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Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt agrees with Secretary of War Taft and has removed the reference to receivership from his speech. The “Philippine question” is the only point on which he remains uneasy. He details his thoughts and concerns about the United States’ continued relationship with the islands, including their strategic importance in the event of a conflict with Japan and the issue of granting autonomy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-21

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Maurice Francis Egan to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Maurice Francis Egan to Theodore Roosevelt

Maurice Francis Egan sends President Roosevelt a book about the Icelandic-Celtic sagas and informs the president about giving Thomas J. O’Brien’s letter of recall to Danish King Frederick VIII on September 6, 1907. Egan recounts his visit to Frederik VIII and his wife, Queen Louise, mentioning his discussion with Louise about Christian Science and her opinion that Roosevelt was handling race relations and treatment of African Americans in a Christian way. Although Egan feels that Danish is difficult to learn, he believes he is getting along well.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-12

Creator(s)

Egan, Maurice Francis, 1852-1924

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kermit Roosevelt

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kermit Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt writes that he cannot wait until Kermit, Belle, and their new baby arrive in New York. He tells Kermit that Archie, Ted, and Quentin plan to go to the Plattsburg military training camp again this summer and he thinks Kermit should go too. Roosevelt fears that it will be difficult for Kermit to get a commission because he did not go last year. Roosevelt closes by describing his trip to the West Indies.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1916-02-24

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

Theodore Roosevelt is concerned about the arbitration treaty. He views it either as a lie, because the American people will not allow it to be observed, or as a path to “national impotence and degradation.” Roosevelt is concerned about the potential arbitration of some issues if requested by foreign powers, such as unlimited Japanese immigration or Germany’s right to purchase the Danish West Indies. He does not believe that Senator Lodge should support the treaty without several revisions.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Harry Johnston

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Harry Johnston

President Roosevelt looks forward to receiving Sir Harry Johnston’s book about the comparison of Black people in the West Indies, southern United States, and “with what he is at home”. Roosevelt is sending a picture and map and wired Colonel George W. Goethals at once about arrangements for Johnston’s trip to the Isthmus of Panama.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward Grey

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward Grey

President Roosevelt enjoyed his visit with Viscount James Bryce and reminisces about when Bryce stayed at the White House several years prior. Roosevelt believes the question of disarmament is “full of difficulties” and wants to avoid raising “high anticipation as will ensure disappointment” with the upcoming National Arbitration and Peace Congress. He wasn’t impressed with Jamaica Governor James Alexander Swettenham’s message and compares his dealings with him to that of Henry Wolcott Bowen, former Ambassador of Venezuela. Roosevelt is pleased that the Santo Domingo treaty was ratified by Congress and is overall satisfied with the number of other legislative measures he managed to pass.    

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Van Leer Polk to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Van Leer Polk to Theodore Roosevelt

Van Leer Polk advocates for the use of Chinese laborers in building the Panama Canal. Polk believes Chinese workers are the most efficient labor force and that workers from areas in China with a similar climate to Panama would be the most suitable choice. Polk describes the nature of recruitment and employment of Chinese laborers by the French government and makes suggestions for how to secure satisfactory results from Chinese laborers. He encloses several documents, including a copy of a Chinese Labor Contract.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-09

Creator(s)

Polk, Van Leer, 1856-1907

Scenes of Theodore Roosevelt on board ship, 1916 and scenes of Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to South America, 1913

Scenes of Theodore Roosevelt on board ship, 1916 and scenes of Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to South America, 1913

Film consists of three sequences: 1) Theodore Roosevelt poses on the deck of the ship Guiana in New York Harbor prior to sailing to the West Indies on February 11, 1916. 2) Roosevelt and members of his party stand on the deck of the Vandyck some time after picking up Kermit Roosevelt at Bahia, Brazil, on October 17, 1913. This is filmed during Roosevelt’s journey to South America to combine a lecture tour with a scientific expedition to the Amazon Valley of Brazil in October 1913. Left to right are: Anthony Fiala, former Arctic explorer; George Kruck Cherrie, ornithologist; Father J. A. Zahm, scientist; Theodore Roosevelt; Kermit Roosevelt; Frank Harper, Roosevelt’s secretary; and at the edge of the picture, Leo E. Miller, mammalogist. 3) A side view of Roosevelt with American and Brazilian officials on the steps of the Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro. To Roosevelt’s right is Edwin V. Morgan, American Ambassador to Brazil; man who may be Anthony Fiala and Father Zahm stand behind Roosevelt; on Roosevelt’s left is Dr. Lauro Müller, Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Müller was the person who encouraged Roosevelt’s exploration of the River of Doubt.

Collection

Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound

Creation Date

1916-02-11; 1913-10

Creator(s)

Unknown

Address of President Roosevelt at the Charleston exposition (edited copy)

Address of President Roosevelt at the Charleston exposition (edited copy)

President Roosevelt addresses an audience at the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition, commonly known as the Charleston Exposition. Roosevelt feels that the invitation for him to speak at the exposition emphasized how completely the United States has been reunited. The unity of the Nation became “instantly and strikingly evident” during the Spanish-American War and Roosevelt felt it was satisfying to see the sons of Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers serving together. Roosevelt details the accomplishments of several former Confederate soldiers within his own administration. He also praises South Carolina’s efforts to engage the West Indies in an industrial exposition, as the West Indies should “occupy a far larger place in our national policy” in the future. Roosevelt also praises the work the U.S. has done in Cuba, which will soon be a free public.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-04-09

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919