Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root
Subject(s): Austria, Battleships, British Columbia, Coast defenses, Emigration and immigration, France, Germany, Japan, King, William Lyon Mackenzie, 1874-1950, Military readiness, Navies, Pacific Area, Sternburg, Hermann Speck von, Freiherr, 1852-1908, United States. Congress. House
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President Roosevelt believes that the enclosures from German ambassador Hermann Speck von Sternburg prove that the United States would be unwise to not to make preparations for a potential war in the Pacific with Japan. The documents, which he is sending to Secretary of State Root, show that Japan believes it could gain naval supremacy in the event of war.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-04-17
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
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 Elihu Root. [April 17, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o202348. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root. [17 Apr. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 16, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o202348.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1908, April 17]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o202348.
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. January 16, 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.
