ADST Memoirs and Occasional Paper Series
Frence Covert Action in the American Revolution
by
James M. Potts (
iUniverse, MONTH, YEAR)
U.S. intelligence specialist James Potts tells the story of how covert French military aid changed the course of history by enabling the rebellious Americans to hold off the forces of British king George II, most notably
in the pivotal battle of Saratoga in October 1777. Potts probes the actions of French king Louis XVI's government in secretly providing vital arms and ammunition to George Washington's forces--and much-needed subsidies to
the Continental Congress--in the critical early years of the American Revolution, beginning in 1775.
"If Benjamin Franklin's covert operations are not well known to the American public, the secret role of the French in the birth of our nation has certainly been minimized and usually overlooked by historians.
James Potts's book successfully fills this gap. Moreover, proving that true spy stories are often more interesting
than spy fiction. French Covert Action, exciting as it is well documented, makes a fascinating as well as
valuable contribution to American colonial history.
"
ADST
NUMBER pp, NUMBER illustrations, appendices, sources and bibliography, notes, index
Paperback $17.95 (members' price $16.00)
Drawing heavily on contemporaneous French government archives and other historical sources, Potts brings to life the colorful leading characters in the drama: French Foreign Minister (and secret spymaster) le Comte de Vergennes;
Vergennes's principal agent, the playwright Beaumarchais; Lord Stormont, King George's ambassador in Paris; Benjamin Franklin, the wily American Commissioner in Paris; and numerous perpetrators of high intrigue on land and
sea. The author also shows the highly-effective British counterespionage operations, whose American agents had penetrated Franklin's mission in Paris, even intercepting his letters to the Continental Congress. In 1778 France
joined the Americans openly in their war against the British and, at great cost to French fiscal well-being, further helped them win their independence.
JOHN H. WALLER, noted author and authority on intelligence:
Location: NFATC / Foreign Service Institute
4000 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, Virginia
Tel: 703-302-6990; Fax: 703-302-6799
Mailing address: ADST c/o Bentley, 2814 N. Underwood St.,
Arlington, VA 22213
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