The Treaty of Portsmouth (Portsmouth Peace Treaty)

Temple Israel Hosts “Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize & Portsmouth’s Jewish Community”
on Sunday, November 23, 2014

Portsmouth, NH (November 14, 2014) – In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt chose Portsmouth, New Hampshire to be the site of negotiations between Russian and Japanese delegations to end the Russo-Japanese War (now known as “World War Zero”). On Sunday, November 23rd at 10:30 am, Temple Israel, 200 State Street in Portsmouth, presents “Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize and Portsmouth’s Jewish Community” with NH Humanities Council speaker Charles B. Doleac, founder/moderator of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum. The program is a NH Humanities Council “Humanities To Go” selection and is free and open to the public. A question and answer session will follow the illustrated talk.

Atty. Doleac’s presentation describes Roosevelt’s Nobel Prize-winning multi-track diplomacy in the thirty days of negotiations that resulted in the Portsmouth Peace Treaty. Ken Burns’ recent documentary on the Roosevelts touched on the Prize but provided few details. Doleac describes the role of other world powers, the Russian and Japanese delegations, the US Navy and examples of NH’s citizen diplomacy including the role of the Russian-Jewish immigrants in Portsmouth in 1905 who founded Temple Israel that same year. Portsmouth Peace Treaty Day was established by NH law in 2010 to recognize the role ordinary citizens played in providing a neutral and supportive atmosphere for the delegates.

The Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forum was founded in 1994 to provide an opportunity for diplomats and scholars to explore diplomatic themes "in the spirit of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty.” The Forum maintains a permanent and traveling exhibit (displayed at the Portsmouth Historical Society’s John Paul Jones House Museum) and the website that the Library of Congress cites as the best resource on the topic for its educational value and accessibility. Supported by the Japan-America Society of New Hampshire, the Forum produces additional annual events including the bell-ringing commemoration of the Treaty signing on September 5^thPortsmouth Peace Treaty Day Next year will be the 110^th anniversary of the Treaty. For more information, visit www.portsmouthpeacetreaty.com

For more information on the program, contact the Temple Israel office at (603) 436-5301 x 10.

Calendar of Events

For a month's view Calendar, click here.

May 31, 2024 10:00 AM
1905

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.