ABSTRACT
Portsmouth peace treaty is a marvelous and epoch-making event, nothing short of stupendous in its consequences, not only to the two countries immediately concerned, but to the world at large. Reporter Josiah Quincy was right in his estimation of the importance of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty of 5 September 1905. Although the president may have deserved the Nobel Prize in 1906, it must be remembered that Roosevelt also tried to achieve the national aims of the United States, which feared the growing influence of Japan on the other side of the Pacific. For Roosevelt it was essential to keep both powers in check in East Asia, because like his colleagues in London, he hoped this balance of power in the region would secure the Open Door in Manchuria. With the increasing number of Japanese victories during the war, however, Roosevelt changed his opinion tremendously.
