Your TR Source
President Roosevelt is pleased to hear from Fairfax Henry Wheelan and intends to visit the West Coast next year.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-04-21
Theodore Roosevelt has sent the missing mountain lion skull to C. Hart Merriam. This was the only cougar Roosevelt shot in the head, “I hung over a cliff by moonlight and brained it as it lay on a ledge below me.” Roosevelt used a 30-30 Winchester to shoot the mountain lion. He fears it will be of little use except for the teeth. Roosevelt asks Merriam for any pamphlets about deer in the U.S.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-05-14
Edwin T. Earl updates Theodore Roosevelt on William H. Taft’s trip to the west coast that did not go well and feels that he is not going to be re-elected as the Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Earl guesses that William Jennings Bryan will be the next president, but expresses his hopes on Roosevelt winning the presidency if he decided to run again.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-10-23
Samuel V. Leech believes Theodore Roosevelt’s previous statements about the Monroe Doctrine are correct, and that President William H. Taft’s inclination towards international arbitration would be taken advantage of by European powers. Leech especially feels that international arbitration would upset American citizens if it allowed more Japanese and Chinese immigrants to settle on the Pacific coast, where he lives now. He recommends Roosevelt have a copy of The Encyclopedic Dictionary of American History, as it provides a good summary of the Monroe Doctrine, among other topics.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-07-05
Judge Lindsey is thankful for the footnote in The Outlook and is prepared to play his role in the “great struggle.” He was pleased to see Roosevelt’s reception on the West Coast.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-04-07
William L. Finley had previously promised to get Theodore Roosevelt an enlargement of some of the photographs of birds he showed to Roosevelt while Roosevelt was still president, but was unfortunately not able to do so before Roosevelt left. He offers to bring them to Portland, Oregon, so that Roosevelt can pick them up on his trip along the West Coast, but acknowledges that Roosevelt may have too many gifts already. Finley would like to speak with Roosevelt some day about the wild bird conservation efforts he is involved in on the Pacific coast.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03-26
President Taft appreciates Theodore Roosevelt’s letter regarding the “diplomatic questions” with Japan. He agrees that action should not be taken in Manchuria that would be considered hostile by the Japanese but American rights under the open door policy should not be abandoned. The Japanese find parts of the new treaty discriminative and reflective of the “old order.” Original and copy.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-01-17
Frank Ross McCoy reports on activities in Yosemite National Park, hoping to remind President Roosevelt of the “fine work and sport of the summertime.” John Muir, Joseph N. LeConte, and other members of the Sierra Club have said that the change in the valley has been very positive since it became part of the national park this year. The superintendent, Harry Coupland Benson, knows the park well and is popular with the Sierra Club. McCoy describes the park rangers and some encounters with grizzly bears, noting he found the instinct to shoot very strong but felt “stern duty’s restraining hand.” McCoy says Interior Secretary James R. Garfield came and went in a flurry, mentioning that he finds Roosevelt’s cabinet officers showing up everywhere to be “inspiring,” now that he has experienced it in the Philippines, Cuba, and the United States. McCoy offers his thoughts on race relations between the Californians and Japanese, as well as the attitudes of people on the West Coast regarding the Great White Fleet. McCoy regrets he cannot conduct Roosevelt and his family personally through the park.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-07
Secretary of War Taft submits a statement by General Arthur Murray regarding the deficiencies in the monies appropriated for the completion of defenses in the Pacific and on the Pacific Coast. All bureau chiefs agree that the present appropriations must be increased, and the Appropriation Committee’s assertion that the naval committee is not making proper provisions for dredging Pearl Harbor is not enough of a reason to delay the funds. Taft recommends that increased appropriations be added in amendments to the bill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-30
Brigadier General Murray, Chief of Artillery, discusses the urgent need for further fortifications on the West Coast, and the need to increase spending to build them. The fact that the naval fleet will largely be stationed in the Atlantic makes the need for fortifications on the Pacific more necessary. To build them, an additional budget of $1,590,515 is requested. In light of the disparity between the cost estimates and the amount allotted in the fortification bill, Murray recommends Secretary of War Taft decide on a definite policy and encourages Taft to approve the enclosed proposed plan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-27
Thomas Malcolm Harvey Kincaid-Smith, a member of the British House of Commons, tells John J. McCook that in England the matter concerning Japanese immigration is considered settled thanks to President Roosevelt’s actions. Kincaid-Smith believes the issue will not remain settled, but the concern in England is small, as the problem is largely affecting the American Pacific Coast.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-09
The memorandum to Secretary of War Taft raises the question of how long the battle fleet will stay in the Pacific. The memorandum advocates a permanent naval presence in the region. First, because coastal defenses on the Pacific Coast are not adequate to defend against an attack. Second, because of the location of Hawaii and the Philippines, far from home ports and close to enemy ports. Third, because Hawaii can serve as a strategic naval base and needs battle fleet protection to be effective. Fourth, because the United States lacks adequate land forces to guard the coast. A page of addenda shows Taft acknowledging the memo and wishing to confer with President Roosevelt, and Roosevelt’s subsequent assessment that he will consider the Joint Army and Navy Board’s opinion on the matter, but does not wish to divide the battle fleet between two oceans.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-07
Secretary of the Navy Metcalf updates President Roosevelt on the coal supply of the fleet traveling to the Pacific. The Navy Department has been unable to find coal at reasonable prices from American ships, and so has organized coal from foreign ships following regulations set in 1904. Metcalf has supplied opinions from Attorney General Bonaparte, and will proceed with this plan unless Roosevelt provides instructions to the contrary.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-10-18
Retired Rear Admiral Manney outlines the reasons he believes sending the Great White Fleet to the Pacific Ocean is unwise given the tensions between the United States and Japan. Because Japan is not a wealthy nation, Manney believes it will not attack and occupy targets that would be expensive to win and maintain, and that therefore neither the Philippines nor Hawaii are in danger of attack. Rather, Manney describes in detail how the Japanese could gain control of bases from which to attack both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the United States, how such attacks would affect the U.S., and how long it would take the fleet to return to the Atlantic as a consequence. Because much more damage can be done to the United States on the Atlantic coast rather than the Pacific, it makes more sense to keep the fleet in the Atlantic, in case of war with Japan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-19
Senator Bourne of Oregon forwards several letters to President Roosevelt that reflect public sentiment regarding the upcoming presidential election. Only one letter refers to the prospects of Secretary of War Taft, but even that one supports a second elective term for Roosevelt. In Colorado, business sentiment is against Roosevelt because of his policies regarding public lands. Bourne will dictate his thoughts to John W. Foster and will be advised of the president’s thoughts via the same.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-19
Army Chief of Staff Bell sends President Roosevelt a letter from a retired Army officer which he believes contains some boasting on the part of a Japanese officer, although he does not doubt that similar thoughts have occurred to “mighty nearly every Japanese official.” Although reports have not shown any preparations by the Japanese for conflict with the United States, they have been gathering intelligence on American military activities on the Pacific coast and in the Philippines, suggesting they view conflict with the United States as possible. Bell is pleased with the measures Roosevelt has taken to be prepared for “any eventuality in the Pacific Ocean,” except for Roosevelt’s suggestion of immediately abandoning Manila if Japan attacks. Bell notes it is a very serious thing to abandon a capital, and very difficult to pack up the archives and records of a government. Bell recommends fortifying the entrance to the Bay of Manila to dissuade the Japanese from taking the islands.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-18
William S. Cowles sends Secretary of the Navy Newberry comments on two letters from the Merchant Marine League. The League maintains that by chartering foreign vessels to transport coal to ports on the Pacific Coast, the United States has damaged merchant shipping without appreciating the true effect such an action has. Cowles relays the details and allegations the League submits for consideration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-15
William J. Grandfield inquires from the United States Navy Department Bureau of Equipment whether it is possible for him to load some cargo bound for San Francisco, California, and Seattle, Washington, onto foreign ships that the U.S. Navy has chartered to ship coal to the Pacific Coast, as there are no American ships available.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-24
The pamphlet discusses the origins of the Pacific Coast Bear Club, its hunting dogs, and the rules and membership of the club. The pamphlet also describes a typical bear hunt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-13
Herman Henry Kohlsaat writes to President Roosevelt to discuss money Roosevelt gave to the West to move crops.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-09