Thomas Jefferson Papers
Documents filtered by: Author="Genet, Edmond Charles" AND Recipient="Jefferson, Thomas"
sorted by: date (descending)
Permanent link for this document:
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-27-02-0522

To Thomas Jefferson from Edmond Charles Genet, 20 December 1793

From Edmond Charles Genet

Philadelphie le 20. xbre 1793.
l’an 2e. de la Repe. fse. une et Indivisible

Monsieur

La franchise, la Candeur,1 et la publicité étant2 les seules bases de la politique de la france devenue3 libre et le secret de ceux qui dirigent ses affaires aujourdhui4 étant de n’en avoir aucun5 Je vous ai annoncé6 que Je ferois imprimer non seulement ma Correspondance avec le gouvernement federal; mais aussi les instructions qui m’ont été données par le Conseil èxécutif de la Repe. fse. L’impression de ma Correspondance n’est point achevée, mais celle de la traduction de mes Instructions l’étant Je7 m’empresse de vous en envoyer deux cents éxemplaires8 en vous priant de requerir Mr. le President des Etats unis de vouloir bien les faire distribuer aux differents membres du Congrès et d’en donner communication officielle aux deux Chambres de ce Corps legislatif. Cette premiere partie du recueil que Je vous annonce et que Je vous ferai parvenir successivement9 mettra les representants du peuple Americain à portée de Juger si ma Conduite politique depuis que Je reside dans les Etats unis a été conforme aux Intentions du peuple françois; cette démarche que Je dois à ma patrie,10 étant faite laissant à vos sages législateurs le Soin de prendre sur les points qui sont en négociation entre nous les mesures que l’interêt des Etats unis leur paroitra éxiger11 Il ne me restera plus qu’à poursuivre dans vos tribunaux les auteurs et complices de cette trame odieuse de cette serie monstrueuse de mensonges de certificats imposteurs de bruits absurdes au moyen des quels12 on a fasciné pendant quelque tems l’esprit public13 et induit en erreur votre premier Magistrat14 dans la vue d’ébranler et de détruire peut être l’alliance de deux peuples que tout invite à s’aimer et à s’unir dans un moment où le danger le plus imminent15 pese également sur l’un et sur l’autre. Agréés mon respect.

G

Dft (DLC: Genet Papers); at head of text: “Lettre qui doit servir d’avant propos à ma Correspondance”; above salutation: “Le Cit Genet &c à Mr Jefferson secretaire d’Etat des Etats unis de l’amerique.” FC (same); consists of fair copy of Dft in a clerk’s hand, with revisions by Genet recorded in note 12 below. Recorded in SJL as received 28 Dec. 1793. Enclosure: Correspondence description begins [Edmond Charles Genet], The Correspondence between Citizen Genet, Minister of the French Republic, to the United States of North America, and the Officers of the Federal Government; to which are Prefixed the Instructions from the Constituted Authorities of France to the Said Minister. All from Authentic Documents, Philadelphia, 1793 description ends , 1–9, consisting of “Instructions to Citizen Genet, Minister Plenipotentiary from the French Republic to the United States, from The Executive Council, and Minister of Marine,” being five documents: instructions of the Provisional Executive Council of France to Genet, 4 Jan. 1793; extract of supplementary instructions from same to same, 17 Jan. 1793; Minister of Marine Gaspard Monge to Genet, 8 Feb. 1793; Minister of Marine Jean Dalbarade to Genet, 28 May 1793; and letter of credence of the Provisional Executive Council of France to Genet, 30 Dec. 1792 (for the last, see enclosure to Genet to TJ, 16 May 1793). Translation with variations printed in Correspondence description begins [Edmond Charles Genet], The Correspondence between Citizen Genet, Minister of the French Republic, to the United States of North America, and the Officers of the Federal Government; to which are Prefixed the Instructions from the Constituted Authorities of France to the Said Minister. All from Authentic Documents, Philadelphia, 1793 description ends , [ii-iii]; printed in French from draft in Correspondance description begins [Edmond Charles Genet], Correspondance entre le Citoyen Genet, Ministre Plenipotentiaire de la Republique Française pres les Etats-Unis, et les Membres du Gouvernement Féderal, Precedee des Instructions données à ce Ministre par les Autorités constituées de la France, Philadelphia, 1794 description ends , [3–4].

As indicated above, Genet used this letter as a preface to his highly selective English and French editions of his diplomatic correspondence with the Secretary of State, which he introduced with redacted texts of his instructions. Though he enclosed here only the translation of the latter, in both editions Genet silently omitted all passages in the Provisional Executive Council’s main instructions relating to French plans to liberate Canada and Louisiana, as well as those in the supplementary directives about French supporters in the American government and French plans for enlisting Indians to fight against the British and the Spanish. He also artfully softened sections of the supplementary instructions dealing with French privateering in the United States and urging the need for him to show moderation and circumspection in treating with the American government (Turner, CFM description begins Frederick Jackson Turner, “Correspondence of French Ministers, 1791–1797,” American Historical Association, Annual Report, 1903, II description ends , 201–11).

1Genet here canceled “l’honnêteté.”

2Genet here canceled “actuelle.”

3Word interlined.

4Word written in the margin.

5Translation in Correspondence: “the mysterious secrecy of courts being entirely rejected from her councils and the only art of her public agents being that of using none.”

6Genet here canceled “dans ma lettre du

7Sentence to this point written in the margin in place of “ce recueil n’est point,” which Genet had first substituted in the margin for a passage that in its final form read: “Je ferai paroitre ce recueil par cahiers et mon premier soin sera de vous en envoyer un certain nombre d’éxemplaires que Je prierai le President des Etats unis de vouloir bien mettre sous les yeux du Congrès.”

8Translation in Correspondence: “I hasten to enclose to you copies of them.”

9Preceding seven words written in the margin.

10Preceding six words written in the margin.

11Genet first wrote “faite abandonnant à vos sages législateurs le soin de décider cette importante question” and then altered it to read as above.

12Genet here canceled “comme Je ne saurois trop vous le répéter,” a passage retained in the FC and canceled again there by him. In the FC Genet also altered the passage preceding it to read “de la trame odieuse, qui a été ourdie contre moi et au moyen de la quelle.”

13Passage from “cette trame odieuse” translated in Correspondence description begins [Edmond Charles Genet], The Correspondence between Citizen Genet, Minister of the French Republic, to the United States of North America, and the Officers of the Federal Government; to which are Prefixed the Instructions from the Constituted Authorities of France to the Said Minister. All from Authentic Documents, Philadelphia, 1793 description ends as “the odious and vile machinations that have been plotted against me by means of a series of impostures which for a while have fascinated the minds of the public.”

14Translation in Correspondence description begins [Edmond Charles Genet], The Correspondence between Citizen Genet, Minister of the French Republic, to the United States of North America, and the Officers of the Federal Government; to which are Prefixed the Instructions from the Constituted Authorities of France to the Said Minister. All from Authentic Documents, Philadelphia, 1793 description ends : “even your first magistrate.”

15Genet first wrote “s’aimer à s’unir pour resister au danger qui” and then altered it to read as above.

Index Entries