1795-February-04: French minister Fauchet wrote a significant dispatch emphasizing the necessity of France acquiring Louisiana from Spain to support its Cari…

1795-February-04: French minister Fauchet wrote a significant dispatch emphasizing the necessity of France acquiring Louisiana from Spain to support its Caribbean colonies. He argued that Saint-Domingue was dangerously dependent on the United States for essential supplies like food and timber. By controlling Louisiana, France could establish a vast storehouse to liberate its islands from American economic leverage. Fauchet believed that the emancipation of slaves in Saint-Domingue might make the colony less desirable to neighboring slaveholding powers. This strategic proposal directly influenced French instructions during the peace negotiations at Basel later that summer.