Cuba

Letter from John H. Parker to William Loeb

John H. Parker describes the annexation of Cuba by the United States as inevitable due to its strategic location and suggests that the current state of affairs might present an opportunity for such an intervention. Parker considers it best to accomplish the goal diplomatically but acknowledges that the military might be used as a last resort. If direct intervention is not the desired goal at this time, Parker proposes that the United States government quietly provide military advisers to Cuban President Tomás Estrada Palma so that he can put down an uprising in Santiago and restore public order.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-02

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft informs President Roosevelt that he would like to consult Secretary of State Elihu Root on the prospect of interference in Cuba. If the U.S. sends troops to suppress disorder, they would have a conflict similar to the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-02

Telegram from Jacob Sleeper to Elihu Root

The chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Jacob Sleeper, informs Secretary of State Root that the uprising has spread to San Juan y Martinez and San Luis. The insurgents have threatened to blow up bridges and destroy the property of a railway if the company continues to transport government troops.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-24

Letter from William J. Bruff to William Loeb

William J. Bruff gives William Loeb advance notice of a cable that President Roosevelt will soon receive from President Tomás Estrada Palma of Cuba. Estrada Palma would like to secure ammunition for Cuba from the M. Hartley Company, the United States government’s representative for foreign business.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-24

Letter from William H. Taft to James Franklin Bell

Secretary of War Taft tells Chief of Staff Bell that it is possible that Cuba devolves into such a situation that will require the United States to send an expeditionary force to the island to restore order. He hopes it will not come to that, but thinks that they should be ready, and asks Bell to refer the matter to the staff. Taft also asks Bell to take charge of getting extra regiments of troops returned from the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-25

Telegram from Nelson P. Webster to William Loeb

Nelson P. Webster reports to William Loeb on an ammunition request by the Cuban government. Although General Fred C. Ainsworth says they have no evidence from the Cuban government or the firm of Hartley and Graham regarding the request, the Cuban chargé d’affaires reports that there was a dispatch to that end. Webster reviews the telegram that was sent in reply to this request outlining the terms upon which the ammunition would be delivered.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-27

Letter from Juan Francisco O’Farrill to Jacob Sleeper

Cuban Secretary of State and Justice O’Farrill submits a statement regarding the insurgent forces operating against the government of Cuba and the government forces opposing them. The Cuban government will institute a vigorous campaign as soon as the arms and ammunition ordered from the United States are received, and it hopes to crush the revolt in a short time.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-28

Letter from James Franklin Bell to William H. Taft

Brigadier General Bell reports to Governor Taft on preparations being made by the War Department in case intervention becomes necessary. Bell discusses the logistics of intervention in detail, mainly pertaining to transportation and notes the War Department is prepared to promptly respond.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-29

Telegram from Jacob Sleeper to Elihu Root

Jacob Sleeper telegrams Secretary of State Elihu Root that there was an armed insurrection against the government in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, in which several hundred armed men attacked. The government claims no trouble elsewhere and has arrested several known leaders.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-20

Translation of government decree from Tomás Estrada Palma

Cuban President Estrada Palma decrees that the Rural Guard’s strength will be increased, funded through an appropriation paid out by the National Treasury. The Secretary of State will give the necessary instructions for the execution of the decree and will report his actions to Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-20

Telegram from Jacob Sleeper to Elihu Root

The chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Jacob Sleeper, tells Secretary of State Root that little has changed since their last communication. The insurrectionists are “somewhat stronger,” and Sleeper admits to having only meager information about the current situation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-21

Telegrams from Jacob Sleeper to Elihu Root

The chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Jacob Sleeper, sends two telegrams to Secretary of State Root describing an insurrection in Cuba. In the first, he describes the insurrection in Pinar del Rio and Havana Province of consisting of several hundred armed men and notes that several leaders have been arrested. In the second, Sleeper reports that the general situation is unchanged and that the insurrectionists have grown somewhat stronger. Sleeper says there is not much information about the situation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-21

Telegram from Jacob Sleeper to Elihu Root

The chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Jacob Sleeper, informs Secretary of State Root that the uprising has spread to Santa Clara and Mantanzas provinces. Carlos Mendieta is leading the actions in Santa Clara, while those in Mantanzas are being led by an unknown leader and are said to be of little importance. The government is enlisting volunteers, and José Miguel Gómez is under arrest.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-22

Letter from Lillian Capron to Theodore Roosevelt

Lillian Capron, President of the Rough Riders’ National Monument Society, sends President Roosevelt a drawing of a proposed Rough Riders monument at Arlington National Cemetery; she asks Roosevelt for his blessing and assistance with the completion of this monument as he was the Colonel of the Rough Riders. Capron’s husband died in the Spanish American War and was a member of Roosevelt’s regiment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-17

Telegram from P. M. Brown to Elihu Root

P. M. Brown tells Secretary of State Root that Cuban President Tomás Estrada Palma accepts in principle the proposals for peace, but has reservations and conditions.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-13

Letter from William Sowden Sims to Theodore Roosevelt

Lieutenant-Commander Sims updates President Roosevelt on the warship training exercises held in Cuba. Sims states the marksmanship of the men has greatly improved and has now surpassed that of the British navy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-05

Letter from John F. Stevens to Theodore P. Shonts

John F. Stevens complains to Theodore P. Shonts about the lack of labor for the construction of the Panama Canal. Stevens states he would like to hire Chinese and Spanish laborers instead of West Indian laborers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-04

Letter from Theodore P. Shonts to William H. Taft

Chairman Shonts of the Isthmian Canal Commission sends Secretary of War Taft proposals for securing alternative sources of labor for the construction of the Panama Canal. He recommends Spanish or Chinese laborers, and outlines the costs for either group. He asks Taft for his input on the proposals.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-16

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Charles Francis Adams

Senator Lodge responds to statements made by Charles Francis Adams and discusses the advancement of societies that have been under or are currently under the possession of the United States. Lodge agrees with Adams about the important role white societies have in helping non-white societies “advance.” Lodge disagrees, however, with Adams’s assessment of Secretary of War William H. Taft, who Lodge says has not at all exploited the Philippines, but actually devoted many years of his life to help “elevate” the people of the Philippines. Lodge ends by commenting that the administration has also been trying to “take charge” of the Dominican Republic to help them pay their debts.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-01

Memorandum on behalf of Theodore Roosevelt

A memorandum prepared on behalf of President Roosevelt states his confidence in the outcome of an unspecified request being made of William J. Bruff. In the meantime, Roosevelt charges the recipient to ask President Tomás Estrada Palma of Cuba or his minister to “do as you desire.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-22