▁adm itting ▁to ▁their ▁ability ▁to ▁intercept ▁American ▁diplom atic ▁communic ations , ▁which ▁they ▁would ▁continue ▁to ▁do ▁for ▁another ▁ 2 5 ▁years , ▁and ▁also ▁to ▁explain ▁how ▁they ▁obtained ▁the ▁clear text ▁of ▁the ▁tele gram ▁without ▁letting ▁the ▁Germ ans ▁know ▁that ▁their ▁codes ▁were ▁broken . ▁Furthermore , ▁the ▁British ▁needed ▁to ▁find ▁a ▁way ▁to ▁conv ince ▁the ▁Americans ▁the ▁message ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁forg ery . ▁ ▁For ▁the ▁first ▁story , ▁the ▁British ▁obtained ▁the ▁c oded ▁text ▁of ▁the ▁tele gram ▁from ▁the ▁Mexican ▁commercial ▁te legraph ▁office . ▁The ▁British ▁knew ▁that ▁since ▁the ▁German ▁emb ass y ▁in ▁Washington ▁would ▁relay ▁the ▁message ▁by ▁commercial ▁te legraph , ▁the ▁Mexican ▁te legraph ▁office ▁would ▁have ▁the ▁c oded ▁text . ▁" Mr . ▁H ", ▁a ▁British ▁agent ▁in ▁Mexico , ▁b rib ed ▁an ▁employee ▁of ▁the ▁commercial ▁te legraph ▁company ▁for ▁a ▁copy ▁of ▁the ▁message . ▁( S ir ▁Thomas ▁H oh ler , ▁the ▁British ▁amb assador ▁in ▁Mexico , ▁claimed ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁" Mr . ▁H " ▁or ▁at ▁least ▁involved ▁with ▁the ▁inter ception ▁in ▁his ▁aut obi ography .) ▁That ▁c oded ▁text ▁could ▁be ▁shown ▁to ▁the ▁Americans ▁without ▁embar rass ment . ▁ ▁Moreover , ▁the ▁re trans mission ▁was ▁encoded ▁with ▁the ▁older ▁code ▁ 1 3 0 4 0 ▁and ▁so ▁by ▁mid - F ebru ary , ▁the ▁British ▁had ▁not ▁only ▁the ▁complete ▁text ▁but ▁also ▁the