 US newspaper cartoon on the incident | |
| Date | 18 May – 21 June 1904 |
|---|---|
| Location | Tangier, Morocco |
| Type | Kidnapping |
| Motive | Payment of ransom |
| Target | Ion Hanford Perdicaris Cromwell Varley |
| Organized by | Ahmed al-Raisuni |
| Participants | 9-150 of Raisuni's men |
| Charges | Payment by Abd al-Aziz: $70,000 to Ahmed al-Raisuni $4,000 to the United States |
The Perdicaris affair, also known as the Perdicaris incident, refers to the kidnapping of Greek-American Ion Hanford Perdicaris (1840–1925)[1] and his stepson, Cromwell Varley, a British subject, by Ahmed al-Raisuni and his bandits on 18 May 1904 in Tangier, Morocco. Raisuni, leader of several hill tribes, demanded a ransom of $70,000, safe conduct, and control of two of Morocco's wealthiest districts from the Sultan of Morocco Abd al-Aziz. During lengthy negotiations, he increased his demands to control of six districts. The historical importance of the affair lay not in the kidnapping itself but in the concentration of naval power in Tangier and what it meant for the politics of gunboat diplomacy.[2]
Born in Greece in 1840 to the American ambassador and his wife, Perdicaris grew up mostly in New Jersey in the United States and was an American citizen. He had been living in Tangier since the 1870s. President Theodore Roosevelt felt obliged to react on his behalf in Morocco. Ultimately, he dispatched seven warships and several Marine companies to Tangier to convince the Sultan to accede to Raisuni's demands. Western European nations also reacted with force, with the United Kingdom, France, and Spain sending ships to prevent rioting in Morocco. John Hay, the American Secretary of State, issued a statement to the Republican National Convention in June 1904 that "This government wants Perdicaris alive or Raisuni dead."
Roosevelt's display of force in this incident is credited with helping the incumbent president win re-election later in 1904. After being released, Perdicaris moved with his family to England, settling in Tunbridge Wells.
- ^ Morris 2001, p. 323.
- ^ Hourihan, William James (1975). Roosevelt and the sultans: the United States Navy in the Mediterranean, 1904 (PhD dissertation). University of Massachusetts Amherst.