Why was Hall concerned that the Germans would learn
about the British reading their secret messages?
Read the excerpt from The Dark Game
Arthur Zimmermann had no idea that "Blinker" Hall had
read his secret message. But now that Hall had read it,
what could he do with this information? On one hand, he
believed that President Wilson, faced with the information
in the telegram, would declare war on Germany. On the
other hand, to share the telegram with Wilson would surely
alert Berlin that the British had been reading their secret
messages. As he walked back to his office, Hall considered
ways that he could share the intelligence in the
Zimmermann telegram and establish its authenticity without
letting Berlin know that Room 40 had intercepted and read
hundreds of their secret messages
The Germans would begin reading British secret
messages to get revenge.
Reading an enemy's secret messages is against the
codes of war
The Germans would then find a different way of
transmitting their messages.
This knowledge would make the Americans sympathize
with the Germans