Roosevelt mediated the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), for which he won the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. He pursued closer relations with Great Britain. Roosevelt mediated the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), for which he won the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. He pursued closer relations with Great Britain. Roosevelt was generally reluctant to involve himself in labor-management disputes, but he believed that presidential intervention was justified when such disputes threatened the public interest. Labor union membership had doubled in the five years preceding Roosevelt's inauguration, and at the time of his accession, Roosevelt saw labor unrest as the greatest potential threat facing the nation. Yet he also sympathized with many laborers due to the harsh conditions that many faced. Resisting the more extensive reforms proposed by labor leaders such as Samuel Gompers of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), Roosevelt established the open shop as the official policy civil service employees. Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. Retrieved April 24, 2017.