Your TR Source
General Chaffee sent this memorandum detailing the positions of the Japanese troops at Port Arthur to President Roosevelt. The information was given by the Imperial Headquarters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-01
There has been a considerable amount of activity in the past week near the railroad in Manchuria, and the Russians seem to be falling back rapidly. The key to the Russian position is Kirin, and the Japanese appear to be moving on it from the east, southeast, and south. Japan can now move her forces and supplies by sea with complete safety.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-06-23
The Office of Naval Intelligence reports on the status of armed forces in Manchuria and warships in the Sea of Japan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-06-16
No change in the positions of the Russian and Japanese armies were noted this week. It is rumored that Japan has occupied a strategic point eighty miles east of Kirin. The defeat of Admiral Zinoviĭ Petrovich Rozhestvenskiĭ in the Sea of Japan leaves the Japanese a more direct route through which to deliver troops and supplies to armies in the field.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-06-09
Russian troops bombarded the Japanese at Sandiapu, but neither took an advantage in the conflict and Japanese forces have been reinforced. Vice Admiral Rojestvensky’s fleet is believed to be near Madagascar, and the Japanese Navy is patrolling the South China Sea.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-02-03
A battle between the Russian and Japanese forces is reportedly taking place. While weather conditions prevented troop movement, both sides have been strengthening their lines. Japanese naval activity is ongoing near Java and Sumatra.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01-27
The Office of Naval Intelligence reports that there has been no change in position along the Sha River since last week. The first reported military operation on the west side of the Liao River was a Russian raid by Cossacks accompanied by mounted infantry and eight guns. It is not clear whether the troops passed though neutral Chinese territory.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01-20
Japanese troops are succeeding in their siege of Port Arthur.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-09
Mr. Wheaton is being approached by agents of Great Britain and Japan about his “war plan.” George D. Ayers would like President Roosevelt informed of the situation as only Roosevelt should know the secret in full.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-06
General Chaffee sends a map and memorandum detailing the Japanese position at Port Arthur.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-01
The naval attache at Tokyo, Charles Carlton Marsh, wires of an unsuccessful attack on Port Arthur. The battle continues.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-29
The Office of Naval Intelligence reports that there has been no change along the Sha River. Russian naval divisions are en route. It is reported that five Holland submarines arrived in Yokohama.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-25
The Office of Naval Intelligence details Japanese troop size and deployment. The Japanese are building railroads. Russian naval squadrons are sailing to ports in Africa.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-18
President Roosevelt shares Captain Henry L. Leonard’s report on the Chinese army with German Ambassador Sternburg.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-27
President Roosevelt encloses a memorandum from Major House regarding an effort to gather information on the coasts of the Caribbean Sea. General Wood suggests that the best way to gather such information is to send a few officers in civilian dress on a private yacht.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-03-15
With an eye towards beginning work on the Isthmian Canal, President Roosevelt suggests that the military map and gather information on the coasts of South America that would be of particular interest “in the event of any struggle in the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-03-14
Leonard Wood updates President Roosevelt on the geopolitical situation in the Philippines, largely in regard to Japan. In the Philippines, there is a marked concern that Japan is preparing for war. They have scouts on the island and are trying to drum up pro-Japan sentiment. The British, who are allied with Japan, are becoming increasingly uneasy. Wood believes it is imperative that the American fleet stay entirely in Manila until more defenses can be set up. He details the defenses and supplies that should be brought in. Controlling Japan now means securing white influence in Asia and the surrounding waters. Wood also discusses the training, promotion, and management of troops.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-30
This memorandum describes the types of armored vessels being built for the countries of Italy, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, with details including the location of construction, name, type and displacements of the ships, and current condition of the ships. One ship being constructed in Italy is reported to be for Japan. A number of smaller ships are being built for Brazil in England. Argentina and Chile have no ships under construction.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-29
German Ambassador Sternburg shares information gathered by a German military attaché in Japan with President Roosevelt. Japan has been improving her army and navy in order to defend recent gains in war against Russia and maintain her possessions on the mainland, rather than in preparation for renewed aggression in the short term. The attaché suggests, however, that Japan expects another war with Russia in the next five to ten years. This informant maintains that Japan could not conduct aggressive actions in the near future without substantial “sacrifice of blood and money.” A war with the United States would mean the loss of important trade. If Japan had wanted to go to war over the treatment of Japanese immigrants in the United States, she would have aroused public sentiment to that end in the press, but has not done so. That said, it would be a mistake to believe the Japanese have not been deeply offended by events in California, and could turn public opinion to war in the coming years. The informant concludes that while Japan is not on an immediate footing for war with the United States, it is a concern for the future.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-29
German Ambassador Sternburg tells President Roosevelt that if his own representatives in Mexico had not told him of a recent wave of Japanese immigrants there, he would not have given the matter any attention, calling the idea of a Japanese reserve of men stationed to attack the United States “quixotic.” A German naval attaché in Tokyo says Japan is not considering another war in the near future. Sternburg includes a lengthy excerpt from a letter from German diplomat Friedrich von Holstein, who says that British diplomacy, led by King Edward VII, is geared toward using Japan as a “bogey,” stoking anxiety in Russia and the United States about the possibility of Japan initiating hostilities. Sternburg mentions a recent newspaper article that says Germany is actually spreading anti-Japanese feeling, which he finds amusing. Sternburg praises the Great White Fleet’s trip to the Pacific, and notes that many former soldiers emigrate from their home countries, “war seems to create a restless spirit among the fighters.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-19