How delusional/desperate was the German High Command when they sent the telegram to Mexico ? Did they expect Mexico (that was in civil war) to accept the offer ? And why didn't Arthur Zimmerman deny the telegram as the "British deceiving the American people" ?
Yes, they were delusional, they expected a country that had lost 11% of its population to several years of civil war be a threat to a country far larger and richer which, btw, had no qualms about invading Mexico TWICE at the slightest provocation during that period due to the obscene disparity of strength... the Germans promised money (whose?) and supplies (how?) in exchange for declaring war IF the US declared war on Germany.
Lets use ASB and say Mexico beats the US army somehow and INVADES!!!
Texas...
...so what? It is not an industrial center, there is oil, but what posible use would that be to Mexico, they already had oil.
In the end they would be beaten back or worse, the US would land in Mexico with the Mexican army stranded in Texas.
...and that is the best case scenario, the moment Mexico is in a foreign war their civil war would reignite as well with the rebels supplied by the US and the govt unable to import a single bullet.
This had only one possible use, lure the Mexicans to commit suicide against the US in order to distract them long enough to win the war in Europe... but that entails so much ignorance of the situation in Mexico that is laughable, and begins by assuming the Mexicans are both stupid and suicidal.
So at this point anyone can be forgiven for wondering the GERMANS were stupid and, of course, those suspicions would be immediately confirmed when Zimmerman gleefully admitted the telegram was his when NO ONE believed the Germans to be that DUMB!
So... yeah... delusional is kind of mild.