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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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XYZ_Affair
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1992-09-02
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In American history, an incident 1797-98 in
which the French were accused of demanding a
$250,000 bribe to French foreign minister
Talleyrand before agreeing to negotiate with
US envoys in Paris in an attempt to resolve a
crisis in Franco-US relations caused by the
war in Europe and by French raids on American
shipping. Three French agents (referred to by
President John Adams 1797 as X, Y, and Z)
held secret talks with the envoys over the
money. Publicity fuelled anti-French feelings
in the USA and led to increased military
spending.