America’s First Newspaper Leak:Tom Paine and the Disclosure

of Secret French Aid to the United States

Dr. Larry L. Burriss, Ph.D., J.D.School of Journalism

Middle Tennessee State University

04/22/23 08:55 AM 2

Dramatis PersonaePierre A. Caron de Beaumarchais

Writer (Marriage of Figaro)Low-level businessman

Charles Gravier, count of VergennesFrench foreign minister

Conrad GerardFirst accredited French diplomat to U.S.

Silas DeaneCommissioner to FranceBusinessmanBritish spy?

William BinghamFormer secretary to Foreign Affairs CommitteeCongressional agent in Martinique

Henry LaurensPresident of Continental Congress

Arthur LeeCommissioner to France

Thomas Paine (Common Sense)Secretary, Foreign Affairs CommitteeNewspaper writer

John DunlapEditor, Pennsylvania PacketPrinter, Declaration of Independence

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Pierre A. Caron de BeaumarchaisWriter (Marriage of Figaro)Low-level businessman

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Charles Gravier, count of VergennesForeign minister

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Conrad GerardFirst accredited minister to U.S.

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Silas DeaneCommissioner to FranceBusinessman

Spy for the British?

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William BinghamFormer secretary to Foreign Affairs CommitteeCongressional agent in Martinique

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Henry LaurensPresident of Continental Congress

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Arthur LeeCommissioner to France

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Thomas Paine (Common Sense)Secretary, Foreign Affairs CommitteeNewspaper writer

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John DunlapEditor, Pennsylvania Packet and Daily AdvertiserPrinter, Declaration of Independence

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Thomas Paine

January 29, 1737 – Born in Thetford, Norfolk, England1776 – 500,000 copies of Common Sense sold1776 –The Crisis Papers1787 – Goes to England1791 – The Rights of Man ; indicted for treason1792 – Escaped to France; imprisoned for treason1794 – The Age of Reason1802 – Returned to the United StatesJune 8, 1809 – Died penniless in New Rochelle, New York

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Comte de Vergennes

Beaumarchais(Roderique Hortalez Co.)

$ Guns$

William Bingham(Martinique)

Deane

Guns

Guns Tobacco

Continental Congress/Continental Army

Guns

Invoice(Deane)

Lost (Captured by British?)

“Invoice”(Arthur Lee)

2/3 lost

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ChronologyDec. 8, 1777 Deane Recalled

Dec. 5, 1778 Deane goes public

Dec. 9, 1778 Laurens resigns

Dec. 15, 1778 Paine’s first response

Jan. 2, 1779 Paine: “The supplies…were…a present”

Jan. 2, 1779 Gerard demands retraction; tries to bribe Paine

Jan. 4, 1779 Gerard tells Congress the weapons were part of a business transaction

Jan. 6, 1779 John Dunlap ordered to appear before Congress

Jan. 6, 1779 Paine ordered to appear before Congress

Jan. 8, 1779 Paine resigns

Jan. 12, 1779 Congress disavows Paine’s letters

1781 Paine goes to France and secures weapons

1782 Congress agrees to secretly pay Paine for his work

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Silas Deane letter to the Pennsylvania Packet, Dec. 5, 1778

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ChronologyDec. 8, 1777 Deane Recalled

Dec. 5, 1778 Deane goes public

Dec. 9, 1778 Laurens resigns

Dec. 15, 1778 Paine’s first response

Jan. 2, 1779 Paine: “The supplies…were…a present”

Jan. 2, 1779 Gerard demands retraction; tries to bribe Paine

Jan. 4, 1779 Gerard tells Congress the weapons were part of a business transaction

Jan. 6, 1779 John Dunlap ordered to appear before Congress

Jan. 6, 1779 Paine ordered to appear before Congress

Jan. 8, 1779 Paine resigns

Jan. 12, 1779 Congress disavows Paine’s letters

1781 Paine goes to France and secures weapons

1782 Congress agrees to secretly pay Paine for his work

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Thomas Paine letter to the Pennsylvania Packet, Jan. 2, 1779

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ChronologyDec. 8, 1777 Deane Recalled

Dec. 5, 1778 Deane goes public

Dec. 9, 1778 Laurens resigns

Dec. 15, 1778 Paine’s first response

Jan. 2, 1779 Paine: “The supplies…were…a present”

Jan. 2, 1779 Gerard demands retraction; tries to bribe Paine

Jan. 4, 1779 Gerard tells Congress the weapons were part of a business transaction

Jan. 6, 1779 John Dunlap ordered to appear before Congress

Jan. 6, 1779 Paine ordered to appear before Congress

Jan. 8, 1779 Paine resigns

Jan. 12, 1779 Congress disavows Paine’s letters

1781 Paine goes to France and secures weapons

1782 Congress agrees to secretly pay Paine for his work

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War of Words

Newspaper Articles Letters

Nov. 22, 1775- June 12, 1784 54 52

Dec. 5, 1778-Jan. 8, 1779

21 18

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Results

First resignation by a president (Laurens)First forced resignation by a government officialFirst Congressional investigation of a newspaper

(Pennsylvania Packet and John Dunlap)First investigation of confidential sourceCongress split along regional and economic lines:

Northern merchants vs. Southern landowners

America’s First Newspaper Leak:Tom Paine and the Disclosure

of Secret French Aid to the United States

Dr. Larry L. Burriss, Ph.D., J.D.School of Journalism

Middle Tennessee State University