The African phrase "Speak softly and carry a big stick" is primarily associated with President Teddy Roosevelt. In "Theodore Roosevelt's Naval Diplomacy: The US Navy and the Birth of the American Century", Henry Hendrix examines how President Roosevelt applied the 'big stick' of the US Navy during his Presidency.

Before he was President, Teddy Roosevelt had a long history with the Navy. This experience was to have a profound effect on how he applied naval power during his future Presidency. As his honors thesis, Roosevelt chose to write "the Naval War of 1812", which Hendrix claims "remains a mainstay of historical literature surrounding the subject." Hendrix continues "That a civilian barely out of college (or still in college, in the case of the early chapters) grasped the technicalities of these great clashes still amazes readers." It was Roosevelt's expert work on this book that opened the door to be a lecturer at the Naval War College where he met Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan. Hendrix documents how this relationship blossomed, culminating in Roosevelt's selection as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In his final acts as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt shifted American naval power from coastal defense to power projection.

Hendrix states "Few incidents of recent history have remained as clouded as the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903." He continues "[a] careful review of the official millitary records of the military commanders on the scene provides and unmistakable picture of Roosevelt's intentions in the Caribbean during the winter of 1902-03." Hendrix indeed makes the case for the careful application of American naval power in response to German colonial ambitions in South America.

Next Hendrix reviews the American naval response to the Columbian Senate's rejection of the "carefully crafted Hay-Herrain Treaty, by which the United States would be granted access to a narrow strip of land across the Columbian province of Panama." The author asserts "[t]he canal had long occupied the center fo Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy, and he was determined to see it built." In response to the Columbian government, Roosevelt sent a naval flotilla and the Marines to secure the land required for what is now the Panama Canal.

Following the two succesful applications of naval power, Roosevelt naturally assumed the Navy and Marines could handle some pirates who took American citizens hostage. Hendrix examines the limitations of naval power for this scenario in Morocco.

No discussion of Teddy Roosevelt and the Navy can ignore the "Great White Fleet". Hendrix expertly reviews the implications of Roosevelt's influence on the transformation of the American navy and the ability of it to open up the closed empire of Japan.

In addition to the military application of naval power, Roosevelt also was an expert diplomat. Hendrix discusses how Roosevelt served as the intermediary between the warring Japanese and Russians, after the former's defeat of the latter at Tsushima Strait in 1905. It was for his work at the peace conference in Portsmouth, that Roosevelt earned the Nobel Peace Prize.

I was fascinated with the role that Theodore Roosevelt has played in American naval power. Being new to the subject, I was impressed with Hendrix' ability to explain the influences of this great man on the navy. This book is a great case study in the roles naval power play in the DIME (Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic) pillars of foreign policy. It is a great read, and I highly recommend it.

This is a very good book with a very misleading title. It does considerably more than present a history of how President Theodore Roosevelt (1900-1908) used the U.S. Navy to further diplomatic ends. Hendrix does provide a really compelling account of how Roosevelt developed an effective way to combine what today is called `force projection' with diplomatic operations to further U.S. policy and national security. Perhaps, as Hendrix suggests, Roosevelt did lay the foundation for the 20th Century to be the `American Century'. Yet the transformation of the U.S. Navy from a very mediocre force into a world class navy is interesting story in its own right and a significant part of this book.

Theodore Roosevelt appears to have been very good at recognizing brilliance in others. He became friends with and adapted wholesale Alfred Thayer Mahan's theoretical constructs for creating a strong navy as an indispensable adjunct to international trade. But he also looked to advice from such practical naval officers as William Sims who was an outstanding naval gunner of the period. Roosevelt and his naval advisors were at the forefront bringing the latest technology (such as wireless radio) to naval development. Roosevelt adopted the concept of the all big gun battleship as the back bone of the fleet, but also understood the importance of the marine torpedo and promoted the torpedo boat and latter the submarine. In doing this Roosevelt and his advisors created the foundation for the dominance that the U.S. Navy enjoys today.

Finally, although Hendrix does not really emphasize this, Roosevelt clearly recognized the value of the U.S. Marine Corps as central to the concept of force projection. It was during his administration that the Marines firmly established their reputation as the protectors of American interests in abroad.