William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941

Letter from Henry White to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador to France Henry White expresses regret that President Roosevelt was unable to secure funding from Congress for the construction of four battleships. He praises Roosevelt’s handling of the controversy surrounding German Emperor William II’s dislike of the new American Ambassador to Germany, David Jayne Hill. White also offers his assessment of H. H. Asquith, the new British Prime Minister, and updates Roosevelt on the Trevelyans, with whom he recently dined. Includes handwritten original and typed copy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-19

Creator(s)

White, Henry, 1850-1927

Letter from Jacob A. Riis to Theodore Roosevelt

Jacob A. Riis sends President Roosevelt an article about playgrounds in Washington. He also writes that a priest has been after him, and that he intends to take the matter to the archbishop. He then updates Roosevelt on his travel plans; he intends on “taking the heart care” in Neuheim, Germany, before going on to Denmark.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-20

Creator(s)

Riis, Jacob A. (Jacob August), 1849-1914

Letter from Elihu Root to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of State Root notes changes that should be made to the letter being sent to United States Ambassador to Germany Charlemagne Tower. Root feels it would not be wise to say anything against Ambassador to Italy Lloyd Carpenter Griscom, and has softened the statement about Tower’s leaving his post, placing the blame on the Germans. He has also added a note on the importance of silence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-05

Creator(s)

Root, Elihu, 1845-1937

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador to England Reid sends President Roosevelt an article from the London Times which he thought was interesting. He tells Roosevelt that the old staff has been able to keep control thanks to financial help from Lords Nathaniel Mayer de Rothschild and Charles Henry Wyndham. Lord Cromer told Reid to convey his regret that he could not go to Washington at Roosevelt’s invitation. Finally, Reid updates Roosevelt on his travel plans and expresses that he was glad to be on vacation when the incident surrounding Emperor William II of Germany’s disapproval of David Jayne Hill as new German Ambassador occurred.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-01

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from Hermann Speck von Sternburg to Theodore Roosevelt

German Ambassador Sternburg informs President Roosevelt that the telegraphic address of German Emperor William II is Syracuse, Sicily.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-03

Creator(s)

Sternburg, Hermann Speck von, Freiherr, 1852-1908

Telegram from Charlemagne Tower to Elihu Root

Ambassador to Germany Tower informs Secretary of State Root that German Emperor William II hopes that President Roosevelt will not appoint David Jayne Hill as ambassador to Germany when Tower leaves. The Emperor’s bad opinion of Hill dates back to when his brother Heinrich, Prince of Prussia, visited the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-21

Creator(s)

Tower, Charlemagne, 1848-1923

Telegram from Elihu Root to Charlemagne Tower

Secretary of State Root tells Ambassador to Germany Tower that the department is surprised to hear that Emperor William II disapproves of the appointment of David Jayne Hill as Tower’s successor. Emperor William had agreed to Hill’s appointment before it was publicly announced. Root does not see how anything can be changed at this stage. They await Tower’s letter to President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-25

Creator(s)

Root, Elihu, 1845-1937

Telegram from Charlemagne Tower to Elihu Root

Ambassador to Germany Tower forwards a portion of a letter he sent President Roosevelt to Secretary of State Root regarding newspaper reports that David Jayne Hill would be appointed Ambassador to Germany. Tower says that Emperor William II does not like Hill and asked him to ask Roosevelt to appoint someone else. The Emperor’s request puts Tower in a delicate position as Hill will be his immediate successor. The Emperor understood this and spoke with Lloyd Griscom to relay the message to Roosevelt instead.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-27

Creator(s)

Tower, Charlemagne, 1848-1923

Telegram from Charlemagne Tower to Elihu Root

Ambassador to Germany Tower has had a long talk with Bernhard von Bülow, Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, regarding the situation that has arisen following Emperor William II’s communication to President Roosevelt that he will not accept David Jayne Hill as the new ambassador. The response of the American press has distressed the German Foreign Office. Tower instructed Bülow to telegraph William II, who is in Venice, for instructions. The foreign office is now aware that the objections to Hill are purely personal on the Emperor’s part, and will issue an official statement that the situation was a misunderstanding and that Hill will be accepted if he is installed as ambassador.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-29

Creator(s)

Tower, Charlemagne, 1848-1923

Letter from Charlemagne Tower to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Tower has spoken with Emperor William II about a variety of issues. First, they spoke about a joint declaration by the United States, Germany, and China regarding the Chinese Empire and open commerce policies. The Emperor wants Tower to impress upon President Roosevelt that a formal public announcement of this policy is important to ensure China’s integrity. The Emperor also spoke with Tower about his dislike of David Jayne Hill, who will replace Tower as ambassador in Berlin. He will speak to American Ambassador to Italy Lloyd Carpenter Griscom about the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-16

Creator(s)

Tower, Charlemagne, 1848-1923

Letter from Lloyd Carpenter Griscom to Theodore Roosevelt

American Ambassador to Italy Lloyd Carpenter Griscom recounts a conversation he had with Emperor William II of Germany. Ambassador Charlemagne Tower will be leaving his post in Germany, and the Emperor disapproves of his replacement, David Jayne Hill. Tower has done much to improve the social stature and importance of the American Embassy in Berlin, and the Emperor believes that Hill is not up to the task of maintaining that level of influence. He would prefer that Griscom or some other man take the position, and asks Griscom to relay this message to President Roosevelt. Griscom, chagrined, says he is happy with his post in Italy and is not asking for the appointment to Germany.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-18

Creator(s)

Griscom, Lloyd Carpenter, 1872-1959

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid updates President Roosevelt about the recent turmoil in Great Britain surrounding an exchange of letters between Edward Marjoribanks, Baron Tweedmouth, and Emperor William II of Germany. The Emperor wrote privately to Lord Tweedmouth, and in passing mentioned the British Navy. News of this mention spread to the press, who seized upon news of the letter to blow the incident out of proportion and make it seem as if Germany were trying to influence British naval policy. Reid sends a selection of newspaper clippings following the development of the issue in the press. Additionally, Reid reports that Henry Campbell-Bannerman’s condition is not improving, and it appears that H. H. Asquith will be his successor as Prime Minister.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

Secretary of War Taft returns a letter from General Leonard Wood to President Roosevelt. He comments on some aspects of Wood’s character that he feels that the letter illustrates, as well as some of Wood’s observations about the state of the Philippines. Taft thinks that Wood is correct regarding the necessity of completing fortifications in the Philippines, and agrees with the desirability in keeping the United States’ fleet in the Pacific, but realizes that it may be impractical. He thinks that Wood is perhaps overly suspicious of the Japanese.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-10

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Whitelaw Reid believes that the Kaiser-Tweedmouth incident seems to be closed and out of the mind of the public, and sends President Roosevelt a number of news clippings cataloging the incident. Reid remarks on a number of other subjects, including an upcoming visit by William Lyon Mackenzie King, his discussions with Edward Grey, and the declining health of Prime Minister Henry Campbell-Bannerman.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-12

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from Charlemagne Tower to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Tower relays to President Roosevelt a private conversation he had with Emperor William II of Germany, who had recently heard reports of Japanese soldiers training and gathering in Mexico, Peru, and Chile. The Emperor believes that the Japanese are preparing to seize the Panama Canal if war is declared. Additionally, reports from Portugal suggest that the Japanese are preparing for war against the United States. He approves of Roosevelt’s decision to send the war fleet out because it has strengthened the position of the United States.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-28

Creator(s)

Tower, Charlemagne, 1848-1923

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid thanks President Roosevelt for his well wishes. His father-in-law is still sick, and Mrs. Reid will be with him for some time. She is hoping Anna Roosevelt Cowles will come visit. Reid hopes to be in Washington for a few days before returning to his post. One of the pictures of Roosevelt with Kaiser Wilhelm II is back on the market and being held for Reid. He hopes to get the original of the other picture, but it may have to be redrawn.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-09

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from Arthur Hamilton Lee to Theodore Roosevelt

Arthur Hamilton Lee writes to President Roosevelt about the president’s impending retirement and hopes that it will not impact Anglo-American relations significantly when another man takes office. Lee is distressed about how the papers in New York are covering Roosevelt, as if his character is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He hopes the president continues to shine light in dark places of the securities industry so that scandals will be brought to light. Lee ends his letter requesting that Roosevelt sit for a painter, Fülöp László, for two to three hours and believes that Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt will agree.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-13

Creator(s)

Lee of Fareham, Viscount (Arthur Hamilton Lee), 1868-1947

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

United States Ambassador Reid believes that American yellow journalism, buoyed by free and instantaneous communication, has influenced foreign editorials of American affairs, especially those of the English. He has enclosed a few editorials and cartoons both “unfriendly” and friendly that President Roosevelt might find interesting. Reid describes a situation resulting in the “droll embarrassment of our German friends” involving a candid interview with German Emperor William II published in the Daily Dispatch. The authenticity of the interview was questioned, with the Dispatch insisting on the legitimacy. The matter required Councillor of the German Embassy Ferdinand Carl von Stumm to leave the hunting trip he was on with Reid to manage the ensuing “mess.” Reid thinks von Stumm will be blamed for incident. He concludes by describing how British Foreign Secretary Edward Grey is being criticized in the papers for making a “one-sided bargain” that benefits the United States over England in the art commercial market.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-07

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from Albert Halstead to William Loeb

Consul Halstead forwards a London Times article to William Loeb about German Emperor William II and his plans for the German empire. He notes that while the article states the plans exclude expansion in Europe, it makes no mention of possible colonial interests in the Western Hemisphere. Halstead adds that he feels like an outsider to all the exciting and interesting political activity currently occurring in Washington, D.C.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-04

Creator(s)

Halstead, Albert, 1867-1949

Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Theodore Roosevelt

Cecil Spring Rice informs President Roosevelt of his recent illness and encourages him to take his children to the doctor if any of them have stopped up noses. Due to his illness he has had to leave Perisa, but Spring Rice tells Roosevelt that he will either take a quiet post or retire when he has recovered. Spring Rice suggests that newspapers are in the hands of Roosevelt’s enemies and are hostile at heart. Spring Rice believes that there is little that can be done to avoid challenging racial difficulties in the future, as the Muslims in the world have had enough of Christian aggression. However, the English government is mostly concerned with internal affairs and has mostly ignored questions of foreign policy. Spring Rice worries about relations between Germany and England and believes that Germany might attack England at some point in the future. He concludes with his well wishes for Christmas and mentions that his wife Florence Spring Rice hopes to see Roosevelt soon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-04

Creator(s)

Spring Rice, Cecil, Sir, 1859-1918