Your TR Source

Security, International

Search by Date Range

Clear Filters

5 Results

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward Grey

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward Grey

Theodore Roosevelt has written several articles on the war in Europe in support of England’s position. He spoke plainly but with proper reserve and courtesy. Roosevelt opposes the position of the Wilson administration but publicly stating how he would have acted would do more harm than good. Most Americans are ignorant of foreign policy and do not understand the “impending military danger.” If Roosevelt were president, he would have taken a stand against the violation of Belgium’s neutrality no matter what course had to be followed. He believes the American people would have followed him. Roosevelt knows the Wilson administration would not support such a position.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-10-03

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Hugo Munsterberg

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Hugo Munsterberg

Theodore Roosevelt does not believe there can be a satisfactory peace until the wrongs against Belgium have been redressed. He thinks that most Germans acted out of an “honorable fear,” but a small portion, including many German leaders, have pursued an aggressive foreign policy regardless of the rights of other nations and international morality. Belgium has been ruined and Roosevelt wants them to receive reparations and a guarantee that the wrongs will not be repeated. He agrees that Russians are backwards but argues that liberal ideas are gaining ground and that a liberal Russia will prevent “Asiatic rule over Europe.” Roosevelt is not a pacifist and seeks peace by “putting international force behind an international desire to secure at least a reasonable approximation toward justice and fair play.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-10-03

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice

Theodore Roosevelt is glad that Cecil Spring Rice liked his article in The Outlook. If he had been president, Roosevelt would have called attention to the guarantee of Belgium’s neutrality and accepted the Hague treaties as imposing a serious obligation that must be enforced by the United States and other neutral nations. He would have backed up this statement with force and believes the American people would have followed him. However, as people tend to follow the president in a crisis, the majority are now with President Wilson. Roosevelt compares the situation to the negotiations to end the Russo-Japanese War, which required explicit assurances from both nations and months of negotiations, and the presidential election of 1864, where many who favored peace voted against Abraham Lincoln.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-10-03

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Rudyard Kipling

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Rudyard Kipling

Theodore Roosevelt encloses several articles he has written on the war in Europe which call for American military preparation and stress the nation’s duty to interfere on behalf of Belgium. He does not state the form of interference, as the American public would not support him. Roosevelt views the American public as short sighted with far too much confidence in their security across the Atlantic Ocean. He has a low opinion of President Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. Roosevelt has not seen first hand statements regarding the German outrages in Belgium and recommends that Great Britain launch an investigation among the Belgian refugees. Strong evidence is needed to reach world opinion.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-11-04

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919