A STATEMENT 1 J. MSS. - Thomas Jefferson, The Works, vol. 8 (Correspondence 1793-1798) [1905]
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The Works of Thomas Jefferson, Federal Edition (New York and London, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904-5). Vol. 8
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A STATEMENTJ. MSS.
[Oct. 1793.]
A Question whether Mr. G. has threatd. to appeal from the Pr. to the people of the US. has excited considble. attention from the public has been thot worthy of callg. forth the evidence of the highest officers of the govmt. to bear testimony to it, & to justify the disclosure of the secret private consultations of the Exve. The performce. of an official duty having implicated me in the transaction, I have made me necessarily made me a party in the operation having connected me with the matter in question I have been vouched in affirmation of the charge. It is with much regret that I enter for anything in so disagreeable an altercn. but considerg. it’s present ground, silence on my part might beget surmises which would not be just. I had conversons. on the Sunday the 7th. of July with Mr. Genet and Mr. Dallas as has been stated in the public papers. I had a private consultn with the Secry. of the Treasury & was on the next Monday to decide what shd. be done in the event of the L. S’s attempting to depart and it was then I made my communication to them. The Pr. retd. on the Wednesday, & on that day I committed the same communications to writing in a Report to him a full detail of what has passed. I did this when the transactions were fully in my mind, & particular circumstanees of the moment conversations led me to detail with more minuteness than usual every circumstance which I could recollect thought worthy any the least notice. I did this when it was impossible to I could not foresee then foresee that the question altercation which has now arisen to nor consequently give to the statemt. any hue which might reflect on that, and under no other view than that of aspect respecting it. My only object was to giveing to the Pr. a circumstantial & faithful relation of what he had a right to know. And I did it with with a sacred regard to truth. I have since heard the same transactions matters spoken of on different occn. & by different persons, that my memory I cd. not trust to my insomuch that I should fear to attempt from memory alone for to distinguish at this time what I have heard from one person & on what occasion & what from another, what on one occn. or what on another. I think it therefore safest to give the whole statement, report, without attempting of a the suppression of a tittle of it. There are. As it contains many things in it which relate not at all to the present question, & some which it will be obvious it might be imagined that to be made public. Had these been omitted Were these however now omitted it mt. have been thought that tho’ the parts given forth were in the very words of the report & consequently not stated with a view to the present case, yet that it has it might be imagined that their suppression the aspect of what would remain might be sensibly affected by it. been. I chuse then to throw my self on the indulgencies of those who may need it, rather than to incur their suspicions, and therefore give a verbal copy of the whole report as follows.
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