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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
Ion Perdicaris, an American businessman, is kidnapped on May 18, 1904 in Tangier, Morocco and held for ransom. President Theodore Roosevelt demands that the Moroccan government obtain Perdicaris' release and orders Navy ships to Morocco. Perdicaris is eventually released unharmed, and the incident is now often remembered for the statement made by US Secretary of State John Hay, "Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead." Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| May 18, 1904 | Ion Perdicaris, a Greek-American citizen, and his stepson are kidnapped by a Moroccan brigand, Ahmed ibn-Muhammed Raisuli, in Tangier, Morocco. Raisuli demands ransom payments and political influence in exchange for Perdicaris’ safe return. |
|---|---|
| May 19, 1904 | President Roosevelt orders a naval squadron to Morocco. |
| May 31, 1904 | France offers her assistance in resolving the affair. |
| June 22, 1904 | U.S. Secretary of State John Hay dispatches an ultimatum to the Moroccan sultan demanding “Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead.” |
| June 24, 1904 | Raisuli’s demands are met, and Perdicaris is released. |
