Lansdowne, Henry Charles Keith Petty-FitzMaurice, Marquess of, 1845-1927

Senator Lodge explains to Secretary of State Hay under what terms the Senate would and would not approve the canal in Panama to be built. He details the decisions that need to be made, most notably with ratifying or terminating the 1850 Clayton-Bulwer Treaty to allow the United States to completely control the canal. Lodge does not believe the treaty should continue to bind the country if the conditions it was signed under have changed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-03-28

In his review of Henry J. Hendrix’s Theodore Roosevelt’s Naval Diplomacy, William N. Tilchin examines each of the seven chapters of the book, highlighting both the issues where he disagrees with Hendrix and praising him for “a well-crafted narrative account” of diplomatic milestones in Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. Tilchin challenges Hendrix on the latter’s account of the Venezuelan crisis of 1902 – 1903, and he takes exception with one of the conclusion’s assertions, but he finds great value in Hendrix’s chapters on the Panama Canal, the Ion Perdicaris affair, the Treaty of Portsmouth, and Roosevelt’s transformation of the United States Navy. Tilchin’s review includes a number of references to prior works on Roosevelt’s diplomacy, highlighting the historiographical debates which have marked issues addressed by Hendrix. 

Three photographs of naval commanders under Roosevelt and two illustrations, including the book’s cover, supplement the text. An advertisement for chocolate bars from The Chocolate Lady of Oyster Bay, New York, appears at the end of the review.

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.

Lyle A. McGeoch examines the state of relations between the United States and Great Britain when Lord Lansdowne served as Britain’s foreign secretary from November 1900 to December 1905. He highlights the negotiations concerning the Hay-Pauncefote treaty, the settlement of a boundary dispute between Canada and the United States, and a crisis stemming from Venezuela’s debt to Great Britain and Germany. McGeogh also looks at how Lansdowne struggled with the appointment of an ambassador to the United States, his difficulty at times in dealing with the personal style of diplomacy employed by President Theodore Roosevelt, and Lansdowne’s recognition of growing American power in the first decade of the twentieth century.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1979

President Roosevelt skates in the shape of “statesmanship” while Uncle Sam, John Bull, and three British politicians look on: Joseph Chamberlain, Leader of the House of Lords Henry Charles Keith Petty-FitzMaurice Lansdowne, and Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour. Caption: (“If any other feeling is mingled with our admiration of the President’s clear thinking and straight-forward utterance of thought, it is a feeling of regret that these ideas have not animated all our own statesmen.”—London Post.)

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-25

Ambassador White discusses Sir Cecil Spring Rice’s plans to travel to the United States and the issues related to the trip. He also shares information and various updates with President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-13

The Times provides excerpts from several German newspapers about the furor surrounding a letter that German Emperor William II wrote to Lord Tweedmouth about the British Navy. The German papers place the blame, not on the letter, but on The Times for driving a hysterical response to the letter, and while the British Parliament has left the issue behind, the British press and public is still focusing on it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-11

Austrians believe that Parliament handled the recent letter between German Emperor William II and Lord Tweedmouth with “reserve and dignity.” The argument that the letter was essentially the same as a verbal discussion is not, however, accepted, as such an in-person meeting would be highly unlikely to happen under the circumstances that the letter was written. Many newspapers in Austria hold different opinions on the way The Times reported on the situation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

Both houses of Parliament have rebuked The Times for inciting a furor over the recent exchange of letters between Baron Tweedmouth and German Emperor William II. Opposing political parties united in their disapproval of the way that the newspaper treated the incident, and prominent politicians have expressed their satisfaction with how Tweedmouth handled the situation. Former Prime Minister Archibald Philip Primrose, Earl of Rosebery, stated that the treatment of the issue in the press has made Great Britain the laughingstock of Europe, and more broadly denounced anti-German sentiment and yellow journalism.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

The Daily News proclaims that the incident of German Emperor William II’s letter to Baron Tweedmouth can be considered as closed, as Tweedmouth has addressed the House of Lords and presented the facts of the case. After receiving the letter from William II, Tweedmouth conferred with Edward Grey, who agreed that the letter should be treated as a private letter, and not an official one. After learning of the letter, however, The Times blew the issue out of proportion and drove public outcry, and the Daily News speculates on what would have driven this sort of irresponsible journalism.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

The Daily Telegraph feels that the sooner the recent business regarding the letter from German Emperor William II to Baron Tweedmouth is forgotten, the better. The letter has been stated to have been personal and private, and will therefore not be published, despite requests for the contrary from some parties. Nevertheless, there is a general feeling that such communication from foreign sovereigns should not be a normal occurrence, as people in positions of power are not able to separate their private lives from their political ones, much as they may wish to do so.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

Edward Marjoribanks, Baron Tweedmouth, Henry Charles Keith Petty-FitzMaurice, Marquess of Lansdowne, and Archibald Philip Primose, Earl of Rosebery recently gave speeches on the letters exchanged between Tweedmouth and German Emperor William II. Lansdowne feels that Tweedmouth has broadly handled the events well, although there are broader questions about whether these extra-official communications are proper. Rosebery worries about Great Britain becoming a laughingstock in the international community due to the handling of the subject by the press.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

The explanation from Edward Marjoribanks, Baron Tweedmouth, regarding the letters sent between him and German Emperor William II have not contradicted any of the statements by The Times or added to the explanation Acting Prime Minister H. H. Asquith gave to Parliament. Given the tone of the comments by several politicians, The Times comes to the conclusion that many people think that these sorts of letters should remain entirely private, and that any mention of international relations and naval policy should be done through official channels and not personal letters. While the letters have been treated as personal communication by many people, there is no doubt that William II wanted to influence thinking about British naval policy with them. The Times calls for the publication of the letters, as proof that they did not discuss policy would quiet public anxiety about the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

Theodore Roosevelt discusses the duties of the United States within this hemisphere. He also justifies the building of the Panama Canal, as well as highlighting problems with the Republic of Venezuela.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-04-02

Secretary of State Hay recounts the difficulties associated with the ongoing Alaska boundary dispute.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-07-17

Whitelaw Reid writes to President Roosevelt to discuss Roosevelt’s correspondence with the Japanese, Russian, and British governments during the peace negotiations. Reid commends Roosevelt and asks permission to share the correspondence with Lord Lansdowne and King Edward.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-18

President Roosevelt is opposed to arbitration in the Alaska boundary dispute but is willing to appoint three commissioners to meet with commissioners from Canada and Great Britain. However, Roosevelt believes that the Canadian claim is “wholly false” and he does not want to yield on American claims. Secretary of War Elihu Root has been secretly strengthening the garrisons near the disputed territory.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-07-16

President Roosevelt believes that Ambassador Reid should avoid speaking with King Edward VII in any official way, and instead the United States should officially communicate with the Prime Minister or Foreign Office. He laments the poor relations between Germany and England, and urges Reid to bring about better relations between the two if it is possible.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-19

President Roosevelt tells Ambassador Reid that he agrees with Robert Harry Munro Ferguson’s recommendation about how to communicate about the treaty between Japan and England. He also discusses the background of the situation currently going on regarding ownership of the Hankow railway in China. At China’s insistence, J. Pierpont Morgan and other American financiers are willing to accept a concession payment and give up their stake in the railway, although Roosevelt told them that the American government was willing to back up their rights to the contract they had signed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-16

President Roosevelt asks that Cecil Spring Rice give his regards to Lord Henry Charles Keith Petty-FitzMaurice Lansdowne. Roosevelt writes at length about the current state of international affairs and of relationships between different nations. He feels that it is not in Japan’s interest to extend the Russo-Japanese War for another year and explains his actions in pressing for peace negotiations between the two powers. Roosevelt also discusses his efforts urging the United States to interpret the Monroe Doctrine in an active way and remarks upon the recent death of Secretary of State John Hay.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-07-24