Negotiations with France
Item
Type
Draft Letter
Title
Negotiations with France
Description
Letter, discusses process of negotiations between US and France.
short description
Ltr, dis how to negotiate with France
year created
1797
month created
04
author
recipient
in collection
in image
note
Filed with several other documents under the general title: How to Avoid War with France.
created note
This draft letter was found with a McHenry memorandum on the same general subject dated 04/29/1797.
notable person/group
unknown
James McHenry
Gen Pinckney
House of Representatives
President
Congress
notable location
Vienna
France
ports
English
notable item/thing
letter
communications
vessels
paper
notable idea/issue
embargo
trade
military preparation
negotiations
notable phrase
post mark
state of things between this country & France is by no means as it ought to be nor is possible to form a well founded conjecture of the position which we may be finally compelled to take. Perplexity
reading the communications
faithful abstract
you will find sufficient ground to justify the proclamation to convene congress and be perfectly satisfied that the Executive could not alone have proceeded one step
length of session
composition of the house of representatives
should the majority be federal
go into specific enumeration of the measures he may deem necessary
occasion will produce a degree of unanimity favorable to a short session
measures ought to be
recent conduct of France
continued and aggravated aggressions
trade
the expectations she entertains of support from a majority of our citizens
as to an embargo
does not strike me as expedient
vessels
ports of safety
friendly ports
French or English
vessels
means to defend themselves
law of this nature would not so much an embargo, as a set of regulations to protect our trade
depredations
could neither be viewed here nor in France as concealing a determination to war
belligerent powers
commerce
indispensableness of that commerce to our revenue and prosperity
duty which government must feel
solid and natural protection
assume a serious fact of national defense
half-measures would only serve to betray weakness and irresolution
lead to greater depredations
extravagant demands
Congress should augment the military establishment by a real and provisional force calculated to the protection of the sea board and the southern state against insurrections
negotiation which is not to be
carried on under the strongest evidence that the opposition and people will not permit any military preparation that may look towards hostility must renter it of hopeless issue
entirely at the mercy of the Directory
we shall agree to combine defensive measures with negotiations
firmness with prudence
paper
confidential.
document number
1797049900301
page start
1
Item sets
Transcribe this document
Document instances
| In image | In source | Location in source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [view document] (1 pages) | AGD24 (1 pages) | Collection: General Collection | B: M-Mac |
Document names
| Type | Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | James McHenry | [unknown] | [n/a] |
| Recipient | Unknown Recipient | [unknown] | [n/a] |