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Autographed Letter Signed, JEAN CONRAD HOTTINGUER

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Autographs

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"X" of The X-Y-Z Affair of 1797

JEAN CONRAD HOTTINGUER, French Agent, Named By President John Adams as "X", of The X-Y-Z Affair of 1797.
January 28, 1809, Autographed Letter Signed, "Hottinguer", 9" X 7.25", Choice Very Fine. This two page letter is written entirely in French on both sides of very thin stationery paper by Jean Conrad Hottinguer, better known as "X" from the X-Y-Z Affair (1797-1798). There are typical folds and a tiny split at the left lower edge. This is an interesting and unusual historic collectors item in fine condition.

The XYZ Affair, began during President John Adams' administration, on October 18, 1797, when three representatives of the French Directory, Jean Conrad Hottinguer (X), Pierre Bellamy (Y), and Lucien Hautevaldemanded (Z), demanded from American special envoys John Marshall, Charles C. Pinckney, and Elbridge Gerry a loan of $10 million to their government, and an outright bribe of $240,000 for the (US) delegation as a condition for even discussing the issues with Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord,
that had brought the two countries to the brink of war.

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