Joseph Matthias Gérard de Rayneval

Who was Joseph Matthias Gérard de Rayneval?

Joseph Matthais Gérard de Rayneval served as under-secretary of state to Comte de Vergennes. In 1776, he produced a memo of the strategic situation, Reflections on the Situation in America.

In 1782, he was sent on several secret missions to England, to make peace feelers.

John Jay, learning of the trip, suspected French duplicity, leading him to begin separate negotiations with the British.

He negotiated with Jay about Missippippi:

If by the future treaty of peace, Spain preserves West Florida, she alone will be the sole proprietor of the course of the Mississippi from the thirty-first degree of latitude to the mouth of this river. Whatever may be the case with that part which is beyond this point to the north, the United States of America can have no pretentions to it, not being masters of either border to this river.

On 30 November, preliminary articles of peace are signed. But it took a year, until 3 September 1783 for the Paris Peace Treaty to be signed.