Ben McBroom, age 17, of Champaign, I11, for his question:
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE X.Y.Z. AFFAIR?
The "X.Y.Z. Affair" was a famous U.S. diplomatic incident that involved a commission sent to France back in 1797 to negotiate outstanding differences between the two countries. It happened in the early days of the nation.
Differences arose largely through the refusal by the U.S. to come to the aid of France, then at war with Great Britain, as stipulated in the Franco American treaty of 1.778.
Further, under the terms of a treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain concluded in 1794, the U. S. had accepted the British view of the rights and obligations of neutrals and subsequently had ordered French ships out of American ports. The French retaliated by preying on American shipping.
In an attempt to reach a settlement, President John Adams appointed a commission of three statesmen to negotiate with the French government. The French foreign minister, Charles de Talleyrand, informed the commission through three secret agents that the Directory (the French executive) would not negotiate with the mission unless the U.S. agreed to "lend" the French government $10 million and to present him, Talleyrand, with a "gift " of $250,000.
"Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute," is the now famous slogan uttered by the commission member Charles Pinckney. The commission rejected the proposals and sent details to President Adams, who forwarded them to Congress.
In April 1798, the dispatches of the American commission were made public. In the otherwise complete copies, the letters "X," "Y" and "Z" were substituted for the names of Taliyrand's emissaries.
Exposure of the French diplomatic tactics brought widespread indignation and Congress actually authorized preparations for war. Although there were a number of naval clashes, war was not officially declared and the French government officially repudiated the secret agents.
When the dispatches of the American commissioners were first made public, the French government adopted a conciliatory attitude and hoped to gloss over the matter. But then in 1798 the government officially repudiated the so called X,Y ana Z agents, denouncing them as charlatans.
President Adams, who very definitely wanted to avoid war, sent a new commission to France late in 1799.
Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Director and established himself as France's leader before the commissioners reached Paris.
The commissioners in September 1800 finally arranged with Napoleon a convention that once more put the two nations back on friendly terms.
And the "X.Y.Z. Affair" became a page in history.