Diplomacy

President Roosevelt confides to Senator Beveridge that he does not care whether he or Elihu Root or John Hay get credit for the diplomatic achievements of his administration. Roosevelt believes that the organs of the press that are arrayed against him will credit his Secretaries of State and not him, and he stresses that it is of no consequence to him as long as the desired results are achieved.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1905-07-11

William N. Tilchin argues that three principles that guided the foreign policy of Theodore Roosevelt–the global interests principle, the power principle, and the civilization principle–were also at the heart of the bipartisan foreign policy of the United States that prevailed in the Cold War. Tilchin gives examples of how each of these principles manifested themselves during Roosevelt’s presidency, citing Roosevelt’s mediation of the Russo-Japanese War, the growth of the U.S. Navy, and a warm relationship with Great Britain. Tilchin says that these principles were largely ignored by Roosevelt’s successors, but that they were rediscovered during World War II and sustained during the Cold War.

A photograph of Tilchin appears in the article, and the article is followed by a full-page photograph of Roosevelt standing next to, and with his right hand resting on a large globe.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

President Roosevelt tells John St. Loe Strachey that he believes loose talk and misunderstanding the intentions of each nation almost led to war between England and Germany in 1905. Roosevelt contends that both England and the United States do not suffer from a lust for war, but from a shortsightedness in preparing for it, and he cites Congressman Samuel W. McCall as an example of someone who is both belligerent and critical of armaments. Roosevelt also notes that he is still trying to find a solution to the issue of Japanese immigration to the United States. The letter features Roosevelt’s use of his simplified spelling style.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1907-02-22

In an editorial in the “Faithfully yours” column, William N. Tilchin compares the appeasement of Nazi Germany by Great Britain in the late 1930s with the approach pursued by the administration of President Barack Obama towards Iran and its drive to produce nuclear weapons. Tilchin praises Boris Johnson’s biography of Winston Churchill, The Churchill Factor, and he highlights Theodore Roosevelt’s contributions to American foreign policy. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2014

At the London book launch for A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt, Douglas Eden provides an overview of Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy, noting its main tenets and its achievements, and he highlights how Roosevelt’s policies came to influence his presidential successors. Eden also reviews the historiography of Roosevelt, demonstrating the renewed appreciation for Roosevelt since the low point of the 1930s. Eden asserts that A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt demonstrates that many scholars are now interested in studying Roosevelt, a marked change from when he began his work.  

A photograph of four of the contributors to the book, its front cover, and its table of contents accompany the text. A text box contains the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

President Roosevelt informs Justice Holmes that he agreed to a commission to arbitrate the boundary dispute between Canada and the United States because he wants to maintain good relations with Great Britain. Roosevelt asserts that he is prepared to unilaterally draw a boundary line without regard to either Canada or Great Britain, but that he hopes the commission can prevent this and thus avoid any offense to Great Britain.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1903-07-25

In a letter to Ambassador Reid, President Roosevelt describes his role in securing a peaceful solution to the Moroccan crisis by his personal diplomacy with the French and German ambassadors to the United States, J.J. Jusserand and Hermann Speck von Sternburg. Roosevelt contends that he urged the French to agree to a conference, and that they should allow the German emperor to save his self-esteem. Roosevelt asserts that he was on good terms with both ambassadors. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1906-04-28

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

President Roosevelt asks his daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth to stop in Hungary if she and her husband Nicholas Longworth visit Austria while they are traveling in Europe. Roosevelt also advises Longworth that she should visit Cincinnati in support of her husband who represents the city in the House of Representatives. Roosevelt also writes about the Longworths reception in London and about the state of the rest of the family.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1906-06-24

John M. Thompson examines the domestic political dimensions of the United States’ efforts to secure a canal zone in Central America. Thompson identifies those who favored canal routes in Nicaragua or Panama, and he looks closely at the Congressional reaction to the revolt in Panama and the United States’ quick recognition of the new nation. Thompson lays out the opposition to the subsequent canal treaty from Democrats and anti-imperialists, and he details the publicity campaign waged by President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration to justify its course of action and win Senate approval of the treaty. Thompson highlights the role of Southern Democrats who supported the treaty because they saw the canal as aiding their region’s economy and because Democrats did not want to be seen as opposing a popular policy of constructing a canal. Thompson concludes his article by examining the various aspects of domestic politics that Roosevelt had to consider when making foreign policy decisions. 

Ten photographs and five political cartoons populate the article.

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

William N. Tilchin argues that the Spanish-American War did lead to the United States becoming a global power, but he asserts that the most consequential result of the war was the elevation of Theodore Roosevelt as a war hero, a status that made his rapid rise to the presidency possible. Tilchin argues that the Spanish-American War provided the potential for the United States to become a world power, but that it took Roosevelt’s presidency and his actions, most notably enlarging the navy and creating a close working relationship with Great Britain, to realize America’s potential as a great power. Tilchin highlights some of the major accomplishments and episodes of Roosevelt’s presidency in the international arena such as the acquisition of the Panama Canal zone and diplomatic overtures to Japan. 

Photographs of Tilchin, Roosevelt, Secretary of State John Hay, and the Great White Fleet supplement the text.

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

David G. Haglund notes that American presidents are often not popular in Canada, and he asserts that Theodore Roosevelt is especially disliked because of the perception of him as a unilateralist and because of the outcome of the Alaska boundary dispute in 1903. Haglund argues that Roosevelt’s bad reputation in Canada is undeserved because for the first time in American history the United States actually grew smaller as a result of its concessions in the boundary dispute. Haglund says Canada feels aggrieved because of Great Britain’s desire to draw closer to the United States at Canada’s expense.  Haglund writes that Canada’s embrace of Franklin D. Roosevelt while scorning his distant cousin is the result of a “fundamental misperception.”

A map of the Alaska-Canada boundary dispute and two photographs supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

David H. Burton reviews David Fromkin’s The King and the Cowboy in two paragraphs and argues that the relationship between President Theodore Roosevelt and King Edward VII put forward in the title “is somewhat contrived” given that the two were actually together for the first time at the latter’s state funeral. Burton says that the United States and Great Britain did draw closer together during Roosevelt’s administration, but not because of a working relationship between the king and the cowboy.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2008

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.

Serge Ricard argues that Theodore Roosevelt was very well prepared by temperament and experience to be a masterful diplomat as president. Ricard does not dwell on Roosevelt’s actions as president, but instead examines the ideas and beliefs that informed his approach to foreign policy, highlighting his insistence on peacetime preparation for war. Ricard dwells on Roosevelt’s fears about Japanese and German threats to American security, and he also discusses Roosevelt’s thoughts on Russia, Great Britain, and France.

Photographs of Ricard, Roosevelt, and Roosevelt’s son Archibald B. Roosevelt supplement the text.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

David H. Burton reviews Artists of Power: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Their Enduring Impact on U.S. Foreign Policy. Burton notes the contributions of eight historians to the work, and he stresses that although Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson are often seen at odds, the two presidents both wanted to see the establishment of some kind of international organization to secure global peace after World War I. Burton acknowledges that Roosevelt and Wilson had major impacts on American diplomacy and security and that their policies led to a larger role for the United States in global affairs.

A photograph of Roosevelt with his right hand resting on a large globe illustrates the review.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

William N. Tilchin examines the foreign policy of President Theodore Roosevelt. Tilchin asserts that Roosevelt was not interested in practicing coercive, economic diplomacy, and he identifies the nations that Roosevelt saw as friendly, such as Great Britain, and those he treated cautiously, Germany and Japan. Tilchin looks at how Roosevelt undertook his diplomacy, identifying five elements of “big stick diplomacy,” such as strengthening the United States Navy. Tilchin identifies discrete episodes or crises in Roosevelt’s presidency, and he describes how Roosevelt resolved them, including the mediation of the Russo-Japanese War, Germany’s attempt to bully Venezuela, and the revolt in Panama. He highlights Roosevelt’s dispatch of the Great White Fleet, his reluctance to invoke the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and his diplomacy during Morocco’s dispute with Germany.

A photograph of Roosevelt with Emperor William II of Germany, and pictures of the Great White Fleet and Secretary of State Elihu Root supplement the text, as does a political cartoon of Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

William N. Tilchin praises Stacey A. Cordery’s Historic Photos of Theodore Roosevelt not just for its collection of photographs, but because he feels that it merits reading as “a fine brief biography of TR.” Tilchin includes twelve selections from the work that include captions penned by Cordery. Henry J. Hendrix finds that Iestyn M. Adams’s Brothers Across the Ocean does an admirable job of explaining how Great Britain and the United States put aside their differences to forge an informal alliance during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency, but he admonishes Adams for failing to utilize more American works in his study and for characterizing Roosevelt as “immature and bellicose.” 

The book review section also includes a text box with the vision statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.