Letter from William Sowden Sims to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Battleships--Design and construction, Capps, W. L. (Washington Lee), 1864-1935, Converse, George Albert, 1844-1909, Key, Albert L. (Albert Lenoir), 1860-1950, United States. Department of the Navy, United States. Dept. of the Navy, United States. Navy
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William Sowden Sims sends President Roosevelt a copy of a letter from Albert L. Key criticizing the plans of the North Dakota class of battleship. Sims has read the letter and agrees with many of the criticisms, and summarizes the various points that Key makes in his criticism. The Board of Construction seems to stand in opposition to the General Board and majority of officers in the Navy, who Sims says support many of the criticisms. Sims criticizes the actions of Admiral George Albert Converse, who supports the Board of Construction in the face of much of the Navy, and suggests that Converse is impeding progress in his current position. He also criticizes Chief Constructor W. L. Capps’s inability to admit that he may be mistaken with regard to the current design.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-06-23
Creator(s)
Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936
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
5
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 William Sowden Sims to Theodore Roosevelt. [June 23, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o58766. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936. Letter from William Sowden Sims to Theodore Roosevelt. [23 Jun. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. July 30, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o58766.
APA:
Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936., [1908, June 23]. Letter from William Sowden Sims to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o58766.
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. July 30, 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.
