In the fall of 1775, American colonists seeking independence from Great Britain were gathering resources and making plans for the fight for freedom. Among the questions that remained undetermined — could they count on support from France, Britain’s longtime enemy?
“The animosity between the two countries was seen as a possible opportunity for the Continental Congress, ‘the enemy of my enemy’ sort of thing,” said Michael Norris, executive director of Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia. “So, there was great interest in trying to figure out if and how and under what conditions France would become an ally of the Patriots and help support the Revolutionary cause.”
To check the temperature of support they may have overseas, a group of Founding Fathers created the Committee of Secret Correspondence — a forerunner to the Department of State. The efforts of that group resulted in secret meetings between Benjamin Franklin and a French spy, Julien-Alexandre Achard de Bonvouloir, at Carpenters’ Hall in December 1775…