Your TR Source
As Ambassador Joaquim Nabuco of Brazil said in his letter, now the harbor in Brazil will contain a fleet that is worthy of it. President Roosevelt is glad for Nabuco’s consideration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-12
President Roosevelt invites Representative Hayes to meet him in Washington, D.C., to go over the matter in Hayes’s letter. The president plans to take the ground that Hayes advocates regarding the Great White Fleet, observing that the Pacific Coast is as much America’s coastline as the Atlantic Coast is.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-19
President Roosevelt discusses several topics with Secretary of State Root. Roosevelt had intended to appoint William Penn Duvall to Quartermaster General, but Secretary of War William H. Taft strongly recommended James Buchanan Aleshire instead. Roosevelt has called upon Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte to investigate the difficulties of Japanese immigrants in San Francisco. Roosevelt has been hearing “howls” over an agreement with Germany. Roosevelt feels Andrew Carnegie’s New York peace conference has weakened the United States’ chances at the International Peace Conference at the Hague, and so has not been following developments there.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-02
President Roosevelt received James B. Connolly’s letter but is unsure what naval review he refers to. The main review connected to the Jamestown Exposition is tomorrow, but it is too late for Roosevelt to arrange Connolly’s attendance. However, if possible, he will try to help Connolly with his studies of the enlisted navy men.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-04-25
President Roosevelt enjoyed his visit with Viscount James Bryce and reminisces about when Bryce stayed at the White House several years prior. Roosevelt believes the question of disarmament is “full of difficulties” and wants to avoid raising “high anticipation as will ensure disappointment” with the upcoming National Arbitration and Peace Congress. He wasn’t impressed with Jamaica Governor James Alexander Swettenham’s message and compares his dealings with him to that of Henry Wolcott Bowen, former Ambassador of Venezuela. Roosevelt is pleased that the Santo Domingo treaty was ratified by Congress and is overall satisfied with the number of other legislative measures he managed to pass.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-28
President Roosevelt was impressed with what John St. Loe Strachey had to say about Berlin and Paris and discusses his thoughts on the war scare between England and Germany two years prior. He tells Strachey that there are those who object to “keeping up the Navy” while also persuading him to come to terms with Japan, which he sees as “inviting trouble” and refusing to prepare if conflict with Japan became a reality. Roosevelt believes that the United States will have to adopt a similar policy on Japanese immigration as Australia but is confused as to why a country with a much smaller population and birth-rate adopted such a policy so soon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-22
President Roosevelt thanks Judge Dayton for the “first-class letter” and has sent it to Secretary of War William H. Taft. He is certain Dayton would have been proud of the fleet.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-15
President Roosevelt thanks Prince Louis Mountbatten for the “remarkable” copies of the medals sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He comments on his efforts to have Saint-Gaudens’s newly designed gold coins adopted. Roosevelt wishes Mountbatten could have attended the recent naval review. Although “not much of a fleet” compared to the British Royal Navy, every ship is modern and efficient.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-14
President Roosevelt concedes to Secretary of the Navy Bonaparte to continue the trial. He is primarily concerned that proceeding on anything less than ample grounds may result in captains becoming “timid” in managing their ships. In a postscript, Roosevelt agrees to appoint Rear Admiral Eustace Barron Rogers as Paymaster General. Additionally, he declares the men turned down due to “defective hearing” cannot be accepted to the Naval Academy.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-08
President Roosevelt doubts he would replace Charles Holland Duell with a New Yorker. He chastises former Secretary of the Navy Paul Morton for not informing him of his attendance at the naval review. “With absolute exactness,” Roosevelt commends Morton for his service as secretary.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-05
President Roosevelt is concerned that Maurice Francis Egan has been sick and reminds him of the humorous “pope” story. The naval review was “corking.” Among the unofficial guests were journalist Finley Peter Dunne and author James B. Connolly.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-05
President Roosevelt received Commissioner of Corporations Garfield’s letter and will first send the report to Attorney General William H. Moody. In a post-script, Roosevelt states he does not want to be involved in the matter regarding Representative Theodore E. Burton. Roosevelt commends Secretary of War William H. Taft’s “bully speech,” believing it demonstrates possession of “all the qualities of a great national leader.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-05
President Roosevelt thanks Frederick W. Whitridge for the grouse. The naval review “was a mighty good sight for American eyes.” He is interested in Whitridge’s comments on the attitude of Germans in Brazil towards Germany.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
President Roosevelt is sorry, but not surprised, Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt did not find any bears given the weather. The naval review “was really a great sight,” especially for Archibald “Archie” B. Roosevelt, who is devoted to the water and the navy. Roosevelt wishes he was out in the wilderness.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
President Roosevelt thanks Secretary of State Root for the humorous translation of a Spanish newspaper. He provides updates on the successful naval review, recent state elections, and the boiling pot of New York politics. Roosevelt finds that William Jennings Bryan’s eagerness for popularity causes him to commit “to preposterous positions,” as revealed by his recent speech.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
President Roosevelt was glad to hear Ambassador Reid’s news that the British Government is likely to take the same stance as the United States at the Hague Conference. Referencing a letter he received from Andrew Carnegie, Roosevelt remarks that he does not want the Liberal Government “to go to any maudlin extremes at the Hague Conference,” and that while it is good to minimize the chance of war, nations should not put themselves at a disadvantage compared to militaristic nations. Roosevelt comments on several United States politicians, particularly John Sharp Williams, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-07
President Roosevelt tells Lieutenant-Commander Sims that “now and then I feel a little cast down and gloomy about things,” and that receiving letters likes Sims’s does him good. He commends Sims on the progress that has been made in naval accuracy, and says that he does not worry about potential foreign trouble so long as the Navy is well maintained. He was interested in Sims’s comparison of the work the United States Navy is doing with that done by Great Britain, and asks if Sims knows about similar work by Germany or Japan. Roosevelt would like to see an example of the naval target practice at an upcoming review of the fleet.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-07
President Roosevelt is interested in the clipping Charles F. Stokes mentioned and is surprised Collier’s Weekly employed “such a fakir” as Louis Livingston Seaman. The naval review was successful. He sends his regards to Stokes’s family.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-04
President Roosevelt will read the book “slowly and painfully, but with genuine interest.” He is particularly interest in the account of the battle of Lissa. Like James Jeffrey Roche, Roosevelt was disappointed with A. T. Mahan’s book about the War of 1812. Roosevelt was glad to get Roche’s letter. He also notes that he is ashamed of the statements of Senator Eugene Hale, especially in light of the fact that he is a Republican party leader and chairman of the Naval Committee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-07
President Roosevelt has written to Secretary of the Navy Charles J. Bonaparte saying that he hopes that he can do what Senator Platt wants regarding “young Lang.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-02-26