Central America

Letter from John Callan O’Laughlin to Theodore Roosevelt

John Callan O’Laughlin informs Theodore Roosevelt that John M. Harlan, a previously outspoken critic of Roosevelt, would support him if he were to run for re-election. Many other Republicans have also inquired about whether Roosevelt will seek re-election. O’Laughlin requests that Roosevelt publicly reject Secretary of State Robert Lansing’s treaty with Latin America that would include territorial integrity and prohibitions on shipments of munitions. O’Laughlin fears that this would keep the United States from acquiring any more territory in the future and would have a detrimental effect on relationship between the United States and South American countries.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1916-01-24

Letter from Henry Ferdinand Suksdorf to Theodore Roosevelt

Henry Ferdinand Suksdorf sends Theodore Roosevelt a copy of his book Our Race Problem and asks for it to be reviewed in the Outlook.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-09

Letter from Herbert Bury to Theodore Roosevelt

Bishop Herbert Bury asks Theodore Roosevelt to accept the dedication of the American edition of his new book and includes a proposed version of the text. He is dedicating the English edition to Bishop of London Arthur F. Winnington Ingram. Bury wants to his book to draw attention to the religious needs of Central America, “that important part of America’s sphere of influence.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-07-31

Letter from Elihu Root to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of State Root informs President Roosevelt that he has agreed to preside over the Republican State Convention in Saratoga, New York, and asks for campaign literature to bring himself up to date about what to say in his remarks and to the people. Root has heard from Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon that children in Central America are dying of childhood diseases. Root is reassured by Japanese Ambassador Kogoro Takahira’s letter, but is cautious in his expectations concerning Japanese cooperation in limiting Japanese workers from entering the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-01

Telegram from Rudolph Forster to William Loeb

Rudolph Forster forwards a telegram from Mexican President Porfirio Díaz. A group of Central American republics have agreed to hold their proposed conference in Washington in early November. Díaz approves of the telegrams President Roosevelt has sent him thus far and hopes they will both send their messages to the Central American presidents tomorrow. William Loeb adds a handwritten note at the bottom that the State Department is being asked to send these messages.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-21

Letter from Elihu Root to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of State Root sends President Roosevelt an excerpt from President Porfirio Diaz’s speech given to the Mexican Congress about bringing peace to Central America.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-20

Extract from message of President Diaz to the Congress

In a speech to the Mexican Congress, President Díaz addresses the successful mediation of the conflict between Guatemala and El Salvador by the United States and Mexico. An armistice was accepted between the two countries and Honduras, who was an ally of El Salvador, on July 19, 1906. A peace treaty was ratified soon after. Díaz hopes that through the efforts of President Roosevelt and himself, an “enduring harmony” in Central America will ensue.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-16

Letter from Robert Bacon to Theodore Roosevelt

Robert Bacon encloses a translation from the Third Pan-American Conference expressing “gratification in view of” the mediation of the United States and Mexico concerning a recent war in Central America. Guatemala had been invaded by Honduras and El Salvador. President Roosevelt and Mexico’s President Diaz intervened and brought about a short-lived peace.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-24

Letter from Juan Barrios Morales to Leslie Combs

Don Juan Barrios Morales writes to Leslie Combs on behalf of Guatemalan President Manuel Estrada Cabrera. Morales expresses gratitude for the aid of the United States in bringing peace to Guatemala and to the republics of El Salvador and Honduras. It is President Roosevelt’s “marked and able diplomacy” that has largely contributed to the “harmony and brotherhood of Central America.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-28

Telegram from David E. Thompson to Elihu Root

Ambassador Thompson telegraphs that President Diaz is very pleased about the sentiments expressed by President Roosevelt on the Central American troubles, and that Diaz has received telegrams from the Presidents of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-23

Telegram from David E. Thompson to Elihu Root

Ambassador to Brazil David E. Thompson forwards Secretary of State Root telegrams discussing armistice negotiations in Central America.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-19

Telegrams from Rudolph Forster to William Loeb

Rudolph Forster writes to William Loeb about the situation in Guatemala and neighboring nations, including military operations and the progress of talks with Guatemalan delegates.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-18

Letter from David E. Thompson to Elihu Root

Ambassador to Mexico David E. Thompson sends Secretary of State Elihu Root translations of telegrams given to him by Mexican President Porfirio Díaz between July 12 and July 15. The telegrams reveal Diáz’s efforts to urge the Presidents of Guatemala and El Salvador to agree to an armistice, in hopes of negotiating peace. Thompson notes that if Guatemalan President Estrada Cabrera is suspicious of Diáz’s intentions, President Roosevelt can assure him that Diáz is simply interested in peace for the two countries. Thompson finds Diáz to be sincere and correct in his dealings with both.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-17

Telegram from Pedro Jose Escalon to Theodore Roosevelt

Pedro Jose Escalon, President of El Salvador, accepts the offer of President Roosevelt to coordinate negotiations to settle hostilities between Salvador and Guatemala. Escalon accepted the offer of the USS Marblehead for the conclusion of the treaty in neutral waters.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-14

Telegram from Felix S. Johnson to the Department of State

Consul Johnson writes to the Department of State requesting that they send him a vessel soon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-13

Telegram from Robert Bacon to David E. Thompson

Assistant Secretary of State Bacon agrees to the positioning of war vessels off the coast to protect the interests of the United States. Bacon advises David E. Thompson, Ambassador to Mexico, to telegraph Secretary of War Russell Alger regarding the acts of El Salvador which indicate wanton aggression. Peace may be secured through moral pressure by the United States and Mexico.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-12

Letter from Elihu Root to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of State Root updates President Roosevelt on several topics, including the Chinese boycott of American products, the change from legation to embassy in Turkey, the customs administration bill’s effect in Germany, issues between Great Britain and Canada, problems with Newfoundland fisheries harassing American fishermen, and issues in Central America.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-03

Memorandum from William Lawrence Penfield

William Lawrence Penfield writes about James Alexander Scrymser’s request, in his capacity as President of the Central and South American Telegraph Company, for the United States to intervene on behalf of the company in Panama. Penfield details why the State Department should not intervene.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-16

Letter from James Alexander Scrymser to Francis B. Loomis

James Alexander Scrymser encourages Assistant Secretary of State Loomis to pursue a treaty with Panama that will protect the interests of American companies in Panama in the way that France has done. Scrymser explains why the contract his company entered into with Colombia is not valid in Panama and seeks help from the State Department to pursue diplomatic intervention in his company’s business affairs in Panama.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-06-10

Running for reelection

John A. Gable examines the similarities between the reelection campaigns of President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 and President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Gable discusses the foreign policy issues faced by Roosevelt, and he notes the marked policy differences between Roosevelt and Reagan. He closes with a look at how presidents have fared in trying to win a second term. A photograph of Reagan in front of the Roosevelt statue at Theodore Roosevelt Island in Washington, D.C., comprises the second page of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1984-08-20