The Love Letter That Sank an Empire episode artwork

EPISODE · May 7, 2026 · 26 MIN

The Love Letter That Sank an Empire

from The Rest of History · host Podcaster

In 1917, a British codebreaker named Nigel de Grey was having his morning tea when he cracked a telegram that would drag America into World War I and doom the German Empire. But the message wasn't military intelligence—it was essentially a clumsy love letter from Germany trying to woo Mexico into an alliance by promising to return Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 7, 2026

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In 1917, a British codebreaker named Nigel de Grey was having his morning tea when he cracked a telegram that would drag America into World War I and doom the German Empire. But the message wasn't military intelligence—it was essentially a clumsy love letter from Germany trying to woo Mexico into an alliance by promising to return Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

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The Love Letter That Sank an Empire

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