To James Madison from James Monroe, 4 September 1816
From James Monroe
Sepr 4. 1816.
Dear Sir
I send you a Sketch of a reply to the French minister, subject to your correction, to be forwarded afterwards to Mr Graham. If the affr. is discussd with him, there will be no end to it, & we shall lose ground in every step. He must I think be a little alarm’d by adverting to the fate of Jackson, and Genet.1 Unless some tone is taken, all hope of indemnity is lost. I infer from yours, that this is also your opinion.
I will forward soon, a sketch of an answer to Mr Daschkoff. To minor objects I will afterwards attend.
Mr Jefferson, mentiond to me, on monday that he expected you up, notwithstanding the particular object had failed. With affecte. regard
Jas Monroe
RC (DLC: Rives Collection, Madison Papers). Docketed by JM. Enclosure not found, but see n. 1.
1. Monroe probably referred to the cases of “Citizen” Edmond Charles Genet and Francis James Jackson in 1793 and 1809, respectively. In the first, the Washington administration requested Genet’s recall; in the second, JM declined to have any further communication with Jackson. JM’s reply to Monroe on 6 Sept. 1816 suggests that he had toned down Monroe’s draft by removing any hint of such an extreme response to Jean Guillaume Hyde de Neuville.