China--Beijing

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Woodville Rockhill

President Roosevelt informs Ambassador Rockhill that he shared Rockhill’s letter about interviewing the Dalai Lama with Ambassador James Bryce due to its importance to the British Government, and mentions that they were very impressed. Roosevelt requests Rockhill keep him informed about anything that passes between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese at Peking.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-07

Gamblers join the boycott of American goods

An extract from the Hong Kong newspaper The World News discusses the commitment of gambling parlors and schools to the boycott of American goods, specifically American cigarettes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-30

Letter from Léopold II, King of the Belgians to Theodore Roosevelt

King Léopold II of Belgium warns President Roosevelt that the Chinese are seeking to remove a railroad concession from an American company, which consequently threatens some Belgian shareholders. Léopold sees this as a broader movement of the Chinese to exclude other nations from doing business in their country. He feels, however, that if Roosevelt ordered the American consuls to watch over the work on the railroad that the Chinese would back down and not directly oppose the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-01

Letter from George von Lengerke Meyer to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Meyer writes President Roosevelt about the Russo-Japanese War. Meyer describes Stanley Washburn’s report of dwindling American sympathies with the Japanese. Washburn does not believe the Japanese army will ever beat the Russian army in Manchuria. Meyer mentions his interactions with Camille Barrère, the French Ambassador, and his indication that French and German banks are beginning to side with Russia. Meyer also relates an interaction he had with the Japanese minister, in which the minister stated he was interested in Roosevelt’s thoughts on Manchuria and Japan’s control of Port Arthur.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-20

Letter from William Woodville Rockhill to Elihu Root

The American China Development Company is negotiating development of the Canton-Hankow railway. China may have other foreign investors standing by. William Woodville Rockhill does not think the threat to American business is serious. Rockhill confirms the receipt of two telegrams, and transcribes a memorandum of the British Minister, a dispatch from the Foreign Office, and a note to the Foreign Office regarding the railroad.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Woodville Rockhill

President Roosevelt asks Minister Rockhill to take care of his daughter Alice Roosevelt if she visits Beijing on her way to the Philippines. He waits for details on how the Japanese destroyed the Russian warships.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-31

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lloyd Carpenter Griscom

President Roosevelt asks Minister Griscom to take care of his daughter Alice Roosevelt during her visit to Tokyo, Japan, on her way to the Philippines. He waits for details on how the Japanese destroyed the Russian warships.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-31

Letter from William McKinley to Henry Cabot Lodge

President McKinley writes to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for President and accepts the platform. He discusses his desire to uphold the gold standard and refutes the opinions of those who support the silver standard. He also comments on international affairs, including the territorial government in Alaska and Hawaii, war loans from the Spanish American War, neutrality policies in the Boer War, law and order in Cuba, and holdings in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. He also comments on domestic issues including civil service reform, the volume of United States currency, and domestic shipping. Finally, McKinley comments on insurrection and peace treaties in the Philippines, asserting his desire for peace and that no person be “deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1900-09-10

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

Letter from William Woodville Rockhill to Theodore Roosevelt

American Ambassador to China William Woodville Rockhill tells President Roosevelt about his recent meetings with the Dalai Lama. Rockhill met with the Dalai Lama twice in person, and was very impressed by his hospitality and composure. The Dalai Lama asked Rockhill’s opinion about the relations between India and Tibet, and gave Rockhill several gifts to present to Roosevelt. Rockhill assured the Dalai Lama that many people in America wished him well, and looked upon Tibet favorably. Rockhill congratulates Roosevelt on the nomination of Secretary of War William H. Taft as Republican candidate for president, and is sure that he will be elected.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-06-30

Letter from Cheng Liang to Theodore Roosevelt

Chinese Ambassador Cheng Liang expresses his government’s gratitude for the fair way President Roosevelt has dealt with the Imperial government. Empress Dowager Cixi directed Liang to thank Roosevelt for his work to lower the Chinese indemnity in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion, and spoke pleasantly of Alice Roosevelt Longworth’s visit to China. Liang also comments on developments in China in general, including the construction of schools, the fight against the opium trade, and the building of railroads, the last of these being the reason Liang was recalled from the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-18

Telegram from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft writes to President Roosevelt to discuss his plans for leaving China. Alice Roosevelt is traveling to Peking, China, and will then continue on to San Francisco. Taft hopes her visit will be useful.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-06

Letter from William Woodville Rockhill to Elihu Root

Shanghai is taking steps to end the boycott, which largely began there. Chinese employees are discouraged from spreading anti-American circulars, and many local authorities are prohibiting the influence of boycott supporters in their territories.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-26

Letter from William Woodville Rockhill to Elihu Root

William Woodville Rockhill encloses Chinese articles regarding the boycott. The boycott shows the weaknesses of the Chinese government while controlling its people.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-24

Telegram from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Alice Roosevelt will go to Peking, China, chaperoned by Edith McAllister Newlands and will arrive in San Francisco around November 5. She will be accompanied by female chaperones the whole trip.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-22

Letter from Samuel Levis Gracey to Francis B. Loomis

Samuel Levis Gracey forwards Assistant Secretary of State Loomis a copy of the dispatch sent to the American Minister at Peking.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-18

Letter from John Fowler to Alvey A. Adee

John Fowler includes a copy of his dispatch to Peking regarding the Chinese boycott at Qingdao.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-17

Proclamation regarding Chinese boycott

Chinese merchants are boycotting American goods to retaliate against the exclusion of Chinese immigrants in America. The two governments are discussing the matter. The boycott must not inspire anti-American feelings among the Chinese, and merchants must not force others into joining.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-16

Telegram from Rudolph Forster to Benjamin F. Barnes

Rudolph Forster forwards President Roosevelt a telegram he received from Ambassador William Woodville Rockhill in Peking. Rockhill reports that the Foreign Office denies cancelling the negotiations of China’s minister in Washington. Rather, the Foreign Office says Emperor Guangxu placed the matter in the hands of Viceroy Zhang Zhidong. The Foreign Office expects to send “definite information” in a few days.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-12

Letter from Julius Gareché Lay to Francis B. Loomis

Ambassador Lay encloses a copy of a message sent to the Viceroy of Canton, which transmitted a copy of a telegram from the legation at Peking.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-08-10