Algeciras Conference

Letter from John St. Loe Strachey to Theodore Roosevelt

John St. Loe Strachey relays to President Roosevelt an account of his trip to France and Germany. He and his wife visited Ambassador Charlemagne Tower and his wife in Berlin as well as Ambassador Robert Sanderson McCormick and his wife in Paris. Strachey believes that Chancellor Bernard Fürst von Bülow will be defeated in his reelection bid and that the Emperor was also held in disfavor by the German people. Strachey is concerned about the warlike nature of the Germans. He relays his thoughts on some of the French politicians and theologians whom he met; he found the French people and politicians generally to be pacifistic.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-11

Creator(s)

Strachey, John St. Loe, 1860-1927

Letter from Henry White to John Hay

Henry White writes to John Hay regarding Morocco’s demands for an international conference and the ensuing responses from ambassadors of other interested nations. While Hay’s efforts toward peace are appreciated by the Italian government, White does not anticipate any results in the near future.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-07

Creator(s)

White, Henry, 1850-1927

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

Theodore Roosevelt asks Henry Cabot Lodge if he previously wrote to Lodge in detail about his handling of the Algeciras Conference and the Alaskan Boundary dispute. If this is the case, Roosevelt requests to see the letters.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1916-01-15

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to J. J. Jusserand

Theodore Roosevelt reminds French Ambassador Jusserand about a meeting they had with former German Ambassador Hermann Speck von Sternburg. Roosevelt says he wrote two copies of terms for France and Germany at the Algeciras Conference, and gave a copy to each of them. Roosevelt would like Jusserand to send Roosevelt a copy of what he wrote. He wishes Jusserand and his wife, Elise Richards Jusserand, would visit them, and says it was nice having George Bakhmeteff and his wife, Mary Beale Bakhemeff, over for lunch.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-06-21

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

Theodore Roosevelt writes to Henry Cabot Lodge in response to a previous letter from Lodge. Roosevelt mentions the value of Lodge’s memoirs and continues by suggesting to have dinner at a later date.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-03-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Sydney Brooks

President Roosevelt appreciates hearing from Sydney Brooks. However, Roosevelt is unable to give Brooks access to official government documents relating to the Portsmouth and Algeciras Conferences and refers him to The Outlook and Ambassador Henry White. Roosevelt apologizes for not being able to fulfill his request.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Arthur Hamilton Lee

President Roosevelt wishes Arthur Hamilton Lee, a member of British Parliament, could have lunch with Secretary of State Elihu Root, Secretary of War William H. Taft and Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon and they could discuss various foreign affairs. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Eugene Hale

President Roosevelt asks for Senator Hale’s assistance in ratifying the Algeciras treaty. Roosevelt had not supposed that there would be opposition to it, but “apparently some of the Democrats are inclined to make trouble.” The United States signed on to the treaty because it was already a signatory to the existing treaty, and failing to do so would have meant a loss of treaty rights. Roosevelt considers it important to be a party to the treaty, and mentions that the United States has had a treaty with Morocco since even before the Constitution was adopted.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Shelby M. Cullom

President Roosevelt tells Senator Cullom that he hopes the treaty created at the Algeciras Convention will be ratified during this current session of Congress. He cannot understand how anyone is able to find anything objectionable in it, and comments that if it is rejected “it would mean that for the first time since the adoption of the Constitution this Government will be without a treaty with Morocco.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to J. J. Jusserand

President Roosevelt praises the actions of French Ambassador Jusserand, particularly in connection to his conduct during the recent Algeciras conference. Roosevelt believes Jusserand contributed “more than any other one man” to helping avoid a war between France and Germany, and praises Jusserand’s sound judgement and integrity in all areas of his life.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward VII, King of Great Britain

President Roosevelt introduces Frederick W. Whitridge to Edward VII, King of Great Britain. Roosevelt additionally comments on the Algeciras Conference. Henry White spoke highly of Arthur Nicolson, British representative at the conference, but came to feel that the French and German representatives were not straightforward. Be that as it may, Roosevelt feels that the French and German Ambassadors to the United States, J J. Jusserand and Herman Speck von Sternburg, are good men.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt asks Ambassador Reid to give King Edward VII the enclosed letter. He discusses the trouble that Germany is causing at the Algeciras Conference, after Kaiser William II did not honor his promise to instruct the Germans to follow Roosevelt’s instructions. Roosevelt believes that Germany believes that it can defeat both England and France now that Russia is out of the way. Domestically, Roosevelt believes that the railroad rate bill will pass after “mild troubles,” including Senator Nelson W. Aldrich losing “both his head and his temper.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Hodges Choate

President Roosevelt was very pleased by former Ambassador Joseph Hodges Choate’s letter, and will send him information about the upcoming Morocco conference. There are additional matters that Roosevelt would like for Choate to know, but they are off the record, and proposes inviting Choate to visit and spend the night to discuss them after he reads the official documents.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-19

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice

President Roosevelt asks that Cecil Spring Rice give his regards to Lord Henry Charles Keith Petty-FitzMaurice Lansdowne. Roosevelt writes at length about the current state of international affairs and of relationships between different nations. He feels that it is not in Japan’s interest to extend the Russo-Japanese War for another year and explains his actions in pressing for peace negotiations between the two powers. Roosevelt also discusses his efforts urging the United States to interpret the Monroe Doctrine in an active way and remarks upon the recent death of Secretary of State John Hay.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-07-24

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge discusses a number of topics regarding the late Secretary of State John Hay. Lodge bemoans the editing of a publication of Hay’s letters, claiming that Hay was “one of the best if not the best letter writer of his time,” but the publication does not do him justice. He reminisces on the many men of letters he has known in his life, and believes that Hay was the most “brilliant, humorous, sympathetic, [and] witty” among them. Lodge holds more criticism for Hay in his role as a secretary of state, discussing how Hay bungled multiple treaties, took credit for accomplishments that were not his own, and formed poor relations with the Senate. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-14

Creator(s)

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924

Letter from Sydney Brooks to Theodore Roosevelt

Sydney Brooks reflects on when he first met President Roosevelt twelve or thirteen years ago, and discusses how he has closely followed Roosevelt’s inspiring career. Brooks is glad to hear that Roosevelt has no objection to Brooks writing a book about him. Brooks asks if it is possible for him to gain access to the official documents of his presidency, as he wants to make his book as accurate as possible. Whenever Brooks reads American press that is against British rule in India, he counters it with quotations from Roosevelt’s speech.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-13

Creator(s)

Brooks, Sydney, 1872-1937

Letter from Edward Grey to Theodore Roosevelt

British Foreign Secretary Grey informs President Roosevelt that Ambassador H. Mortimer Durand will be replaced, and while he understands Roosevelt’s desire to have Arthur Lee in his place, that is politically impossible. Temporarily, Esmé Howard will be sent to Washington as Councillor to the Embassy. Grey appreciated Roosevelt’s explanation of his telegram to German Emperor William after the Portsmouth Peace. Grey explains that his foreign policy is not anti-German, but to be independent he feels it necessary to strengthen the entente with France and come to an agreement with Russia. Grey believes that his generation has had enough of war, and the British people feel a special bond with the United States. Grey hopes the dispute between Canada and the United States over Newfoundland will soon be settled. He also adds that many in Great Britain are upset over reports of slavery and plunder in the Belgian Congo.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-04

Creator(s)

Grey of Fallodon, Edward Grey, Viscount, 1862-1933

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid has forwarded President Roosevelt’s letter to the people of Salisbury, and he is sure it will promote kindly feeling. Reid hopes that they may be able to bring the “slow-moving” Colonial Office to an early agreement, as the only currently contentious issue between the parties is that of purse-nets. Reports of William Jennings Bryan’s speech in Madison Square Garden produced instant revulsion in Great Britain, as the public thought he “dished” himself by proposing government ownership of the railways. Reid has not yet had a chance to discuss Roosevelt’s letter to Andrew Carnegie with Sir Edward Grey, but plans to bring it up at first chance. Frederick Scott Oliver, author of the new book about Hamilton, does not seem to be a prominent literary figure among the Englishmen Reid has asked. Reid has been watching the Cuban situation with great anxiety, as he has always believed the United States made foolish decisions about Cuba at the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-14

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from Henry White to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Henry White reports to President Roosevelt on a week he spent with King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. White and Emmanuel discussed international disarmament, about which both were skeptical. They talked about Vatican relations with many nations, especially Italy and France, and of how the Jesuits were involved. White also describes hunting ibex and shares that the king offered to send Roosevelt some ibex heads.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-29

Creator(s)

White, Henry, 1850-1927

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid reports to President Roosevelt about affairs in Europe. Reid’s impression is that neither Great Britain nor Germany want tensions to escalate to a war, and he is still trying to get more details about their negotiations. Reid informs Roosevelt that the King seems to be in ill health. He is also worried that Roosevelt’s friend, Silas McBee, is stirring up trouble by seeming to interfere in debates about the Education Bill. Reid referred the Grocers’ Federation to Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson and Secretary of Commerce and Labor Victor Howard Metcalf so that they might receive more information about complying with America’s meat inspection laws, and he enclosed a copy of a speech he gave at Cambridge on the American Revolution. Reid concludes by saying that he hopes the British government will help the United States settle disputes with Canada.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-16

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912