The Man Who Frightened Franklin
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The Man Who Frightened Franklin RANKLIN PROFESSED to be casual about spies. Early in 1777, shortly after he had settled in Paris, a woman friend warned F him that he was surrounded by them. He replied flippantly that since he was not planning to do anything reprehensible, he did not care. "If I was sure . that my Valet de Place was a spy, as probably he is, I think I should not discharge him for that, if in other Respects I like him."1 The threat to his mission did not come, however, from the close watch kept on him by the French police, but from the British intelligence's network in Paris — a network made up of American citizens. Franklin went to his grave without knowing that Paul Wentworth, the wealthy and suave emigr6 from New Hamp- shire, ran that network; nor did he ever discover the identity of the several Americans who worked for Wentworth, a few ship captains among them. Most importantly, he never suspected that his secretary and confident, the Massachussetts-born Edward Bancroft, an old friend of Wentworth (they had met in Surinam, Dutch Guyana), had been industriously betraying the American cause from the very start. That Bancroft also double-crossed his English masters did not make up for the losses in American lives caused by his treachery, not to mention captured cargoes and delays in sorely needed military supplies. None of these informers was unmasked until historians gained access to the files of the Public Record Office in London. In view of all this, it is ironic that the only character who ever In the course of research for the present paper, undertaken as a part of preparatory work toward publication of the Franklin Papers, I was greatly helped by two Yale senior students who were taking the intern training, Barbara Delaney and Martha Toll I wish to thank them for their enthusiasm and resourcefulness Librarian Dorothy Bndgwater and professor John Mernman offered precious sugges- tions Bits of valuable information have been supplied by fellow-researchers, archivists and librarians, too numerous to be listed, in America, France and England 1 American Philosophical Society (henceforth quoted as APS), Benjamin Franklin to Juliana Ritchie, January 19, 1777 516 CLAUDE-ANNE LOPEZ October alarmed Franklin himself, a man named Peter Allaire, has not pre- viously been investigated. Julian Boyd, it is true, had his suspicions, but was not in possession of most of the evidence presented below, pieced together from a number of individually cryptic but cumula- tively impressive scraps of information. To say that Allaire "alarmed Franklin" is an understatement; the Doctor believed the man had tried to kill him. Within days^ Allaire was delivered to the tender mercies of the Bastille. Who was Peter Allaire? Born around 1740 to a Huguenot family that had established itself in New Rochelle at the end of the seventeenth century, he had an adventurous career in international commerce. He purveyed wheat and rice to the French troops in Guyana, sold cannon and cloth in Morocco, traded on the Barbary coast, in Spain and Jamaica, and went to Russia more than once. Based in London since 1776, he shuttled freely and frequently between England and France, even after the outbreak of hostilities between the two countries. Such liberty of movement, unthinkable today in wartime, was common practice in the eighteenth century; it supplied excellent opportunities for an enterprising man to smuggle information as welt as merchandise into either country or both ways.2 Possibly introduced by Bancroft, Allaire got in touch with Franklin quite early in 1777 and offered his services as American agent in London. Even though Franklin was meeting large numbers of new people that first spring in France, the merchant felt he had made enough of an impact not to have to sign his first extant message (August 26) more explicitly than "An American whom you have met at Paris." The message in question contained some political information on the 2 Allaire's family history is to be found in R. Bolton, History ofWestchester County (New York, 1848), I, 429; Collections of the Huguenot Society of America (New York, 1886), I, 212; a genealogy is found in La France Protestante (2nd ed.). Additional data on Allaire's commercial activities may be obtained from his own depositions as reported in [Charpentier], La Bastille devoilee, ou Recueil de Pieces authentiques pour servir a son histoire (Paris, 1790), III, 10-14, a reliable publication in spite of its emotional title. 1982 THE MAN WHO FRIGHTENED FRANKLIN 5 17 London scene — wishful thinking, really, rather than hard facts.3 More puzzling, a later letter signed simply P. A. and addressed to Bancroft (February 26, 1778) told of the English reaction to the Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce in terms so cryptic that one wonders whether the real information was not wrapped in code words or written in Bancroft's own invisible ink.4 By May 22, Allaire's role as a shuttling intelligence agent seemed 3 Here is the text of the message, in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, whose writer is unmistakably identifiable through the handwriting London, 26 August 1777 "Sir, I think I am in duty bound to informe you of the following particulars, which I had from one of Lord G Germaine Secretaries, that G Howe, had but 13,000 Musketts for the feild, against G Washington, and that Bourgoine had 7000, that the Affair of Trent Town, was the loss of America, or that they could not conquer them, these 3 Years, that the capture of the Fox Man of Warr, was of fatal Consequence to this Nation, that the Captain would undoubtedly be try'ed and he made no doubt would suffer, as he had only 3 killed and 6 wounded, that Lord North was very much to blame, in getting the supplys so late, and that they had very little expectations of this Campaign, so that Lord George's Mercenarys are now Endeavouring to lay the blame on Lord North, that in all probability those two worthys are forming their party's against each other Another thing not to be accounted for, (by the Publick) is the return of so many officers, at this juncture, so that I am in hopes, what with their party's at home quarrelling a broad, returning of their Officers, nothing done this summer and the badness of the Harvest will create an Insurrection in this Island, and that some of these Men who has been the premoter of the American Warr will be brought to condign punishment G, Prescott is certainly taken, but that of Ticonderoga doubtfull I am with Respect Yours most Sincerely An American whom you have seen at Paris [Postscript] I am very sorry to Inform You of the capture of the Hancock, Capt Manley " 4 Etats Unis, III, 46, fol 109, Archives des Affaires Etrangeres, B F Stevens, facsimiles, No 794 Here is the text of the message, addressed to Mr Bancroft, Passy "Dear Sir The Inclosed Act passed the house commons this Day, well knowing you to be afreind, I have sent them you, for the perusal of the worthy Doctr A Petition was agreed to Wednesday last at the Kings Arms Cornhill, praying that [one illegible word] might inform themselves in regard to treaty at Pans, that the present Ministers may be displaced and that they may be brot to shame and punishment, the meeting first consisted of 061 the last 280, one disenting Voice each time They People are at last awoke, but in my Opinion, they might sleep on, for the Western world will rise in spite of Briton Yours PA London 26 feb this day they past" 518 CLAUDE-ANNE LOPEZ October established: just landed in Calais, he sent Franklin some English newspapers and sketchy information on the movements of British ships. Signing his full name this time, he stated his intention to proceed to Boulogne, a notorious hotbed of espionage where the French police allowed no unauthorized person to stay longer than twenty-four hours.5 To spice up what looked like a dullish series of reports, Allaire made on May 10, 1779 a business proposal with a patriotic lining: would Franklin be interested in purchasing a vast quantity of Dr. James's fever powder "so well known in Europe," which he could offer at a very attractive discount, thanks to a deal with a disgruntled former employee of the late inventor? The powder, he stressed, could "be of infinite service to the fleets and armies of America."6 We now know (but Franklin did not) that Allaire's partner in this business was the Scot Samuel Swinton, and that Swinton, like Bancroft, was a double 5 APS Here is the text Calais 22 May 1778 "Sir I this moment Arrived from Fngland and profited by the Spanish Courier to Inform you that the Wind came to the Eastward Yesterday morning about 11 Clock and all the fleet in the Downs got underway and was out Sight in the Evening The fleet of 12 Ships of the line laying at St Helens I make no doubt are sailed I have also sent you two Newspapers I shall stay at Boulogne Being with great Respect Your obedient humble Servant P Allaire" 6 Library of Congress Here is the text London 10 May 1779 "Sir An Offer has been made me, which I think worthy your Attention, as it may be of Infinite service to the fleets and Armies of America A person has Applyed to me to furnish any Quantity (not less than 20 lb weight) of Doctr James's fever powders, so well known all over Europe, for fifteen Shill, Ster an Oz Each Oz Contains 12 Packages, and the price that James & Newbury sells that at is 2/6 each paper, and to Government at 30/ per Oz, I am Offered them at one half The person before the Death of the late Doct James, was Imployed by the Doctr for many Years to make them,