Panama--Panama Canal

Report from James Bronson Reynolds, Samuel B. Donnelly, and Henry Beach Needham to Theodore Roosevelt

James Bronson Reynolds, Samuel B. Donnelly, and Henry Beach Needham submit a supplemental report on conditions in the Panama Canal construction zone to President Roosevelt, because the matters are either too trivial to mention in the main report they submitted, or potentially too controversial. They make recommendations regarding the sale of alcohol, the provision of fresh vegetables for the hospitals, considerations for foreign workers in the employ of the United States Government, wage increases and worker supervision, administrative courts, and worker safety.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-06

Letter from James Bronson Reynolds to Rudolph Forster

James Bronson Reynolds informs Rudolph Forster that he has sent the report of the President’s Special Commission on Panama by registered mail. He is leaving on vacation soon, but any messages will be forwarded to him so that he can respond, albeit with a delay.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-08

Letter from Edgar Alexander Mearns to Theodore Roosevelt

Edgar Alexander Mearns agrees to Theodore Roosevelt’s publication stipulations on the Africa expedition. Roosevelt’s publications must come first. In order to complete early preparations for the trip, Mearns requests an official order from the War Department outlining his duties. Mearns suggests other members of the American Museum staff who might be good candidates for the expedition. Mearns also asks Roosevelt whether he should make plans for the “systematic treatment of natives outside of your own party.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-04

Estimate of appropriations to continue the construction of the Isthmian Canal

The Isthmian Canal Commission provides estimates for the appropriations required in order to continue construction of the Panama Canal for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908. These estimates are presented alongside the appropriations of the previous year.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-06-30

Letter from William H. Taft to Eugene Hale

Secretary of War Taft would prefer a provision that goods used in constructing the Panama Canal be transported in American ships unless the price would be exorbitant. He would alternatively like to buy two ships of American registry if they can be used to transport supplies to Panama, but only if they can buy at a price and circumstance that will make it a “fairly just” bargain. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge agrees, and Taft requests that Senator Hale add the provision.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-01

Letter from Charlemagne Tower to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Tower relays to President Roosevelt a private conversation he had with Emperor William II of Germany, who had recently heard reports of Japanese soldiers training and gathering in Mexico, Peru, and Chile. The Emperor believes that the Japanese are preparing to seize the Panama Canal if war is declared. Additionally, reports from Portugal suggest that the Japanese are preparing for war against the United States. He approves of Roosevelt’s decision to send the war fleet out because it has strengthened the position of the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-28

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

William Emlen Roosevelt does not think the fault is purely to be placed on the Panama Railway Company, as the officials in Panama have not been able to closely follow all correspondence to which he has been privy due to a large change in the heads of the company. Roosevelt believes that the root of the problem comes from an honest desire to make an all-American cable, making the American government obliged to the company. He also updates President Roosevelt on the difficulties in the banking field this winter. The depression has hurt business. While Roosevelt supports some regulation, he urges his cousin to impose more moderate fines on corporations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-29

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

Upon reading a memorandum from George W. Goethals, William Emlen Roosevelt updates President Roosevelt on issues that have arisen regarding telegraph cables to be set up along the Panama Canal. The heart of the problem is that although the company is setting the cable, it is at the request of the American government, which is not providing any support. Further, there have been arguments between the company and the government of Panama regarding jurisdiction in the construction of the poles and laying of the cable. The troubles largely come from officials in Panama.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-13

Letter from George W. Goethals to Theodore Roosevelt

George W. Goethals quotes a portion of the minutes from the Isthmian Canal Commission meeting resolving that the width of the locks be increased from 100 to 110 feet in accordance with any reasonable future requirements of the Navy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-11

Letter from Albert J. Beveridge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Beveridge sends President Roosevelt the latest word from Henry Riesenberg on the Panama canal.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-09

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop, Secretary to the Isthmian Canal Commission, asks President Roosevelt when he will issue the medals he had promised American employees the last time he had visited the Canal Zone, remarking that their work has noticeably improved since his visit. Bishop is shocked to hear of Charles T. Barney’s death by suicide following his forced resignation from the Knickerbocker Trust Company and considers it a “lesson of consequences of the craze for wealth.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-28

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop, secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission, recounts the Congressional Appropriations Committee’s visit to the Panama Canal Zone and offers several suggestions for how to improve government operations in the Canal Zone. The committee members are enthusiastic about the project and were highly impressed by the abilities and knowledge of George W. Goethals, Chief Engineer of the Isthmian Canal Commission, but were disappointed by Canal Zone Governor Joseph C. S. Blackburn’s abilities. Bishop candidly admits to feeling similarly about Blackburn and encourages President Roosevelt to send Goethals to speak before Congress on the proceedings of the Canal project instead. Bishop also discusses the General Counsel for the Canal Zone Richard R. Rogers, who had criticized the Commission’s operations in a way which demonstrated an intolerable ignorance of the situation and a disloyalty to President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-13

Letter from Charlemagne Tower to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Tower reports to President Roosevelt what he has heard about the situation between Japan and the United States in Germany. Tower describes a conversation he had with an unnamed, very important German official who could speak for the Germany Navy accurately, and whose opinion represents that of Emperor William II. The Japanese aspire to achieve supremacy in the Pacific Ocean, and are arming themselves accordingly. They are intent on taking the Philippines and the Sandwich Islands before the completion of the Panama Canal. Germany has also considered the matter of sending the Great White Fleet to the Pacific and feels it is the appropriate action.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-02

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission Bishop sends President Roosevelt a rough draft of talking points he can use in his message about the Panama Canal. Bishop also includes a detailed description of the canal’s progress, as well as his evaluation of some other members of the Commission.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-16

Memorandum from John Barrett to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War William H. Taft has been well-received on his trip to the West, which bodes well for his presidential candidacy. Barrett himself has been traveling and speaking about relations between the United States and Latin America. Roosevelt is very popular in the Midwest, and his endorsement will convince them to support Taft. Barrett asks if Roosevelt might incorporate a few words about Pan-American friendship and trade in his upcoming address to Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-21

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop reports to President Roosevelt on the status of the construction and workers at the Panama Canal. The social discontent following Chief Engineer John F. Stevens’s departure has primarily resolved, and Colonel George W. Goethals has proved himself a capable replacement. Bishop attended his first Isthmian Canal Commission meeting and finds its members “able and intelligent,” and “actively engaged.” At the current pace, excavation will be complete in five to six years, and construction of the dam and lock can commence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-18

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop updates President Roosevelt on his arrival to the Canal Zone. Colonel George W. Goethals, chief engineer and chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission, welcomed him and looked forward to Bishop’s aid. Bishop reports that the work is progressing “splendidly,” and it appears the dissatisfaction among the workers has been resolved. Excited by what he sees, Bishop thanks Roosevelt for sending him. He closes by describing his proposed semi-weekly newspaper for the “regular dissemination of accurate information about the canal.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-13

Letter from John P. Merrell to Victor Howard Metcalf

Admiral Merrell informs Secretary of the Navy Metcalf that President Roosevelt has misunderstood several points recently made by the General Board, and attempts to clarify its statements.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-15

Letter from Joseph Bucklin Bishop to Theodore Roosevelt

Joseph Bucklin Bishop reports on the general feeling of the people he has recently met regarding a third term for President Roosevelt. In Falmouth, Massachusetts, there are many men of wealth touring the country, and they all support Roosevelt unequivocally. One Boston merchant said Roosevelt must run for another term because the people will have no one else, and that no one knows or cares about William H. Taft. A “retired Chicago millionaire” has been trying to convince his peers that Roosevelt stands “between them and destruction.” Bishop says that no president since George Washington has had such faith from the people. Bishop bids farewell to Roosevelt, as he is leaving soon for Panama, and tells the president not to forget him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-28

Letter from Mike Donovan to Theodore Roosevelt

Mike Donovan apologizes to President Roosevelt for his son, Harry A. O’Donovan, writing to Roosevelt about receiving a position on the Isthmian Canal Commission. Donovan hopes that Roosevelt has a restful summer.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-12