United States. Navy Department

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Daniel M. Goodridge

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt explains to Daniel M. Goodridge that clerkship positions in the Navy Department are under the classified service and require taking the civil service exam to be considered eligible. His name would then be listed according to his examination score and would be considered based on vacancies and state appointment quotas. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1897-04-19

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James R. Branch

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt informs James R. Branch he will let him know an answer soon. Roosevelt believes the Navy Department will be able to help.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1897-08-10

Letter from Holmes E. Offley to Frank Harper

Holmes E. Offley hopes Frank Harper can get him a letter from Theodore Roosevelt to aid him in his efforts to get Congress to recognize his service in the Navy and the Navy Department from 1861 to 1876. He has testimonials from other prominent men.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-11-04

Letter from Ralph W. Tyler to Frank Harper

Ralph W. Tyler updates Frank Harper on the case of W. B. Joerger, a deceased Navy seaman. His mother was not paid six months gratuity because he did not die in the line of duty. However, a small balance of his pay was due to her, which will be paid as soon as she returns the blank form that was just sent to her.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-07-11

Letter from Cameron McRae Winslow to Theodore Roosevelt

Captain Cameron McRae Winslow never believed that Theodore Roosevelt had taken action regarding his “difficulty” with Admiral Conway H. Arnold. He believes the difficulty stems from unfit men being promoted to the rank. He does not think men who are “addicted to the intemperate use of alcohol” should be promoted to high military ranks. He hopes his “difficulty” with Arnold results in a more careful selection of officers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-07-11

Letter from Holmes E. Offley to Frank Harper

Holmes E. Offley was impressed by Frank Harper during a previous exchange of letters and now wishes to “let it out.” Offley recounts his experiences working for another Frank Harper at the Bank of Commerce and working for the Navy Department during the Civil War. Offley has not asked for his military service to be recognized until his age has prevented his employment. Offley would appreciate Harper’s help in receiving a letter from Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-14

Letter from Holmes E. Offley to Frank Harper

Holmes E. Offley thanks Frank Harper for his attention to his letter to Theodore Roosevelt and the return of the papers. Offley hopes that one day his record in the Navy Department will get “a little bit of justice.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-05-10

Letter from George von Lengerke Meyer to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Navy Meyer tells Theodore Roosevelt what he and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge did after Roosevelt left following William H. Taft’s inauguration. Meyer signed papers reversing an order that former Secretary of the Navy Truman Handy Newberry had Roosevelt sign. He explains his reasoning; mainly, the Senators from Louisiana were unhappy with it, and Meyer believes he can carry out most of what was in the order without an Executive Order being issued.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-03-08

Letter from Charles S. Sperry to Theodore Roosevelt

Admiral Sperry will treasure the commendation in the letter President Roosevelt wrote him on December 5. He asks Roosevelt to write a testimonial about his service to the Navy Department if and when he successfully sails the Great White Fleet back to the United States. This would be a valued capstone to his permanent record. The British authorities at Gibraltar have been very accommodating, and the Fleet itself is operating smoothly.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-04

Letter from Truman Handy Newberry to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Navy Newberry proposes a plan to reorganize the administration of the Navy Department. He believes it is within his and President Roosevelt’s authority to make administrative changes and that these changes will be so positive that Congress will make them permanent by law. Newberry suggests changes to the membership of the General Board, the role of the Assistant Secretary, and the organization of the Board on Construction, and details what these changes will entail.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-12

Letter from A. T. Mahan to Theodore Roosevelt

A. T. Mahan offers his opinion on the role of the secretary of the Navy. Mahan believes that the issues within the Navy Department have arisen from its corporate structure and the staff’s knowledge gaps. Mahan observes that there is a lack of “personal responsibility” in the department and argues that the Chief of Staff should be “solely responsible for the information, and for advice, given the Secretary.” Drawing from Julian Stafford Corbett, Mahan discusses the connection between diplomatic and military actions and the necessity of a strong military in peacetime. He concludes by asserting that he does not “advocate or countenance” any actions to weaken the power of the secretary.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-13

Letter from William Sowden Sims to Theodore Roosevelt

William Sowden Sims thanks President Roosevelt for enclosing the letter from A. T. Mahan, which he describes as an “admirable presentation of the merits and defects” of the navy administration. Based on Mahan’s letter and the other men involved in the commission, Sims feels certain that the report will be sound from military, law, business, and political perspectives. He is hopeful that the commission’s findings will result in “many great improvements in military efficiency.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-14

Letter from John Davis Long to Theodore Roosevelt

John Davis Long, formerly Secretary of the Navy under President McKinley, writes to President Roosevelt regarding a recent article by Henry Reuterdahl. Reuterdahl suggested Long’s unfitness to be Secretary of the Navy, and wrote that Roosevelt, who was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, “was the Navy Department,” which Long jokes is rather hard on the other people in the department who worked under them and did most of the work. He promises to send Roosevelt a copy of his letter responding to the article as soon as it is published, and is sure Roosevelt will agree with it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-19

Letter from Truman Handy Newberry to Theodore Roosevelt

Truman Handy Newberry tenders his resignation as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to President Roosevelt, and thanks him for the honor of being appointed to Roosevelt’s cabinet as Secretary of the Navy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-30

Letter from Albert L. Key to Theodore Roosevelt

Commander Key is glad that President Roosevelt understands the issues with the Navy administration system and suggests that the future ships to be approved by the coming Congress will be an improvement. Key congratulates Roosevelt on the conference at Newport, which confirmed all his criticisms of the North Dakota and the Delaware except one, which he expands upon. After first-hand experience with the Navy Department, Key suggests the creation of a legal addition to oversee the fleet. He is pleased to hear that Roosevelt plans to create an investigative commission that will be reviewing the current Naval organizational structure.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-18

Letter from Cameron McRae Winslow to Theodore Roosevelt

Rear Admiral Winslow is not sure that he will be able to interview Secretary of State Elihu Root as soon as President Roosevelt would like, but he will try, as Root will likely give valuable input on the commission. Winslow thinks Roosevelt should put the subject to the country in a way that will help gain the support of the people, and as a result, the support of even the most previously unwilling members of Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-18

Letter from Cameron McRae Winslow to Theodore Roosevelt

Rear Admiral Winslow has heard that Secretary of State Root will likely agree to head the commission on the reorganization of the Navy Department. Winslow sends related letters detailing how responsibility should be divided. He advocates that cost estimate reduction be handled by the Navy Department instead of the congressional committees, and elaborates on who should be responsible when preparing for war. Everyone seems to agree that Roosevelt’s policy requiring conferences to consider new battleship plans is good for the country, and that it will help get the ships with fourteen guns approved by Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-13

Letter from Victor Howard Metcalf to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of the Navy Metcalf, in response to President Roosevelt’s recent request, assures Roosevelt that the Department of the Navy is already preparing sketches of battleships with 14-inch guns. Metcalf details the progress of such plans, which are anticipated to be well developed by the end of December.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-17

Letter from Presley Marion Rixey to Theodore Roosevelt

Presley Marion Rixey has just returned from the Naval Training station in Chicago and the tubercular hospital in Colorado, and thanks President Roosevelt for giving the old fort to the Navy for such a purpose. Rixey has planned a one day fox hunt for Roosevelt and his daughter Ethel Roosevelt and hopes Roosevelt will not say no. Rixey asks Roosevelt to intercede in the case of West Point Cadet William J. Nalle, who was suspended from West Point for hazing, but only to do “what you consistently can.” Rixey wishes he could accompany Roosevelt on his upcoming African Safari, but fears he would be a hindrance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-30

Memorandum for the Chief of Staff

Brigadier General Wotherspoon reports to Army Chief of Staff Bell concerning the proposition of constructing a naval base at Subic Bay in the Philippines. While Wotherspoon concedes the point that this location is very easily defended from the sea, there are many problems related to its defense from the land, which he outlines. Wotherspoon believes a base at this position would not be able to be defended long enough for reinforcements from the United States to arrive, and so recommends the construction of a base at Manila Bay or Corregidor instead.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-02