Kruger telegram

Wilhelm II and Paul Kruger, the sender and recipient of the telegram, respectively.

The Kruger telegram was a message sent by Kaiser Wilhelm II to Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic, on 3 January 1896. It congratulated Kruger on repelling the Jameson Raid, a botched raid against the Republic carried out by British colonial administrator Leander Starr Jameson. The raid, conducted by 600 men from the Cape Colony, was intended to trigger a rebellion against the Republic by British migrant workers, but resulted in a fiasco when the raiders were defeated by the Republic's forces. The telegram caused huge indignation in the United Kingdom, and led to a deterioration in Anglo-German relations.