University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 1-1-1964 Some aspects of Theodore Roosevelt's term as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, April 19, 1897--May 10, 1898. Roy Louis Del Col University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Del Col, Roy Louis, "Some aspects of Theodore Roosevelt's term as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, April 19, 1897--May 10, 1898." (1964). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 6347. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/6347 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This paper considers some aspects of Theodore Roosevelt's terra as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy from April 19, 1897 to I%y 10, 1B98. The first chapter outlines the sea power thesis of Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan and the second chapter establishes Roosevelt's early interest in the service which culminated in his appointment to the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy. The third chapter shows to what extent Roosevelt followed the sea power notions of Captain Mahan. While Roosevelt followed Mahan's sea jwsr thesis in many respects he did not see its chief significance until after the Spanish American War. The significance of Mahan's sea power thesis rested on the importance of commerce. The fourth chapter shows how Roosevelt was virtually in charge of the Department of the Navy due to the absences of Secretary of the Navy, John Davis Long. Roosevelt prepared the department and the country for war. The fifth chapter shows how well Roosevelt's preparations met the test of war and how Secretary of the Navy, John Long, attempted to obtain some of the credit for the Navy's success in the Spanish American War of 1898. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREFACE During Theodore Roosevelt’s term as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, April 19, 1897 - I4ay 10, 1898, interest in naval and commercial expansion in the United States came to a critical point of development. Alfred Thayer Mahan was largely responsible for making naval and commercial ideas popular. This paper examines the influence of Mahan’s ideas on Roosevelt during this period. It also examines the relationship which existed between the Secretary of the Navy, John D. Long, and his Assistant Secretary, Roosevelt himself. The first chapter outlines the theory of sea power as it was presented in Mahan’s book The Influence of Seapower Upon History and in his other writings during this period. The second chapter establishes the fact that Roosevelt had a long standing interest in the navy and in important naval personages. It concludes with a discussion of the circumstances of Roosevelt's appointment as Assistant Sec­ retary . J the Navy. The third chapter discusses the extent to which Roosevelt followed Mahan's ideas in administering the Department of the Navy. It traces the significant influence of Mahan on Roosevelt and explains the critical point at iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. which Roosevelt did not follow Mahan. The fourth chapter discusses the overriding influence which Roosevelt, though only the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, came to have in the Department. The final chapter outlines briefly some of John D. Long’s later views which throw into relief his relationship with Roosevelt during the period considered by this paper. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many warm thanks are due to those with whom I worked so closely on this project. My deepest gratitude goes to Reverend J. P. O ’Meara, C.S.B., Ph.D., whose keen insights into the fine problems of this paper have given indispensable guidance. To Reverend D. J. Mulvihill, C.S.B., Ph.D., for his wise counsel and Mr. M. Vuckovic, M.A., for his con­ structive criticism, many thanks are due. The staffs of the Univers::: " of Windsor library, the Wayne State and Detroit Public libraries have saved me many hours of research and have gone beyond the line of duty in helping me during this period of trial. To my parents who have helped me to maintain the fine balance between sanity and insanity much appreciation is due. Many thanks to I4rs. Haberer whose task it was to type this paper. Roy Louis Del Col VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT..................................................iii PREFACE ...................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................... vi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ...................................... 1 II. ROOSEVELT'S EARLY INTEREST IN THE N A V Y ............. 12 A. Sea Power Enthusiasts ....................... 12 B. Circumstances of Roosevelt's Appointment as Assistant Secretary of the N a v y ............. 19 III. ROOSEVELT ' • THE éS.wËPT 0^ P O W E R ................23 A. Tilc .-ar College Speech . 24 3. Force and Arbitration ................ 2? C. Increasing the Size of the N a v y ............ 30 D. Preparation for War in Time of Peace .... 36 E. The Concentration of the F l e e t .............. 41 F. The Adoption of a World O u t l o o k ............ 44 G. The Importance of Commerce.................. 45 IV. SEA POWER CONCEPTS IN ACTION DESPITE JOHN D. LONG . 51 A. Selling Sea Power I d e a s ..................... 52 B. Sea Power Ideas Actually Operating ........ 59 V. SOME FINAL OBSERVATIONS ............. ....... 66 BIBLIOGRAPHY . ?2 VITA AUCTORIS ............................................ 80 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Theodore Roosevelt held the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy from April 19, 1897 to May 10, 1898. During these approximately thirteen months a large part of the early legend of Roosevelt was established. The developing crisis with Spain, which occurred during this period, had almost reached war proportions with the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbour on February 15, 1898. In order to deliver a crippling blow at the Spanish, should war result, Roosevelt sent a dispatch on February 25, 1898 to Dewey who was in command of the Asiatic squadron. The Assistant Secretary who was in charge of the affairs in the Navy Department on the afternoon of February 25, 1898, ordered the Asiatic squadron to Hong Kong where Dewey was to keep the ships full of coal. If war were declared it was to be the duty of the Asiatic commander to prevent the Spanish squadron from leaving the Asiatic coast. Dewey was to remain on the flagship Olympia and then begin offensive operations in the Philippine Islands.^ It was this effort of preparedness which made possible the successful campaign of the United States fleet against the Spanish in the ^ George Dewey, Autobiography of George Dewey iNew York, 1913), p. 17?: Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Philippines. It is often assumed that this dispatch by Roosevelt in late February was an impetuous act by the junior executive that was completed while the Secretary of the Navy 2 was absent from the office. But it appears to the present writer from a careful reading of Roosevelt's correspondence and other related sources that this act was really the climax of a series of efforts in an attempt to prepare the navy and the country for war. It is just one of the many instances which show for all intents and purposes that Roosevelt was really the Secretary of the Navy. Furthermore, Roosevelt was influenced by Mahan's sea power thesis and its significance for the United States* Accordingly, Roosevelt wao intensely i/..u : : ested in the strengthening of the navy.