By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
On the morning of March 1, 1917, virtually every American newspaper published a bombshell story: a report on a telegram from the German foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, proposing an alliance with Mexico. He offered his country's support to Mexico for reconquering "the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona" in exchange for a Mexican attack on the United States should the Americans enter the war on the side of the Allies.
When another functionary saw news reports of the telegram's disclosure, he exclaimed, "Kemnitz, that fantastic idiot, has done this!"
