The Treaty of Portsmouth (Portsmouth Peace Treaty)

Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee Commemorates 100^th Anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize

Presents Replica to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum

December 10, 2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the awarding of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize to President Theodore Roosevelt for his diplomacy ending the Russo-Japanese War. On that day, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee hosted a commemorative lunch – the sole commemoration taking place anywhere in the world to honor Theodore Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize and his role as peacemaker.

Thanks to the interest of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee presented an authentic replica of the Nobel Peace Prize to Capt. Jon Iverson, commander of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for the Shipyard’s Treaty Museum in Building 86 in honor of continuing efforts to document the legacy of the Treaty in diplomatic history, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The lunch and presentation took place at Wentworth By the Sea Hotel in Portsmouth/New Castle, New Hampshire.

In 1906, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee recognized that the Portsmouth Peace Treaty would not have been signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on September 5, 1905 had it not been for Roosevelt's good offices in arranging the formal negotiations.

”Research focused around the 100^th anniversary of the Treaty in Portsmouth last year proved that Roosevelt orchestrated the dynamics of the formal and informal peace process, knowing that he could rely on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the local people to create the positive atmosphere needed for the Russian and Japanese negotiations,” said Charles Doleac, founder of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forums and chairman of the Anniversary Committee. “This Nobel Peace Prize anniversary is a time to remember not the Theodore Roosevelt who wielded ‘big stick’ diplomacy but the Theodore Roosevelt who as President understood how to use a great nation’s diplomatic good offices for peace. Roosevelt’s Nobel recognizes that Roosevelt’s unique diplomacy was the first that used all of the forces that have since distinguished the United States on the world stage: the capacity of the American people for goodwill, the military’s tradition as peacemaker and the respect for the individual nations’ ability to negotiate these differences between themselves.”

The Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee continues to document all the Centennial events and community organization involved in the 2005 anniversary in an archive on their website, which the Library of Congress recognized for its educational value and accessibility.

The exhibit "An Uncommon Commitment to Peace" opened in the State of New Hampshire’s new State Records & Archives Building in Concord in January 2007 in addition to the Portsmouth Historical Society museum.

Calendar of Events

For a month's view Calendar, click here.

For information about ordering fine art prints of this Treaty Centennial symbol, and other commemorative items, click here.

Twitter.com: @PortsmthTreaty

To learn more about the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire

Mailing address:
82 Court Street
Portsmouth NH 03801

To join the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire online, click here.

For information about the Russia Society of New Hampshire, write to
PO Box 177
Concord NH 03302-0177

For a Russian-language description of the Treaty exhibit click here.

For the Russian-language Library of Congress description of the Treaty of Portsmouth, click here.

News and Links

To learn nore, the following books are available:

Heroes & Friends: Behind the Scenes of the Treaty of Portsmouth by Michiko Nakanishi

There Are No Victors Here: A Local Perspective on the Treaty of Portsmouth by Peter E. Randall

Also available:

An Uncommon Commitment to Peace Exhibit Catalogue published by the Japan-America Society of NH

Blessed Are the Peacemakers: The Service of Thanksgiving for the Portsmouth Treaty, September 5, 1905 by Marina Grot Turkevich Naumann

Original 1905 newsreel footage on DVD

Treaty of Portsmouth 1905-2005 book of reproduction historical postcards.

The Portsmouth Peace Process: Guide for Teachers by Northeast Cultural Coop

Portsmouth Peace Treaty Trail

For hours, directions, details on the Portsmouth Historical Society museum where the Portsmouth Peace Treaty exhibit is displayed, click here.

For hours, directions, details on Strawbery Banke Museum and the Shapiro House, owned by one of the founders of Temple Israel who figured in the Treaty citizen diplomacy, click here.

For information about Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Building 86 where the formal negotiations were held. click here.

For more information about Wentworth By the Sea Hotel, where both delegations stayed, click here.

For more information about Green Acre Bahai School and Sarah Farmer's commitment to the peace process, click here.

The Portsmouth Public Library maintains an micorfilm archive of local newspapers and an index of the relevant Treaty reporting and other related materials. The archive of original newspapers, photographs and other documents is maintained by the Portsmouth Athenaeum.