"I am going through an interesting collection of old newspapers put online in Singapore. I did not know of this statement by President Roosevelt."

Theodore Roosevelt championed new designs for U.S. coinage, most famously reaching out to sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The designs did not include the "In God We Trust" motto which first appeared on the two cent piece in 1864. The January 3, 1908 article published a letter from Roosevelt putting forth his reasoning on the matter. -Editor

Kavan also found the letter in the New York Times archive, where it appeared on 11/14/1907.

For comment I reached out to numismatic researcher William Bierly, author of In God We Trust: The American Civil War, Money, Banking, and Religion. -Editor

"Yes, this was a big flap at the time and TR caught a lot of heat about it. The Republicans were very nervous about the public reaction as the Democrats were taking advantage of it. But TR seemed adamant about it so a group of Republicans persuaded Congressman Hampton Moore, a friend of the president, to talk with him about it. After a "difficult discussion" TR reluctantly agreed to not veto a bill passed by Congress restoring "In God We Trust".

"Roosevelt wrote "Congressman Moore says the House Committee wants to pass a bill restoring the motto to the coin. I tell him it is not necessary; it is rot; but the Congressman says there is misapprehension as to the religious purport of it. . . . I repeat, it is rot, pure rot, but I am telling the Congressman if Congress wants to pass a bill restoring the motto, I shall not veto it."

"The press had a field day with the issue and had numerous cartoons mocking both sides of the issue. My book devotes a chapter (17) to the story. I had a lot of fun researching and writing that chapter. Controversy of course surrounds the motto on our coinage to this day ."

Great topic. Thanks, everyone. -Editor