1917 Events
January 1917 - Belize City, British Honduras
In the first days of 1917, British Honduran officials became aware of intrigue involving Mexican Consul Diaz. This revolutionary intrigue entangled a foreigner, Alfredo R. Taylor (aka Tayelor), and a letter from Taylor to a German named Muller was produced to support his detention under the Prevention of Cruises Ordinance. At the time, Great Britain was considering intervention around Tampico, Mexico, from whence came most of the petroleum fuel for the Royal Navy. Intelligence suggested that if the British acted against Tampico, the Mexicans would retaliate by attacking Belize. A.R. Taylor was eventually arrested and in August 1917 would be “repatriated” to Mexico.
In the first days of 1917, British Honduran officials became aware of intrigue involving Mexican Consul Diaz. This revolutionary intrigue entangled a foreigner, Alfredo R. Taylor (aka Tayelor), and a letter from Taylor to a German named Muller was produced to support his detention under the Prevention of Cruises Ordinance. At the time, Great Britain was considering intervention around Tampico, Mexico, from whence came most of the petroleum fuel for the Royal Navy. Intelligence suggested that if the British acted against Tampico, the Mexicans would retaliate by attacking Belize. A.R. Taylor was eventually arrested and in August 1917 would be “repatriated” to Mexico.
January 16, 1917 - Berlin and Mexico City
German Foreign Ministry Secretary Arthur Zimmerman sent an encrypted telegram to Minister Heinrich von Eckardt in Mexico City: We intend to begin unrestricted submarine warfare on the first of February. 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 or 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 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. [Signed] ZIMMERMANN. |
January 17, 1917 - Washington and Danish West Indies
Danish representatives in Washington finalized the sale of the Danish West Indies to the US. The US was motivated by fear that Germans might take over and set up a submarine base on the islands. March 31, when the US took possession of the territory, is still celebrated as Transfer Day in the Virgin Islands.
Danish representatives in Washington finalized the sale of the Danish West Indies to the US. The US was motivated by fear that Germans might take over and set up a submarine base on the islands. March 31, when the US took possession of the territory, is still celebrated as Transfer Day in the Virgin Islands.
January 1917 - Berlin, Mexico City and London
German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent a number of coded telegrams to Germany's minister in Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, instructing him to propose an alliance against the US with Mexico's First Chief Venustiano Carranza, who was encouraged to invite Japan's participation as well. Zimmermann's instructions anticipated the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in the next few weeks. As the telegram and subsequent addendums coursed through the cables between Berlin and Mexico City, they were intercepted by British Naval Intelligence. Room 40's decryption of the telegrams was Great Britain's greatest intelligence achievement of the world war. Great Britain informed the US of the devious plot in late February, The idea of a Mexican-German alliance whipped up public and congressional support that was crucial to the US declaration of war in April. |
January 1917 - Washington, Stockholm and Buenos Aires
While the German minister to Mexico pursued an anti-US alliance, the German Ambassador in Washington continued to bribe the US Congress to avoid American entry into the war. British Naval Intelligence intercepts and decryptions of German diplomatic communications also revealed the continuing existence of the "Swedish Roundabout:" a secret system by which Swedish diplomats forwarded sensitive German messages to avoid inspection by Allied censors. The messages were not harmless--they sometimes bore detailed targeting tips for saboteurs or U-boats, as well as strategic directions that cost neutral and Allied lives. Since 1915, messages had been routed through Swedish diplomatic communications channels via the German minister in Stockholm to and from German diplomats in the Americas via the German Legation in Buenos Aires.
While the German minister to Mexico pursued an anti-US alliance, the German Ambassador in Washington continued to bribe the US Congress to avoid American entry into the war. British Naval Intelligence intercepts and decryptions of German diplomatic communications also revealed the continuing existence of the "Swedish Roundabout:" a secret system by which Swedish diplomats forwarded sensitive German messages to avoid inspection by Allied censors. The messages were not harmless--they sometimes bore detailed targeting tips for saboteurs or U-boats, as well as strategic directions that cost neutral and Allied lives. Since 1915, messages had been routed through Swedish diplomatic communications channels via the German minister in Stockholm to and from German diplomats in the Americas via the German Legation in Buenos Aires.
January 27, 1917 - San Jose, Costa Rica
The Tinoco brothers took over the government of Costa Rica in a bloodless coup de etat that was secretly bankrolled by a foreign corporation. Despite proclamations of support for the US and Allies, the Tinocos' secret police and henchmen were prone to arrest pro-Entente voices and advocates of democracry. US intelligence suspected the dictatorship of collusion with the Germans. |
January 31, 1917 - US Ports
On January 31, 1917, German diplomats formally announced the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare against all allied and neutral vessels in the North Atlantic. The next morning, authorities in New York, Newark, Boston, Charleston, San Francisco, Seattle, Puget Sound, Honolulu, and other ports were startled to find that interned German ships had been sabotaged by their crews in a last- ditch effort to deny the vessels’ immediate use to the United States. The German consular and intelligence networks had passed instructions to interned vessels' captains in the days before the mass sabotage event. As newspapers blared details of the outrages of German diplomats and mariners, the latter were arrested and led off to detention for the remainder of the war.
On January 31, 1917, German diplomats formally announced the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare against all allied and neutral vessels in the North Atlantic. The next morning, authorities in New York, Newark, Boston, Charleston, San Francisco, Seattle, Puget Sound, Honolulu, and other ports were startled to find that interned German ships had been sabotaged by their crews in a last- ditch effort to deny the vessels’ immediate use to the United States. The German consular and intelligence networks had passed instructions to interned vessels' captains in the days before the mass sabotage event. As newspapers blared details of the outrages of German diplomats and mariners, the latter were arrested and led off to detention for the remainder of the war.
February 1, 1917 - Atlantic Ocean
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare affects shipping and international commerce in every American nation, regardless of neutrality. The campaign aims to sink 600,000 tons of merchant shipping every month, which was anticipated to force Great Britain to sue for peace in six months.
Germany's resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare affects shipping and international commerce in every American nation, regardless of neutrality. The campaign aims to sink 600,000 tons of merchant shipping every month, which was anticipated to force Great Britain to sue for peace in six months.
February 4, 1917 - Washington, DC
German President Woodrow Wilson severed diplomatic relations with Germany. The German Embassy in Washington and German consular offices nationwide began packing to leave. German intelligence operatives begin a slow migration to Mexico and beyond. During the next two months, several US ships were sunk by U-boats, killing scores of American mariners and passengers.
German President Woodrow Wilson severed diplomatic relations with Germany. The German Embassy in Washington and German consular offices nationwide began packing to leave. German intelligence operatives begin a slow migration to Mexico and beyond. During the next two months, several US ships were sunk by U-boats, killing scores of American mariners and passengers.
February 5, 1917 - Spanish Coastal Waters
Peruvian freighter Lorton is sabotaged by German members of her crew and sunk by a U-boat just off the Spanish coast. The outrage eventually pushed Peru from neutrality into the pro-Allied camp.
Peruvian freighter Lorton is sabotaged by German members of her crew and sunk by a U-boat just off the Spanish coast. The outrage eventually pushed Peru from neutrality into the pro-Allied camp.
February 5, 1917 - Mexico City and Queretaro
A constituent assembly approved a new Mexican constitution with controversial provisions against the Roman Catholic Church and foreign oil companies.
A constituent assembly approved a new Mexican constitution with controversial provisions against the Roman Catholic Church and foreign oil companies.
February 5, 1917 - US-Mexico Border
To the surprise of all observers, the US Army's 12,000-man Mexican Punitive Expedition marched out of Mexico. This unilateral move unwittingly deflated German plans for a Berlin- Mexico City-Tokyo axis by removing the emotional rallying point for joint anti–U.S. action to restore Mexico’s wounded sovereignty.
To the surprise of all observers, the US Army's 12,000-man Mexican Punitive Expedition marched out of Mexico. This unilateral move unwittingly deflated German plans for a Berlin- Mexico City-Tokyo axis by removing the emotional rallying point for joint anti–U.S. action to restore Mexico’s wounded sovereignty.
February 15, 1917 - Mexico City
US intelligence determined that a Japanese-built ammunition plant in Mexico City is staffed by Germans. Germany and Japan have been at war since August 1914, so their cooperation against the US in Mexico raises eyebrows in Washington.
US intelligence determined that a Japanese-built ammunition plant in Mexico City is staffed by Germans. Germany and Japan have been at war since August 1914, so their cooperation against the US in Mexico raises eyebrows in Washington.
February 1917 - Mexico City
German engineer Gustav Reuthe arrived in Mexico (presumably in Mexico City). Reuthe ranked among the world’s top experts in long range radio communications, and held a number of German and US patents for new designs of an electric condenser, a radio antenna, a transmitter control, and other devices. Reuthe had traveled widely in South America before the war for Telefunkengesellschaft and worked at the important Sayville, New York radio communications station until fired by US authorities as a security risk. His superiors ordered him to Mexico, the keystone of German strategic communications in the Americas. The foundation for Germany’s hemispheric network was built on the pre-war subsidiaries and partners of Telefunken, the global leader in long-range communications technology. German intelligence and their Mexican partners in Venustiano Carranza’s government understood the vital importance of communications to strategic intelligence operations. Germany's top influencer in Carranza's government was allegedly Minister of Communications Mario (perhaps Mauro) Mendez.
German engineer Gustav Reuthe arrived in Mexico (presumably in Mexico City). Reuthe ranked among the world’s top experts in long range radio communications, and held a number of German and US patents for new designs of an electric condenser, a radio antenna, a transmitter control, and other devices. Reuthe had traveled widely in South America before the war for Telefunkengesellschaft and worked at the important Sayville, New York radio communications station until fired by US authorities as a security risk. His superiors ordered him to Mexico, the keystone of German strategic communications in the Americas. The foundation for Germany’s hemispheric network was built on the pre-war subsidiaries and partners of Telefunken, the global leader in long-range communications technology. German intelligence and their Mexican partners in Venustiano Carranza’s government understood the vital importance of communications to strategic intelligence operations. Germany's top influencer in Carranza's government was allegedly Minister of Communications Mario (perhaps Mauro) Mendez.
March 3, 1917 - Mexico City
On Saturday, March 3, new US Ambassador Henry Prather Fletcher presented his credentials to the Carranza government. On the same day, German State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Arthur Zimmermann publicly admitted to the veracity of the Zimmermann Telegram, while ballrooms in Washington were decorating for Woodrow Wilson’s second inaugural two days later. Fletcher would serve capably in tumultuous Mexico City until January 1919. Fletcher’s role in intelligence matters was significant. For example, when the British issued shrill warnings about dangers to the Tampico oil fields in October 1917, Fletcher reassured Secretary Lansing, “I have notified Darlington confidentially of this [British] report and will watch movements of the German named [intelligence officer Fred Hermann].” Henry Fletcher was a well-connected, 44-year-old Philadelphia lawyer, a distant relative of President William McKinley, veteran of the Spanish-American War, former U.S. Minister to Chile, 1910–1914, and future chairman of the Republican Party in 1934. And he was the right man in the right place in 1917--he preserved the bloody peace between Mexico and the United States after the US Congress declared war on Germany in April 1917.
On Saturday, March 3, new US Ambassador Henry Prather Fletcher presented his credentials to the Carranza government. On the same day, German State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Arthur Zimmermann publicly admitted to the veracity of the Zimmermann Telegram, while ballrooms in Washington were decorating for Woodrow Wilson’s second inaugural two days later. Fletcher would serve capably in tumultuous Mexico City until January 1919. Fletcher’s role in intelligence matters was significant. For example, when the British issued shrill warnings about dangers to the Tampico oil fields in October 1917, Fletcher reassured Secretary Lansing, “I have notified Darlington confidentially of this [British] report and will watch movements of the German named [intelligence officer Fred Hermann].” Henry Fletcher was a well-connected, 44-year-old Philadelphia lawyer, a distant relative of President William McKinley, veteran of the Spanish-American War, former U.S. Minister to Chile, 1910–1914, and future chairman of the Republican Party in 1934. And he was the right man in the right place in 1917--he preserved the bloody peace between Mexico and the United States after the US Congress declared war on Germany in April 1917.
March 10, 1917 - Manzanillo, Mexico
US Army intelligence operative Samuel A. Robertson visited his acquaintance J.P. Kafopneck, an Austrian national who was Mexican General Obregon’s Chief Engineer. Kafopnek was responsible for unloading and transporting Japanese arms shipments to Mexico City. Kafopneck told Robertson that the first Japanese consignment consisted of 1,600 tons of machinery for manufacturing rifle cartridges, artillery shells, and rounds for rapid firing guns. Also, Kafopneck told Robertson that another Japanese ship was due soon bringing more machinery, field pieces and ammunition of various calibers.
US Army intelligence operative Samuel A. Robertson visited his acquaintance J.P. Kafopneck, an Austrian national who was Mexican General Obregon’s Chief Engineer. Kafopnek was responsible for unloading and transporting Japanese arms shipments to Mexico City. Kafopneck told Robertson that the first Japanese consignment consisted of 1,600 tons of machinery for manufacturing rifle cartridges, artillery shells, and rounds for rapid firing guns. Also, Kafopneck told Robertson that another Japanese ship was due soon bringing more machinery, field pieces and ammunition of various calibers.
April 4, 1917 - Scilly Islands (Great Britain) and Buenos Aires
German submarine sinks Argentine vessel Monte Protegido off the Scilly Islands, inciting large pro-Allied demonstrations in Buenos Aires.
German submarine sinks Argentine vessel Monte Protegido off the Scilly Islands, inciting large pro-Allied demonstrations in Buenos Aires.
April 5, 1917 - French Coast and Brazil
A German submarine attacks the Brazilian steamer Parana off the French coast. Angry mobs in Brazilian cities sack German businesses and the German minister is sent packing.
A German submarine attacks the Brazilian steamer Parana off the French coast. Angry mobs in Brazilian cities sack German businesses and the German minister is sent packing.
April 6, 1917 - Washington, DC
The US Congress issues a joint resolution declaring war on Germany.
The US Congress issues a joint resolution declaring war on Germany.
April 7, 1917 - Havana and Panama
Cuba and Panama declared war on Germany.
Cuba and Panama declared war on Germany.
April 13, 1917 - La Paz
Bolivia severed diplomatic relations with Germany.
Bolivia severed diplomatic relations with Germany.
April 13, 1917 - Washington, DC
The US Bureau of Investigation (BOI) arrests 98 enemy suspects, makes 140 others post bond, and starts the war with 1,400 individuals on an Enemy Aliens Register run by an ambitious new hire named John Edgar Hoover. |
April 14, 1917 - Washington, DC
President Woodrow Wilson's first executive order of the war established censorship of telephone, telegraph, mail and other communications and news media.
President Woodrow Wilson's first executive order of the war established censorship of telephone, telegraph, mail and other communications and news media.
April 26, 1917 - New Orleans, Louisiana
US Navy Ensign Sylvanus Morley, an archaeologist hastily commissioned by the Office of Naval Intelligence, departed for Guatemala on United Fruit Company steamer Suriname. His mission was to investigate rumors of German U-boat activity in Central America and Yucatan. |
May 4, 1917 - New York City
US State Department consultant Gordon Auchincloss assembles a confab of industry executives with business operations in Latin America to plan an intelligence-gathering system in conjunction with US consular offices. U.S. Steel, W.R. Grace, United Fruit and several other companies hunch over a large map of the continent to hash out the details. |
May 1917 - Mexico City
Kurt Jahnke is appointed head of German naval intelligence operations in Mexico and the US.
Kurt Jahnke is appointed head of German naval intelligence operations in Mexico and the US.
May 1917 - El Salvador
Mexico traded El Salvador an aircraft in exchange for six million rounds of ammunition. The aircraft, biplane "A No. 1," had an 80-horsepower Gnome rotary engine which was designed by the First Chief's prodigal nephew, Colonel Alberto Salinas Carranza, who personally delivered it on a Mexican warship. |
May 17, 1917 - Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Honduras severed diplomatic relations with Germany. President Francisco Bertrand declared martial law, and no one was allowed to travel without an internal passport. German consulates were closed down, and citizens of the Central Powers were ordered to behave themselves. War hysteria circulated a rumor that a banana boat had been sunk by a commerce raider on the run from La Ceiba to New Orleans.
Honduras severed diplomatic relations with Germany. President Francisco Bertrand declared martial law, and no one was allowed to travel without an internal passport. German consulates were closed down, and citizens of the Central Powers were ordered to behave themselves. War hysteria circulated a rumor that a banana boat had been sunk by a commerce raider on the run from La Ceiba to New Orleans.
May 20, 1917 - Atlantic Ocean near French Coast
A German submarine torpedoed the Brazilian freighter Tijuca without warning in the dark of night. This outrage compelled Brazil's congress to revoke her neutrality in the war between the United States and Germany.
A German submarine torpedoed the Brazilian freighter Tijuca without warning in the dark of night. This outrage compelled Brazil's congress to revoke her neutrality in the war between the United States and Germany.
June 15, 1917 - Washington, DC
Congress passed the Espionage Act after two years of bloody, costly terrorism and sabotage by German and carrancista Mexican agents in the United States. Four days before the declaration of war in April, the House Judiciary Committee had begun considering an omnibus bill that aimed to curtail spies and saboteurs, resulting in the Espionage Act weeks later. The controversial Act stipulated a $10,000 fine and 20 years’ imprisonment for disclosing national defense information, interfering with military recruiting, or refusing to perform military duty. Enforcement of the Espionage Act fell to an ill-prepared hodge-podge of agencies in the Army, Navy and Treasury Departments. The law also authorized Postmaster General Albert Sidney Burleson to remove treasonable or seditious material from the mail. The Justice Department’s Bureau of Investigation (BOI) had lost interest in counterintelligence until the widespread German sabotage campaign against interned ships in February 1917 provoked “renewed efforts on the part of Agents in locating and covering former German suspects.” Most German intelligence operatives in the US prudently relocated to Mexico and other points south, but about 900 anti-war activists and left wing politicians would be imprisoned during the next several months.
Congress passed the Espionage Act after two years of bloody, costly terrorism and sabotage by German and carrancista Mexican agents in the United States. Four days before the declaration of war in April, the House Judiciary Committee had begun considering an omnibus bill that aimed to curtail spies and saboteurs, resulting in the Espionage Act weeks later. The controversial Act stipulated a $10,000 fine and 20 years’ imprisonment for disclosing national defense information, interfering with military recruiting, or refusing to perform military duty. Enforcement of the Espionage Act fell to an ill-prepared hodge-podge of agencies in the Army, Navy and Treasury Departments. The law also authorized Postmaster General Albert Sidney Burleson to remove treasonable or seditious material from the mail. The Justice Department’s Bureau of Investigation (BOI) had lost interest in counterintelligence until the widespread German sabotage campaign against interned ships in February 1917 provoked “renewed efforts on the part of Agents in locating and covering former German suspects.” Most German intelligence operatives in the US prudently relocated to Mexico and other points south, but about 900 anti-war activists and left wing politicians would be imprisoned during the next several months.
June 18, 1917 - Montevideo
Uruguay issued a statement that she would not treat as a belligerent any American state that was at war with non-American powers. This convoluted declaration essentially meant the end of Uruguayan neutrality. Peru and Bolivia soon issued statements in support of Uruguay.
Uruguay issued a statement that she would not treat as a belligerent any American state that was at war with non-American powers. This convoluted declaration essentially meant the end of Uruguayan neutrality. Peru and Bolivia soon issued statements in support of Uruguay.
July 1917 - Mexico City (& British Honduras)
In July 1917, a Guatemalan exile leader, “General” Isidro Valdez, submitted a secret proposal to the German minister to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, which outlined a scheme to invade Belize. The proposal hinged upon a coup d'état in Guatemala and a “revolution in the colony of Belíce… .” An army of rebel Guatemalan and Honduran Liberals, backed by German unterseekreuzers in the Caribbean, would first infiltrate Petén and Alta Verapaz, take over Guatemala, then invade Honduras and British Honduras. “With the revolution of Belíce,” Valdez suggested, “the German government, with the help of Guatemala, can establish a naval base and install points of supply.” Valdez mused that German long-range submarines could establish a base on the Mosquito Coast to conveniently assault US ships in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Valdez’s Liberal liberators would stimulate popular revolt that would extend from Guatemala and Honduras into Nicaragua and Costa Rica, installing revolutionary governments that would withdraw support from the Allied cause and return confiscated German property. Germany would become the patron of Central American liberation and unification. Minister von Eckardt certainly mulled over the opportunities offered by the Valdez proposal...
In July 1917, a Guatemalan exile leader, “General” Isidro Valdez, submitted a secret proposal to the German minister to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckardt, which outlined a scheme to invade Belize. The proposal hinged upon a coup d'état in Guatemala and a “revolution in the colony of Belíce… .” An army of rebel Guatemalan and Honduran Liberals, backed by German unterseekreuzers in the Caribbean, would first infiltrate Petén and Alta Verapaz, take over Guatemala, then invade Honduras and British Honduras. “With the revolution of Belíce,” Valdez suggested, “the German government, with the help of Guatemala, can establish a naval base and install points of supply.” Valdez mused that German long-range submarines could establish a base on the Mosquito Coast to conveniently assault US ships in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Valdez’s Liberal liberators would stimulate popular revolt that would extend from Guatemala and Honduras into Nicaragua and Costa Rica, installing revolutionary governments that would withdraw support from the Allied cause and return confiscated German property. Germany would become the patron of Central American liberation and unification. Minister von Eckardt certainly mulled over the opportunities offered by the Valdez proposal...
July 7, 1917 - Buenos Aires
A German spy prevented a diplomatic rupture. German-Argentine relations had sunk to their lowest point ever. The situation was so dismal that Ambassador von Luxburg sent a message to Berlin asking where he should go when Argentina evicted him. At this critical juncture, a tidbit of human intelligence stabbed the gloom with a ray of hope. A German agent at the highest level of the Argentine government informed von Luxburg that the pro-Allied foreign minister, Honorio Pueyrredón, was going to be replaced by a more moderate fellow. On July 9 von Luxburg suddenly urged Berlin to postpone reactions to Argentine diplomatic moves “until receipt of further reports..., change of ministry probable.” The German Foreign Ministry backed off to await the appointment of a moderate foreign minister. The delay provided a respite for diplomatic tensions to cool off, but, alas, Pueyrredón remained in office. Yet, the episode provides a glimpse of the workings of agents of influence, spies and secret diplomacy. US intelligence suspected that the German agent in this case was probably Argentine Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs Diego Molinari, or perhaps General José Félix Uriburu.
A German spy prevented a diplomatic rupture. German-Argentine relations had sunk to their lowest point ever. The situation was so dismal that Ambassador von Luxburg sent a message to Berlin asking where he should go when Argentina evicted him. At this critical juncture, a tidbit of human intelligence stabbed the gloom with a ray of hope. A German agent at the highest level of the Argentine government informed von Luxburg that the pro-Allied foreign minister, Honorio Pueyrredón, was going to be replaced by a more moderate fellow. On July 9 von Luxburg suddenly urged Berlin to postpone reactions to Argentine diplomatic moves “until receipt of further reports..., change of ministry probable.” The German Foreign Ministry backed off to await the appointment of a moderate foreign minister. The delay provided a respite for diplomatic tensions to cool off, but, alas, Pueyrredón remained in office. Yet, the episode provides a glimpse of the workings of agents of influence, spies and secret diplomacy. US intelligence suspected that the German agent in this case was probably Argentine Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs Diego Molinari, or perhaps General José Félix Uriburu.
July 1917 - Mexico City
The Verband Deutscher Reichsangehöriger (Society of German Citizens) orchestrated an effective, incessant nationwide propaganda campaign to sway Mexican public opinion to the Central Powers. The Verband headquarters in the prominent Boker Building on Mexico City's Calle del Espíritu Santo presided over 31 branches nationwide with more than 500 members. They sponsored
conferences in academic guise by anti–U.S. agitators, donated generously to public education, and even subsidized the Mexican Boy Scouts.
The Verband Deutscher Reichsangehöriger (Society of German Citizens) orchestrated an effective, incessant nationwide propaganda campaign to sway Mexican public opinion to the Central Powers. The Verband headquarters in the prominent Boker Building on Mexico City's Calle del Espíritu Santo presided over 31 branches nationwide with more than 500 members. They sponsored
conferences in academic guise by anti–U.S. agitators, donated generously to public education, and even subsidized the Mexican Boy Scouts.
July 27, 1917 - Atlantic Ocean.
A little Brazilian freighter named Lapa was steaming along the Iberian coast when German submarine U-47 stopped her with three warning shots. It was midday, and the Germans recognized the neutral flag of Brazil, yet sent over an inspection crew that ordered the captain to present his documents, then gave him and his crew five minutes to evacuate their vessel, presumably because Lapa was carrying coffee bound for France. Minutes later Lapa was sunk with two great explosions. The submarine departed, leaving the Brazilian mariners adrift in their lighter to await a lucky rescue by a fishing boat. |
August 18, 1917 - Mexico City
Intelligence officer Anton Dilger arrives in Mexico City, intending to take charge of German military intelligence in North America. On September 26, he met with First Chief Venustiano Carranza to discuss proposals for German-Mexican cooperation. For a short period in September and October 1917, Dilger eclipses even Minister von Eckardt as Germany's primary representative in Mexico.
Intelligence officer Anton Dilger arrives in Mexico City, intending to take charge of German military intelligence in North America. On September 26, he met with First Chief Venustiano Carranza to discuss proposals for German-Mexican cooperation. For a short period in September and October 1917, Dilger eclipses even Minister von Eckardt as Germany's primary representative in Mexico.
August 1917 - Buenos Aires
The launch of newspaper La Internacional heralds a major political rift among Argentine socialists that split pro-German neutralistas apart from "rightwing" socialists who dared condemn "Teutonic imperialism." In January 1918, the neutralistas would splinter into a new party, the Partido Socialista Internacional, which immediately sent a message of solidarity to Russian revolutionaries and demanded peace.
The launch of newspaper La Internacional heralds a major political rift among Argentine socialists that split pro-German neutralistas apart from "rightwing" socialists who dared condemn "Teutonic imperialism." In January 1918, the neutralistas would splinter into a new party, the Partido Socialista Internacional, which immediately sent a message of solidarity to Russian revolutionaries and demanded peace.
September 1917 - El Salvador
Mexico gave El Salvador a German-made long range radio receiver/transmitter system along with aircraft A No. 1 in May, and the radio station went on the air in September. It could exchange messages with Mexico's powerful radio station at Chapultepec, which tied El Salvador into the German global radio network.
Mexico gave El Salvador a German-made long range radio receiver/transmitter system along with aircraft A No. 1 in May, and the radio station went on the air in September. It could exchange messages with Mexico's powerful radio station at Chapultepec, which tied El Salvador into the German global radio network.
September 1917 - Washington, DC
Secretary of State Lansing recommended that John L. Merrill, an executive with the Central and South American Telegraph Company, be appointed a special agent of the US State Department. Merrill was an enthusiastic, efficient and productive source and advisor who refused pay for his patriotic services. |
September 8, 1917 - Washington, DC
A US Government bulletin published the first three “von Luxburg dispatches,” inflammatory secret cables sent by the German ambassador in Buenos Aires, Karl Ludwig von Luxburg. Intercepted and decoded by British Naval Intelligence SIGINT experts, the cables exposed German contempt for Argentineans as well as the duplicity of neutral Swedish diplomats who relayed the secret cables to and from Berlin. The dispatches quickly made headlines from Hudson Bay to the Tierra del Fuego, stirring public opinion throughout the Americas against Germany and making von Luxburg’s words “spurlos versenkt”—“sunk without a trace”—the infamous catchphrase of Germany’s reckless submarine rampage.
A US Government bulletin published the first three “von Luxburg dispatches,” inflammatory secret cables sent by the German ambassador in Buenos Aires, Karl Ludwig von Luxburg. Intercepted and decoded by British Naval Intelligence SIGINT experts, the cables exposed German contempt for Argentineans as well as the duplicity of neutral Swedish diplomats who relayed the secret cables to and from Berlin. The dispatches quickly made headlines from Hudson Bay to the Tierra del Fuego, stirring public opinion throughout the Americas against Germany and making von Luxburg’s words “spurlos versenkt”—“sunk without a trace”—the infamous catchphrase of Germany’s reckless submarine rampage.
October 5, 1917 - Lima, Peru
The Peruvian congress voted overwhelmingly to rupture relations with Germany.
The Peruvian congress voted overwhelmingly to rupture relations with Germany.
October 5, 1917 - Lima, Peru
The Peruvian congress voted overwhelmingly to rupture relations with Germany. October 6, 1917 - Washington, DC US Congress passed the Trading with the Enemy Act, which spawns black lists of businesses owned by Germans, Austrians and Turks and their associates. October 7, 1917 - Montevideo, Uruguay Uruguay cut diplomatic relations with Germany. Weeks earlier eight interned German merchantmen were seized to prevent their sabotage by German intelligence. October 26, 1917 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil’s Congress formally recognized the state of war that Germany had initiated against her. President Braz announced the action in a manifesto that closed with a call to vigilance: “Let everyone be on his guard against the machinations of spies…” |
October 30, 1917 - San Juan de los Moros, Venezuela
Venezuelan dictator Juan Vicente Gomez met with German Minister von Prollius and other prominent German expatriates to discuss military action against the Allies if Venezuela was forced into the war.
Venezuelan dictator Juan Vicente Gomez met with German Minister von Prollius and other prominent German expatriates to discuss military action against the Allies if Venezuela was forced into the war.
December 1917 - Curacao
US naval intelligence officer John Duhn obtained the German Admiralty codebook of the cruiser SMS Karlsruhe. December 8, 1917 - Quito Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with Germany. December 10, 1917 - Panama Panama declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. December 16, 1917 - Havana Cuba declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A Cuban War Mission to Washington included Lieutenant Colonel Lezama, Alberto Carricarti and General Jose Marti (left to right in photograph). |
December 1917 - Washington, DC
The first US economic "black list" was published. Analysts at the hastily formed War Trade Board toiled for months to catalog hundreds of German- controlled firms in Latin America that were suspected of fomenting rebellions, spreading propaganda and otherwise aiding the Central Powers. |
December 1917 - Buenos Aires
Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen was under tremendous domestic and diplomatic pressure to break relations with Germany, especially after British Naval Intelligence leaks dozens of scandalous messages between Berlin and the German Legation in Buenos Aires.
Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen was under tremendous domestic and diplomatic pressure to break relations with Germany, especially after British Naval Intelligence leaks dozens of scandalous messages between Berlin and the German Legation in Buenos Aires.
1917 - United States and Canada
Former German military intelligence operative Horst von der Goltz (alias Franz Wachendorf and Bridgeman Taylor) publishes the book "My Adventures as a German Secret Service Agent." The best-seller described von der Goltz' service as an officer with the Mexican Constitutionalist Army until August 1914, and subsequently as an agent and saboteur for Captain Franz von Papen, German military intelligence officer and military attache to the US. Von der Goltz was apprehended by the British on November 4, 1914, and shipped to the US in March 1916 to testify about German sabotage and terrorism. After publishing his book, he appeared in a US propaganda film "The Prussian Cur" in 1918, and was granted asylum to remain in the US.
Former German military intelligence operative Horst von der Goltz (alias Franz Wachendorf and Bridgeman Taylor) publishes the book "My Adventures as a German Secret Service Agent." The best-seller described von der Goltz' service as an officer with the Mexican Constitutionalist Army until August 1914, and subsequently as an agent and saboteur for Captain Franz von Papen, German military intelligence officer and military attache to the US. Von der Goltz was apprehended by the British on November 4, 1914, and shipped to the US in March 1916 to testify about German sabotage and terrorism. After publishing his book, he appeared in a US propaganda film "The Prussian Cur" in 1918, and was granted asylum to remain in the US.
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