Roosevelt and World War I
Before going to war in 1917 America didn’t want any part of the fight. The country agreed with George Washington when he warned the U.S. should avoid getting involved in European entanglements. The struggles in Europe should remain in Europe. America believed in isolationism.
America also believed the war was nothing more than royalty fighting royalty. Who cared and if they really wanted to stop fighting all Britain had to do was give Germany some British colonies and be done with it.
America also feared the countries who’d become our allies in the war would be as dangerous as the enemies.
Britain had blockaded US trade with Germany. Against American protests England’s Navy freely boarded U.S. ships searching for contraband headed to Germany.
Roosevelt in his enthusiasm didn’t fully recognize America had changed. From 1900 to 1910 ten million immigrants came into the country.
By 1914 America’s German population had grown to 20% and 10% were either born in Germany, or had parents born in Germany. In some communities in the East and Mid-West Germans made up as much as 35% of the population. In all there were 20 million Germans in the U.S. and they didn’t know why Roosevelt wanted to go to war with Germany.
There were one million Irish in NYC and half a million in Boston. The Irish hated the violent British rule in Ireland. In some circles it was believed entering the war on the side of Britain would create Irish riots in the streets.
Ten million Russians had emigrated to the U.S. They were against the Czar and his secret police.
Roosevelt didn’t trust the patriotism of immigrants and believed it was in America’s best interest to join with England.
To the public Roosevelt didn’t provide any answers. Instead he appeared irresponsible urging the country to war rather than seeing war as the last resort.
America thought Roosevelt wanted to go to war to fulfill his own personal crusade.
In the 1916 presidential campaign Charles Evans Hughes and Woodrow Wilson both ran against the war.
Preparedness
At the outset Roosevelt campaigns for preparedness. It falls on deaf ears.
Unlike Europe, America preferred a small civilian army. The country felt save protected by the Atlantic on one side and the Pacific on the other. President Roosevelt could build a Navy, but he couldn’t build an Army.
When Wilson finally declares war in April 1917 there were about 450 thousand ill prepared National Guard militia.. They were poorly trained and poorly equipped with out date rifles. American had no real artillery, no machine gun and not one single plane worthy of combat.
Yet, unpreparedness didn’t seem to bother TR when it came to his family.
Roosevelt eagerly and proudly sends his son’s off to war. He wants them at the front and wasn’t going to let unpreparedness keep his sons from seeing the elephant up close.
Quentin said it was now our job to “practice what father preached.”
TR wrote Quentin, “all of you children have by your deeds justified my words.”
Despite suffering from air sickness and poor eyesight Quentin undertook the riskiest assignment as a fighter pilot flying with the 95th Aero Squadron “The Kicking Miles.”
For the Roosevelts the war went badly. Archie received wounds so severe he was discharged from the Army with full disability. Quentin was killed.
Roosevelt loved reading Quentin’s letters about his risk-taking. His acrobatics by moonlight.
In his unit it was believed Quentin suffered from a malady of the soul. He was battling demons and it was believed there were hints of a death wish.
It was Wednesday morning July 17th when Phil Thompson, an AP reporter and a friend of Roosevelt’s was at the front door to Sagamore Hill. TR knew something was wrong. After a dogfight Quentin had gone missing.
TR ushered Thompson into his office. There were tears in his eyes as he told Roosevelt his son Quentin had died. He had been shot down over France three days earlier on July 14th. TR was standing beneath the portrait of his father when he received the news.
Publicly TR bragged that Quentin had smashed his plane “beautifully” in a solo battle surrounded by multiple German fighters.
Privately he could be seen weeping while taking solitary walks around Sagamore Hill. There were times he could be found in the stable with his arms draped around the neck of Quentin’s horse.
“To feel that one has inspired a boy to conduct that has resulted in his death has a very serious side for a father.”
Roosevelt never recovered. It was not only his son, he was encouraging the sons of an entire nation to go to war and fight ill prepared. It was as if his entire world caved in. He aged quickly. This wasn’t the charge up the San Juan Heights. There was no gallantry or heroism in mothers and fathers giving up their sons to mechanized murder. Six months later Roosevelt was dead.
Raising a Division
At 58 Roosevelt offers to raise a division to go “over there” where he could fight shoulder to shoulder alongside his sons. He tells Wilson everything he said about him would be nothing more than tumbleweed in a windy street if he would let him fight.
Wilson told Roosevelt, “this is a modern war fought by young men. It wasn’t like the bow and arrow war he fought in Cuba.” Wilson says no and sends TR packing.
TR spoke to Wilson’s aide Col. House and said, “did the president understand he was just asking to go to France to die in battle?” House replied, “did you make that clear. I think if Wilson knew that was your purpose he’d have no problem sending him overseas.”
Roosevelt complains, “This is a very exclusive war.” He spends the rest of his life criticizing Wilson for preventing him from joining the fight..
That complaint may have been more politics than reality. Kermit got into the war by going to Canada and enlisting in the English Army. If Roosevelt was series Cecil Springs Rice could have put that together. His wife’s cousin was in Canada. He was the Duke of Devonshire.
Clemenceau would have liked an America’s hero in the ranks of the French army. In 1917 Georges Clemenceau was 76. To Clemenceau Roosevelt was a kid.