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President Roosevelt has sent British Ambassador Bryce’s letter to Ambassador William Woodville Rockhill. He agrees that one of the benefits of the Atlantic Fleet’s voyage is getting in touch with Australia. Roosevelt echoes Bryce’s thoughts of the late Ambassador Herman Speck von Sternburg.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-07
President Roosevelt thanks Ambassador Reid for the interesting letter, especially for the insight on Newfoundland. He is interested in what Secretary of State of India John Morley says about India, and discusses the intricacies surrounding “the control of thickly peopled tropical regions by self-governing northern democracies.” Roosevelt hopes to speak with Morley after presenting the Romanes lecture at Oxford. He asks Reid to inquire of the British statesman, Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, about conditional hunting on the reserves. The Vermont elections went well.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-03
With delight, President Roosevelt shares with Senator Lodge the newspaper account of a riot in Brownfield, Texas, over the erection of a Roosevelt statue. He is glad for the invitation from George Nathaniel Curzon, the Chancellor of Oxford, to present the Romanes lecture on his return from Africa. It is an honor, and it gives him a legitimate reason for visiting England. The matter of renominating Governor Charles Evans Hughes grows worse, and Roosevelt worries about the impact it may have on William H. Taft’s election.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-18
President Roosevelt returns the Royal Natural History to Henry Fairfield Osborn, President of the American Museum of Natural History. He likes Osborn’s bookplate and will send his. George Nathaniel Curzon, Chancellor of Oxford, has invited Roosevelt to give the Romanes lecture, which he plans to give in the spring of 1910.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-08-17
President Roosevelt praises Secretary of State Root’s recent lectures at Yale University, calling them “lofty essays.” In an extended postscript, Roosevelt says he is enclosing a letter from Japanese Ambassador Kentarō Kaneko, saying he likes Kaneko, but also calls him a “fox.” Roosevelt says the Japanese have reason to be offended over the treatment of Japanese immigrants in San Francisco, and asks what other legal measures can be taken to protect them. On the other hand, Roosevelt says that these problems do not give Japan the excuse to be thinking of war with the United States. Roosevelt does not believe the Japanese will attack American positions in the Pacific or Alaska, but “there is enough uncertainty” for the United States to be on its guard for war.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-26
Ambassador to Great Britain Reid updates President Roosevelt on various matters, including poet Algernon Charles Swinburne and his “suppressed” poem, the Newfoundland modus vivendi, and happenings in Parliament. Reid also details how he “warded off…the offer of some brand-new territory and responsibilities” in Nicaragua.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-28
George Otto Trevelyan writes to President Roosevelt about Panama and the Philippines, drawing parallels with Macaulay’s histories and Ancient Rome. Trevelyan discusses the British diplomatic service and his latest work on the American Revolution. He also describes a recent visit from Charles Francis Adams and his wife, and he muses on what it is like to be old. Trevelyan writes of their shared love of English literature, mentioning Milton, Chaucer, and W. W. Jacobs.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-12
George Otto Trevelyan was delighted to hear about President Roosevelt’s victory in the presidential election, and comments about a letter he had previously received from Roosevelt that he values highly. Trevelyan believes the difference in government between the United States and England is that the former elects the ruler while the latter elects the party. Trevelyan envies Roosevelt for having John Morley as a guest, since he considers Morley and the late Henry Sidgwick to be “the most delightful company of our time.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-10
Nicolas Murray Butler will make inquiries about Marcus M. Marks to ensure that he is an appropriate person to recommend to the post President Roosevelt is considering him for. Butler regrets that he has been unable to visit Washington, D.C., and asks if Roosevelt will be able to visit him in New York when he comes to vote. The impending election is making him slightly nervous, even though he knows there is no reason to fear, and he sympathizes with the stress that it must place on Roosevelt’s wife, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-31
Theodore Roosevelt writes to his sister about his time in London. He describes the numerous invitations he has received to dine and hunt, and admits that he has turned down several invitations to spend time meeting with those in London’s intellectual circles, including John Morley and James Bryce.
1886-11-22
President Roosevelt tells Sir George Otto Trevelyan of his happiness regarding the recent 1904 presidential election, and remarks that he is glad people decided to support the positive message of the Republican Party, rather than the negativity of the Democratic Party. The president attributes his victory to the clear-cut message in his speeches and addresses as well as those canvassing for him. Roosevelt discusses the differences between the American president and other political leaders and believes the American president is more like the British prime minister than the French president. he additionally reflects on his intention not to run for a third term. Even without the convention of only two terms, the president believes it would be better for Secretary of War William H. Taft or Elihu Root to succeed him; they are similar in policy, but would have fresh thoughts and ways. Roosevelt concludes by discussing his recent reading. He praises a section from one of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches after his reelection and equates certain American political leaders to characters in Charles Dickens’s works.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-11-24
Theodore Roosevelt is glad Alfred Harmsworth Northcliffe liked his book. However, it is not an electioneering document. Indeed, he used it to “say every disagreeable truth.” He does not believe the Republicans intend to nominate him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1916-05-08
President Roosevelt is glad that Edward Morley and John Grey liked his speech praising British colonial rule in India. However, Roosevelt feels he only said what needed to be said, especially since there is currently “agitation” in India which “foolish” Americans take “mischievous pleasure” in.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-21
President Roosevelt sends word to Robert Harry Munro Ferguson that he will be leaving public office in “a rather stormy fashion,” being attacked by both houses of Congress and by the press. James Bryce has remarked that bringing libel cases against the biggest two offenders in newspapers will be a service to the American public. Bryce and John Morley suggested Roosevelt make a statement about the British in India, which he plans to do presently. Some of Roosevelt’s English friends sent him a rifle for use on his African safari.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-17
President Roosevelt tells Vice Chancellor T. Herbert Warren, of Oxford University, that whatever he decides shall be done, and that Oxford University’s press will publish his Romanes lecture in lecture form on both sides of the Atlantic. He understands that he will be able to publish his lecture later in a volume of essays, similar to John Morley’s recent volume. Roosevelt sends Warren a copy of his lecture to look over and keep for him until he arrives in England in 1910.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-30
President Roosevelt is planning to take Sydney Brooks’ advice in describing the British attitude in India in an upcoming speech. He liked Brooks’ article, and is pleased that he is going to write another one. Roosevelt appreciated Brooks’ praise of his achievements in office, but highlights what he believes are his greatest achievements while in the presidency, including increasing the size of the navy, the construction of the Panama Canal, the creation of forest reserves, and the involvement of the United States in international affairs to promote world peace. He encloses several volumes of his Presidential addresses and State papers.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-28
President Roosevelt sends Justice Moody a copy of John Morley’s book about Edmund Burke, and thinks he will enjoy the “most interesting and illuminating work.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-05-04
President Roosevelt admires how George Otto Trevelyan handled matters with Jamaica Governor James A. Swettenham. Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt gifted Roosevelt a volume of Rennell Rodd’s histography, with the Frankish occupation of Greece being of particular interest to him. While he admires the “American money-maker” that contributes to the betterment of all society, he cannot say the same of a wealthy man who has made that money with little to no moral compass.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-04-10
President Roosevelt agrees with Finley Peter Dunne about protesting against the “Anglo-Saxon alliance” theory because he believes Americans are “a new race, composed of many Old-World stocks.” While the president is not against friendliness to the English government, he is not going to ignore other European governments. Roosevelt declares himself a “strong home-ruler” and gives examples of a number of individuals who have hated their country of origin, noting it is impossible for him to champion every hatred. The president expresses his gratitude for the support he has received from young men, “Catholic by faith and of Irish descent,” and discusses a number of Irish and Catholic individuals he has put in government positions.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-03
President Roosevelt promises to do what he can for William R. Willcox, and asks Andrew Carnegie if he thought John Morley was delightful.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-02