Thank you for that information. Yes. I certainly agree the German intell apparatus was in may ways inept regarding clandestine activities. I'm sure you'll agree that there was several entities working covertly for Germany & themselves and this apart from the embassy core group (Papen, Boy-ED, H. Albert, W. von Igel etc.). I refer to people such as von Rintelen, Lothar Witzke and especially the infamous Prussian, Kurt Jahnke who as you know a unique story himself even in WWII. No need to go into his history of antics in Mexico & the U.S.

He & other mercs like him saw big $$$ concerning various operations especially his ties with the Chinese. The Zimmermann Letter evidently not written by Z. but von Kleist had that same goal. Two items in the telegram which Room 40 decoded addressed the relationship between Mexico & Germany's support againt the U.S. & unrestricted submarine warfare (which was going on anyway since May of 1915. The Z. T. as you know the was not intercepted until early 1917 & passed to the U.S. a couple of weeks later (historically speaking).

Secondly, the Nauen station was sending high frequency messages to Africa where German ships were also located. "In 1917 Nauen's power was boosted to 400 kw & subs with improved receivers could hear it far out in the Atlantic, once even from the Cape Verde Islands. U-boats also, under right conditions could receive Nauen when submerged up to 30 meters." (source: Daniel R. Headrick. The Invisible Weapon, Telecommunications and International Politics 1851-1945, Oxford: UP, 1991, 164-165). This would have made the cut cables a moot point. Professor Max "Wax" in NY City an engineer from the Univ of Berlin assembled, and developed a portable wireless device that had a significant range.

Josephus Daniels, Sec of the Navy during this period was amazed when from his office he was speaking "wirelessly" to the Captain on the deck of the U.S.S. New Hampshire which was located at Hampton Roads, England some 3000 miles away. Your comment on von Bernstorff is interesting. Bernstorff & von Papen, later in their memoirs play down the covert activity which they were involved in. They say America exaggerted the whole thing as a propaganda ploy. Yet, Bernstorff's signature appears on checks written to various people overseen by Papen. The seized papers of von Papen, found when his ship the Nordam was intercepted at Falmouth, England show payments made to various "operatives." von Bernstorff the "dove" had been not only giving his stamp of approval to these operations, but depositing large sums of money in the Papen account. Dr. Albert spent millions for propaganda & various activities within the United States. This is ironic since Germany did not want the U.S. in the war anyway. But by destroying munitions factories (many German owned), and U.S. naval ships would certainly have got my attention in a heart beat! The U.S. went to work and shadowed thousands of suspected people & the BOI files demonstrates the very great & untiring efforts, as well as the successful arrests made by them - even many prominent & wealthy people (bankers, chemists, musicians, professors, & unfortunately enlisted soldiers). Take a look at the BOI file on Pvt. Stringfellow some time - he was an expert in wireless telegraphy but was eventually caught, court martialed & sentenced to prison under the articles of the Espionage & Sedition Acts of 1917, 1918.

The Investigative Case Files of the Bureau of Investigation 1908-1922 (publ. M1085)show this to be the case. In fact most folks don't realize, that in the northeast section of the country wireless devices which utilized large batteries, & German interned sailors in Nashua, NH, Bar Harbor, ME etc were areas where wireless devices were found & arrests by the U.S.S.S. as well as the DOJ were made. Army Intell were all over the Boston & south shore areas covering suspected German sympathizers/spies.

The BOI were aware that a system or some kind of chain of communication was occurring from the hills of New England moving in a northerly direction to Mt. Washington.

Once again thanks for your input & keep it coming if you so choose because i am only a student of this history and admit being ignorant of many facts regarding the subject of electrical telegraphy. I am still a learner and hopefully will always feel like there is something more to learn. I hope i never get to the point where i feel like i have "arrived."