Your TR Source
A collection of reprinted stories and editorials about Theodore Roosevelt’s successes during his presidency and political career, specifically diplomatic achievements. One editorial calls for Roosevelt’s nomination in the 1916 presidential election.
1916
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt lists several confidential problems regarding foreign matters for the Naval War College. Roosevelt asks what and how interventions will be employed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1897-05-26
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt apprises President McKinley of what ships are available to send to Hawaii, given Japan’s dispatch of their protected cruiser, Naniwa. He discusses each ship’s strengths, weaknesses, and firepower.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1897-04-22
Postcard with black and white image of three women portraying the proverb “see not, hear not, speak not.”
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, ” Several Japanese maids who are practicing secrets– they see not, hear not and speak not.”
Charles C. Myers Collection
Postcard with a black and white image of a Japanese woman bowing. Charles C. Myers notes that it is custom for women to bow during tea service.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “One day when in a department store in Tokyo to do some shopping, the proprietor come around and insisted that I go with him to his home for tea. He spoke excellent English and to be sure I was only delighted to go with him. His home was in a part of the same store and he took me into a large room which was tidy and clean but had no furniture except a small center table. Our seats were small pillows on the floor. He rang a small bell for an attendant and two beautiful Japanese maidens entered to room and he ordered tea for two. Presently teg little girls brought a cup of tea and a plate of assorted cakes and placed them on the floor before us. Each time the little maiden waited on us she seemed to think it quite essential that she bow vwer low before us in this manner. To say the least, the tea and cakes were most excellent and enjoyed in the same way, this being my first experience in taking tea in true Japanese fashion it seemed rather odd indeed.”
Charles C. Myers Collection
This postcard, issued by the Japanese Department of Communications in commemoration of the visit of the American Fleet, features a photograph of a battleship superimposed over an anchor and flowers, from which hangs a rope that is coiled into the words “American Fleet.” The back notes that these postcards were distributed pre-stamped to the sailors of the Great White Fleet.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “Here is one of the Souvenir Cards furnished by the Japanese Gov to the men of the U.S. Fleet. These cards were presented us already stamped so we could address them and mail as souvenirs from Japan to uor [sic] friends at home. This is a very artistic card, having the line from the anchor arranged in to letters of ‘American Fleet’.”
Charles C. Myers Collection
This pre-stamped postcard, issued by the Japanese Department of Communications in honor of the visit of the Great White Fleet to Japan, features a portrait of Rear Admiral Charles S. Sperry adorning a silver shield in front of an anchor – atop which perches an embossed golden eagle – and the crossed flags of the United States and Japan.
In Charles C. Myer’s own words, “Another form of souvenir card presented to us by the Japanese Gov. This card was also stamped and ready for mailing. this is a beautiful design with the American and Japanese Flags interwoven and the picture of Admiral Sperry who Commanded the Fleet at that time.”
Charles C. Myers Collection
This specially printed train ticket features the flags of the United States and Japan on its front and back, respectively, and contains photographs of the Tokyo Imperial Palace and Mount Fuji in its interior. The accompanying notice explains that the ticket allows the bearer to ride the Japanese Imperial Government Railway between Yokohama and Tokyo on the fourth day of the United States Fleet visit to Tokyo. An additional typed note explains that these tickets were given to the sailors of the Great White Fleet, and judges the souvenir ticket to be a good piece of art.
In Charles C. Myers’s own words, “On going ashore in Yokohama we were at once given the first souvenir of the visit and it a very beautiful one, the front representing the U.S. Flag with Japanese Greeting and to be used for a railway ticket, issued in honor of the visit of the American fleet to Japan in 1908. The back of the card represents the Japanese flag, while on the interior is beautiful views of Imperial Palace and Mt. Fugi. Accompanying this special ticket is a small printed slip of explanation.”
Charles C. Myers Collection
Charles C. Myers describes a series of thirty-one postcards illustrating his time as a sailor during the Great White Fleet’s journey through the China Sea and visit to Japan.
Charles C. Myers Collection
Unknown
Marquis Jutarō Komura, who served as a Japanese diplomat and Minister for Foreign Affairs, recently died. Several governments with which he worked, including Great Britain and the United States, sent messages through their ambassadors expressing condolences at the news of his death.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-11-27
While President Roosevelt regretted Japan’s rejection of the Hague as the location of peace negotiations between Japan and Russia, he has notified Russia that the location will be Washington, D.C. He advises Japan to not demand an answer from Russia regarding the negotiating powers of their plenipotentiaries, as Russia used the same language Roosevelt did which was already vetted by Japan. Even if Russia does not give its representatives full negotiating power, it would not give Japan grounds to refuse to meet.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-06-15
In a letter to George Otto Trevelyan, President Roosevelt expresses his consternation at having to spend so much time considering patronage jobs for political allies, and he marvels at President Abraham Lincoln’s ability to do so during the Civil War. Roosevelt also comments on the war between Russia and Japan, and he confides that he is frustrated by his inability to influence matters in either Russia or Turkey for embattled ethnic groups in each nation.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1905-05-13
The title of William N. Tilchin’s book review essay, “An outrage pure and simple,” neatly summarizes his view of James Bradley’s The Imperial Cruise. Tilchin offers not a single positive sentence about the work in the course of his essay, and he faults Bradley for the book’s many factual errors, its neglect of the cruise of the Great White Fleet, its repeated invocation of the term “Aryan” to describe leading Americans, and its use of Teddy to disparage Theodore Roosevelt. Tilchin points out Bradley’s distortion of Roosevelt’s diplomatic record, especially in regards to Japan, and he contends that Bradley’s work demonstrates a hatred for Americans and Christians.
Photographs of the Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and the Great White Fleet accompany the text.
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.
Carl Cavanagh Hodge examines Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas and policies regarding naval policy in the context of international relations and a naval arms race in the first decade of the twentieth century. Hodge emphasizes Roosevelt’s reading and use of the ideas of naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan, and he compares American naval plans with those of Great Britain and Germany. Hodge frames Roosevelt’s policies within the context of friendly relations with Great Britain, an increasingly assertive Germany, and the rising power of Japan, especially in the wake of the Russo-Japanese War. Hodge highlights the acquisition and construction of the Panama Canal and the voyage of the Great White Fleet as key parts of Roosevelt’s overall naval strategy. He notes Roosevelt’s embrace of the battleship as a means of engaging other nations’ fleets abroad, and he asserts that Roosevelt saw the fleet as an important symbol of American power.
Eight photographs, including those of Roosevelt and Mahan, and one illustration supplement the article. A text with the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association appears in the endnotes.
James R. Reckner recounts the voyage of the Great White Fleet from December 1907 to February 1909. Reckner looks at the many ports of call made by the flotilla, and he notes some of the entertainment, ceremonies, and honors accorded the fleet as it made its way around the globe. Reckner highlights a change of command necessitated by the poor health of Admiral Robley D. Evans, and he emphasizes the difficulties faced by the ships by a lack of adequate coal supplies at various points in the cruise. Reckner also describes how a part of the fleet came to the aid of Messina, Sicily in the aftermath of an earthquake, and he outlines how important the voyage was to the relationship between the United States and Japan.
The article includes twenty-seven images from the Great White Fleet collection of Bill Stewart, including twenty photographs, five souvenirs, and two postcards.
President Theodore Roosevelt gives his account of the voyage of the Great White Fleet in an excerpt from his autobiography. Roosevelt demonstrates that he was clearly in command of the operation as he writes that he made the choice of what nations to visit, and that he made the decision to send torpedo boats on the trip despite the reservation of naval commanders. Roosevelt emphasizes the reception given the fleet in Japan and Australia, and he notes that the fleet’s voyage, while meant to impress Japan and other nations, was primarily aimed at public opinion in the United States. The excerpt includes letters to and from commanders in the fleet, and it reprints Roosevelt’s address to one of the crews upon the fleet’s return to the United States.
The excerpt includes a photograph of the cover of Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography, a photograph of Roosevelt onboard one of the battleships, and the logo of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
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.
Genna Rollins provides a brief history of the Great White Fleet dispatched by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. Rollins notes the reasons behind the cruise, lists some of its port calls, and highlights the importance of the cruise to the United States’ relations with Japan. Rollins also gives notices about a number of events and museum exhibits planned to commemorate the sailing of the fleet, which includes a lecture and exhibits and programs at four museums, including one in Australia.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2007
Frederick W. Marks examines Theodore Roosevelt’s rules for conducting diplomacy, including maintaining a large, capable navy, using force as a last resort, and keeping one’s word. He compares Roosevelt’s conduct of foreign policy to several other presidents and demonstrates how some of them experienced setbacks when they failed to adhere to Roosevelt’s precepts. Marks argues that Roosevelt is deeply admired overseas and that it is only in the United States that he is subject to persistent caricature.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1981