Truthfulness and falsehood

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kuno Meyer

Theodore Roosevelt is distressed that Kuno Meyer misquoted him at a public meeting, especially since he was taking the quote from a private luncheon at Roosevelt’s home. Roosevelt was informed that at an Irish American meeting Kuno stated that Roosevelt believed Germany would win the war and favored this result. According to Roosevelt’s memory, Kuno related how he envisioned the war progressing and ending with German victory. Roosevelt responded that if Germany defeated Russia and Great Britain there would be a conflict with the United States within a few years.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-12-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elizabeth Towne

Theodore Roosevelt denies making a statement attributed to him by Prudence Stokes Brown and describes Brown’s assertions as a “preposterous falsehood.” Brown claimed that Roosevelt received a report revealing that “all of the work of the world” could be completed by able-bodied people without the need to employ the elderly or children.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-11-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin Spencer Edmonds

Theodore Roosevelt refutes statements made by James M. Beck regarding Roosevelt’s actions around the time of the Spanish-American War. He denies advocating the sending of the Atlantic fleet to intercept and destroy the Spanish fleet without a declaration of war. He recommended warning Spain that sending the fleet to the West Indies would be considered a declaration of war and that the United States would act accordingly. Roosevelt also denies saying that the Assistant Secretary of the Navy should be made the “general Admiral of the Navy” with precedence over all other admirals. He suggests Beck is attempting to deliberately spread falsehoods and gives Franklin Spencer Edmonds permission to show his letter to Beck or anyone else who heard Beck’s statements. Roosevelt does not believe it is necessary to publish his response to Beck.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-11-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Douglas William Freshfield

Theodore Roosevelt thanks Douglas William Freshfield for the clippings regarding Arnold Henry Savage Landor. Roosevelt understands how Landor can fool “ignorant outsiders” but finds Landor’s assertions to be reckless and obviously false. He compares Landor to the Tichborne claimant. Some of Roosevelt’s Brazilian companions were familiar with Landor and described him as “self-indulgent and rather lazy.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-11-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to H. M. Christ

Theodore Roosevelt makes it clear that no such statement was made from Mr. Edwards to Mr. Fleisher.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-11-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to J. Alden Loring

Theodore Roosevelt is unsure how to respond to J. Alden Loring’s book. He wants to make sure there is a clear distinction between fact and fiction and asks that Loring answer frankly about what he has sent.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1913-09-04

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to J. Alden Loring

Theodore Roosevelt urges J. Alden Loring to clearly state in the preface what is fact and what is fiction in his book.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1913-09-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James W. Howard.

Theodore Roosevelt writes that he remembers James W. Howard and his wife. Roosevelt denies the enclosed newspaper article as a falsehood with no foundation in facts. He denies ever receiving a letter and making a statement as he is alleged to have done.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-10-02

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George L. Peckham

Theodore Roosevelt disputes the accusations against Gifford Pinchot that George L. Peckham brought to his attention and promises to send Peckham the full truth about the situation in a few days.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-12-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Gifford Pinchot

Theodore Roosevelt encloses a letter and his reply. He requests that Gifford Pinchot provide the facts he has forgotten.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-12-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William A. Prendergast

Theodore Roosevelt informs William A. Prendergast that newspaper reports that Roosevelt antagonized Prendergast’s position on the municipal contests are false. Roosevelt agrees with Prendergast that Progressives must get the best men nominated for the New York municipal election. Roosevelt objects to a deal with Republican bosses.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-11-25

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John C. Shaffer

President Roosevelt praises the editorial sent to him by John C. Shaffer, publisher of the Chicago Evening Post. Roosevelt remarks that being his becoming a newspaper man in his new role at The Outlook does not guarantee him any mercy in telling the truth or not.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Watson Gilder

President Roosevelt writes Richard Watson Gilder a lengthy refutation of an article in the Evening Post in which William Garrott Brown misconstrues his actions in the Republican Party. Namely, Brown accuses Roosevelt of neglecting Republicans in the South and of doing a poor job of making nominations to local offices and positions. Roosevelt asserts that where the Republican party is not strong in the South, he has had to appoint Democrats who were quality men, rather than incapable men who are Republicans. Where he believes the party has a chance to compete with Democrats, he does all he can to support it. Roosevelt also writes that he did not use his influence on officers to get William H. Taft the nomination, but rather Taft was nominated because Roosevelt’s policies were popular, and Taft is the man who will continue those policies. Roosevelt believes that Brown is either ignorant or willfully ignorant of a number of facts.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ethan Allen Hitchcock

President Roosevelt encloses a statement that he dictated to William Loeb in the presence of Ethan Allen Hitchcock, former secretary of the interior, and W. Scott Smith. The statement outlines Roosevelt’s and Hitchcock’s recollections of what happened in connection with a controversy over the Indian Prairie Oil & Gas Company’s pipeline contract. Roosevelt is confident that the report which The Sun alleges outlines Roosevelt’s taking action against Hitchcock’s recommendations does not exist.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-16

Statement drawn up in the presence of ex-Secretary Hitchcock and W. Scott Smith, formerly his secretary

A statement issued by President Roosevelt refutes a false article in The Sun which states that he overruled then-Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock’s recommendations regarding pipeline permits for the Prairie Oil and Gas Company, to the benefit of the Standard Oil Company. Roosevelt asserts that this article is patently false, and that a so-called report detailing this incident is a falsehood. Rather, the permits were granted based on legislature, and Roosevelt believes that he has never ignored his Interior Secretaries’ recommendations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Graham Brooks

President Roosevelt outlines and refutes the falsehoods in Alfred Holt Stone’s Studies in the American Race Problem. He tells John Graham Brooks that he judges a work’s reliability by seeing what it says about a subject he is familiar with, and then deciding if he can trust it on things that he does not know as much about. He explains that Stone is spreading falsehoods about the so-called “referee” system in the Southern states, especially Mississippi. Roosevelt points out that the practice was common with presidents before him, and that it is necessary in areas where the Republican party does not have a strong enough presence to provide good appointees to positions. He also discusses his handling of the case of African American postmistress Minnie M. Geddings Cox, who was forced by an angry mob to resign her position and leave town.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-13

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lawrence F. Abbott

President Roosevelt assures Lawrence F. Abbott that he was not at all annoyed by the New York papers’ stories about The Outlook‘s alleged association with Standard Oil. Abbott’s father, Lyman Abbott, explained to Roosevelt last summer that James Stillman, who is associated with Standard Oil, had helped him purchase The Outlook from Henry Ward Beecher thirty years ago. He believes the story originated in The Sun, and expresses his distaste for William MacKay Laffan, that paper’s editor.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Dudley Foulke

President Roosevelt informs William Dudley Foulke that Lucius B. Swift does not believe that he should respond to falsehoods by Delavan Smith. Roosevelt agrees and notes that Smith knew that he was lying about the Panama controversy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Rufus E. Foster

President Roosevelt will use United States Attorney Foster’s “first rate” letter if necessary. He believes that the New York Sun knew that it was lying and will not pay any heed to Foster’s having exposed the lie. Roosevelt doubts if it is worth going into the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-30

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Dudley Foulke

While President Roosevelt agrees with William Dudley Foulke that Delavan Smith of the Indianapolis News is bad, the publishers of the New York Sun, New York World, and Evening Post are just as bad or worse. Certain newspapers publish so many lies about Roosevelt that if he were to respond to all of them, he would spend most of his time refuting lies. Roosevelt outlines several lies that have been printed about him in various papers, and invites Foulke to visit and look over the papers that prove them false. Roosevelt would like to speak with Foulke and Lucius B. Swift about whether or not he should respond to Smith and other publishers like him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-30