The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Man behind the telegram that changed history
Dundee-born scientist’s decoding skills helped push US into declaring war on Germany
His decoding skills helped changed the course of history by influencing the United States’ decision to fight Germany in the First World War.
Dundee scientist Sir James Alfred Ewing deciphered the Zimmermann telegram 100 years ago this week, leading to an end of the stalemate between the Allies and the Central Powers.
The telegram, from German foreign minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador to Washington, contained instructions to approach the Mexican government with a proposal to form an alliance against the US.
The deal would involve giving Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to Mexico, were the latter to join the war against the US.
Until then, the Allies had been in a deadlock with Germany – a situation that ended when the US entered the war after learning of the Zimmermann telegram.
Sir Ewing was commemorated as one of Dundee’s most influential people at the city’s Discovery Walk.
Kelly-Ann Marr, the woman behind the Discovery Walk project, said: “Sir James Ewing really was one of a kind.
“He came from a relatively modest background – he was the son of a minister, yet he went on to be described by Winston Churchill as ‘the most intelligent man’ he’d met.
“He travelled the world and accomplished so much, yet came back to Dundee because he cared about the city.
“When his plaque was unveiled at Slessor Gardens, 40 of his descendants attended, coming here all the way from America and Canada.”
Sir James Ewing was born in 1855 and educated at West End Academy and Dundee High School before being awarded a scholarship in engineering at Edinburgh University.
He spent time lecturing in Japan and at Cambridge University and was appointed as director of naval education by the Admiralty, which paved the way for his career deciphering German messages after the outbreak of war.
The coded Zimmermann telegram had been handed to the American Embassy in Berlin at 3pm on Tuesday January 16 1917.
By that evening it was passing through another European country and then London before being relayed to the State Department in Washington – from there it arrived at the German embassy on January 19 to be sent to Mexico.
However, Britain’s code-breakers, including Sir Ewing, were reading the message two days before the intended recipients.
The telegram was then leaked to the American press, and while not solely responsible for the decision by the US to join the war, it helped change public opinion on the matter – so much so that just a month later the US had joined the fight.
Sir James Ewing really was one of a kind. He came from a relatively modest background – he was the son of a minister, yet he went on to be described by Winston Churchill as ‘the most intelligent man’ he’d met. KELLY-ANN MARR