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Royal blackmail. A cross-dressing spy-decorated soldier diplomat. A ruined American patriot. A genius playwright, clockmaker. Spies. Secret arms deals.
Before the Franco-American alliance became official, the American Revolution survived because of a desperate covert operation stretching from Philadelphia to Paris and London. A Connecticut shopkeeper with no diplomatic experience, a flamboyant French playwright, and one of the strangest figures in European history helped smuggle weapons to the colonies while British spies followed their every move. Their unbelievable personal stories did not merely surround the American Revolution — they helped shape its outcome.
📄 Interview transcript & takeaways
🚩About My Guest: Prof. Joel Richard Paul
Joel Richard Paul is emeritus professor of international law at UC Law, San Francisco, where he teaches and writes about constitutional law, international business and trade, and foreign relations and national security law.
In addition to his legal career, and relevant to our program, Prof. Paul is a historian and has written the following books
1. "Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times",
2. "Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism", a book that we discussed in the History Behind News program, and
3. "Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution", which is the subject of this interview.
You can learn more about Prof. Paul below:
▶️Other Related AAR Interviews:
►Prof. Paul - History of Republican & Democratic Parties
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▶️About Featured Image:
Image of Adel Aali (program host) and his guest, Prof. Joel Richard Paul, superimposed on the Betsy Ross flag, along with images of Silas Deane (the shopkeeper), Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais (the playwright), and Chevalière d'Éon (the spy). All images are in the public domain.
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📑 Video Chapters:
00:00 Selected Highlights
02:41 Guest Introduction
04:34 Prof. Paul's Initial Wow Moment
10:00 The Shopkeeper & Ben Franklin
11:05 The Shopkeeper, the Playwright & the Spy
14:46 The Improbable Diplomat
22:21 Alone in France
25:51 The French Genius
29:03 The Military Hero
35:39 Arming the Americans
49:31 Man or Woman? Millions at Stake!
1:01:57 Battle of Saratoga
1:06:14 The Powerful Lee Brothers
1:13:32 Betrayed & Destroyed
1:18:31 Was America's Diplomat Murdered?
1:24:21 Just One Point
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☑️Image Attributions:
All images are in the Public Domain
🎵Music Attributions:
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► Choral, U.S. Army Band (Public Domain)
We incorporate parts of this fabulous performance in the beginning and end of our videos.
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