"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." — Zimmermann Telegram (January 1917)
The territories Germany offered Mexico had been lost in
- A
the Spanish-American War of 1898
- B
the Gadsden Purchase of 1853
- C
the Mexican Revolution of 1910
- Dcheck_circle
the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848
Explanation
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona were ceded under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848); the offer played on long-standing Mexican grievances.