Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice
Subject(s): England, Friendship, International relations, Japan, Racism, Russia, Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), Spring Rice, Florence
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President Roosevelt says that Cecil Spring Rice’s recent letter about the Russo-Japanese war interested him. Roosevelt admires much about the Russians but thinks that they can never be successful with such a despotic government in place; while the Japanese, though “non-Aryan and non-Christian,” have a less despotic government and so are more successful at the present time. The United States intends to remain neutral in the conflict, but Americans generally sympathize with the Russians. If the Japanese win, the world “will have to reckon with a great new force in eastern Asia.” However, Roosevelt believes that the war will end in a stalemate which will not allow “the creation of either a yellow peril or a Slav peril.” While Roosevelt does not believe that either England or the United States are in immediate danger, it does concern him that neither have much military experience. Roosevelt closes by urging Spring Rice to bring his wife as soon as they are married, and says that it will be fun to host them at the White House.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1904-03-19
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Spring Rice, Cecil, Sir, 1859-1918
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
4
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice. [March 19, 1904]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o187730. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice. [19 Mar. 1904]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o187730.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1904, March 19]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o187730.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
