1802-May-01: American Minister to France Robert R.

1802-May-01: American Minister to France Robert R. Livingston defended the conduct of American merchants in a series of tense communications with the French foreign ministry. He argued that the U.S. government could not be held responsible for the private sale of arms and ammunition to Toussaint prior to the official arrival of Leclerc. Livingston pointed out that Toussaint had been a recognized French general at the time, and selling him supplies was technically a service to a French official. He further asserted that the real issue was the French army’s mistreatment of American merchants who were actually trying to supply Leclerc’s own troops. By framing the dispute in commercial terms, Livingston sought to deflect French anger away from the broader political support for the revolution.