| This postdated Harper's Weekly cover appeared just days after the public learned that Japan and Russia had agreed to negotiate a settlement to end the Russo-Japanese War. Like this cartoon, much of the press praised President Theodore Roosevelt's central role as a diligent and patient mediator in the conflict. ("Good offices" is a term used for the influential and beneficent intervention by a neutral third party in a dispute.) The Russo-Japanese War originated in competition between Japan and Russia for dominance in the Far East, particularly over Manchuria and Korea. The surprise Japanese victory in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 signaled that Japan had become a major military force and underlined the weakness of China. In the war settlement, China paid a large indemnity and granted trading privileges to Japan, recognized the independence of Korea, and ceded Formosa (Taiwan) and the Liaotung Peninsula of Manchuria—which included the strategically advantageous Port Arthur (Lü-shun)—to Japan. Fearful of Japanese expansion in Asia, Russia joined Germany and France to compel Japan to return the Liaotung Peninsula to China. In 1896, Russia signed a treaty of alliance with China against Japan, under which China granted Russia the right to extend the Trans-Siberian Railroad through Manchuria to Vladivostok, a seaport in eastern Russia. Two years later, Russia coerced China into leasing it Port Arthur. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, several world powers sent military troops to China. Russian forces occupied Manchuria and refused to leave after the revolt was quashed. At the same time, Japan was increasing its influence in Korea. On February 8, 1904, without declaring war, Japan attacked and laid siege to Port Arthur. Concerned by Russia's aggressive behavior in East Asia over recent years, President Roosevelt was initially sympathetic to Japan, but hoped the war would result in relative balance, rather than the dominance of one power. Applying his good offices to help resolve the war was potentially risky to Roosevelt's personal stature, should he fail, but successful mediation would enhance his and the nation's prestige on the world stage. More importantly, he deemed it important that the conflict be ended on terms consistent with what he judged to be America's national interest in Asia. Early in the war, Roosevelt headed an international coalition aiming to preserve China's neutrality and territorial integrity by limiting the theater of war. In March 1904, Japan conquered Korea and by late May had cut off Port Arthur from Russian troops in Manchuria. Japan continued to score victories over the summer and into the fall. A Russian counteroffensive in the fall proved ineffective, and President Roosevelt began to worry that Japan might emerge from the war as the principal power in the Far East. He was also concerned about the Japanese seizure of a Russian warship in Chinese waters and Japanese restrictions on the American press. On January 2, 1905, the Russian commander at Port Arthur, without consulting his officers, ended the nearly year-long siege by surrendering to the Japanese, even though the Russians had sufficient provisions and ammunition to last three more months. It was a major defeat for the Russians, and provoked Roosevelt to intensify his mediation efforts. In February, he met unofficially with a British diplomat, Cecil Spring Rice, to agree on steps to bring the sides to the negotiating table. Yet, Japan feared that being first to pursue peace would show weakness, while Russia did not want to negotiate while they were losing. Several weeks of fighting at Mukden, Manchuria, resulted in heavy casualties--71,000 Japanese and 89,000 Russians--and a Russian retreat in early March 1905. On April 18, the Japanese let Roosevelt know via the French that it was "not unlikely that the friendly good offices of some Power might be necessary" to end the war. The Russians, however, tried one last gambit by sailing its Baltic fleet to Japan. But on May 27-29, 1905, the Japanese destroyed it at the Battle of Tsushima. Russia was now soundly defeated in the war, and Japan was financially drained. By June 12, both Russian and Japan had accepted Roosevelt's offer to arrange the peace talks. The London Morning Press expressed the typical sentiment that "Mr. Roosevelt's success has amazed everybody." The president then faced the difficult task of facilitating a successful outcome for the peace talks that began in early August 1905 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Roosevelt readily acceded to Japan's authority over Korea, thereby violating an 1882 Korean-American treaty. He did so believing that a disgruntled Japan might strike against the American territories in Hawaii and the Philippines or American interests in China. The two key issues in conflict at the negotiations were whether Russia should pay Japan an indemnity and which nation would control Sakhalin Island. After resolving minor points, the talks stalled on August 18. Three days later, President Roosevelt proposed that Sakhalin Island be divided between the two powers. Although other factors were involved, including Japan dropping its demand for indemnity, the president's intervention was instrumental in resolving the deadlock. The talks ended on August 29 and a treaty was signed on September 5, 1905, in which Japan kept Port Arthur and the South Manchurian Railroad, and gained hegemony over Korea, but returned the northern half of Sakhalin Island to Russia. The terms of the treaty, though, led to riots in Tokyo and helped provoke the Russian revolt of 1905 after which Tsar Nicholas signed a constitutional charter. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his part in ending the Russo-Japanese War. He was the first American president to be so honored. Robert C. Kennedy Page 2Website design � 2001-2008 HarpWeek, LLC All Content � 1998-2008 HarpWeek, LLC Please submit questions to
The Treaty of Portsmouth, signed on September 5, 1905, officially concluded the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. President Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for the role he played in the negotiations that ended the conflict. War broke out because the Russian and Japanese empires both wanted greater influence in Asia. Fighting began when the Japanese fired on the Russians at Port Arthur, in Manchuria. The Japanese maintained the military upper hand throughout the conflict, but Russia, despite being riven by civil strife, would not stop fighting. Lacking financial means to continue the war, Japan asked President Theodore Roosevelt to mediate a peace. Both sides accepted. Roosevelt invited Russia’s Count Sergei Witte and Japan’s Baron Jutarō Komura to Sagamore Hill to begin the personalized diplomacy that he favored. Once they arrived with their delegations, the negotiators then went to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and finally on to the presidential yacht, the Mayflower. Eventually, thanks in part to Roosevelt’s adroit negotiating, both sides agreed that Russia would give up any rights to Port Arthur and to the southern half of Sakhalin Island, but would not pay indemnities to Japan, and that Japan could exercise control over Korea. Russia and Japan promised to evacuate Manchuria. Japan felt itself the victor in the war, and believed it should have gained more in the peace. This feeling would rankle for many years. Roosevelt’s goal was to create a balance of power between the two empires. Most historians believe that he succeeded, at least for the immediate future. Roosevelt’s efforts also elevated the United States to a position of greater authority in world affairs. In 1906, the Nobel Prize Committee awarded Theodore Roosevelt the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic success in ending the Russo-Japanese War. He was the first U.S. president to garner this prestigious award. Only three other U.S. presidents have earned this honor—Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama.  The Treaty of Portsmouth is a treaty that formally ended the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905,[1] after negotiations from August 6 to August 30, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, United States.[2] U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was instrumental in the negotiations and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. BackgroundThe war of 1904–1905 was fought between the Russian Empire, an international power with one of the largest armies in the world, and the Empire of Japan, a nation that had only recently industrialized after two-and-a-half centuries of isolation. A series of battles in the Liaodong Peninsula had resulted in Russian armies being driven from southern Manchuria, and the Battle of Tsushima had resulted in a cataclysm for the Imperial Russian Navy. The war was unpopular in Russia, whose government was under increasing threat of revolution at home. On the other hand, the Japanese economy was severely strained by the war, with rapidly mounting foreign debts, and Japanese forces in Manchuria faced the problem of ever-extending supply lines. No Russian territory had been seized, and the Russians continued to build up reinforcements via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Recognizing that a long war was not to Japan's advantage, the Japanese government as early as July 1904 had begun seeking out intermediaries to assist in bringing the war to a negotiated conclusion.[3] The intermediary approached by the Japanese was U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who had publicly expressed a pro-Japanese stance at the beginning of the war. However, as the war progressed, Roosevelt had begun to show concerns on the strengthening military power of Japan and its long-term impact on U.S. interests in Asia. In February 1905, Roosevelt sent messages to the Russian government via the U.S. ambassador in Saint Petersburg. Initially, the Russians were unresponsive, with Tsar Nicholas II still adamant that Russia would eventually prove victorious. The Japanese government was also lukewarm to a peace treaty, as Japanese armies were enjoying an unbroken string of victories. However, after the Battle of Mukden, which was extremely costly to both sides in terms of manpower and resources, Japanese Foreign Minister Komura Jutarō judged that it was now critical for Japan to push for a settlement.[3] On March 8, 1905, Japanese Army Minister Terauchi Masatake met with the American Minister to Japan, Lloyd Griscom, to tell Roosevelt that Japan was ready to negotiate. However, a positive response did not come from Russia until after the loss of the Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima. Two days later, Nicholas met with his grand dukes and military leadership and agreed to discuss peace. On June 7, 1905, Roosevelt met with Kaneko Kentarō, a Japanese diplomat, and on June 8, he received a positive reply from Russia. Roosevelt chose Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as the site for the negotiations, primarily because the talks were to begin in August, and the cooler climate in Portsmouth would avoid subjecting the parties to the sweltering Washington summer.[3] Portsmouth Peace ConferenceThe Japanese delegation to the Portsmouth Peace Conference was led by Foreign Minister Komura Jutarō and assisted by Ambassador Takahira Kogorō. The Russian delegation was led by former Finance Minister Sergei Witte, who was assisted by the former Ambassador to Japan Roman Rosen and the international law and arbitration specialist Friedrich Martens.[4] The delegations arrived in Portsmouth on August 8 and stayed in New Castle, New Hampshire, at the Hotel Wentworth, where the armistice was signed. They were ferried across the Piscataqua River every day to the naval base in Kittery, Maine, where the negotiations were held.[citation needed] The negotiations took place at the General Stores Building (now Building 86). Mahogany furniture patterned after the Cabinet Room of the White House was ordered from Washington.[citation needed] Before the negotiations began, Tsar Nicholas had adopted a hard line and forbidden his delegates to agree to any territorial concessions, reparations, or limitations on the deployment of Russian forces in the Far East.[3] The Japanese initially demanded recognition of their interests in Korea, the removal of all Russian forces from Manchuria, and substantial reparations. They also wanted confirmation of their control of the island of Sakhalin, which Japanese forces had seized in July 1905, partly to use as a bargaining chip in the negotiations.[3] A total of twelve sessions were held between August 9 and August 30. During the first eight sessions, the delegates were able to reach an agreement on eight points. These included an immediate ceasefire, recognition of Japan's claims to Korea, and the evacuation of Russian forces from Manchuria. Russia also ceded its leases in southern Manchuria (containing Port Arthur and Talien) to Japan and turned over the South Manchuria Railway and its mining concessions to Japan. Russia was allowed to retain the Chinese Eastern Railway in northern Manchuria.[3] The remaining four sessions addressed the most difficult issues: reparations and territorial concessions. On August 18, Roosevelt proposed that Rosen offer to divide Sakhalin to address the territory issue. On August 23, however, Witte proposed that the Japanese keep Sakhalin and drop their claims for reparations. When Komura rejected the proposal, Witte warned that he was instructed to cease negotiations and that the war would resume. The ultimatum came as four new Russian divisions arrived in Manchuria, and the Russian delegation made an ostentatious show of packing their bags and preparing to depart.[4] Witte was convinced that the Japanese could not afford to restart the war and so applied pressure via the American media and his American hosts[4] to convince the Japanese that monetary compensation was not open for compromise by Russia.[5] Outmaneuvered by Witte, Komura yielded, and in exchange for the southern half of Sakhalin, the Japanese dropped their claims for reparations.[3] The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed on September 5. The treaty was ratified by the Privy Council of Japan on October 10,[6] and in Russia on October 14, 1905. AftermathThe signing of the treaty settled immediate difficulties in the Far East and created three decades of peace between the two nations. The treaty confirmed Japan's emergence as the pre-eminent power in East Asia and forced Russia to abandon its expansionist policies there, but it was not well received by the Japanese people.[7] The Japanese public were aware of their country's unbroken string of military victories over the Russians but were less aware of the precarious overextension of military and economic power that the victories had required. News of the terms of the treaty appeared to show Japanese weakness in front of the European powers, and this frustration caused the Hibiya riots and the collapse of Katsura Tarō's cabinet on January 7, 1906.[3] Because of the role played by Roosevelt, the United States became a significant force in world diplomacy. Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his backchannel efforts before and during the peace negotiations even though he never actually went to Portsmouth.
CommemorationIn 1994, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum was created by the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire to commemorate the Portsmouth Peace Treaty with the first formal meeting between Japanese and Russian scholars and diplomats in Portsmouth since 1905. As the Treaty of Portsmouth was one of the most powerful symbols of peace in the Northern Pacific region and the most significant shared peace history of Japan, Russia, and the United States, the forum was designed to explore from the Japanese, Russian, and American perspectives, the history of the Portsmouth Treaty and its relevance to current issues involving the Northern Pacific region. The forum is intended to focus modern scholarship on international problems in the "spirit of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty."[8] References
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What was President Roosevelts main concern when he offered the Treaty of Portsmouth to end the Russo-Japanese War?
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