Did Kaiser Wilhelm Draw the U.S. Naval Ships?
Kaiser Wilhelm II was the first grandchild of Queen Victoria. The Kaiser was at Victoria’s bedside at the time of her death on January 22, 1901. She died while the Kaiser was helping the doctor move her to a more comfortable pillow. The Kaiser always said Queen Victoria died in his arms.
Wilhelm was a breach baby. In 1859 cesarean sections resulted in the death of the mother. Since the Kaiser’s mom was Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Royal Victoria known as “Vicky” a cesarean section was not an option. The complications at birth permanently paralyzed the Kaiser’s left arm. Growing up he struggled to learn how to shoot, ride and swim. He couldn’t eat without someone cutting his food. He grew up playing on the Isle of White and in the gardens of Royal Palaces. He was fluent in English
Wilhelm was obsessed with the English Navy. Queen Victory made him an Admiral in the British Fleet. In 1896 the “Father of West Point” and Naval theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan sailed to Europe and met the Kaiser. Mahan’s “The Impact of Sea Power on History” became the Kaiser’s bible. He said he committed it to memory.
When it was published in German, he ordered everyone in the navy to read the translation. The Kaiser’s goal was to gain total supremacy of the seas. He wanted to know the naval strength of all the industrialized nations including the United States. He also liked to draw ships.
There’ is the notion the Kaiser drew the ships in the schematic hanging across from Ted Jr.’s room on the third floor. Without contemporary evidence it’s difficult to believe the one-armed Kaiser would take the time to redraw what’s already be drawn and then translate it into English so TR could read the captions.
Personally, drawing the ships and sending them to TR undermines the integrity and the diplomatic strength sought by powerful nations.
What we do know is that in 1902 TR and the Kaiser were beginning to lace up the gloves preparing to go to war over Venezuela. President Cipriano Castro had defaulted on a German loan and the Kaiser set sail to get his money. TR didn’t want Europe to colonize South America.
When he warned Wilhelm, he’d order Dewey to uphold the Monroe Doctrine the Kaiser sends TR the schematic. Roosevelt understood drawing ships was one thing, sinking them was another.
He convinces the Kaiser there’s no worse place to meet our navy then in our hemisphere. Wilhelm fears running out of coal and backs off and America gets the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
All this was accomplished under a total blackout. It would be like living in the 1960s and not knowing the Cuban Missile Crisis ever took place. To real Roosevelt buffs the schematic helps serve to illustrate how effective Roosevelt may have been in helping to avert World War I.
When it came to ships TR and the Kaiser spoke the same language. The Kaiser admired Roosevelt as the author of the Naval War of 1812 and how he modernizes the American Navy. TR may have been able to work with Wilhelm to defuse a family squabble that would turn into The Great War.
Instead, Wilson sat silently in the White House during the quiet days of July 1914. By August 5th it was all over. World War I became inevitable resulting in approximately 40 million casualties.