 23571 = trotzdem 14331 = im 17504 = neutral 15021 = einzelnen 11269 = zu 23845 = Euer Hochwohl- geboren 18276 = erhalten 3156 = ueberlassen 18101 = stop 23552 = stop 0317 = Fuer den Fall 22096 = Sie 0228 = dass dies 21604 = wollen 17694 = nicht 4797 = Vorstehendes 4473 = gelingen 9497 = dem 22284 = sollte 22464 = Praesidenten 22200 = stop 20855 = streng 19452 = schlagen 4377 = geheim 21589 = wir 23610 = eroeffnen 67893 = Mexiko 18140 = comma 5569 = auf 22260 = sobald 13918 = folgender 5905 = Kriegs 8598 = Grundlage 13347 = ausbruch 12137 = Buendnis 20420 = mit 1333 = vor 39689 = Verinigten Staaten 4725 = stop 13732 = fest 4458 = Gemeinsame 20667 = steht 5905 = Kriegs 6929 = und 17166 = fuehrung 5275 = Anregung ****************************************************************************** 18507 = hinzufuegen 13486 = Aussicht 52262 = Japan 9350 = bietet 1340 = von 9220 = comma 22049 = sich 76036 = England 13339 = aus 14219 = in 11265 = zu 5144 = wenigen 22295 = sofortiger 2381 = Monat 10439 = Beitretung 17920 = en 14814 = einladen 11347 = zum 4178 = infinitive with zu 17142 = Frieden 6992 = und 11264 = zu 8784 = gleichzeitig 7667 = zwingen 7632 = zwischen 7762 = stop 7357 = uns 15099 = Empfang 6926 = und 9110 = bestaetigen 52262 = Japan 10482 = stop 11267 = zu 97556 = Zimmermann 21100 = vermitteln 3569 = stop 21272 = stop 3670 = Schluss der 9346 = Bitte Depesche 9559 = den 22464 = Praesidenten 15874 = darauf 18502 = hinweisen 18500 = comma 15857 = dass 2188 = ruecksichtslose 5376 = Anwendung 7381 = unserer 98092 = U-boote 16127 = jetzt Note the hybrid nature of this code. The ascending or descending order is not maintained. What we really have is a giant substitution problem where a substantial number of elements must be carried. LANAKI