The Zimmermann Telegram

By: Barbara W. Tuchman

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

In the dark winter of 1917, as World War I was deadlocked, Britain knew that Europe could be saved only if the United States joined the war. But President Wilson remained unshakable in his neutrality. Then, with a single stroke, the tool to propel America into the war came into a quiet British office. One of countless messages intercepted by the crack team of British decoders, the Zimmermann telegram was a top-secret message from Berlin inviting Mexico to join Japan in an invasion of the United States. Mexico would recover her lost American territories while keeping the U.S. occupied on her side of the Atlantic.

How Britain managed to inform America of Germany's plan without revealing that the German codes had been broken makes for an incredible, true story of espionage, intrigue, and international politics, as only Barbara W. Tuchman could tell it.

©1958 Barbara W. Tuchman (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A true, lucid thriller…. Mrs. Tuchman makes the most of it with a creative writer’s sense of drama and a scholar’s obeisance to the evidence.” ( New York Times)

“The tale has most of the ingredients of an Eric Ambler spy thriller.” ( Saturday Review)

A clear explanation of a very involved plot

Would you listen to The Zimmermann Telegram again? Why?

No, but only because the explanation is so lucid, a rereading would be unnecessary, it covers all the politics relevant to the American entry in the First World War

What other book might you compare The Zimmermann Telegram to and why?

"The Guns of August" also by Barbara W Tuchman, which covers the events of August 1914 prior to and during WW1

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Beautiful clear diction.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No,as it was not that kind of book

Any additional comments?

I would read all the historic works by Barbara W Tuchman both for her detailed research and clarity of explanation

Wilson's Irony

When shipping tons of TNT to a bloodbath, one's neutrality can come to be questioned. Perhaps Wilson's hubris to make Mexico bend its knee to American honor was the unheard warning to opt out of the World's Policeman. From Bournemouth to Petrograd were rivers of blood and starvation, but Wilson was the President of not only the United States but Princeton. Surely wisdom and truth would out. Barbara Tuchman's gifts of clarity and precision leaves no one exempt from what ignited the conflagrations that saw all empires fall. Too bad she is not here to pen the Pax Americana.

Good but needs Whispersync

I read this book many years ago, so was excited to find it as an audiobook. It's a well-researched account of code breaking and its impact during WWI.

Although the narration is excellent, this story contains so many characters, plots, and subplots that the ability to refer visually to the book would be extremely helpful. Sadly, a Kindle version isn't yet available.

Nevertheless, this tale is of a pivot point in WWI history and deserves to remembered.

Story is well written

The story and the era are fascinating and McCaddon, as a narrator, speaks with fluency and diction but listening to her accent - lovely though it is - requires attention I cannot always afford to give when I am driving. I have attempted to listen to Tuchman's The Guns of August and found it hard to follow for the same reason. This could probably be ameliorated by giving the book undivided attention; do not let my review preclude you from enjoying the story.

Tuchman is a global treasure

Fantastic book. Not only am I never disappointed by Barbara Tuchman, the performer, whose name escapes me, is beyond perfect in her reading.

Excellent Narrative History

Barbara Tuchman’s study of the plot, discovery and effects surrounding the Zimmerman telegram is extremely enthralling. It tells a story that will draw the listener in from the very beginning, which is likely helped by excellent narration. McCaddon has great cadence and is strong on inflection and voice modification for different personalities in the story.
I learned a lot from the book, but two things that interested me most were the power struggle for leadership within Mexico at the time, and Wilson’s stalwart desire for peace which kept the states from joining the war. I think that his idea that a negotiated peace could endure is one that would have changed history had the World accepted it. Knowing now that Germany lost and the war guilt clause plummeted Europe into a powder keg situation that allowed for WWII, it seems that we need to revisit Wilson’s moralism and examine whether or not his theory is better than peace decided by the victors.
I would listen to this again, for sure!

Well- researched and detailed

The only problem I had with The Zimmermann Telegram is likely a function of it being an audiobook. It was so detailed that I had trouble remembering who all the people were, especially those in the earlier chapters with whom I was not readily familiar. Had it been the print version, I could have flipped back to where that person’s name initially appeared. This was not possible with the audiobook. Still, on the whole, it was a very worthwhile production.

My first audiobook

Interesting, informative account of the events and circumstances leading to US decision to enter WWI. The reading was well done at a comfortable pace. I had difficulty with keeping track of all the characters (German, English, American, etc). I suspect that I need to see the names on the page to better remember their role in the story, but this did not distract from understanding and appreciating the story.

great listen

so much more depth and color to an event already obscured by history. an fascinating read for any fan of ww1 or American history

The Road to WWI and the death of US innocence

A portrait of the American government that we can still recognize 100 years later. The same arguments in every institution on the verge of war.