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Subject Area: Political Theory
Topic: The American Revolution and Constitution

TO T. PICKERING, SECRETARY OF STATE. - John Adams, The Works of John Adams, vol. 8 (Letters and State Papers 1782-1799) [1853]

Edition used:

The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States: with a Life of the Author, Notes and Illustrations, by his Grandson Charles Francis Adams (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1856). 10 volumes. Vol. 8.

Part of: The Works of John Adams, 10 vols.

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TO T. PICKERING, SECRETARY OF STATE.

Quincy, 2 November, 1798.

Sir,—

Yesterday Mr. Woodward came up and presented me with the inclosed memorial, which he says was presented by Dr. Logan to the French minister, and was procured for him by Mr. Richard Codman. Mr. Woodward told me that Dr. Logan told him that three persons only knew of his intentions to visit France, and these three were Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Genet, and Mr. Letombe; that Genet’s letters procured him his passport for Paris. Mr. Woodward is of opinion that Genet is still the principal conductor, under hand, of all the French affairs in this country. I send the papers and these particulars to you, that you and the other heads of department may make your reflections upon them.

The power of declaring war, by the French Constitution, is vested in the two councils. Although the Directory have made war upon Switzerland, Rome, and other powers, without any declaration by the councils, yet they may have reasons of prudence to restrain them towards the United States. And complaisant as the councils may be supposed to be to the Directory, it may not be so easy to obtain from them a declaration of war against us.

The object of Logan in his unauthorized embassy seems to have been, to do or obtain something which might give opportunity for the “true American character to blaze forth in the approaching elections.” Is this constitutional, for a party of opposition to send embassies to foreign nations to obtain their interference in elections? Logan told Woodward that all was going very well in America, the towns about Boston were all petitioning against arming, when the despatches arrived and ruined all, to such a degree that a Jacobin was become infinitely more odious than ever a Tory had been in the revolutionary war.1

[1 ]Dr. Logan’s mission to France excited the jealousy of the federal party in a high degree, as an attempt to operate upon the elections of the country through a foreign agency. But for Mr. Jefferson’s privity, it is not probable that it would even then have been so unfavorably interpreted. It was the characteristic of that gentleman to give clandestine encouragement to every movement, and to be always surprised at the effect which followed the almost inevitable disclosure of his agency. Yet there is reason to believe that Dr. Logan’s representations contributed to soften the temper of the rulers in both countries. General Washington, whose partisan feelings never ran higher than at this time, has given his own account of his interview with Dr. Logan. It makes one of the very few lifelike pictures we have left of him. Sparks’s Washington, vol. xi. p. 384, note.

Dr. Logan’s visit to Mr. Adams took place after the date of this letter. Time has completely vindicated his motives from suspicion. But it has not yet done due honor to his action. He tried a similar experiment many years afterwards in the case of Great Britain, with less success.