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As part of the Second Hague Conference, the British Admiralty wants to discuss banning the use of mines in warfare. Barring that, they want their use significantly limited in both duration of use and geographical area.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-06
Joseph Hodges Choate writes that he had a long conversation with the United Kingdom’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Edward Grey. In preparation for the Second Hague Conference, Grey has shared some of his country’s beliefs going into the conference, namely that merchant vessels used to carry weapons or soldiers will be considered war vessels in a time of conflict, and will be treated as such. He wants to abolish the concept of contraband, or barring that make the list of items not considered contraband as large as possible. He wants the British delegates to work closely with the American delegates at the conference.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-05
British Foreign Secretary Grey informs President Roosevelt that Ambassador H. Mortimer Durand will be replaced, and while he understands Roosevelt’s desire to have Arthur Lee in his place, that is politically impossible. Temporarily, Esmé Howard will be sent to Washington as Councillor to the Embassy. Grey appreciated Roosevelt’s explanation of his telegram to German Emperor William after the Portsmouth Peace. Grey explains that his foreign policy is not anti-German, but to be independent he feels it necessary to strengthen the entente with France and come to an agreement with Russia. Grey believes that his generation has had enough of war, and the British people feel a special bond with the United States. Grey hopes the dispute between Canada and the United States over Newfoundland will soon be settled. He also adds that many in Great Britain are upset over reports of slavery and plunder in the Belgian Congo.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-04
Senator Estournelles de Constant of France thanks President Theodore Roosevelt for his letter which encouraged him “as the signal of a lighthouse above the fog.” Estournelles de Constant talks of the relationship between France and Germany and, in a postscript, reflects on the impact that the International Peace Conference at the Hague may have on arms limitation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-18
Estournelles de Constant, Paul-Henri-Benjamin Balluet, baron d', 1852-1924
Senator Estournelles de Constant of France finds a letter from President Roosevelt to be “like the signal of a light-house above the fog” when compared to his communications with most European governments. He eagerly anticipates his meeting with Roosevelt in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, next spring. Estournelles de Constant notes the challenges of getting Germany and France to reconcile and predicts “brilliant failure” for the next conference of The Hague if arms limitation cannot be agreed upon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-18
Estournelles de Constant, Paul-Henri-Benjamin Balluet, baron d', 1852-1924
United States Consul Dunning describes receiving a coded cablegram on September 13, 1906, that contained President Roosevelt’s speech for the Fifteenth Peace Conference to Assistant Secretary of State Bacon. After the opening of the Conference in Milan, Italy, Dunning read Roosevelt’s speech, which was received appropriately. The mayor of Milan asked Dunning to present his respects to Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-19
Ambassador Reid tells President Roosevelt about a recent meeting between William Jennings Bryan and King Edward VII, as well as the general attitude toward Bryan among Englishmen after a series of speeches he gave in London. Reid also mentions that he will be sending a report on a conversation he had with Sir Edward Grey about a notice sent to Russia of England’s desire to have “a reduction of armaments made a subject for the next Hague Conference.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-27
Brazil and Mexico have agreed to go on with the Rio Conference and are to hold the South Americans in insisting upon a delay of The Hague.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-06
Secretary of State Root writes to Ambassador White about upcoming international conferences, including a Hague conference, Red Cross convention, and an American conference at Rio. Root believes that the meeting at the Hague on such short notice is inexpedient and has a high probability of postponement.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-06
Uriah M. Rose writes to President Roosevelt regarding his appointment as a delegate for the upcoming Peace Conference at The Hague. Rose thanks Roosevelt for this honor and mentions that he will be available in the winter or spring for a conference in Washington, D.C., if necessary.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-02-05
Judge Trieber congratulates President Roosevelt on his appointment of Judge Rose to the Second Hague Peace Conference. Trieber also states that Roosevelt should receive the majority of the credit for encouraging the feeling within the South that they are truly part of the Union.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-01-22
Assistant Secretary of State Loomis writes to President Roosevelt to discuss the possibility of a second Hague Conference.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-15
Oscar S. Straus writes to President Roosevelt to discuss his opinion of Count Sergei Vitte, the Hague Conference, and naturalization issues between Hungary and Armenia.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-12
A. T. Mahan writes to President Roosevelt to discuss a newspaper clipping he had enclosed, which discussed the Hague Conference.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-09
Ambassador Sternburg asks President Roosevelt if he would talk to Ambassador Spring Rice. Spring Rice is convinced that there is a secret deal in place between Germany and Russia in advance of the Hague conference.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-05-25
The German government expresses its belief that a second Hague Peace Conference would not be entirely successful. They believe too many parties would be involved in the creation of a successful agenda in which agreements for treaties and arbitration of international disputes would be best negotiated. The German government prefers that the United States take the lead in setting an agenda, with the input from the other members of the conference, but acting as the primary leader.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-02-28
Serge Ricard studies the attitude of the United States government to arbitration and disarmament proposals put forward by the First and Second Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907. Ricard notes that the United States approved of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, but he stresses that the nation, especially under the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, did not pursue disarmament proposals. Ricard asserts that Roosevelt always favored preparedness over disarmament as the best means to avoid war, and he notes that the United States’ traditional policies of isolationism and non-interference in European affairs made it unlikely the country would embrace international bodies. Ricard notes that Secretary of State Elihu Root managed America’s participation in the Second Hague Peace Conference of 1907.
Six photographs and one illustration accompany the text.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2015
John A. Gable reviews two works in the “Book Reviews” section. Gable praises James B. Reckner’s history of the Great White Fleet and notes that the work favors the military and technological aspects of the cruise, and he emphasizes that the cruise served as an important test for the navy in many respects. Gable also favors Louis Auchincloss’s The Vanderbilt Era: Profiles of a Gilded Age which looks at how the fortune of the Vanderbilt family helped shape American art and architecture in a quest to create an “American Renaissance.”
Two photographs appear in the section: one of Reckner and one of the USS Theodore Roosevelt underway in the Mediterranean Sea with other ships of her battle group and planes from her air wing.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1989
John A. Gable explores the two Theodore Roosevelts, the mythic “Teddy Roosevelt” and the real Roosevelt. Gable says that there are three kinds of mythic Roosevelts: the Boy Scout, the American Mussolini, and the Teddy Brewster which represent the inspirational leader, the macho imperialist, and the cartoonish buffoon. Gable examines the real Roosevelt by looking at his many accomplishments as president in conservation and foreign affairs and by highlighting his intellectual life, especially his numerous books and essays. He argues that Roosevelt sought to achieve Jeffersonian goals of democracy through Hamiltonian means, and he asserts that both liberals and conservatives can find things to embrace in Roosevelt’s record.
A photograph of Gable with author Tom Wolfe and a photograph of P. James Roosevelt, Ruth Stafford Peale, Reverend Norman Vincent Peale, and Brigadier General Chuck Yeager at the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal Awards Dinner accompany the text.
This edition of “News and Notes,” seven pages in length, is divided into six sections. “TR Quasquicentennial Year Ends” covers events marking the 125th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth at venues in Indianapolis, Indiana, Oyster Bay and Buffalo, New York, Harvard University, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It notes that the final event of the celebration year was appropriately held at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City, and it highlights some of the lectures and interviews given by John A. Gable, Executive Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), during 1983. An illustration of both sides of the TRA medallion and a photograph from the 125 Anniversary Dinner in New York City supplement the section.
The “Annual Meeting of the TRA Board of Trustees” examines the financial health of the TRA and notes that there needs to be an increase of revenue for the Association. It also covers changes to the By-Laws of the TRA regarding membership categories and terms for members of the Board of Trustees. It closes by noting the governance of the TRA and listing its officers and members of the Executive Committee.
“Filming ‘The Indomitable Teddy Roosevelt'” discusses the production of this documentary film and highlights the narration provided by actor George C. Scott and the music of John Philip Sousa. It notes its fluid mixing of reenactments and archival film footage. A photograph of the Roosevelt family as portrayed by actors and descendants and one of Gable in a cameo role accompany the section.
In “TR and the Wall Street Journal,” Gable attacks an article written by Art Pine of the Journal about the history of debt collection from foreign nations because of its sometimes “misleading” and “false” statements about Roosevelt. Gable enlists the work of historians Barbara Tuchman and Frederick W. Marks to refute some of Pine’s reporting.
“New Classes of Membership and Dues Schedules” notes that the TRA will be creating new membership categories and raising the cost of membership dues for the first time since 1956. The notice lists the six new categories along with the cost of membership dues for each. A profile photograph of Roosevelt appears to the left of this notice.