XYZ affair in the Adams Administration....?

Question

Did the letter XYZ represent the three men President John Adams sent to France to resolve the conflict btwn the two nations or it represented the three french officials involved in the request of a bribe?

Answer 1

Most would say "the three French officials". Well, that's not QUITE correct.

The three men who approached the three American commissioners to request a bribe (money and certain other favors) to see Talleyrand (the money was to go to him), though "agents" acting in behalf of Talleyrand were NOT "French officials".

They were all bankers, and though the letters from the American envoys and Adams's report initially gave them the anonymous labels "X" "Y" and "Z", their identities were later divulged as:
X - Jean Conrad Hottinguer, Swiss
Y -Pierre Bellamy - American financier living in Hamburg
Z -Lucien Hauteval, Swiss

http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=0425920-00&templatename=/article/article.html

Actually, there was ANOTHER -- a Nicholas Hubbard-- referred to as "W", but he was only rarely mentioned, hence "XYZ" is the term that stuck.
http://www.constitution.org/lrev/kentvirg_watkins.txt


"The" book on this is William Stinchcombe's 1980 book, , *The XYZ Affair*. Compare his article -- "The Diplomacy of the WXYZ Affair," William and Mary Quarterly (1977), 221-45.

(Stinchcombe is a university history professor specializing in diplomatic history. He also was an editor for the writings of John Marshall -- a member of the American delegation to France-- so that may account for his particular interest in this episode,)

Answer 2

The XYZ affair was, in fact, a diplomatic incident that, when made public in 1798, nearly involved the United States and France in war.

John Adams dispatched three ministers to France in 1797 to negotiate a commercial agreement to protect U.S. shipping. In Paris the ministers were approached by three French agents who suggested a bribe of $250,000 to Talleyrand, the French foreign minister, and a loan of $10,000,000 to France as a prelude to negotiations. In April 1798 the machinations of the three French agents (called X, Y, and Z in the diplomatic correspondence) were made public in the United States. There was a great outcry over the bribe solicitation, followed by preparations for war. Although a period of undeclared naval warfare ensued between France and the United States formal war was avoided, and the incident was settled by the Convention of 1800.

Answer 3

The three french officals we know that the men adams sent were Jay, Franklin and Jeffereson

Answer 4

The three french officials.

Answer 5

yes