Germany

Theodore Roosevelt writes to his son Kermit and daughter-in-law Belle about how happy he is to have the Sagamore Hill home and the visits there by the family. He is happy he won the libel suit, though William Barnes Jr. may appeal. Roosevelt writes how disgusted he is with President Wilson’s handling of international affairs even though Secretary of State Bryan resigned. Roosevelt ultimately wants peace but thinks America should be at war with Germany and is ready to raise a division of mounted riflemen and enter the war. He also describes his ten day trip to Louisiana and says his ribs are mending nicely after falling off a horse.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1915-06-16

Theodore Roosevelt writes his son Kermit to say that in the event of war with Germany, Roosevelt plans to form a mounted regiment and wants Kermit to be a lieutenant. He says if war should break out with Mexico he would not want Kermit to join because it would be better suited to Archie or Quentin. He says he will write Seth Bullock about forming a North Dakota regiment. Roosevelt also talks about a visit from Archie and Archie’s view on Harvard Clubs including the Porcellian.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1915-06-26

Theodore Roosevelt is relieved that Kermit Roosevelt and his wife Belle made it to Buenos Aires, Argentina, given how active the Germans have been on the ocean. Roosevelt does not understand Spain’s pro-German feelings and is sick of President Wilson’s neutrality regarding the War. Roosevelt doubts that Progressive Party will make another fight given their losses in the last election, but he understands the feelings of the electorate. Roosevelt closes by saying he has not been happier in a long time and is enjoying relaxing with Mother.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1914-11-11

Theodore Roosevelt has received Kermit Roosevelt’s letter about visiting Sao Paolo, Brazil, and everyone was interested in reading about Kermit and Belle Roosevelt setting up their new home. The book about the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition has been sent to all members of the expedition through the Brazilian ambassador. Roosevelt describes the “delightful Xmas” at Sagamore Hill with all of his children, except Kermit, and three grandchildren. He reflects on the war and views Germany as “clearly ahead” and Austria growing stronger. Roosevelt admires German efficiency, which is greater than the efficiency of the Allies, and the Allies are infinitely more efficient than the United States. President Wilson and Secretary Bryan are the “worst creatures” to lead the nation in foreign affairs. Roosevelt believes the United States should have countered the “unscrupulous” behavior of Germany and intervened on behalf of Belgium. He has signed a three year contract with Metropolitan Magazine to publish his social and political views.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1914-12-28

Theodore Roosevelt writes to his father concerning school life in Germany. He also reports a run down of all the money in his account and reports on his health.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1873-07-20

George von Lengerke Meyer, Ambassador to Germany, writes about his success in following President Roosevelt’s agenda. The agenda involved finding out how the German Emperor felt about the United States’ neutrality and the territorial integrity of China with respect to Russia and Japan. The Emperor expressed his firm commitment to the agreement and to supporting the United States. The Emperor also warned the Americans to keep an eye on French Foreign Minister Théophile Delcassé.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-03-05

Felix Bagel, a Buenos Aires correspondent for the Berliner Tageblatt, requests an interview with Theodore Roosevelt to discuss German non-participation in the San Francisco exhibition, German relations with the United States, the influence of the United States in South America, and the Mexican questions.

Collection

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Creation Date

1913-11-05

Theodore Roosevelt writes to his sister Corinne Robinson after a trip to Trinidad. He thanks her for her letter and mentions writer Frederick Scott Oliver. Roosevelt is glad Corinne is resting, but asks her to bring Cortizzoz and Corbins to lunch when she returns. He also discusses President Woodrow Wilson and World War I.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1916-03-27

The Russian Bear, as a soldier with rifle, has been turned into a scarecrow. A crow labeled “Japan” bites its nose. Another crow labeled “England” is perched on its cap. A crow labeled “Germany” is flying around its head. A crow labeled “Turkey” is on the ground at its feet. A crow labeled “China” is perched on the rifle butt. All these crows, and several others on a fence nearby, are cawing with laughter at the scarecrow.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The term “Sick Man of Europe” has been applied through centuries of international diplomacy to several countries — the Ottoman Empire and Turkey during periods of decline, and Great Britain when parts of its empire fell away. In the years prior to World War I, Russia surely wore the mantle.

The Russian Bear eyes a house of cards. Each card is labeled a different country, “England, France, Germany, Japan, U.S., Austria, China, Italy, [and] Turkey”, and the king on each card bears some facial characteristics of the ruler of the country, including Uncle Sam. A dove of “Peace” has landed on top of the cards. The bear’s right paw and claws are touching the “Japan” card.

comments and context

Comments and Context

In this cartoon, remarkable for its cleverness and caricatural details, Joseph Keppler illustrates the threats to peace in daily news, and the larger situation in international relations. The “house of cards” is dispositive in two ways: the cartoonist has pictured the major nations of the world, and their leaders, when challenges to the world order arose; and the meaning of the phrase — a precarious situation — is perfectly portrayed.

The British Lion, the Russian Bear, a cat labeled Austria, and three dogs labeled “France, Italy, [and] Germany” gather around a table for Thanksgiving dinner. The British Lion is holding a large knife labeled “Dismemberment of Turkey,” but the platter is empty. Looking in from the left is a turkey wearing a fez labeled “Turkey.” Caption: Turkey — Ha! Ha! How disappointed they look! Now I have lots to be thankful for.

comments and context

Comments and Context

In cartoonist Pughe’s drawing the only thing that the symbol of Turkey, the turkey in the doorway, can really be happy about is the frustration on the faces of those neighboring powers who were prepared to gobble it up. The once-mighty Ottoman Empire, reduced to the country of Turkey but slowly chipped away, province by province, people by people, tribe by tribe, for more than a century.

Handwritten essay describing Russia’s position on being a part of a league of Allies. Includes typescript (c.c.) of speech delivered 4 September 1915 by Baron Rosen.

Published in Metropolitan magazine, June 1917.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Cipriano Castro, President of Venezuela, hides behind a large rock, hoping that the large claw-type animal trap labeled “Monroe Doctrine” he set will prove effective in preventing the British Lion, a cat labeled “Italy” with the face of Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, and a boar labeled “Germany” with the face of William II, Emperor of Germany, from coming ashore to demand payment of international debts.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The immediate context of this cartoon is the blockade of Venezuelan ports announced by the principal creditor nations England, Germany, and Italy. President Cipriano Castro arrogantly ignored debts owed by the Caracas government and Venezuelan banks and companies; in February 1902 those powers declared a blockade as a first step to extract debt payments. An international arbitration court at the Hague was suggested by President Roosevelt as a venue to find a solution, but it decreed that as principal creditors, those three powers had a preferential claim. However other nations, including the United States, were also owed money. As the cartoon shows, the European states might have hesitated because of the Monroe Doctrine, but Roosevelt made that a moot point one year after this cartoon by establishing the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine: that in instances like this, the United States would act both as protector against foreign presence in the Western Hemisphere, and a manager to mediate, collect debts, etc., in disputes.

A bull dog labeled “England,” a whippet (or greyhound) labeled “Italy,” and a dachshund labeled “Germany” gather around a dish labeled “Preferred Claims” full of food labeled “Venezuela.” Sitting above them on a fence are four cats labeled “Belgium, Spain, France, [and] Holland” with the fur on their backs raised. Both cats and dogs are seeking payment from Venezuela for its international debts.

comments and context

Comments and Context

This cover cartoon expands upon Joseph Keppler’s cartoon of the previous week in Puck, which showed only England, Germany, and Italy as animals hungry to collect financial claims again the outlaw government in Venezuela. Here, Pughe adds four cats, on the fence, howling for their own just claims. The only nation both cartoons ignored was the United States, which had its own claims. Cartoons on the same topic in the weekly magazine indicate what a hot topic the Venezuelan debt crisis was, and it led to President Roosevelt formulating the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.

Rudyard Kipling sits up in his bed, pulling the covers up for protection. On the nightstand is an ink pot labeled “Hatred.” He is having a nightmare of the “Anglo-German Alliance” which shows Edward VII, King of Great Britain, and William II, Emperor of Germany, embracing.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The nightmare of Rudyard Kipling, the prototypical proponent and poet of British colonialism, was his perennial fear of an alliance between England and Germany. In era of alliances and treaties around the world — often shifting, often broken — and despite the fact that Edward VII and Wilhelm II were first cousins, no such friendly alliance was effected.

Handwritten essay discussing military preparedness, German aggression and forming a league of allies to keep peace. Published in the Metropolitan magazine, Feb 1917.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1917

An elderly couple embarks on a leisurely grand tour of Europe, stopping in Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, and Egypt, before returning home exhausted and in poor health from the activity and stress of travel.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Ehrhart’s theme and cartoon vignettes echoed the idea behind the very successful cartoon series in Life Magazine by Charles Dana Gibson only two years before, “The Education of Mr. Pipp.” In that series of cartoons, Mr. Pipp also had to deal with a flirtatious wife and three beautiful and eligible daughters as they “did the Tour” — traveled around Europe. 

A young boy labeled “Venezuela” complains to Uncle Sam about the presence of a German battleship. Uncle Sam explains to him that the Monroe Doctrine will protect him from violence, but that he still must pay his “honest debts.” Caption: Venezuela — Better mind your Monroe Doctrine! That German is making trouble. / Uncle Sam — The Monroe Doctrine will keep you from being kidnapped, Sonny; but it won’t help you get out of your honest debts.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Keppler’s cartoon is a textbook illustration of the factors leading to President Roosevelt’s formulation of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Several countries in the Western Hemisphere incurred the ire of European nations due mainly to infractions of normal trade and commerce practices. These frictions also threatened to stoke colonial ambitions. No country was more troublesome than Venezuela, which defaulted on debts with nations and individuals in Germany, England, and Italy. This cartoon appeared the first week of 1902, but things came to a head a year later, in early 1903, when the three nations in concert threatened a blockade of Venezuelan ports and extracting debt payments. Roosevelt’s Corollary was, a year in advance, perfectly summed up by Uncle Sam in this cartoon. 

Prince Henry is pictured in a half-length portrait, left profile. Puck holds up a stein and offers a toast while standing on top of a building that is draped with American and German flags.

comments and context

Comments and Context

The figure of Puck, symbol of the eponymous magazine, which was originally a German-language weekly, shows his true colors in this cover cartoon — the red, white, and blue,’ and Germany’s tricolor red, white, and black. Puck stands atop his New York City headquarters, the Puck Building, on the corner of Houston and Mulberry Streets. Prince Heinrich (Henry), grandson of England’s Queen Victoria and brother of the Kaiser Wilhelm II, visited America early in 1902 to congratulate the new president and to pick up his American-built yacht, the Meteor. His handsome good looks and engaging personality won the affection of many Americans as Prince Henry toured many American cities. The cartoonist of the Chicago Tribune drew a popular series, “Prince Henry’s Visit to America,” fanciful but clearly documenting the public’s adulation. The first major State Dinner of the Roosevelt administration was a lavish dinner in Prince Henry’s honor, and young Alice Roosevelt was asked to christen the Meteor — another hit with the public.

Prince Henry offers bouquets of flowers labeled “Visit of Prince Henry,” “Christening by Miss Roosevelt,” and “Yacht built in America,” to Columbia who is holding a paper that states “British Canal Concessions.” In the background, on the left, John Bull is watching from a small, rocky island.

comments and context

Comments and Context

In 1902, and especially growing from military and commercial lessons learned from the recent Spanish-American War, public sentiment grew in the United States to build a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The two likely routes through the years were considered to be through either Nicaragua or the Panama region of Colombia. As America drew closer to playing a role in an Isthmian canal, it purchased concessions granted by each of those countries to England and France. Britain expected some courtesies in return, but as Keppler’s cartoon shows, the nascent German Empire (embodied by Kaiser Wilhelm) worked hard to seduce the United States, evidenced by the labels of the bouquets. John Bull, symbol of Great Britain, stands on his tiny home base, jealous and suspicious. In short order it was the French, and her old construction companions, unable to duplicate their previous Suez Canal success, who turned over greater concessions and rights to the Americans.