Roosevelt's private warnings in Hendrix's account of the Venezuela crisis

In Henry Hendrix's account, Roosevelt regarded Germany's naval expansion and activity overseas as a challenge to the Monroe Doctrine. A letter to Henry Cabot Lodge connects a larger American navy with the ability to resist a German move in the West Indies or South America. During the Venezuela crisis, formal diplomatic contacts and private messages accompanied preparations for a force commanded by Admiral Dewey. A ten-day deadline was subsequently shortened, and Germany accepted arbitration after its ambassador conveyed the seriousness of the warning. In this interpretation, keeping the demands private allowed Wilhelm to retreat without the public humiliation that could have made war more likely.