Cable messages from Europe to the United States traveled through transatlantic cables that passed deep in the English Channel. The British saw the cables as an opportunity to gain access to secret diplomatic messages sent from Berlin to its ambassador in Washington, D. C. Knowing they couldn't tap the cables the way they could tap phone lines, the British did the next best thing. The cable ship Telconia cut all five of the cables that carried communications through the channel. To make sure that the sabotage had a lasting effect, the Telconia rolled up a few of the cable ends on her drums and carried them to England. This act of sabotage was Great Britain's first offensive act of the war. Which inference can a reader make based on the information in the excerpt?