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The US stayed out of WW1 until 1917 because until then it had no reason to come in. Prior to 1917 the only American casualties had been those who travelled on the ships of the Allies - a voluntary choice on their part, which did not justify their country going to war if they got hurt. The situation changed after 31 January 1917, with the German announcemtn of "unrestricted" u-boat warfare, directed against neutral (including American) ships as well as Allied ones. This led to the severance of diplomatic relations between Germnay and the US, and eventually, after several US merchantmen had been sunk with loss of life, to the declaration of war on April 6. Another factor was the "Zimmermann" note sent to Mexico by the German Foreign office. This, in anticipation of US entry into the war, proposed an alliance, with Germany helping Mexico to regain Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The telegram was intercepted and decoded by British intelligence, and its publication on March 1 was a near death blow to American neutrality.

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