Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Bayard Hale
Subject(s): Caribbean Area, Central America, Civil service, Cuba, Diplomatic and consular service, Dominican Republic--Santo Domingo, Haiti, Imperialism, International relations, International relations--Public opinion, Panama
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President Roosevelt approves of “needed reforms,” but their implementation can occasionally bring about minor irritations. For instance, he is now unable to appoint William Bayard Hale to the position where he feels that Hale could do the most good. Roosevelt muses that it may be possible to use Hale as a special agent for Haiti, but it is not likely. The trouble is not that the government does not know what to do for Haiti, but that many people refuse to accept that it is necessary for the United States to “exercise some kind of supervision over the island.” He cites several other instances in which the United States intervened in countries in the Caribbean or Central America, “in each case for the immeasurable betterment of the people.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-12-03
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Hale, William Bayard, 1869-1924
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 Bayard Hale. [December 3, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o205524. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Bayard Hale. [3 Dec. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o205524.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1908, December 3]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Bayard Hale.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o205524.
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.
