Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Bourke Cockran
Subject(s): Catholics, China--Shanghai, Falconio, Diomede, 1842-1917, International relations, Kennelly, Martin, -1926, Matré, Anthony, 1866-1934, Miscommunication, Press and politics, Religion and politics, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, Wilfley, Lebbeus R.
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President Roosevelt thanks United States Representative Cockran for the letter and returns his enclosures. Diomede Falconio was correct in his belief that neither Roosevelt nor Secretary of State Elihu Root had used language classifying the Catholics of Shanghai as vicious, as had been reported. Roosevelt concurs with the guess that an interested party had deliberately misconstrued their words in order to cause trouble. Roosevelt is concerned by Anthony Matré’s actions, as he gave the telegram stating these falsehoods to the Associated Press without verifying its accuracy. He believes this behavior should be dealt with in a way that prevents its recurrence.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-03-16
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Cockran, William Bourke, 1854-1923
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
2
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 William Bourke Cockran. [March 16, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o202000. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Bourke Cockran. [16 Mar. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o202000.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1908, March 16]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Bourke Cockran.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o202000.
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 13, 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.
