Under the Wire: How the Telegraph Changed Diplomacy

by David Paull Nickles

Overview

How did the telegraph, a new and revolutionary form of communication, affect diplomats, who tended to resist change? In a study based on impressive multinational research, David Paull Nickles examines the critical impact of the telegraph on the diplomacy of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Case studies in crisis diplomacy—the War of 1812, the Trent affair during the U.S. Civil War, and the famous 1917 Zimmermann telegram—introduce wide-ranging thematic discussions on the autonomy of diplomats; the effects of increased speed on decision making and public opinion; the neglected role of clerks in diplomacy; and the issues of expense, garbled text, espionage, and technophobia that initially made foreign ministries wary of telegraphy. Ultimately, the introduction of the telegraph contributed to the centralization of foreign ministries and the rising importance of signals intelligence. The faster pace of diplomatic disputes invited more emotional decisions by statesmen, while public opinion often exercised a belligerent influence on crises developing over a shorter time period.

Under the Wire offers a fascinating new perspective on the culture of diplomacy and the social history of technology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674010352
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	11/30/2003
Series:	Harvard Historical Studies , #144
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

David Paull Nickles is a historian at the U.S. Department of State.

Table of Contents

Introduction

I. Control

1. The Anglo-American Crisis of 1812

2. Diplomatic Autonomy and Telecommunications

II. Speed

3. The Trent Affair

4. Speed and Diplomacy

5. Diplomatic Time

III. The Medium

6. The Zimmermann Telegram

7. Technical and Economic Factors

Conclusion

Abbreviations

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

What People are Saying About This

In this study of the impact of telegraphy on the management of international relations, the reader is rewarded time and again by finding original observations regarding familiar events. This is a book that can have a shaping effect not only on the field of international relations but on many others, since it compels one to think hard about how changes in technology affect behavior and thought among groups with deeply rooted traditions and beliefs.

Ernest R. May

In this study of the impact of telegraphy on the management of international relations, the reader is rewarded time and again by finding original observations regarding familiar events. This is a book that can have a shaping effect not only on the field of international relations but on many others, since it compels one to think hard about how changes in technology affect behavior and thought among groups with deeply rooted traditions and beliefs.
— Ernest R. May, Harvard University

Editorial Reviews

By focusing on the telegraph, Nickles reveals the complexity of interactions between technology and human behavior...in analyzing how telegraphy transformed diplomacy, he has made a signal contribution to the literatures on communications technology and on diplomatic history. And best of all, his book is a delight to read.

Victorian Studies - Daniel Headrick

David Paull Nickles has plumbed the archives of four countries to determine just how transformative [the invention of the telegraph] really was. Under the Wire is a subtle and impressive examination of history.

Wall Street Journal - Christian D. Brose

In this study of the impact of telegraphy on the management of international relations, the reader is rewarded time and again by finding original observations regarding familiar events. This is a book that can have a shaping effect not only on the field of international relations but on many others, since it compels one to think hard about how changes in technology affect behavior and thought among groups with deeply rooted traditions and beliefs.

Ernest R. May

Nickles offers often interesting and different interpretations of well-known events. His is a timely and readable study of how changing technology impacted the role of traditional diplomats—and the degree to which they could be controlled from Washington.

Communication Booknotes Quarterly

In a study based on impressive multinational research, Nickles examines the critical impact of the telegraph on the diplomacy of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries…It is an interesting study by a knowledgeable author and includes an excellent discussion of the Zimmerman Telegram incident.

Cryptologia

By focusing on the telegraph, Nickles reveals the complexity of interactions between technology and human behavior...in analyzing how telegraphy transformed diplomacy, he has made a signal contribution to the literatures on communications technology and on diplomatic history. And best of all, his book is a delight to read.
— Daniel Headrick

Victorian Studies

David Paull Nickles has plumbed the archives of four countries to determine just how transformative [the invention of the telegraph] really was. Under the Wire is a subtle and impressive examination of history.
— Christian D. Brose

Wall Street Journal

In this well-researched and accessible book, Nickles, a historian at the U.S. State Department, describes how the telegraph, at first gradually and then with increasing impact accelerated the practice of diplomacy; changed the work habits, expectations, and autonomy of diplomats; increased the bureaucracy associated with foreign affairs; and exercised influences both positive and negative upon the conduct of foreign affairs during periods of crisis. The author concludes that only now, with the State Department's abandonment of the "cable" as its main method of communication, is the 150-year era of telegraphic diplomacy drawing to a close. Based on the author's Harvard dissertation, this story of the social impact of technological change on one important aspect of modern society focuses on the diplomacy of the Atlantic powers, including Great Britain, France, Germany, and the United States. The author examines three eras in the development of telegraphy: pre-1851, as exemplified in the Trent affair; the period between 1851 and 1918, including the U.S. Civil War, the famous Zimmerman Telegram, and World War I; and the period after 1918. This lively and interesting book is suitable for all libraries serving readers with an interest in foreign affairs or the impact of technology on society.-Barbara Walden, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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