THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHlNGTON
Personal.
January 22, 1907
My dear Mr. Secretary:
In reference to Magoons two letters of the 13th and
16th, which are returned herewith, I need hardly add to what I said this morning. There
can he no talk of a protectorate by us. Our business is to establish peace and order on a
satisfactory basis, start the new government, and then leave the Island; the Cuban
Government taking the reins into its own hands; tho of course it might be advisable for
some little time that some of our troops should stay in the Islands to steady things. I
will not even consider the plan of a protectorate, or any plan which would imply our
breaking our explicit promise because of which we were able to prevent a war of
devastation last fall. The good faith of the United States is a mighty valuable asset and
must not be impaired.
Sincerely yours,
Theodore Roosevelt
Hon. Wm. H. Taft,
Secretary of War.
Enclosures.
