On Sept. 5, 1905, the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05, settling the balance of power in the Pacific region for the next several decades.
President Theodore Roosevelt officially brokered the negotiations, although he did not attend them.
Talks were held at the Portsmouth Naval Yard, which offered up-to-date telegram facilities to ensure the participants’ close and rapid contact with their governments. Delegates from the Russian and Japanese governments stayed at the Wentworth Hotel in nearby New Castle.
The people of Portsmouth rolled out the red carpet in hosting the negotiations, providing numerous social events when formal talks temporarily broke down.
The agreement was the first international treaty to be signed in the United States.
N.H. Historical Society