I. Louis Guillaume Otto to Thomas Jefferson, 10 April 1791
I. Louis Guillaume Otto to Thomas Jefferson
Dimanche matin. 10. Avril. 1791.
Le Chargé des Affaires de France a l’honneur de presenter ses respects à Monsieur le Secretaire d’Etat et de lui envoyer la Correspondance qui a eu lieu concernant la proposition faite par Messrs. Schweizer et Jeanneret de rembourser la dette des Etats unis envers Sa Majesté. Il le supplie de vouloir bien lui renvoyer ces pieces et lui en donner son opinion avant le depart du batiment, qui doit faire voile pour le Havre vers la fin de cette Semaine.
RC (DNA: RG 59, NL); endorsed by TJ as received 10 Apr. 1791 and so recorded in SJL. TJ returned the enclosures to Otto, and these cannot be identified with certainty. They cannot have included all that Short sent to Hamilton, which included those written by Swan (for identification of these enclosures, see Editorial Note, notes 38, 40, 41, 44, 48, 50, and 52). But it is certain that Otto sent to TJ with this note the proposals of Schweitzer, Jeanneret & Cie. of 22 Nov. 1790 and the exchanges among the company, Lambert, Montmorin, and Short, copies of which Gouverneur Morris sent to Washington in his letter of 27 May 1791 (for identification of these, see note 70 to Editorial Note). These probably did not include Montmorin’s instructions to Otto of 24 Jan. 1791, a copy of which Montmorin had sent to Short.