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Secretary of State Hay informs President Roosevelt that he has received assurances from Russia that it does not seek exclusive mining rights in Manchuria. Hay is continuing his work on the Colombian treaty.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-07-12
Charles Richard Crane favors Russian expansion and interests in Manchuria. He believes development in Manchuria will benefit industry and commerce in the United States, especially on the Pacific Coast.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-05-27
Tingfang Wu objects to a bill passed by Congress that will extend Chinese exclusion to Hawaii and the Philippines, territories that were not administered by the United States when the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed in 1882. Wu claims that these islands have a long history of commercial and cultural exchange with China, and he would like President Roosevelt to consider this information before signing the bill. He argues that changes in these types of arrangements are not generally changed without negotiations between the nations in question.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-29
There is conflict over the region of Manchuria between Russia and China. The United States is not hostile toward Russia in this situation, arguing that the region would be no worse under Russia than it was under Chinese control. Charles Richard Crane and Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock (former ambassador to Russia) misunderstand American intentions, while Count Arthur Paul Nicholas Cassini is satisfied with the American position and wants American correspondence in the Russian-French understanding published.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-05-01
James A. Roosevelt is in London and is concerned about exams he will soon be taking at Bonn. He asks if President Roosevelt could arrange a spot for him on a U.S. ship that will be present at the naval review for the coronation (most likely for King Edward VII of the United Kingdom). After the exams, Roosevelt intends to make a trip around the world with stops in India, China, Hawaii, and other sites.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-05-04
Secretary of State Hay encloses a message from the Chinese minister presenting arguments against a recently passed bill that prohibits Chinese immigration to the United States.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-30
Hermann Speck von Sternburg writes from Simla in British India. Under Viceroy Curzon, India has had a prosperous year. Sternburg finds Curzon to be extravagant, but he is also an effective leader and is making a great deal of progress in India. Afghanistan is calm under Amir Habibullah Khan but Russian and French ambitions in India remain suspect. Discussions of China and trade and commerce also receive mention in this letter. Sternburg believes that India could become a strong industrial power, as it has iron ore and coal reserves, but no means to transport it. He discusses several different railroad projects in this very long letter, which also states his happiness that Ted Roosevelt’s health is improving.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-18
Senator Lodge encloses a telegram from Francis B. Forbes, who has experience in China and the Philippines. Lodge suggests they take Forbes’ opinion on the potential conflict with the Moros seriously. Lodge thinks that war with the Moros “should be avoided at all hazards,” especially in light of the recent insurrection in Luzon.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-19
“Universal testimony” supports Herbert G. Squiers’s exemplary conduct in the siege of the Legation Quarter during the Boxer rebellion. General Wood encloses a letter praising Squiers’s conduct “in case the President should desire any information on this matter.” Wood is interested in the matter because his sister-in-law was in the Legation Quarter during the siege.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-02
The ambassadors of France and Russia have submitted identical memorandums to the State Department. They agree with the principles outlined in the English-Japanese Convention drafted January 30, 1902, which maintains the independence of China and Korea while encouraging international commerce. The allied governments reserve the right to consult if the safety of their interests are threatened. Secretary of State Hay encloses a suggested reply.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-03-19
Edward James Livernash reports that the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has disposed of the Chinese Exclusion Bill by voting for a substitute bill. Livernash believes that their decision is “most unfortunate.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-03-25
Ambassador von Holleben sends his thanks for the memorandum regarding the open door policy in China, which has been forwarded to the German government. He enjoyed Prince Heinrich of Prussia’s visit to the United States and believes it will “bring about the best results” for Germany and the Unites States.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-03-14
John F. Moore has written a letter to Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, and would like Vice President Roosevelt to address and send the letter on his behalf. Moore threatens Nicholas II with a bombardment of St. Petersburg and invasion if Russian troops do note leave China and Poland. Moore had previously wrote to President McKinley offering advice on how to end the Boxer Rebellion in China. We are unsure of the order of the document’s pages.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901
Commissioner General Powderly is unsure how trade with China would be affected by closing the ports of entry along the Canadian border to “Chinese persons.” Many Chinese laborers travel to Vancouver, Canada, and then seek entry, including smuggling, into the United States. He doubts that trade would be affected any more then the Chinese exclusion laws affect trade.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-12-11
The Chinese minister has asked to speak with President Roosevelt about the difficulties the exempt classes of Chinese immigrants have experienced under the current laws.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-11-23
Charles S. Hamlin speaks on behalf of merchants and those in transportation along the border of the United States and Canada who are concerned about the recommendation of Commissioner Powderly to limit the border crossings of Chinese merchants. Such an act would be disastrous to New England merchants, especially for those involved in the cotton trade. Hamlin hopes that President Roosevelt will make no such radical recommendation to Congress.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-11-27
Secretary of State Hay describes the competing interests that are focused on the Prague appointment. He encourages President Roosevelt to do what he thinks best but cautions that any decision will have some negative consequences. Hay has received a report that Senator Beveridge made a poor impression in China and portrayed himself as a future president.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-10-11
Hermann Speck von Sternburg thanks Vice President Roosevelt for his interesting letter, and is glad to hear that Roosevelt’s family is doing so well. Sternburg believes that with regards to South America, the Monroe Doctrine was beneficial in helping create peace, and he wishes that some nation or group of nations would establish a similar doctrine over China. He suggests that Roosevelt propose a Roosevelt doctrine when his time comes “in a few years,” in conjunction with Japan in order to check other powers in China. Sternburg briefly comments on the continuation of the South African War, and the use of Indian troops in the British army, both in the South African war, as well as in any potential war in Europe. He remarks upon Gurkhas as being especially strong fighters, and discusses some of the situations in Nepal, Tibet, and Afghanistan, as well as an upcoming visit to the Maharajah of Jaipur. Sternburg also writes about the public reception of speeches by Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, and discusses his recent return to Berlin from Washington when his term as diplomat to the United States finished, with a suggestion that any sort of strong pressure aiming towards his return to the United States would likely be met with good results.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-09-01
Text of a speech delivered by Daniel Henry Chamberlain describing the Spanish-American War as “unmixed, pure evil” and in opposition to American colonial policy. At the same event, the annual dinner at Sanderson Academy, Charles Eliot Norton and Charles S. Hamlin spoke in support of Chamberlain’s point of view, while G. Stanley Hall expressed disapproval of the harsh terms that had been used to describe President McKinley.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-08-22
British Ambassador to the U.S. Julian Pauncefote encloses a dispatch highlighting the courageous conduct of Herbert G. Squiers and Reverend Francis D. Gamewell during the attack on the Legation quarter in Beijing during the Boxer rebellion and asks that the British Government’s appreciation be extended to them. Squiers was the Secretary of the U.S. Legation and Gamewell was the Methodist minister connected with the University of Peking.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1900-12-26