Today's Politicos vs The Words and Deeds of The Founders

Review

Rating: 4

This is a book that makes you think. If you are a fan of Teddy Roosevelt, you might not like it. The “rough rider” is not painted in a very favorable light by author James Bradley. However, the book is meticulously researched and sources carefully cited. I have to say, it was eye-opening for me. (TR was a master self-publicist and, according to the author, many today are still buying into his propaganda. )
The title of the book, The Imperial Cruise, is derived from a diplomatic mission that Teddy Roosevelt sent William Howard Taft (then Secretary of War) on in the summer of 1905. For purposes of diversion, he also sent his daughter Alice, who was the Paris Hilton of her day.

However, The Imperial Cruise is about much more than the title immediately suggests. The author spends a lot of time showing how racial theories influenced the politics of the day. The book details the theory that “Civilization Follows The Sun” and its underlying tenets:

The White race founded all civilizations.

When the White race maintains its Whiteness, civilization is maintained.

When the White race loses its Whiteness, civilization is lost.

These were the accepted beliefs of Teddy Roosevelt and many other progressive elitists of his day. Roosevelt justified his actions in the Philippines, Cuba, and China on the basis of his belief in the Aryan myth.

This is tough stuff to read. Years ago I read Edmund Morris’s hagiographic biography of Teddy Roosevelt. He left out a lot of information, or glossed over it in some cases. Roosevelt trampled the Constitution on multiple occasions, entering into what amounted to secret treaties without the knowledge or concurrence of the Senate.

There is so much information in this book, that I find it difficult to synthesize it into a cogent review. In fact, I have half a mind not to try and not even publish this. I will give it a shot, nonetheless.

In 2005 the author retraced the diplomatic journey taken in 1905 and spent years researching and writing this book. What he found was a treasure trove of largely ignored information about TR, Taft, McKinley and American policy in the Philippines, Korea, Japan, and China.

In the book, the author painstakingly documents the philosophy that drove Roosevelt to embark on his grand scheme in Asia. He then goes on to detail how Roosevelt twisted things up to green light the destruction and absorption of Korea by Japan, and how he managed to totally bollux things up and “light long fuses” that ultimately led to WWII.

In addition to the basic theme and history of TR’s causal role in WWII, the book is filled with interesting facts and references to things about which I knew nothing or very little of prior to read it. One of the things that I want to read about is the Opium Wars (1839–42 and 1856–60) and the role of the British Empire in establishing the Opium trade with China. (An interesting aside – Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s family fortune came from the Opium trade!)

I think the author puts and undue emphasis on just how far back in US history some of these things go. He also fails to put many of the events into the context of the time in which they occurred.

The Imperial Cruise’s conclusions were as much of a surprise to its author as to readers like me. I will be following up on some of the footnotes on this book.