Anglo German Blockade (Venezuela : 1902) |

Letter from Henry White to Theodore Roosevelt

Henry White received President Roosevelt’s letter but has waited until reaching Rome to answer it. White’s views on disarmament were sent in a confidential letter through the British Embassy’s dispatch bag. He has omitted any reference to Roosevelt’s observations about the German emperor although he has borrowed some of Roosevelt’s phraseology. White writes that Roosevelt’s action in Cuba was met with “universal admiration.” White saw the Chilean minister yesterday who said that Elihu Root’s visit there brought great comfort and was epoch making. Other topics in the letter include the German and Jesuit influence in the Vatican and the reputation of the emperor as an influencer, and White’s visit with the King of Italy and their discussion of new literacy-based immigration laws.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-20

Then and since: The remarkable and enduring foreign policy of Theodore Roosevelt

William N. Tilchin provides an overview of President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy in which he identifies the three precepts which guided his diplomacy–engagement with the world, building and maintaining American naval power, and fostering the Anglo-American “special relationship”–along with the three phases of Roosevelt’s foreign policy. Tilchin examines episodes such as the Venezuelan and Moroccan crises to demonstrate how Roosevelt’s diplomacy led to the the peaceful conclusion of these episodes. Tilchin notes that Roosevelt’s precepts fell out of favor until the events of World War II led to their revival and their use by subsequent administrations, and he highlights figures such as Henry Kissinger and George P. Schultz who practiced “Rooseveltian” statesmanship.

A photograph of Tilchin, photographs of three United States Secretaries of State, an image of Roosevelt, and a political cartoon populate the essay.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

A major contribution to the literature on Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy

In his review of Henry J. Hendrix’s Theodore Roosevelt’s Naval Diplomacy, William N. Tilchin examines each of the seven chapters of the book, highlighting both the issues where he disagrees with Hendrix and praising him for “a well-crafted narrative account” of diplomatic milestones in Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. Tilchin challenges Hendrix on the latter’s account of the Venezuelan crisis of 1902 – 1903, and he takes exception with one of the conclusion’s assertions, but he finds great value in Hendrix’s chapters on the Panama Canal, the Ion Perdicaris affair, the Treaty of Portsmouth, and Roosevelt’s transformation of the United States Navy. Tilchin’s review includes a number of references to prior works on Roosevelt’s diplomacy, highlighting the historiographical debates which have marked issues addressed by Hendrix.

Three photographs of naval commanders under Roosevelt and two illustrations, including the book’s cover, supplement the text. An advertisement for chocolate bars from The Chocolate Lady of Oyster Bay, New York, appears at the end of the review.

Theodore Roosevelt letter to George Otto Trevelyan

In a letter to George Otto Trevelyan, President Roosevelt provides details of some of the negotiations he undertook with regard to various crises during his presidency. Roosevelt relays his experience dealing with Kaiser William II of Germany in three matters, and he discusses the desire of the Japanese to keep secret their asking Roosevelt to mediate the Russo-Japanese War. Roosevelt underscores the insecure temperament of William II, and he cautions Trevelyan against sharing his letter except with perhaps his sons and Viscount Edward Grey. Roosevelt also discusses a diplomatic dustup with Germany caused by the diplomatic meddling of Andrew Carnegie.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1911-11-09

Theodore Roosevelt and the transoceanic naval arms race, 1897-1909

Carl Cavanagh Hodge examines Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas and policies regarding naval policy in the context of international relations and a naval arms race in the first decade of the twentieth century. Hodge emphasizes Roosevelt’s reading and use of the ideas of naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, and he compares American naval plans with those of Great Britain and Germany. Hodge frames Roosevelt’s policies within the context of friendly relations with Great Britain, an increasingly assertive Germany, and the rising power of Japan, especially in the wake of the Russo-Japanese War. Hodge highlights the acquisition and construction of the Panama Canal and the voyage of the Great White Fleet as key parts of Roosevelt’s overall naval strategy. He notes Roosevelt’s embrace of the battleship as a means of engaging other nations’ fleets abroad, and he asserts that Roosevelt saw the fleet as an important symbol of American power.

Eight photographs, including those of Roosevelt and Mahan, and one illustration supplement the article. A text with the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association appears in the endnotes.

Theodore Roosevelt and foreign policy: The greatest of all U.S. presidents

William N. Tilchin organizes, explains, and defends the diplomacy of President Theodore Roosevelt. Tilchin lays out the three guiding principles of Roosevelt’s foreign policy: that the United States needs to engage with the global community; that power must be behind the nation’s diplomacy; and the United States should cultivate a close relationship with Great Britain. Tilchin also examines Roosevelt’s style of diplomacy with an emphasis on his personal direction and informality, and he describes the precepts of “big stick diplomacy.” Tilchin also divides Roosevelt’s foreign policy into three periods during his presidency, and he cites specific examples of Roosevelt’s management of various crises and events from the acquisition of the Panama Canal to the voyage of the Great White Fleet. Tilchin highlights Roosevelt’s careful and continual cultivation of a relationship with Great Britain, and he examines Roosevelt’s legacy by looking at the foreign policy undertaken by succeeding administrations in the twentieth century.

Photographs of Roosevelt as assistant secretary of the navy, army officer, and president appear in the text as does a photograph of Secretary of State George P. Schultz.

The sublime intertwining: Theodore Roosevelt’s integration of diplomacy and naval operations

Henry J. Hendrix argues that President Theodore Roosevelt did not see diplomacy and the deployment of the United States Navy as separate and unrelated actions, but rather he saw and used them as complements to one another, and Hendrix cites examples of episodes during Roosevelt’s presidency to bolster his argument. Hendrix cites the Venezuelan crisis of 1902, intervention in Panama in 1903, the kidnapping of Ion Perdicaris in 1904, and the mediation of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 as examples of Roosevelt deploying assets of the United States Navy in support of his diplomatic efforts. Hendrix asserts that Roosevelt used a very hands on approach to his statecraft, in effect acting as his own Secretary of State and Secretary of the Navy.

Two photographs of Hendrix and one of Secretary of State John Hay appear in the article along with a text box containing the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Rex Rules!

John A. Gable reviews the second volume of Edmund Morris’s biography of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex. Gable notes the literary character of the work, and he argues that Henry F. Pringle’s biography of Roosevelt is still read not because of its judgments, but because it is well written. Gable also compares Morris’s book to those of Lewis L. Gould and William Henry Harbaugh, and he quotes from several reviews of Theodore Rex in leading newspapers and magazines. Gable singles out the critical review of Christine Stansell, and he rebuffs some of her arguments by quoting from a response he wrote to her review. Gable concludes his essay by noting that many reviewers found parallels between the events of September 11, 2001 and the assassination of President William McKinley in September 1901.

A photograph of Roosevelt, two of Morris, and a text box advertising a CD-ROM published by the Theodore Roosevelt Association appear in the review.

Theodore Roosevelt: Principles and Practice of a Foreign Policy

Serge Ricard argues that there were two sides to Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy: “a sort of Jekyll and Hyde” approach that mixed professional diplomacy with imperialism. Ricard notes the shift in the historiography of Roosevelt’s diplomacy during the 1980s with an emphasis on placing Roosevelt’s actions in the context of his time that is more complimentary to his reputation. Ricard praises some aspects of Roosevelt’s foreign policy record, but he contends that Roosevelt could not entirely escape the racist and imperialist thinking of his time that led him to belittle nations like China and Colombia.

A photograph of Roosevelt with a large globe and a text box listing the members of the executive committee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association accompany the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

The German Ambassador Hermann Speck von Sternburg and Theodore Roosevelt, 1889-1908

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-12