French Perceptions of the Early American Republic, 1783-1793

Book excerpt: Hill contends that French officials in the postwar decade had already perceived a deep-rooted Amer. indifference, even hostility, to a number of vital French nat. interests. The author examines the harsh disappointments & frustrations these officials experienced in their dealings with Amer. in the 1780s, whether on the high seas, or in U.S. courts & customs houses, in the halls of Congress, or in their encounters with Amer. attitudes. These essays add to what is already known about France's difficulties with the U.S. in this era. Not so well known, however, are: how French officials perceived these problems; what solutions they sought; or how keenly frustrated they became when, despite Amer. protestations of gratitude for French assistance during the war for independence, they found self-interested Amer. unwilling to heed the least claims of an erstwhile ally.