KING & PRESIDENT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 February 1941, Page 2

KING & PRESIDENT

OPENING UP OF PERSONAL RELATIONS.

A Presidential election 30 years ag< was the starting-point hi the present century of cordial personal relations between King and President, an English exchange states. After Theodore Roosevelt's re-election in 1904 King Edward VII. thought that it would be pleasant to mark the President's new term of oil ice by opening up personal relations. He would write a letter and would send a gift of “The Leaves" from the '‘Journal” of his mother. Sir Cecil Spring Rice suggested that to this might be added a miniature of; John Hampden from tlie Windsor collection. In return Mr Roosevelt was to be asked to send a book of his own. So King Edward wrote a "charming personal letter" and submitted it to the Foreign Office. The letter wished God-speed to the "elected chief of the republican branch of the Englishspeaking people.” The Foreign Office deleted both the God-speed and the* test of the sentence and changed the letter from one of warm. personal goodwill into an example of officialese Whatever the King thought lie accepted tlie now draft mid a friendship ensued. Dear Mr President" became “My Dear Mr President." correspondence grew increasingly cordial; the King sent a wedding present for "Miss Alice"; the President sent another book.