Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin

John William Burgess wishes to inform President Roosevelt regarding a misunderstanding during an interview that Burgess gave to a reporter from the New York Tribune. Burgess was not talking about Roosevelt’s opinion of the Monroe Doctrine, but about American politicians in general. In his role as the inaugural Roosevelt Professor at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin, Burgess has emphasized the separation of the professorship from “any relation to the diplomacy” between the United States and Germany.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-29

Creator(s)

Burgess, John William, 1844-1931

Nicholas Murray Butler writes to ensure that President Roosevelt knows the truth about Professor John William Burgess’ comments about the Monroe Doctrine, which were delivered as part of his inaugural address as Roosevelt Professor at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Berlin. Burgess’ comments have been inaccurately reported in American papers, and Butler encloses two letters from Professor Wilhelm Paszkowski for context on the issue. Butler explains that he has learned of the motivation for the “malice” at the heart of the inaccuracies, and will explain to Roosevelt at their next meeting. He reassures Roosevelt that the Germans understood Burgess completely, and it was only the Americans who have been manipulated by the “lies.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-27

Creator(s)

Butler, Nicholas Murray, 1862-1947

John William Burgess, a prominent American political scientist, reports to President Roosevelt on the success of the Roosevelt Professorship, and the exchange program, at Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universita¨t Berlin. Burgess describes the impact of his inaugural address as Roosevelt Professor, that it was pre-approved by both the Prussian Ministry of Education and by Emperor Wilhelm II’s former tutor Georg Hinzpeter, and well-received by the Germans and by the Emperor himself. He says those who objected were Americans and Englishmen who oppose friendship between the United States and Germany. He says this press completely misrepresented what was said through the “journalistic hysteria” that was published in American papers. Burgess reports that the Roosevelt Professorship is now “on a foundation which cannot be shaken.” Burgess also expresses his view the issue of states’ rights and federal treaties, namely that the Constitution gives the president treaty-making powers which the citizens of the states are bound by just as they are to laws of Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-18

Creator(s)

Burgess, John William, 1844-1931

A press release regarding the recent endowment by James Speyer of the Theodore Roosevelt Professorship of American History and Institutions at the University of Berlin.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-13

Creator(s)

Unknown

President Roosevelt is pleased to accept the invitation from the University of Berlin to give an address in the spring of 1910. Roosevelt’s plans following his African safari would put him in Berlin around May 1, 1910.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt believes Arthur Hamilton Lee handled the “Swettenham matter” efficiently, calling the matter itself a “cosmic incident” and citing others like Swettenham in American Government, most notably General James Harrison Wilson. He was amused by the opinions of John William Burgess, who was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt professorship in at the University of Berlin. While Roosevelt admires some of Burgess’s scholarly accomplishments, he considers Burgess “hopefully wrong-headed” and criticizes his first lecture denouncing the Monroe Doctrine.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-08

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

On the direction of German Emperor William II, Ambassador Bernstorff sends Theodore Roosevelt a copy of the book History of the University at Berlin from 1810-1910. Bernstorff additionally forwards Roosevelt a letter from Prince Heinrich of Prussia.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-01-07

Creator(s)

Bernstorff, Johann Heinrich, Graf von, 1862-1939

Recipient

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Benjamin Ide Wheeler, president of the University of California, tells President Roosevelt that he will lecture at the University of Berlin on various topics of American life. He asks Roosevelt if he can come to California in August. Wheeler has been out to visit farmers with six other university professors on their “agricultural train,” where the farmers’ dislike of Japanese people was a common subject. Wheeler feels that the California Legislature should do nothing about it, with the matter better left in Roosevelt’s hands.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-09

Creator(s)

Wheeler, Benjamin Ide, 1854-1927

Professor Burgess reports to President Roosevelt that he delivered a speech yesterday to the German royal family, the ministries, the University of Berlin staff, and other invited guests. Following his address, Emperor Wilhelm II gave a “short stirring speech” and led “three mighty cheers for Theodore Roosevelt” that shook the room. Burgess assures Roosevelt that no such thing had happened there before and suggests that he read newspaper accounts of the address. Finally, Burgess reports that the Roosevelt Room at the University is complete and describes it for the President, noting especially that the portraits “look most imposing” and the room “could not be finer.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-28

Creator(s)

Burgess, John William, 1844-1931

Nicholas Murray Butler is giving a dinner in honor of the establishment of the Theodore Roosevelt Professorship at the University of Berlin and will arrange another as suggested by President Roosevelt. Butler also believes the polls tomorrow will be strange.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-06

Creator(s)

Butler, Nicholas Murray, 1862-1947

Nicholas Murray Butler is happy that President Roosevelt has agreed to lend his name to a chair position at the University of Berlin.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-10-06

Creator(s)

Butler, Nicholas Murray, 1862-1947