The X, Y and Z Affair

Tallyrand managed to convince elbridge, gary, the least anti french of the three commissioners, to maintain super secret back channels to stave off war. In april 17 98, pinckney and marshall sailed. The incensed americans refuse all further informal talks and demanded to either be credentiald or diplomatic ties would be severed. Members of congress knew that the talks were going nowhere and that this was likely due to french perfidy. A federalist congressman started calling for war. Now the jeffersonian congressmen wanted to avoid this at all costs, which led them to make a huge tactical blunder. You see, president adams had been keeping most of