From George Washington to Timothy Pickering, 4 January 1797
To Timothy Pickering
[Philadelphia] January 4th 1797.
Dear Sir,
As it is very desireable that the papers respecting the discontents of France should be got into Congress, and sent also to Mr Pinckney as soon as possible;1 if you mean to give the other Gentlemen a perusal of the statement for the latter, it would save time if this was done as you are proceeding towards the close of that Statemt.
It is questionable whether the present, and pressing avocations of the other two Secretaries will allow them to go carefully over it; but this, I conceive, does not apply to the Attorney-General.2
I have no doubt that you have taken care, & will continue to be assured, of your facts; for as this business will certainly come before the public, not only the facts, but the candour also, the expression, & force of every word, will be examined with the most scrutinizing eye, and compared with every thing that will admit of a different construction—and if there is the least ground for it, we shall be charged with unfairness, and an intention to impose on & mislead the public judgment.
Hence, & from a desire that the statement may be full, fair, calm and argumentative; without asperity, or any thing more irritating in the comments, than the narration of facts, which expose unfounded charges & assertions, do themselves produce, I have wished that this letter to Mr Pinckney may be revised over, & over again.3 Much depends upon it as it relates to ourselves, and in the eyes of the world; whatever may be the effect as it respects the governing powers of France. I am always & affectionately Yours
Go: Washington
ALS, MHi: Pickering Papers; ALS (letterpress copy), DLC:GW; LB, DLC:GW.
1. Pickering was preparing a lengthy letter to Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, the U.S. minister to France. Pickering already had begun to draft his letter and to gather the supporting documents in late 1796. He had written GW on 27 Dec. 1796: “The Secretary of State respectfully lays before the President the great bulk of the papers which he has selected to lay before Congress relative to French affairs. Some others remain on which the Secretary is continuing the draft of his letter to Mr Pinckney” (AL, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters).
Pickering again wrote GW on “Sunday Evening,” 1 Jan.: “Fearing your patience would be exhausted, I beg leave to hand you so much of my letter to Mr Pinckney as Mr [George] Taylor [Jr.] has copied: he will proceed to complete it with the utmost diligence; but it will probably take him two days to do it. I was the more desirous to submit so much to your inspection, that if you should deem any material changes expedient they might be made with less delay” (ALS, DNA: RG 59, Miscellaneous Letters). Pickering’s long letter, or memorial, to Pinckney served to rebut a number of accusations made by former French minister Pierre-Auguste Adet in his letter to Pickering of 15 Nov. 1796. In that letter, Adet had denounced U.S. neutrality policy for breaching the 1778 Franco-American treaties and condemned provisions in the Jay Treaty. Pickering had already replied to Adet’s 27 Oct. 1796 letter to him, which Pickering sent Pinckney in a letter of 5 Nov. 1796 (see DNA: RG 59, Diplomatic and Consular Instructions, 1791–1801; see also GW to Alexander Hamilton, 2 Nov. 1796, and n.2 to that document; GW to Hamilton, 3 Nov. 1796, and n.1; Hamilton to GW, 19 Nov., and n.5; and GW to Hamilton, 21 Nov. 1796, and n.9). Following directives from GW and advice from Alexander Hamilton, Pickering addressed his rebuttal to Pinckney for transmission to the French Directory. The final version of Pickering’s memorial to Pinckney, dated 16 Jan., and its accompanying supporting documents were laid before Congress on 19 Jan. (GW to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, that date, and n.4; see also Hamilton to GW, 4 and 11 Nov. 1796).
2. For the suggestions for Pickering’s memorial to Pinckney made by GW, Attorney General Charles Lee, and the other cabinet secretaries, see GW to Pickering, 9 Jan., and Pickering to GW, 12 January.
3. Hamilton likewise had recommended a measured response to Adet’s letters (see Hamilton to GW, 4 and 19 Nov.).