1862-December-25
1862-December-25: Commissioner Whidden reported to Secretary of State Seward on the troubling case of Antonio Pelletier, a naturalized American citizen who h…
HT-DRUS-1941-000331
1862-December-25: Commissioner Whidden reported to Secretary of State Seward on the troubling case of Antonio Pelletier, a naturalized American citizen who had been arrested by Haitian authorities on charges of piracy and slave-trading. Pelletier claimed he was an innocent merchant, but the Haitian government asserted he had attempted to kidnap Haitian citizens for sale into slavery. Whidden expressed initial skepticism regarding Pelletier’s story and questioned whether the man even held valid American citizenship. This report initiated what would become the longest and most convoluted legal dispute in the history of U.S.-Haitian diplomatic relations.
Source · HT-DRUS-1941-000331
Logan, 302 / Bates: HT-DRUS-1941-000331