Letter from Leonard Wood to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Alien labor, Chinese, Armies--Recruiting, enlistment, etc., Australia, Chaffee, Adna Romanza, 1842-1914, China, Citizenship--Territories and possessions, Corbin, Henry Clark, 1842-1909, Counterinsurgency, Datto Ali, England, Foreign workers, Chinese, Fortification, Funston, Frederick, 1865-1917, Germany, Hawaii, Ide, Henry C. (Henry Clay), 1844-1921, International trade, Interracial marriage, Italy, McCoy, Frank Ross, 1874-1954, Naval strategy, Pacific Ocean, Philippine American War (Philippines : 1899-1902), Philippines, Philippines--Manila, Racism, Railroads, Shipping--Government policy--U.S. states, Sin, Tariff
Click on image to zoom in
General Wood, Governor of the Moro Province of the Philippines, informs President Roosevelt about the situation in the occupied Philippines. He recommends that reenlistment periods for discharged soldiers be for one year instead of three to encourage the retention of trained troops, especially in the Philippines. He reports on the death of Philippine resistance leader Datu Ali. He recommends that the Hawaiian Islands be fortified against vulnerability to the Japanese, who are refitting Russian battleships. He favors fortifying the area of Manilla rather than the whole of the Philippines, preferring for funds to go towards building the Pacific Fleet. He asks that the garrisons in the Philippines be kept at war strength. He laments the loss of American railroad concessions in China, and warns against allowing Chinese laborers into the United States. He recommends encouraging English, Italian, German, and other European immigration to the Philippines through some form of territorial citizenship, free transportation, or tax incentives.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1905-12-13
Creator(s)
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
7
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 Leonard Wood to Theodore Roosevelt. [December 13, 1905]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o52032. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Wood, Leonard, 1860-1927. Letter from Leonard Wood to Theodore Roosevelt. [13 Dec. 1905]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o52032.
APA:
Wood, Leonard, 1860-1927., [1905, December 13]. Letter from Leonard Wood to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o52032.
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 29, 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.
