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:

Academic Homepage

Personal Website

▶️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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📽️This video is made with Filmora.

☑️Image Attributions:

All images are in the Public Domain

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