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A framed letter from James Monroe, dated 1796.
Provenance:Edward Bomsey Autographs, 1993
On December 30, 1796, James Monroe’s diplomatic mission as the U.S. Minister to France officially ended. He had been recalled by President George Washington several months earlier due to the administration’s dissatisfaction with his performance, particularly his handling of the controversial Jay Treaty with Great Britain.
Monroe, a Republican partisan who was sympathetic to the French Revolution, had led the French government to believe the Jay Treaty would not be ratified by the United States. Washington and his cabinet felt Monroe was failing to defend American interests and explain the government’s position to the French, who were at war with Britain.
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney was sent to replace Monroe and arrived in Paris in December 1796. Monroe delayed his departure until the spring of 1797 and, upon his return to the United States, published a 500-page pamphlet defending his conduct as minister. This work, titled A View of the Conduct of the Executive, was critical of the Washington administration’s foreign policy.
Paris, December 29, 1796
Dear Sir,
Have you any desire to attend tomorrow
The Directoire being the day app(roved) for me
to take leave? I am to have a particular
audience so that tis possible you will not be able to get admittance further than the
Hall of the Ambassadors but there I will
conduct you further if in my power in
case you will come up and go with me at
1/4 after ten - yours sincerely
James Monroe
