The Zimmermann Telegram (or Zimmermann Note or Zimmermann Cable) was a secret diplomatic communication issued from the German Foreign Office in January 1917 that proposed a military alliance between the German Empire and Mexico if the United States entered World War I against Germany. With Germany’s aid, Mexico would recover Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The telegram was intercepted by British intelligence. It helped to generate support for the American declaration of war on Germany in April 1917.