Congress Creates Committee of Secret Correspondence (1775)
On November 29, 1775, the Committee of Secret Correspondence was created by the Second Continental Congress. The purpose of the committee was to provide information regarding British action in the colonies in America to other European peoples. The goal was to implore help from these nations to assist Americans in the war effort.
The committee was comprised of several famous names, including both Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane. In March of 1776, less than four months after the Committee of Secret Correspondence was established, Silas Deane met with Charles Gravier, the French Foreign Minister. Deane’s mission was to seek unofficial military aid in the form of both supplies and education from France to move toward their independence from Great Britain.
The true turning point in this covert mission was in October 1777, when the Americans won the Battle of Saratoga. It was at this point that the French agreed to support this mission by way of formal treaties—the Treaties of Amity and Commerce and Alliance. From these treaties came critical support from the French, which helped secure victory for the colonies in the American Revolution.