Your TR Source
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
President Roosevelt would like Secretary of the Navy Bonaparte to call the attention of anyone who has “made a special study of gunnery” to the enclosed article. The article, from Russian sources, gives an account of the battle of the Sea of Japan which suggests that the main cause of Russian defeat was Japan’s superiority in secondary battery fire.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-20
Admiral George Albert Converse reports to President Roosevelt the decision of the Navy General Board on the subject of big guns. While the General Board finds most compelling the arguments written by Captain A. T. Mahan, it also notes several advances in weaponry that mitigate Mahan’s recommendations.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-16
Lieutenant-Commander Sims addresses recent conclusions A. T. Mahan drew in an article on the battle of the Sea of Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. Sims contends that while Mahan’s conclusions may have been correct given the facts he was working from, the facts were inaccurate. Addressing each argument, Sims refutes Mahan’s arguments prioritizing gun-power over speed, asserting that all-big-gun ships are mistakes, and saying that the size of ships should not greatly increase. Sims illustrates how the converse of each of these would lead to a stronger, more modern navy.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-27
John Callan O’Laughlin reports to President Roosevelt on gossip he has heard from the peace conference between Russia and Japan following the Russo-Japanese war, including a list of rumored Japanese demands. O’Laughlin notes likely points of contention, but expresses his optimism that peace will be achieved. O’Laughlin also includes the key to a cipher for encrypted dispatches he may send in the event things “break up.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-08-08
Ambassador Griscom promises President Roosevelt that Griscom and his wife will welcome Alice Roosevelt in Tokyo. In response to a request by Roosevelt for information as to a specific cause of destruction in Russian battleships, Griscom encloses exclusive photographs of the Russian battleship, “Orel,” given to him by the Vice Minister of the Japanese Navy showing damage done by Japanese gunfire.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-07-07
This note summarizes a telegram received from Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Komura relating the results of the Battle of Tsushima. Many Russian ships were sunk, while all the Japanese battleships and cruisers are still in action. The note also directs Japanese Ambassador Takahira to inform President Roosevelt of the report, but to keep the information secret until the publication of the official report.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-05-29