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Robert Lansing Papers, 1882-1929 (bulk 1905-1928): Finding Aid

MC083

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Published on September 6, 2005

©2005 Princeton University Library

Summary Information

Creator:

Lansing, Robert, 1864-1928.

Title and dates:

Robert Lansing Papers, 1882-1929 (bulk 1905-1928)

Abstract:

The Robert Lansing Papers document the later years of Robert Lansing (1864-1928), lawyer, writer, and the longest serving of Woodrow Wilson's three Secretaries of State. During his tenure as Secretary of State (June 23, 1915 to February 13, 1920), the United States entered the First World War on the side of the Entente Powers. Deliberations and negotiations associated with the precarious neutrality which preceded this event and the troubled peace which followed it dominated Lansing's time in office and are reflected in his papers. Lansing's interests as a lawyer, which were international in scope and substance, and the diverse subjects which commanded his attention as a writer – subjects ranging from biblical history to English etymology – are also evident. The Lansing Papers consist of official papers, personal papers, writings and speeches, diaries, sketches, and photographs. Though by no means exhaustive, they shed light on many aspects of Lansing's life and times.

Size:

5.5 linear feet (13 archival boxes)

Call number:

MC083

Location:

Princeton University Library. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.
Public Policy Papers.
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA

Language(s) of material:

English

Storage note:

This collection is stored onsite at the Mudd Manuscript Library.

Biography of Robert Lansing

Lansing was born in Watertown, New York on October 17, 1864. The son of John and Maria Lay (Dodge) Lansing, he could trace his American ancestry to the middle years of the seventeenth century. His religious and political loyalties were Presbyterian and Democratic. He attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, graduating in 1886, and, like his father and grandfather before him, entered the legal profession. He joined his father's practice following his admission to the bar in 1889, but it was his father-in-law and one-time Secretary of State, John Watson Foster, who interested him in global affairs and the international arbitral panels before which he would appear more often than any American lawyer of the time. In 1892, he was named associate counsel for the United States in the Bering Sea Arbitration, an appointment which took him to Paris. In the years which followed, he represented American interests before such bodies as the Bering Sea Claims Commission, the Alaskan Boundary Tribunal, the North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Arbitration, the Fur Seal Conference, and the British and American Claims Arbitration. In addition to private interests, he served as counsel for the Mexican and Chinese legations in Washington between 1894 and 1895 and 1900 and 1901. In 1906, Lansing helped to found the American Society of International Law, and, in 1907, he helped to launch the American Journal of International Law, of which he became an associate editor.

On March 27, 1914, he was appointed Counselor for the Department of State, unaware of the burdens soon to be imposed on him by the outbreak of the First World War. As the second highest official in the department, he was called upon to serve as acting secretary in the absence of William Jennings Bryan. Bryan's resignation over the ramifications of the sinking of the Lusitania opened the way for Lansing's appointment as Secretary of State on June 23, 1915, an unusual choice on Wilson's part in light of Lansing's lack of political stature. The President and his confidant, Edward Mandell House, exercised far more influence over the conduct of foreign policy than Lansing, but his familiarity with the workings of international law was an asset as the administration grappled with the thorny questions arising from the need to define and safeguard the rights of neutrals in a world at war.

Neutrality, which had grown steadily more untenable as hostilities intensified, was abandoned in 1917. Diplomatic ties with Germany were severed on February 3, and a state of war was declared to exist between the countries on April 6, developments Lansing both expected and welcomed. In the first days of his tenure, he had outlined in a private memorandum his views on Germany, noting that “German absolutism is the great menace to democracy” and raising the specter of a triumphant reich allying itself with an autocratic Russia and Japan in a coordinated assault on human liberty. He was not, however, an advocate of revenge, dubbing the reparations bruited by Great Britain and France “simple madness.” The positions of foreign leaders were not the only ones he questioned as the spotlight shifted from the battlefield to the conference table. Lansing, who travelled to Paris as a member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, found himself in irreconcilable disagreement with Wilson over a number of issues, the most important of which concerned the nature of the President's beloved League of Nations and the wisdom of framing its covenant in conjunction with the treaties of peace. Lansing went so far as to question the appropriateness of his superior's presence in Paris on the grounds that it would lessen his stature and, thus, his influence at home and abroad. Lansing's advice on these and other matters was unwelcome, and though he was one of the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles, his ability to influence events was minimal.

While issues associated with the First World War occupied center stage during his time in office, Lansing was also obliged to deal with the volatile political situation in Mexico and the tensions which threatened to spark a full-scale war between this strife-torn country and the United States. Differences with Wilson over the propriety of intervention in Mexican affairs in the fall of 1919 did nothing to narrow the rift between them. Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which were occupied by American troops in 1915 and 1916 respectively, constituted minor flash points and, as such, afforded Lansing greater scope for independent action. Strains in Japanese-American relations were a matter of concern as well, particularly in regard to the status of China. The Lansing-Ishii Agreement, negotiated in the fall of 1917, was intended to preserve China's territorial integrity and political independence while recognizing – ominously in light of later events – Japan's “special interests” there. The Bolshevik revolution posed challenges as novel as they were farreaching, not least of which was the collapse of the eastern front. Lansing loathed Bolshevism, which he described in a private memorandum as “the most hideous and monstrous thing that the human mind has ever conceived,” and opposed extending diplomatic recognition to the new regime.

The last months of Lansing's tenure as Secretary of State were overshadowed by domestic opposition to the peace settlement arrived at in Paris, culminating in the refusal of the Senate to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, and the physical and psychological collapse of Wilson in the fall of 1919. In the resultant vacuum, Lansing felt it proper to summon meetings of the cabinet, a practice which aroused the ire of the convalescent President, who accused him of usurping presidential power. Lansing's resignation, which took effect on February 13, 1920, was as willingly offered as it was accepted. Lansing had, in fact, considered resigning well before this point, privately likening his position to that of “a school boy or a rubber stamp,” but his sense of duty had restrained him.

Now he happily returned to private life. He resumed the practice of international law in partnership with Lester Hood Woolsey, who had served as Solicitor for the Department of State, and was retained by a number of countries. They included Chile, whose interests he and Woolsey represented in the Tacna-Arica Arbitration. Lansing used his new leisure to record his opinions and impressions of the peace conference, though he refrained from publicizing his disagreements with Wilson until the change in administrations in 1921, and he was working on an extensive account of his years as Secretary of State at the time of his death. His examination of the peace conference took the form of two books, The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative and The Big Four and Others of the Peace Conference, and part of his unfinished manuscript was published posthumously under the title, War Memoirs of Robert Lansing. He died in Washington, D.C. on October 30, 1928.

Description

With the exception of a small number of sketches and photographs, the Lansing Papers consist exclusively of typescript and manuscript material, including letters, telegrams, memoranda, essays, addresses, and diaries. While this material documents many of Lansing's concerns, particularly in his capacity as a lawyer, writer, and public official, there are significant lacunae. Among Lansing's official and personal papers, some years are entirely unrepresented while others are virtually so. Enclosures referred to in letters are often missing. There is a ten-year gap in his diaries between 1910 and 1921. While his writings and speeches are also incomplete – the absence of his most widely noted work, The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative, is a case in point – they form by far the largest and, in many respects, the most revealing body of material in the Lansing Papers. Lansing's literary and scholarly works are well-represented, as are his treatments of contemporary issues arising within and without the corridors of power.

Lansing was a reflective man who committed his views to paper both during and after the events in which he was involved. The principal insights which the Lansing Papers offer are related less to the daily workings of public and private life than to the concerns and convictions which underpin them. To the extent that Wilson was his own Secretary of State and denied Lansing his confidence, particularly in the closing months of their association, it is perhaps appropriate that Lansing's thoughts bulk larger than his actions in these papers. Through them, his character and environment can be gauged. A biographical sketch prepared for The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography could be accused of over-enthusiasm in averring that Lansing occupied “a preeminent position in the councils of the world,” but it is plain that he was part of the dynamics if not necessarily the decisions which shaped the fortunes of the United States and its neighbors at a pivotal point in the twentieth-century. For further information on indivual series please see series descriptions located in the contents list portion of this finding aid.

Arrangement

The Lansing Papers are divided into six series arranged as follows:

• Series 1: Official Papers, 1882-1925
• Series 2: Personal Papers, 1912-1929
• Series 3: Writings and Speeches, 1905-1928
• Series 4: Diaries, 1908-1928
• Series 5: Sketches, 1919
• Series 6: Photographs, n.d.

Series 1, 2, and 4 are arranged chronologically while Series 3 and 6 are arranged alphabetically. Series 5 consists of a single collection of sketches.

Access and Use

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material in these papers must be requested of the Associate University Librarian for Rare Books and Special Collections.

Provenance and Acquisition

The Lansing Papers were donated to Princeton University in three installments by the late Allen Welsh Dulles, either in person or through his estate, between 1963 and 1974. Dulles was a nephew of Lansing's wife, the former Eleanor Foster. The Lansings were childless, and Dulles and his brother, John Foster, were, in the former's words, Lansing's “literary heirs.” Photostatic copies of a four-item donation by Thomas Quinn Beesley, which was forwarded by Princeton University to the Library of Congress in 1950, are also included in the Lansing Papers.

Related Material

Please see Woodrow Wilson: A Guide to Selected Resources in the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library for more particulars.

Descriptive Rules Used

Finding aid content adheres to that prescribed by Describing Archives: A Content Standard.

Encoding

Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Techbooks on 23 August 2005.

Finding aid written in English.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date if known, Robert Lansing Papers, box and folder numbers, Public Policy Papers, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Libraries.

Subject Headings

These materials have been indexed in the Princeton University Library online catalog using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

• Davis, John W. (John William), 1873-1955 -- Correspondence.
• Francis, David Rowland, 1850-1927xCorrespondence.
• House, Edward Mandell, 1858-1924 -- Correspondence.
• Kennan, George, 1845-1924 -- Correspondence.
• Page, Walter Hines, 1855-1918 -- Correspondence.
• Polk, Frank L. (Frank Lyon), 1871-1943 -- Correspondence.
• Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924 -- Correspondence.
• United States. Dept. of State -- 20th century.
• United States. American Commission to Negotiate Peace.
• Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920)
• Cabinet officers -- United States -- 20th century -- Correspondence.
• Diplomatic and consular service, American -- 20th century.
• Neutrality -- United States -- 20th century.
• World War, 1914-1918 -- Diplomatic history.
• World War, 1914-1918 -- Peace.
• Asia -- Foreign relations -- United States -- 20th century.
• Europe -- Foreign relations -- United States -- 20th century.
• Latin America -- Foreign relations -- United States -- 20th century.
• Mexico -- History -- Revolution, 1910-1920.
• Soviet Union -- History -- Revolution, 1917-1921.
• United States -- Foreign relations -- Asia -- 20th century.
• United States -- Foreign relations -- Europe -- 20th century.
• United States -- Foreign relations -- Latin America -- 20th century.
• United States -- Foreign relations -- Treaties -- 20th century.
• United States -- Politics and government -- 20th century.
• Correspondence.
• Diaries.
• Photographs.
• Speeches.
• Typescripts.
• Lawyers -- United States.

Browse other finding aids related to the following terms:

• American history/20th century
• American politics and government
• World War I

Contents List

1. Series 1: Official Papers, 1882-1925 Series Description Series 1: Official Papers, consists of material relating to Lansing's work as Counselor and, subsequently, Secretary of State and, though little exists, to his work as a lawyer before and after these appointments. The topics treated in this material are diverse, and the descriptions in the folder list which follows are by no means exclusive. They do, however, illustrate the range of matters with which Lansing had to deal: from the misdeeds of diplomats, as in the Sullivan scandal, to the intricate maneuvers of governments, as in the Austro-Hungarian peace overture. While the eclecticism of this series is not an adequate substitute for completeness – the years 1917 and 1918 are the only ones to comprise more than two folders – users can acquire an appreciation of a variety of issues as defined and interpreted by Lansing and his correspondents. In the process, larger phenomena can be discerned, whether it is House's ubiquitous influence, as evidenced by correspondence concerning the appointment of a Counselor to fill Lansing's shoes, or Wilson's deteriorated health, as evidenced by correspondence concerning the appointment of an ambassador to Switzerland. The descriptions in the folder list include not only representative subjects but also the names of the individuals who addressed them. Not unexpectedly, the bulk of material in this series was generated by Lansing and his officials, many of whom were communicating telegraphically from Europe. (There is even an undeciphered telegram from Paris to tease the curious.) The communications of foreign representatives appear occasionally, as do those of interested private parties, including the writer George Kennan on Russian matters. The President excepted, little exists from other governmental units. The most exotic letter in this series, dated 17 January 1918, undoubtedly comes from one Matilda de Cramm, who frequented the American embassy in Petrograd and was suspected in Washington of being a German agent. It should be noted that the first folder in this series contains a lone letter from Secretary of State Frelinghuysen to Senator, later, President, Harrison. The circumstances under which Lansing, a teenager at the time it was written, acquired it are unclear, but its content, a claim against Mexico, fell within his professional sphere of interest at a later date and is, therefore, included among his official papers. Users looking for a fuller record of Lansing's time in office would do well to consult the appropriate volumes of Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, published by the Department of State. The Woodrow Wilson Papers Project Records, which are also housed in the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, are another potentially fruitful source of information.

2. Letter from Frederick Frelinghuysen to Benjamin Harrison re Wallace claim on Mexico, 1882 Mar

   Box 1, Folder 1

3. Includes Lansing re international courts of arbitration , 1910 May

   Box 1, Folder 2

4. Includes Lansing re administration of Spitzbergen, 1911 Jan

   Box 1, Folder 3

5. Includes Lansing, C.P. Anderson, and Crammond Kennedy re Prevost-Hobson arbitration, 1913 Jul-Dec

   Box 1, Folder 4

6. Includes Lansing re Monroe doctrine, 1914 Apr-Jun

   Box 1, Folder 5

7. Includes Lansing, Woodrow Wilson, and William Phillips re Sullivan scandal, 1915 Jan-Jul

   Box 1, Folder 6

8. Includes Lansing, E.M. House, and F.L. Polk re appointment of Polk as Counselor for Department of State, 1915 Aug-Dec

   Box 1, Folder 7

9. Includes Lansing, Woodrow Wilson, and J.W. Davis re 1916 presidential election, 1916 Jan-Nov

   Box 1, Folder 8

10. Includes Lansing, Woodrow Wilson, and W.H. Page re presidential note to belligerents, 1916 Dec

    Box 1, Folder 9

11. Includes Lansing, Woodrow Wilson, and D.R. Francis re Mooney case, 1917 Jan-May

    Box 1, Folder 10

12. Includes Lansing re papal peace appeal, 1917 May-Sep

    Box 2, Folder 1

13. Includes Lansing, D.R. Francis, and William Phillips re Bolshevik revolution, 1917 Sep-Dec

    Box 2, Folder 2

14. Includes Lansing and Woodrow Wilson re war mission to Great Britain and France, 1917 Dec

    Box 2, Folder 3

15. Lansing-Ishii Agreement, 1917

    Box 2, Folder 4

16. Includes Lansing, H.R. Wilson, and W.H. Page re Austro-Hungarian peace overture, 1918 Jan-Feb

    Box 2, Folder 5

17. Includes Lansing and E.M. House re League of Nations, 1918 Feb-Apr

    Box 2, Folder 6

18. Includes Lansing and Woodrow Wilson re dismemberment of Austria-Hungary, 1918 May-Jul

    Box 2, Folder 7

19. Includes Josephus Daniels, Breckinridge Long, and F.L. Polk re transfer of Japanese battle cruisers to Hampton Roads, 1918 Jul-Sep

    Box 3, Folder 1

20. Includes Lansing and Woodrow Wilson re armistice, 1918 Oct-Dec

    Box 3, Folder 2

21. Includes E.T. Williams re disposition of Japanese held German islands, 1919 Jan-Sep

    Box 3, Folder 3

22. Includes Lansing, J.V.A. MacMurray, and N.T. Johnson re international consortium in China, 1919 Oct-Dec

    Box 3, Folder 4

23. Includes Lansing and Woodrow Wilson re resignation of Lansing as Secretary of State, 1920 Feb-Mar

    Box 3, Folder 5

24. Includes Lansing re international claims, 1925 Mar-Nov

    Box 3, Folder 6

25. Includes Lawrence Townsend re dismemberment of Austria-Hungary, n.d.

    Box 3, Folder 7

26. Series 2: Personal Papers, 1912-1929 Series Description Series 2: Personal Papers, contains a sampling of material relating to Lansing's private concerns. It, too, represents the tip of an iceberg but is sufficient to convey a sense of both the prosaic and the notable in Lansing's life: from the purchase of a Packard, complete with Lansing's monogram, to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The descriptions in the folder list are, once again, only indicative of the subjects and corresponding individuals represented in this series. There is a significant body of material relating to the publication of Lansing's books on the peace conference, and while correspondence with Houghton Mifflin Company, the successful publisher, predominates, its rivals are also represented. Arguably the most interesting component of Lansing's personal papers is a sequence of long and candid letters written to an intimate circle of colleagues and friends, including John William Davis, the Democratic Party's nominee for president in 1924, between 1918 and 1920. The replies of these individuals, many of whom were fellow members of the Phortnightly Klub, or P. K. as it was called, have not survived, but it is clear that Lansing was on such terms with them that he could unburden himself with relative freedom. His letters, therefore, constitute not only an interesting chronicle of the times but an entree into his thinking. The following excerpts, the one from a letter to a colleague; the other from a letter to a friend, are not atypical. Lansing to Polk on the peace conference: “I really wish that I was at home and out of it all, because under the present system of secret conclaves by the heads of states I feel so helpless and unable to check or even advise as to the course which should be pursued.” Lansing to Smith on Wilson: “I am not blind to the fact that the President has sought to make himself the great central engine which controls all the machinery of government, and that during the war this made for its efficient prosecution and was therefore accepted by every one.” Although it postdates Lansing's death, this series also contains a body of correspondence concerning his estate and emanating, for the most part, from Penfield & Penfield, the firm charged with its management.

27. Includes Lansing and A.F. Lansing re property, 1912 Nov

    Box 3, Folder 8

28. Includes Lansing and A.F. Lansing re property, 1913 Jan-Sep

    Box 3, Folder 9

29. Includes Lansing and Henry Eager re Eager Electric Company, 1914 Jan-May

    Box 3, Folder 10

30. Includes Lansing, C.E. Hotchkiss, and C.P. Anderson re evacuation from Europe of Hotchkiss family, 1914 Aug-Sep

    Box 3, Folder 11

31. Includes Collin Armstrong re address to Amherst College alumni, 1915 Jan-Mar

    Box 3, Folder 12

32. Includes C.H. Hollister re social visit, 1915 Sep-Nov

    Box 3, Folder 13

33. Includes Lansing and G.A. Finch re address to American Society of International Law, 1916 Jun

    Box 3, Folder 14

34. Includes Lansing and J.B. Lippincott re potential book, 1918 Jun-Nov

    Box 3, Folder 15

35. Includes Lansing re tour of battlefields, 1918 Dec

    Box 3, Folder 16

36. Includes Lansing re proceedings of peace conference, 1919 Jan-May

    Box 3, Folder 17

37. Includes Lansing re Treaty of Versailles, 1919 May-Aug

    Box 4, Folder 1

38. Includes Lansing re debate over peace settlement, 1919 Aug-Dec

    Box 4, Folder 2

39. Includes Lansing re Russian situation, 1920 Jan-Mar

    Box 4, Folder 3

40. Includes Lansing re infirmity of Woodrow Wilson, 1920 Apr-Nov

    Box 4, Folder 4

41. Includes Lansing, R.L. Scaife, and Ferris Greenslet re The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative , 1920 Nov-Dec

    Box 4, Folder 5

42. Includes Lansing, R.L. Scaife, and Ferris Greenslet re The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative , 1921 Jan-Feb

    Box 4, Folder 6

43. Includes Lansing, R.L. Scaife, and Ferris Greenslet re The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative, 1921 Feb-Apr

    Box 5, Folder 1

44. Includes Lansing, R.L. Scaife, and Ferris Greenslet re The Big Four and Others of the Peace Conference, 1921 Apr-Nov

    Box 5, Folder 2

45. Includes Lansing and J.T. Faris re “Moses the Statesman”, 1922 Jan-Oct

    Box 5, Folder 3

46. Includes Lansing, G.W.O. Oakes, and M.S. Wertheimer re “The Kaiser's Memoirs”, 1922 Oct-Dec

    Box 5, Folder 4

47. Includes Lansing and J.E. Freeman re inspirational letter, 1923 Feb-Aug

    Box 5, Folder 5

48. Includes Lansing, J.A. Thomas, and R.M. McElroy re lunch with American Asiatic Association and China Society of America, 1923 Oct-Nov

    Box 5, Folder 6

49. Includes Lansing and H.B. Swope re death of Woodrow Wilson, 1924 Feb-Nov

    Box 5, Folder 7

50. Includes Lansing re 1924 presidential election, 1925 Jan-Jun

    Box 5, Folder 8

51. Includes Lansing re death of William Jennings Bryan, 1925 Jul-Nov

    Box 5, Folder 9

52. Includes Lansing and J.L. Bray re United States Daily Publishing Corporation, 1926 Mar-May

    Box 5, Folder 10

53. Includes R.P. Hobson re World Conference on Narcotic Education, 1926 May

    Box 5, Folder 11

54. Includes T.E. Burton re centennial of American Peace Society, 1927 May-Nov

    Box 5, Folder 12

55. Includes David Lawrence re United States Daily Publishing Corporation, 1928 Jan-Sep

    Box 5, Folder 13

56. Includes R.C. Alexander re subjects of articles to be written for La Prensa, n.d.

    Box 5, Folder 14

57. Posthumous correspondence re Lansing estate, 1928 Oct-Dec

    Box 5, Folder 15

58. Posthumous correspondence re Lansing estate, 1929 May-Nov

    Box 5, Folder 16

59. Series 3: Writings and Speeches, 1905-1928 Subseries Description Series 3: Writings and Speeches, encompasses a wide array of works, each of which is identified by title in the folder list, and illustrates the breadth of Lansing's interests. The material in this series, much of which was unpublished, ranges from patriotic calls to arms, such as the “Address Before the Reserve Officers' Training Corps,” to scholarly treatments of historical subjects, such as “The Hebrew Kingdoms: A Brief Account of their Origin, Political Development and Relations to Other Nations,” to whimsical verses, such as “English Spelled and Spoken.” Lansing even turned his hand to children's stories in “Real Boys.” His ability to combine fiction and nonfiction is demonstrated in “Letters of Cornelius,” a collection of missives from a rough spoken doughboy detailed to the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. Lansing's private and public treatment of events to which he was a party or phenomena to which he was a witness are insightful and fill gaps which exist in other series. Of particular interest are “Confidential Memoranda and Notes,” which were written between 1915 and 1921, and, on a less intimate plane, “The Conduct of American Foreign Affairs: 1915-1920,” an unfinished account of his time in office. The former compilation contains reflections on issues of national and international importance, including many relating to wartime and postwar diplomacy, as well as on matters of a more restricted interest, including an acerbic commentary on “President Wilson's Use of the Word ‘Damn’.” The probing quality of Lansing's pen is captured by a note in which he reflects upon his own reflections. The evidential value of this material, he himself concluded, lies in the fact that it “recites the progress of thought and explains the reason often for conclusions and policies which might otherwise seem obscure or inexplicable.” In his writings and speeches, Lansing left a multifaceted picture of himself and his world, which, if sometimes disturbing (he believed that, unaided, “social organization and the efficient exercise of political government are beyond the faculties of the black race”) answer many questions.

60. Address at Meeting of Governing Board of the Pan American Union, 1918

    Box 5, Folder 17

61. Address Before the New York State Bar Association, 1918

    Box 5, Folder 18

62. Address Before the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, 1917

    Box 5, Folder 19

63. Address Delivered at a Dinner Given in Lansing's Honor by the Jefferson County Bar Association, 1916

    Box 5, Folder 20

64. Address Delivered at Amherst Alumni Dinner, 1915

    Box 5, Folder 21

65. Address Delivered at the Tenth Annual Banquet of the American Society of International Law, 1916

    Box 5, Folder 22

66. Address on the Occasion of the Visit to the Tomb of Washington of the Serbian Mission, 1918

    Box 5, Folder 23

67. Address on the Third Anniversary of Italy's Entrance into the War, 1918

    Box 5, Folder 24

68. Address [on the United States' Obligations to Domiciled Aliens], n.d.

    Box 5, Folder 25

69. Address Opening Sessions of Boundary Commissioners of Guatemala and Honduras, 1918

    Box 5, Folder 26

70. Address to the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1918

    Box 6, Folder 1

71. Address to the Governing Board of the Pan American Union on the Death of Mr. Santiago Aldunate, Chilean Ambassador, 1918

    Box 6, Folder 2

72. The Alaskan Boundary Controversy, 1927

    Box 6, Folder 3

73. The Alaskan Boundary Tribunal in Session at London in, 1903 1927

    Box 6, Folder 4

74. Alexander McLean, Pirate, 1927

    Box 6, Folder 5

75. American Optimism, 1917

    Box 6, Folder 6

76. An American Peace, n.d.

    Box 6, Folder 7

77. Arab Civilization:, From the 8th to the 15th Century 1905

    Box 6, Folder 8

78. The Bible in English, 1927

    Box 6, Folder 9

79. Cabinet Meetings During the President's Illness, n.d.

    Box 6, Folder 10

80. College Spirit, 1917

    Box 6, Folder 11

81. The Condition of the East at the Time of the Crusades, 1927

    Box 6, Folder 12

82. The Conduct of American Foreign Affairs, 1915-1920 (part 1, chapters 1-12), n.d.

    Box 6, Folder 13

83. The Conduct of American Foreign Affairs, 1915-1920 (part 1, chapters 13-19), n.d.

    Box 6, Folder 14

84. The Conduct of American Foreign Affairs, 1915-1920 (part 1, chapters 20-24), n.d.

    Box 6, Folder 15

85. The Conduct of American Foreign Affairs, 1915-1920 (part 2, chapters 1-8), n.d.

    Box 6, Folder 16

86. The Conduct of American Foreign Affairs, 1915-1920 (part 2, chapters 9-14), n.d.

    Box 7, Folder 1

87. Confidential Memoranda and Notes, April 15, 1915 to December 30, 1918 1915-1918

    Box 7, Folder 2

88. Confidential Memoranda and Notes, January 2 to December 27, 1919 1919

    Box 7, Folder 3

89. Confidential Memoranda and Notes Addendum, 1920-1921

    Box 7, Folder 4

90. The Critical Time in American Foreign Relations During the War for Secession, 1927

    Box 7, Folder 5

91. The Dangers of Peace, 1912

    Box 7, Folder 6

92. Dante and his Century, 1927

    Box 7, Folder 7

93. David, n.d.

    Box 7, Folder 8

94. A Definition of Sovereignty, 1913

    Box 7, Folder 9

95. The Development of the American Foreign Service and its Administration, 1920

    Box 7, Folder 10

96. The Dominant Idea in Modern Political Thought, 1911

    Box 7, Folder 11

97. English Spelled and Spoken, 1911

    Box 7, Folder 12

98. An Excursion Among English Surnames, 1911

    Box 7, Folder 13

99. The Fallacy of Outlaw War, 1924

    Box 7, Folder 14

100. Fishing Days: Brief Sketches of Experiences on Lake Ontario and its Shores and Islands Near Henderson Bay, 1928

     Box 7, Folder 15

101. Forty Thieves of Time, n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 1

102. Free Will, n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 2

103. A Glance at the English Language, 1927

     Box 8, Folder 3

104. The Hebrew Kingdoms: A Brief Account of their Origin, Political Development and Relations to Other Nations (chapters 1-9), n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 4

105. The Hebrew Kingdoms: A Brief Account of their Origin, Political Development and Relations to Other Nations (chapters 10-20), n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 5

106. Immigration, n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 6

107. The Importance of Popularizing Archaeology and Kindred Sciences, 1926

     Box 8, Folder 7

108. Impressions of Other Statesmen at the Peace Conference, n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 8

109. Internationalism, 1925

     Box 8, Folder 9

110. Internationality, 1914

     Box 8, Folder 10

111. Introduction of Hon. James W. Gerard at Dedication of Liberty Hut, 1918

     Box 8, Folder 11

112. Introduction of President Made by Lansing as Presiding Officer at the Flag Day Exercises, 1916

     Box 8, Folder 12

113. The Iroquois, 1912

     Box 8, Folder 13

114. The Iroquois Confederacy or League of the Long House, 1927

     Box 8, Folder 14

115. The Iroquois League of Nations, 1921

     Box 8, Folder 15

116. Jacob, n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 16

117. Jefferson County: Historical Review of the Region Prior to the First Permanent Settlement in, 1797 1927

     Box 8, Folder 17

118. Joseph, n.d.

     Box 8, Folder 18

119. The Kaiser's Memoirs, 1922

     Box 8, Folder 19

120. The League of Nations, 1925

     Box 8, Folder 20

121. Letters of Cornelius, 1919

     Box 9, Folder 1

122. Lincoln, n.d.

     Box 9, Folder 2

123. A Linguistic Slumming Trip, 1911

     Box 9, Folder 3

124. Memoranda [on the United States at War inter alia], 1917

     Box 9, Folder 4

125. Memorandum for Meeting of American Institute of International Law, 1915

     Box 9, Folder 5

126. Memorandum of Remarks at Pan American Dinner, 1916

     Box 9, Folder 6

127. Memorandum on the Idea of an Association of Nations, 1921

     Box 9, Folder 7

128. Memorandum [on the Near and Far East], 1926

     Box 9, Folder 8

129. Memorandum [on the Panama Canal], 1915

     Box 9, Folder 9

130. Message to Dinner of Transportation Conference, 1916

     Box 9, Folder 10

131. Miscellaneous [Notes], n.d.

     Box 9, Folder 11

132. Moses the Statesman, 1922

     Box 9, Folder 12

133. National Ideals and National Character, 1916

     Box 9, Folder 13

134. Nationality and the Present Balkan Situation, 1909 (article)

     Box 9, Folder 14

135. 1927 (preface)

     Box 9, Folder

136. The Nature of Sovereignty, 1913

     Box 9, Folder 15

137. New Testament [Notes], 1911-1912

     Box 9, Folder 16

138. The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Arbitration, 1911

     Box 9, Folder 17

139. A Note on my Interview with Joseph P. Tumulty on October 3, 1919 and on his Charge that I Sought to Oust President Wilson from Office, 1921

     Box 9, Folder 18

140. Note on Relation of Society to Labor, 1913

     Box 9, Folder 19

141. Notes on a Political Platform, 1924

     Box 9, Folder 20

142. Notes on Sovereignty in a State, 1907

     Box 9, Folder 21

143. Old Testament [Notes], 1912

     Box 9, Folder 22

144. One Hundred and Forty Years of British Canada, 1759 to 1899, 1927

     Box 10, Folder 1

145. Our War with Austria-Hungary, 1917

     Box 10, Folder 2

146. Pan-Americanism, 1915

     Box 10, Folder 3

147. Peace and Prussianism, 1917

     Box 10, Folder 4

148. The Policy of the United States in Regard to the Rights of Domiciled Aliens, n.d.

     Box 10, Folder 5

149. Political Clubs of the French Revolution, 1927

     Box 10, Folder 6

150. The Power of Democracy, 1919

     Box 10, Folder 7

151. Primitive Government, 1910

     Box 10, Folder 8

152. Principles, Platforms and Primaries, 1924

     Box 10, Folder 9

153. The Problem of Reduction of Naval Armaments, 1925

     Box 10, Folder 10

154. A Proletarian Dictatorship, 1925

     Box 10, Folder 11

155. Prussianism, 1918

     Box 10, Folder 12

156. Prussia's War and America's Peace, 1918

     Box 10, Folder 13

157. A Ramble Among English Words, n.d.

     Box 10, Folder 14

158. Real Boys, n.d.

     Box 10, Folder 15

159. Reforms, n.d.

     Box 10, Folder 16

160. The Relation of International Law to Fundamental Rights, 1919

     Box 10, Folder 17

161. The Relation of Spirit, Mind, and Matter, 1928

     Box 10, Folder 18

162. Remarks at a Luncheon to the American-Mexican Joint Commission, 1916

     Box 10, Folder 19

163. Remarks for Pan-American Thanksgiving Luncheon, 1916

     Box 10, Folder 20

164. Remarks Made at Dinner of the Gridiron Club, 1915

     Box 10, Folder 21

165. The Renaissance and its Relation to the Protestant Reformation, 1927

     Box 10, Folder 22

166. Response to the Toast “the President of the United States” at the Pan-American Celebration, 1915

     Box 10, Folder 23

167. Restriction of the Traffic in Arms, n.d.

     Box 10, Folder 24

168. Revision of the Rules of Naval War, 1928

     Box 10, Folder 25

169. The Revolt of Youth Against Social Restraints, 1928

     Box 10, Folder 26

170. Robespierre, 1927

     Box 10, Folder 27

171. Roman Social Life Under the Early Emperors, 1927

     Box 10, Folder 28

172. Scraps, 1918-1920

     Box 10, Folder 29

173. Scraps, 1920-1923

     Box 10, Folder 30

174. Scraps, 1924-1928

     Box 11, Folder 1

175. Seal Farming in Bering Sea, 1909

     Box 11, Folder 2

176. The Search After Knowledge: An Impressionist's Phantasy of the Human Impulse to Know the Secrets of Nature, n.d.

     Box 11, Folder 3

177. A Second Series of Weekly Thoughts, n.d.

     Box 11, Folder 4

178. A Series of Articles Written for and Published by La Prensa of Buenos Aires, 1924-1925

     Box 11, Folder 5

179. Social Life During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, 1927

     Box 11, Folder 6

180. Social Life Under the Early Plantagenet Kings, 1927

     Box 11, Folder 7

181. Social Life Under the Stuart Kings, 1927

     Box 11, Folder 8

182. Some Legal Questions of the Peace Conference, 1919

     Box 11, Folder 9

183. Specialization and Progress, 1914

     Box 11, Folder 10

184. The Spirit of the Coming Era, 1918

     Box 11, Folder 11

185. Thomas Jefferson: The American Apostle of Individualism, 1927

     Box 11, Folder 12

186. A Thought for Every Week in the Year, 1928

     Box 11, Folder 13

187. To a Coin, 1928

     Box 11, Folder 14

188. To a Pen, 1928

     Box 11, Folder 15

189. A Unique International Problem, 1917

     Box 11, Folder 16

190. The Universe and Man, 1911

     Box 11, Folder 17

191. The Universe, the Earth, and Man, 1928

     Box 11, Folder 18

192. Untitled Material, 1914-1918

     Box 11, Folder 19

193. Untitled Material, n.d.

     Box 11, Folder 20

194. The Vastness of the Universe, 1909

     Box 11, Folder 21

195. Viereck's Interview with the Ex-Kaiser, 1925

     Box 11, Folder 22

196. A War of Self-Defense, 1917

     Box 11, Folder 23

197. Warwick and Kenilworth, 1927

     Box 11, Folder 24

198. The Washington Conference and the Future, 1922

     Box 11, Folder 25

199. Zoroastrianism and Judaism, 1927

     Box 11, Folder 26

200. Series 4: Diaries, 1908-1928 Series Description Series 4: Diaries, is a further expression of Lansing's predilection for the written word. The first of them is distinct in that its entries follow one another at irregular intervals and, frequently, assume a retrospective character. It also favors full sentences and, partly for this reason, has a narrative quality the others lack. While diaries do not exist for the period coincident with Lansing's tenure as Secretary of State, they supplement, albeit in a somewhat skeletal form, the otherwise fragmentary record of his legal activities before and after his years in the public eye. The diary for 1908-1910, for example, refers extensively to the North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Arbitration in which Lansing appeared on behalf of the United States. While the entries in the other diaries are considerably terser, they clearly establish the pattern of Lansing's life between 1921 and 1928. His days were active; his professional and social engagements many. Although he was no longer Secretary of State, it is evident from the nature of his work and the circles in which he moved that he remained very much a part of his former world. His appetite for reading and, in summer, fishing are also illustrated by his diaries.

201. Diary, 1908-1910

     Box 11, Folder 27

202. Diary, 1921

     Box 12, Folder 1

203. Diary, 1922

     Box 12, Folder 2

204. Diary, 1923

     Box 12, Folder 3

205. Diary, 1924

     Box 12, Folder 4

206. Diary, 1925

     Box 12, Folder 5

207. Diary, 1926

     Box 13, Folder 1

208. Diary, 1927

     Box 13, Folder 2

209. Diary, 1928

     Box 13, Folder 3

210. Series 5: Sketches, 1919 Series Description Series 5: Sketches, consists of a collection of fifty-eight pencil drawings of individuals whom Lansing encountered at the peace conference. Drawn in all but two instances on blank memoranda of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, they attest to the pleasure he derived from sketching and, quite possibly, to the tedium of the proceedings. Most of his sketches are unidentified. Among those that bear a name can be found the likenesses of Arthur James Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, in a characteristic doze; Tasker Howard Bliss, a fellow member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, and Samuel Gompers, President of the American Federation of Labor.

211. 58 Sketches of personalities at the peace conference in Paris, 1919

     Box 13, Folder 4

212. Series 6: Photographs, n.d. Series Description Series 6: Photographs, consists of seven black and white photographs of varying size. The four relating to Tsingtao, China should be considered in the context of the controversy which arose over the fate of the Shantung Peninsula of which it was a part. The former German concession had been seized by Japan in 1914, and, at the peace conference, Japan's claims in this area were accepted at the expense of China's, much to the dismay of Lansing and his colleagues. The inscription which accompanies the photograph of Wilson, “To my trusted friend, Robert Lansing, with the warmest good wishes,” is ironic in light of the terms on which the two men parted.

213. Autographed photograph of Georges Clemenceau (3.75 × 5.25), n.d.

     Box 13, Folder 5

214. Photograph of Robert Lansing (6.5 × 9), n.d.

     Box 13, Folder 6

215. Four photographs taken in and around Tsingtao, China (3 × 4), n.d.

     Box 13, Folder 7

216. Autographed photograph of Woodrow Wilson (6 × 9), n.d.

     Box 13, Folder 8

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