Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee Commemorates 100^th Anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize

Portsmouth, NH  -- December 10, 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the awarding of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize to President Theodore Roosevelt for his diplomacy ending the Russo-Japanese War. On that day, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee hosts a commemorative lunch – the sole commemoration taking place anywhere in the world to honor Theodore Roosevelt's Nobel Peace Prize and his role as peacemaker. 

Thanks to the interest of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee will be presenting an authentic replica of the Nobel Peace Prize to Capt. Jon Iverson, commander of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for the Shipyard’s Treaty Museum in Building 86 in honor of continuing efforts to document the legacy of the Treaty in diplomatic history, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The lunch and presentation will take place at Wentworth By the Sea Hotel in Portsmouth/New Castle, New Hampshire.

In 1906, the Nobel Peace Prize Committee recognized that the Portsmouth Peace Treaty would not have been signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on September 5, 1905 had it not been for Roosevelt's good offices in arranging the formal negotiations.

”Research focused around the 100^th anniversary of the Treaty in Portsmouth last year proved that Roosevelt orchestrated the dynamics of the formal and informal peace process, knowing that he could rely on the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the local people to create the positive atmosphere needed for the Russian and Japanese negotiations,” said Charles Doleac, founder of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Forums and chairman of the Anniversary Committee. “This Nobel Peace Prize anniversary is a time to remember not the Theodore Roosevelt who wielded ‘big stick’ diplomacy but the Theodore Roosevelt who as President understood how to use a great nation’s diplomatic good offices for peace. Roosevelt’s Nobel recognizes that Roosevelt’s unique diplomacy was the first that used all of the forces that have since distinguished the United States on the world stage: the capacity of the American people for goodwill, the military’s tradition as peacemaker and the respect for the individual nations’ ability to negotiate these differences between themselves.”

The Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee is in the process of documenting all the Centennial events and community organization involved in the 2005 anniversary in an archive, book, DVD and additions to their website which the Library of Congress recognized for its educational value and accessibility. The exhibit "An Uncommon Commitment to Peace" will open the State of New Hampshire’s new State Records & Archives Building in Concord in January 2007 and will reopen at the Portsmouth Historical Society museum for the 2007 season in May. The Portsmouth Peace Treaty Trail of key sites from the 1905 negotiations is now mapped and offered as a guided or self-guided tour. Pontine Theatre has made "The Peace of Portsmouth" a permanent element of their repertoire and the Seacoast Wind Ensemble has added historical Peace Treaty music to their concert offerings. For more information, visit www.PortsmouthPeaceTreaty.com                 ###