Your TR Source
President Roosevelt has heard that the correspondent whose removal from the Atlantic Fleet was recommended by Admiral Robley D. Evans is habitually drunk onboard, and his behavior has been “emphatically condemned” by other reporters. Roosevelt thinks he should be removed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-22
President Roosevelt quotes an excerpt from the English Fortnightly Review which praises the quality of men in his administration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-23
President Roosevelt encloses a letter from Cardinal James Gibbons supporting Commander Robert S. Griffin, who would like to replace Rear Admiral Charles W. Rae as Chief Engineer of the Navy. While Roosevelt thinks well of Griffin, he does not appreciate his applying ecclesiastical pressure in an attempt to get the position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-25
President Roosevelt thanks Secretary of the Navy Metcalf for the parting gift and wishes him a good trip. he sends his love to Emily Corinne Nicholson Metcalf.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-28
President Roosevelt informs Secretary of the Navy Metcalf that Robert Halsey Patchin and Leslie’s illustrator T. Dart Walker should be allowed to sail around the globe with the Navy. He thinks “all present newspaper men” will have to go, and asks that Metcalf speak with him before leaving for the West.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-22
President Roosevelt invites Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to attend the Conference of Governors. The conference will address the conservation of natural resources, with its purpose defined by the Inland Waterways Commission. In addition to the governors, Roosevelt is inviting representatives of many national associations, United States Representatives and Senators, and other members of the federal government.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-20
President Roosevelt encloses a letter from Admiral Charles S. Sperry requesting to grant leave for the men at Tokyo. Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to bring the matter to Secretary of State Elihu Root’s attention. The president believes in a “moderate quantity of leave.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-17
Given that Captain Royal Rodney Ingersoll’s opinion contradicts Captain Richard Wainwright’s, President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to submit any statement of Ingersoll’s to him before it goes to the Senate Committee. Roosevelt has “certain very interesting information” regarding the views of the Japanese military and naval authorities, which he will submit to Metcalf and the General Board confidentially after Secretary of State Elihu Root goes through it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-17
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Navy Metcalf if it is possible to keep the old house and trees at the New Orleans navy yard. Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt likes them.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-06
President Roosevelt has heard a rumor that there has been an effort to detach Frank K. Hill from the General Board of the Navy as punishment for his attitude regarding the armor belt controversy. Roosevelt wants Hill to stay where he is. He asks Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to comment on the enclosed telegrams from Stewart Edward White and Frank T. Underhill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-08
President Roosevelt has heard reports that recruiting men for the engine room is difficult and that members of that post desert “at the earliest opportunity.” He believes that either a pay raise or a different arrangement would improve retention and recruitment, and asks Secretary of the Navy Victor Howard Metcalf for a report on this issue.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-09
President Roosevelt has heard from the Washington delegation that the Navy Department has said that it will take six to eight years to finish the Puget Sound Navy Yard drydock. He believes this is “nonsense” and it should be done within two to three years. The drydock should be ready before the battleships for the yard arrive. He asks for a full report on drydocks for the Pacific slope.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-10
President Roosevelt tells Secretary of the Navy Metcalf that he thinks the fleet should leave the Pacific Coast as soon as possible, and asks what date Metcalf has set.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-19
William Loeb sends Secretary of the Navy Metcalf a letter that President Roosevelt would like delivered to Governor Tui Manu’a Elisala when the United States naval fleet visits Samoa.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-20
President Roosevelt tells Secretary of the Navy Metcalf that he thinks the armor belt on ships should be higher, and asks where it will be on new ships. He also asks about plans for turrets on the new ships. He proposes having a line officer as Second Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-23
President Roosevelt instructs Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to inspect the Department of the Navy to ensure that no work is being done on Sundays, unless such work is unavoidable.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-25
President Roosevelt disagrees with the way several American and Japanese ships are classified in documents sent to him by Secretary of the Navy Metcalf. Roosevelt is of the opinion that the size of the guns matters more than the number of them, and argues that several Japanese armored cruisers should be classified as battleships due to the size of their guns.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-14
President Roosevelt writes to Secretary of the Navy Metcalf regarding the case of Lieutenant-Commander Carl Theodore Vogelgesang. Roosevelt does not support the recommendation that Vogelgesang be court-martialed, nor Metcalf’s recommendation that he should be given a severe reprimand and removed from command of the Presidential Yacht USS Mayflower. After considering the evidence and consulting with various officers, however, Roosevelt believes it would be best if Vogelgesang was removed from command of the Mayflower due to his lack of experience in pilotage, and directs Metcalf to do so.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-16
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Navy Metcalf to find out about Admiral Robley D. Evans’s health when he visits the fleet. Roosevelt is afraid that he is not well enough to take the fleet to Australia and home.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-06
Following Secretary of the Navy Metcalf’s advice that he sent via William S. Cowles, President Roosevelt met with William Sowden Sims, and thinks it will be all right now. Roosevelt asks if Metcalf would keep Albert L. Key in town for several days, as there are some things Roosevelt would like to discuss with him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-09