It was a war between nations - an existing Goliath called Russia and an emerging David called Japan - that threatened to engulf much of the world. At the highest level of American government, there were ruminations that the United States needed to take steps before the Russo-Japanese conflict became a true world war.

But the United States didn't marshal its troops, assemble its war ships and invade. Instead, then-President Theodore Roosevelt tried diplomacy. In Portsmouth.

And it worked.

An exhibit detailing the 1905 Portsmouth Peace Treaty - from the detail of delicate negotiation, to the lavish-but-equal receptions held for the Russian and Japanese diplomats, to the way that city residents completely embraced the pursuit of peace - is displayed at the newly renovated State Archive Building on South Fruit Street in Concord.

The exhibit, called "An Uncommon Commitment to Peace: Portsmouth Peace Treaty 1905," is part of a larger ongoing project to commemorate the events in Portsmouth that ultimately brought about a calm between Russia and Japan that lasted for 40 years.

The exhibit focuses not just on the sometimes precarious, day-by-day negotiations, but the profound connection between the subtle

steps toward peace and the people of the city.

Included are clippings from the intense coverage provided in local and national newspapers. The Portsmouth Daily Republican and Herald - which sold for 2 cents a copy - followed the negotiation process doggedly, but also noted that some negotiators took a break to play billiards over at the Portsmouth Athletic Club.

It's a nearly forgotten piece of American history that ought to be re-examined not just because of New Hampshire's role in the process but because the process of diplomacy is one that resonates today, according to Charles Doleac, co-chairman of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty Anniversary Committee.

"It was lost because that era came to be defined by World War I, and the Peace Treaty gets dwarfed in history by that," said Doleac. "But this is such an important piece of international history and of American history - a different view of the American psyche and its ability to achieve peace through diplomacy."

There may be no better place to honor such a significant bit of Granite State history than the State Archives. The department serves as steward to many historical documents that tell tales of New Hampshire and its citizens and eras that some of us can't quite imagine. You can find information about radio advertising rates from 1948 to 1951; or you can find The New Hampshire Register and Historical Almanac, which goes from 1796 to the 1920s.

Earlier this year, a two-year, major renovation of the building was completed. The renovation increased storage space and research space threefold, streamlined access to information stored on microfilm, and brought the building up to fire codes. To reinforce the historic nature of its mission, the entrance was relocated and designed to mimic the entrance to the State House.

It seems only proper, then, that the archives join in to talk about the Peace Treaty.

Gathering storm

In 1904, Russia and Japan began to battle over Manchuria and Korea, in mutual but distinct efforts to extend imperialism and power into then-neutral lands. The Japanese army proved more resilient than expected by Russian forces, and by 1905, the Russo-Japanese war was into its second year, with no signs of resolution.

President Theodore Roosevelt - fearful that powerful nations would be forced to take sides and aware that both sides desired a peace but could not tolerate the appearance of surrender - offered to mediate between the two countries. New Hampshire governor John McLane offered the state as a location for negotiation. Ultimately, Portsmouth was chosen, primarily because Roosevelt was confident that members of the Navy stationed at the Portsmouth shipyard could and would manage the formal and critical diplomatic protocols, while providing whatever security and intervention might prove necessary. (next page »)