United States. Navy. Atlantic Fleet. Battleship Force

Letter from Robert Halsey Patchin to Theodore Roosevelt

Robert Halsey Patchin informs President Roosevelt of the financial loss and embarrassment he would incur if he is not permitted to accompany the Great White Fleet. He tells the president he changed his living arrangements, severed several business connections, and purchased an outfit fitting on a cruise in the tropics after receiving an official letter from Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans and felt free to make these changes because the notification was official.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-09

Creator(s)

Patchin, Robert Halsey, 1881-1955

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to A. T. Mahan

President Roosevelt writes that unless Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich produces evidence, there is no need for Admiral A. T. Mahan to act. Multiple accounts have validated Admiral Charles S. Sperry’s statements, and Goodrich has been against the voyage of the Great White Fleet from the start.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Sowden Sims

President Roosevelt thanks Commander Sims for the letter, and he was glad to hear news about the Great White Fleet.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Andrew T. Long

President Roosevelt and Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt appreciated Lieutenant Commander Long’s letters and the Sidney Telegraph clipping. Roosevelt is pleased to know of the sympathies of the Australians and the update on the fleet. When Long returns Roosevelt will see if he can secure him shore duty.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Bryce

President Roosevelt has sent British Ambassador Bryce’s letter to Ambassador William Woodville Rockhill. He agrees that one of the benefits of the Atlantic Fleet’s voyage is getting in touch with Australia. Roosevelt echoes Bryce’s thoughts of the late Ambassador Herman Speck von Sternburg.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt requests that Ambassador Reid explain to Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes that his African trip is a scientific expedition to collect specimens for the National Museum, not “a game butchering trip.” However, if given the opportunity, Roosevelt may collect some trophies. The invitation from the chancellor of Oxford, George Nathaniel Curzon, to present the Romanes lecture gives Roosevelt a genuine reason to visit England on his return from Africa. He details his travel itinerary, plans for appropriate formal attire, and people to call upon. Roosevelt is interested in what the Japanese minister for foreign affairs Jutarō Komura says and includes his letter to Japanese ambassador Kogoro Takahira and the reply. Reid’s full statement on the incidents of the Olympics pleases Roosevelt, who believes intense international matches inevitably result in misunderstandings.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George B. Cortelyou

President Roosevelt asks Treasury Secretary Cortelyou to talk about an issue with Comptroller Lawrence O. Murray. He suggests paying for the trip out of funds for 1909. In a postscript, Roosevelt inquiries about Cortelyou’s opinion on the enclosed statement by Kingsbury Foster, the superintendent of the New York Assay Office, in connection with letters that Representative William S. Bennet will send.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to British Chargé d’affaires

President Roosevelt acknowledges the kind message from Governor-General of Australia William Humble Ward as received through the British Charge d’Affaires. He expresses America’s appreciation to Ward and the Australian people for hosting the Atlantic Fleet on “its voyage of peace.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Robley D. Evans

President Roosevelt is glad Rear Admiral Evans is writing on the navy. He praises Evans’s career as one of honor, and hopes his book will be widely read for, “it can not but tend in favor of a growing and lofty patriotism.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-17

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Telegram from Rudolph Forster to Truman Handy NewBerry

Rudolph Forster instructs Acting Secretary of the Navy Newberry to send a telegram on behalf of President Roosevelt to the prime minister and governor of New Zealand via Admiral Charles S. Sperry, expressing the “sincere regard” of the American people for the people of New Zealand.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-13

Creator(s)

Forster, Rudolph, 1872-1943

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles S. Sperry

President Roosevelt extends his regards to the prime minister and people of New Zealand, as well as congratulations to Admiral Sperry and the Great White Fleet.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Reuterdahl

President Roosevelt is interested in what Henry Reuterdahl has to say about the attitudes of the Sun, Herald, and Post towards the navy, and discusses his opinion on the stances of each paper. In a postscript, Roosevelt says he has received the painting of the Great White Fleet Reuterdahl has sent and is delighted with it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-08

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt tells Secretary of War Taft that he admires his willingness to sacrifice his own interests for a principle, but encourages him to avoid talking about delicate subjects where his words could be twisted. Roosevelt is glad that Taft understands the situation with another potential presidential candidate, Governor Charles Evans Hughes, remarking that he has a “distinct strength with the people.” The president believes that Taft will get the majority of the delegates in the West on the first roll and that the majority of people in New England are for Taft. Finally, Roosevelt notes that the New York papers are “almost insane” in regard to his actions, suggesting that Judas Iscariot and Benedict Arnold were “pretty good citizens by comparison.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-19

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to E. A. Hayes

President Roosevelt invites Representative Hayes to meet him in Washington, D.C., to go over the matter in Hayes’s letter. The president plans to take the ground that Hayes advocates regarding the Great White Fleet, observing that the Pacific Coast is as much America’s coastline as the Atlantic Coast is.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-19

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lawrence F. Abbott

President Roosevelt sends Lawrence F. Abbott several letters and telegrams about the Standard Oil Company case that are for his information only. He also answers Abbott’s questions about the Great White Fleet, emphasizing that the fleet must always stay together as a unit whether in Atlantic or Pacific waters.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to Victor Howard Metcalf

President Roosevelt asks that Lieutenant Commander Andrew T. Long be detailed as an Executive Officer in the Great White Fleet under Admiral Robley D. Evans if it does not do any injustice to someone currently holding the position. Roosevelt also suggests giving Commander Harry Herbert Hosley command of the New Hampshire when it is ready and Long could become Supervisor of the Harbor of New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Fletcher

President Roosevelt informs William H. Fletcher that he cannot interrupt the movement of the Great White Fleet and believes that it is unfortunate that the Jamestown Exposition and Fulton Memorial occurred in the same year. The president will see if he can send other vessels to the Fulton Memorial.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-11

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt and William Loeb both think Secretary of War Taft’s chances of being elected are improving. Removing Kentucky Collector of Internal Revenue Edward T. Franks is delicate, and Roosevelt will consult with Commissioner of Internal Revenue John G. Capers. Roosevelt will echo Taft’s statement on the Philippines. The financiers are now attacking the Great White Fleet’s trip to the Pacific. Roosevelt sends an enclosure exemplifying Lucius Nathan Littauer’s behavior, and he has heard there will be support for Governor Charles Evans Hughes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-05

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Albert Shaw

President Roosevelt asks Albert Shaw to reproduce a cartoon from Puck. As Roosevelt has no plans to hold another position in public office, the upset on Wall Street will have no lasting effect on him, but he comments on the related press coverage. The New York Sun has tried to disparage the Great White Fleet, but Roosevelt is certain Shaw understands that the fleet’s journey is necessary. Roosevelt asks Shaw to lunch with Mark Twain and Frank Nelson Doubleday on Friday the 13th.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-03

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt has forwarded Senator Lodge’s letter to Assistant Secretary of the Navy Truman Handy Newberry. Roosevelt thinks the USS Constitution should be at Annapolis rather than taken out of commission. The media campaign regarding the fleet’s trip to the Pacific will likely have no effect, as Roosevelt feels there is public support for the action. Senator Eugene Hale of the Committee on Naval Affairs has been trying to negatively influence Newberry, but Roosevelt has told Newberry to ignore the sentiments.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919