Sudan

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to F. R. Wingate

President Roosevelt thanks British Governor General of the Sudan Wingate for providing a boat in Gondokoro and offering assistance with guides and camp set up. He details his feelings regarding hunting in the reserves, and inquires about finding elephant, white rhinoceros, and giant eland. Roosevelt knows General George Wood Wingate and respects him as a soldier, and he is grateful that Lady Catherine Leslie Rundle Wingate will host Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and Ethel Roosevelt. S. J. Leigh Hunt has said that Reginald has accomplished a great deal in Sudan, which Roosevelt knows is a difficult feat.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt agrees with Ambassador Reid’s assessment of the interviewing being done by Edward VII, King of England. He thanks Reid for the introduction to Phillip H. Percival. After conferring with Edward North Buxton, Roosevelt has decided not to shoot in the reserves, and rescinds his request to Lord Eyre Crowe. Instead he asks only for permission regarding restricted species. The Sirdar of Egypt, F. R. Wingate, has written to Roosevelt about Sudan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-12

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt thanks Ambassador Reid for the interesting letter, especially for the insight on Newfoundland. He is interested in what Secretary of State of India John Morley says about India, and discusses the intricacies surrounding “the control of thickly peopled tropical regions by self-governing northern democracies.” Roosevelt hopes to speak with Morley after presenting the Romanes lecture at Oxford. He asks Reid to inquire of the British statesman, Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, about conditional hunting on the reserves. The Vermont elections went well.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-03

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt asks Edward North Buxton if his letter to Alfred E. Pease was clear on specific points relating to his Africa trip. He has been advised to hire an Englishman but would rather have a native guide. Roosevelt continues to gather supplies and equipment, agreeing that footwear is too important to consider the expense. He shares his travel plans and ideas with Buxton.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Letter from Edward North Buxton to Theodore Roosevelt

Edward North Buxton gives President Roosevelt advice about his upcoming safari, including where he should go and what he should bring. Buxton encourages Roosevelt to pay close attention to the time tables of T. Broadwood Johnson, a missionary in Uganda, as well as follow the advice of Johnson and Alfred E. Pease, who are familiar with the area.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

Theodore Roosevelt expresses to Frederick Courteney Selous his sympathy for the poor treatment Selous received during a scientific expedition, including health issues and bureaucratic obstacles. Roosevelt defends Selous’s integrity and scientific value, criticizes British officials for their lack of support, and reflects on his own African experiences. He praises Selous’s field observations and urges him to continue his contributions to natural history despite age and physical limitations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-11

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles R. Watson

Theodore Roosevelt thanks Charles R. Watson for his letter and the annual report from the Presbyterian Church of North America’s Board of Foreign Missions. He appreciated seeing the organization’s work on his travels through Egypt and Sudan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to F. R. Wingate

President Roosevelt will be happy to accept F. R. Wingate’s offer of a boat and guide to take him up the Nile River to Khartoum. He clarifies that he would like permission to shoot in officers’ game reserves only if there are animals there that he cannot get anywhere else. He is particularly interested in shooting elephants and a white rhinoceros, and discusses the timing of trips that may allow him to get them. Roosevelt is also excited to visit the Congo to see Wingate’s administrative accomplishments there.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt discusses whether to employ locals or Englishmen as safari guides on his upcoming trip. He has started engaging shikaris, and notes that he would rather not employ white guides unless absolutely necessary. Roosevelt has amended the list of supplies that Frederick Courteney Selous suggested he bring, cutting down on alcohol and luxuries. He discuses the itinerary and logistics of the trip, particularly in relation to ensuring that he is able to shoot good specimens for the Smithsonian Institute, which can easily be transported.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

After thinking it over, President Roosevelt tells Edward North Buxton that he has decided to take Frederick Courteney Selous’s suggestion and hire a white man to manage the caravan on his safari. Roosevelt is going on holiday and wants to devote his time and attention to hunting and natural history, rather than managing the party. Selous has recommended William C. Judd. He agrees with Buxton’s idea about taking several shorter hunting trips, and discusses where he would like to go.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt discusses various matters regarding provisions, hunting rifles, and ammunition for his upcoming African safari. He would like them to be sent to Mombasa and Alfred E. Pease’s ranch for him to pick up when he arrives. Roosevelt informs Edward North Buxton that he has decided to take Frederick Courteney Selous’s advice and hire a white man to manage his caravan; this will allow Roosevelt to focus on hunting and not on the logistics of the caravan. While Roosevelt and his son Kermit are staying with Pease, the manager and taxidermists and naturalists that are coming along can stay nearby. Roosevelt discusses the areas he would like to hunt and the animals that he hopes to shoot.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-12

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to F. R. Wingate

President Roosevelt sympathizes with the concerns that F. R. Wingate, Governor General of the Sudan, has about not getting the necessary money for developments. He is grateful for the work that Wingate and other Englishmen are doing to help him organize his safari. Roosevelt is desperate for a chance to shoot a white rhinoceros, and wants the same permissions that Winston Churchill did on his hunt. Although the first pair of white rhinoceros he shoots are promised to the Smithsonian Institution, Roosevelt wants Ambassador Whitelaw Reid to ask if the British Museum wants a second pair, should he be lucky enough to shoot one.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-27

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to F. R. Wingate

President Roosevelt informs F. R. Wingate of his plans to go on safari in the British territories in Africa. He lists the places he intends to visit and the animals he intends to shoot. Most of the specimens will be donated to the Smithsonian Institute, although Roosevelt and his son Kermit may keep a few trophies for themselves. Roosevelt assures Wingate that he intends to travel as a private citizen, and does not want the leaders of any of the territories making special arrangements for him. He adds that he is interested to see how Wingate and others have managed the British possessions in Africa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Wallace

President Roosevelt thanks Henry Wallace, pastor and editor of Wallaces’ Farmer, for his letter. Roosevelt says he will try to visit Presbyterian missionaries in Sudan if he can, and praises Wallace’s work.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to F. R. Wingate

President Roosevelt attempts to assuage F. R. Wingate’s embarrassment about previously addressing him by the wrong title, saying that “not one in ten” Americans know his proper title. Roosevelt is touched by the effort so many English people have made to help with preparations for his safari, both his friends and also various officials he is not acquainted with. He sympathizes with Wingate’s feeling about the lack of development in the Sudan, comparing it to American improvements in the Philippines, where ambitions were high, but a lack of funds disrupted the projects. Roosevelt will communicate with Wingate from Nairobi, and relates his plans for traveling and hunting. Roosevelt reflects that he “ought to feel melancholy over leaving the Presidency,” but the excitement of his upcoming safari dwarfs any such feelings.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-27

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Percy C. Madeira

President Roosevelt tells Percy C. Madeira that he has sent exactly the information Roosevelt needs for his upcoming African safari. Roosevelt will follow Madeira’s recommendations about books to read, getting maps of the region through American Embassies, short trips to get into shape, and boats for navigating the Nile.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-31

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry White

President Roosevelt’s friend, avid explorer Caspar Whitney, would like to join a French military caravan on a journey across the Sahara Desert. Roosevelt hopes Ambassador to France Henry White will be able to secure this for him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to the Earl of Cromer

President Roosevelt tells Lord Cromer that he looks forward to reading portions of the report, as he thinks Cromer is doing “as interesting a work as any one at this preset time in any part of the earth.” He does not know anything about the Sudan matter, but promises to take it up with Secretary of State Elihu Root. Roosevelt wishes he could see Cromer in the United States while he is still president. A handwritten postscript notifies Cromer that Major General Leonard Wood “handled the Moros in fine shape” in the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Pitcher

A.L. Butler, the English game officer of the Sudan, will be visiting Yellowstone and President Roosevelt requests that Pitcher “give him every proper facility for observing matters.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-08-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Bryce

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt has not regretted his position until now, as it makes it difficult to visit James Bryce. He has not seen his family in six weeks but cannot leave until Secretary of the Navy John Davis Long returns. Roosevelt wants to entertain Bryce at Sagamore Hill and discuss the foreign policy of the United States and England.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1897-09-10