The description for this book, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 5: February 1781 to May 1781, will be forthcoming.

Volumes 11 and 12 cover the period from January 1787 through March 1788 and deal with Jefferson's stay in France, as American Minister there.

This is a rich period of personal correspondence and important documents, revealing, particularly, Jefferson's interest in agriculture and architecture, his extended trade negotiations, his reports on the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, and his skilled efforts to establish friendly relations between Europe and his own nation.

This volume is concerned with the effort of Alexander Hamilton (designated as "Number 7" in the dispatches of a British secret agent) as Secretary of the Treasury, aided by powerful support in the Senate and House of Representatives, to guide American foreign policy toward a closer connection with Great Britain. The book shows that Hamilton revealed secret cabinet discussions to a British intelligence agent, failed to inform Washington and Secretary of State Jefferson of his discussions with the British agent, and finally under impact of the war crisis informed them falsely. Hamilton...