 The DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware, makers of better things for better living through chemistry, presents the Cavalcade of America. Tonight's play, A Time to Grow. Tonight's star, Thomas Mitchell as Robert Livingston, United States Minister to France in one of the most crucial moments in our history. The year 1953 marks the 150th anniversary of the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, an event of unmatched significance to our country. Our story tonight, A Time to Grow, is the true but rarely told story of the men and motives that gave America its empire of the West. This is prologue, the beginning. The main actors are not yet on the scene, Livingston, Napoleon, Talleyrand, but the foundation for a drama soon to be played across an ocean 3,000 miles away is being set. A traveler from the Western country visits President Thomas Jefferson in the executive mansion. Well, how are things on the Ohio, Mr. McKay? Does the crop look promising? Oh, crops are full and fat, Mr. President. Good. But it's not the wheat and corn that's sprouting so much. No, it's trouble it's busting through. Yes, I think I know what you mean. The closing of New Orleans to river traffic. That's exactly it. It's set the country blazing. What good the crops and the harvest if the river's bottled up by the Spanish? Don't the men of the Ohio know that I understand the importance of New Orleans? Well, they don't know what to think. Now, here's Ross, Senator from Pennsylvania, a federalist to boot, getting up there in Congress saying that 50,000 men ought to be called into arms to take New Orleans. Take it before, if necessary. But that wouldn't mean more, Mr. McKay. Well, wouldn't turn our backs on that either. It's beyond simple belief you're sitting here and doing nothing about New Orleans. Where's the man that fought like a bleedin' bear against tyranny? The man who roped a declaration that gave us our independence. I can see why you think as you do, Mr. McKay. But taking New Orleans by force would be deliberate aggression. And this I will not countenance. We will have New Orleans by peaceful methods according to the usages of international law, or we will not have it at all. And now the action moves across the Atlantic to Paris, the Chamber of Taliran, Minister of Foreign Affairs. I am sorry to disturb you, Monsieur Taleron. What is it, George? What is it? Monsieur Robert Livingstone, the United States Minister, is in the reception room. And what does Monsieur Livingstone wish now? The same thing he wished yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Well, tell him the same thing you told him yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. How will Monsieur Taleron see me? Oh, he asks me to convey his deepest regrets. He is, at the moment, just leaving to confer with Bonaparte. And as you must understand, the first consul cannot be kept waiting. But I must see him. It's a matter of grave importance. How long will it be before he returns? How can anyone say an hour, perhaps more, perhaps less? I'll wait. It may be hours. I'll wait. Maybe, as you like, Monsieur, but... Oh, forgive me, Monsieur, but Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, has just a mean. I must see what he desires. Excuse me. Monsieur Bonaparte, Monsieur Bonaparte. When you are finished scraping the floor with your nose, you'll be good enough to tell Monsieur Taleron that I am here. Of course, Monsieur, directly, directly. Ah, Livingston, my good American friend. Monsieur Bonaparte. How are you? Still trying to see our elusive minister of foreign affairs? Yes, still trying to see him. Well, can I help you? Oh, no, no, I'll just have to wait. Nonsense. I shall speak to Monsieur Taleron on your behalf. What can I do? Tell me. I have prepared a memorandum for the minister. It tells the position of my government in respect of the situation in New Orleans. It gives the reasons why it would be to France's benefit to sell us New Orleans. Oh, but here, let me have the memorandum. I shall give it to Taleron immediately, sir, I promise. Thank you. Monsieur Taleron, we'll see you, sir. Ah, thank you. Monsieur Livingston, be assured that I will bring your memorandum to the foreign minister's attention this very moment. Good day. Thank you, sir. Good day. Monsieur Bonaparte, come in. Monsieur Taleron, I am pledged to perform an act of courtesy for my dear friend, the American minister, who now languishes outside your door. So? I have promised to bring to your attention a rather long, and I am quite certain, a rather dull, memorandum of this New Orleans affair. Here it is. Have I brought it to your attention? You have. Then, if I may borrow your wish paper basket, we shall file it in proper form. You're an incorrigible rascal. I suppose that's why I like you. You remind me so much of myself. Livingston, with realized he was trapped in a web of diplomatic maneuvering and entreatment. Nonetheless, he haunted Taleron's chambers, worked ceaselessly to obtain the good will and understanding of Bonaparte's confidence. And then in February, 1803, Livingston received word that Jefferson was sending James Monroe to take over negotiations for New Orleans. Bitter, disappointed, he turned to the one friend he could depend upon in Paris, Du Pont de Nemours, the man Jefferson had chosen some months before to carry secret dispatches from Washington to Livingston in Paris. Why has the president lost confidence in me, Monsieur Du Pont? I cannot understand it. I am sure he has not lost confidence in you, Livingston. How from it? Then why is he sending Monroe? Possibly to emphasize to Bonaparte how serious the situation is. I have had letters from my son in America telling me that the whole Western territory is ready to explode. There is serious talk of an expedition down the Mississippi to take New Orleans by force. From Paris and Jethro since point of view, this would be tragic. Well, perhaps Monroe possesses some magic formula. Perhaps he can cause locked doors to open and deceitful men to suddenly speak the truth. Monsieur Du Pont, you can't imagine the real truth of this matter. I'm dealing with men who consider duplicity a virtue and honesty a matter of course. I know it, Livingston. I know it only too well. But there is one thing you must never forget. Bonaparte and Bonaparte alone makes the ultimate decision. The others, Thalerin included, are nothing more than primped and polished puppets. Well, at least I have one friend at court. One I can depend upon to get our story directly to Napoleon. And that would be? Joseph Bonaparte. Joseph? Oh, be careful of Joseph Bonaparte, Livingston. I know him well. Cultivate the man if you think it wise. Use him if need be. But never trust him. But where else can I turn? Who else is there? There is one man worthy of your trust, Marbois. The master of the treasury? I remember. He was French Chargé d'affaires in the United States in 1784. He married an American woman. He will help us. But Thalerin is the man with whom we must deal. That is right. But Marbois is still a key figure. Now, I saw him just this morning. And he said one thing to me that I think is of extreme importance. He said that Bonaparte has given up the idea of sending any more armed forces to Louisiana. Oh, whatever troops the French still have in the West Indies, those that have not been killed by the Haitians or been stuck down by yellow fever, will return to France to be available for the war with England. You're sure of this? When Marbois tells me a thing, I believe it. Then this is the time to strike. What is your plan? If Napoleon is made up his mind that he can't defend Louisiana, then he must be seriously considering our offer to purchase New Orleans. What other alternative does he have? The minute he declares war on England, English troops will flood down from Canada and take the place by force. Napoleon is realistic. Why shouldn't he sell what he must lose anyway? But he has made no move to sell. Not yet. It's not an easy decision for him to make. But he's on the brink. All he needs is a push to get him over. I'll provide the push. How? I'll be applying a basic law of physics. Every action produces its reaction. Brother Joseph will provide the action. Brother Napoleon, the reaction. The following day, Livingston began to put his plan into operation. He went for a walk in a Paris suburb, knowing that it was Joseph Bonaparte's custom to ride there every afternoon. Diver stuff for a moment. We miss you. Monsieur Livingston. Well, Miss Joseph Bonaparte. My American friend. What brings you here? My mood, I should say. Suddenly the world seems good. The air is exhilarating. The birds sing. What a change in temper since we last met her. Well, a man's temper is much like the weather. Storms break and the sun shines. And exactly what has caused the sun to shine? I have had word that the New Orleans matter is on the verge of solution. A happy solution for my country. So, yes. And join me, please. Let us ride together and perhaps I may also bask in the sunshine of your success. Thank you, thank you indeed. You must tell me all about it. You know how interested I am in your country. Thank you. Well, oh, it's a matter of utmost secrecy. You can rely on my discretion. Of course, of course I can. I have definite word. Yes. That your brother has decided to sell us New Orleans. What? Sell? But he can't do that without the consent of the Chamber of Deputies. That should be simple. After all, you're the presiding officer of that body. The Chamber will never agree to the transfer of any French property to America. Then Napoleon will make the transfer without the consent of the Chamber. Watch. Yes, he has a remarkable way of doing things like that. My brother Lucien was responsible for the treaty that brought Louisiana to France from Spain. He will never agree to the transfer either. Oh, no, no. I hope this matter won't be the cause of a family squabble. Always unfortunate when brothers quarrel, but I suspect the First Council has already made his decision. Napoleon makes many decisions. Occasionally too many and often too quickly. That may very well be. Oh, uh, there's DuPont de More. I must see him. You'll excuse me. Uh, driver, will you stop here, please? We miss you. It's been a pleasant drive. Thank you. Not at all. Driver, quickly. To my brother Lucien's apartment. On the morning of April 7th, 1803, Joseph and Lucien Bonaparte paid an unexpected call upon their brother at the Tuileries. Napoleon was in his back. Victor. Yes, Monsieur Bonaparte. Tell Bourien to cancel the next two appointments. I will spend another quarter hour in my bath. Yes, Monsieur. And now my two dear brothers tell me why I am honored by your presence at this early hour. There is talk that you intend to sell New Orleans to the Americans. I never listen to talk. Why do you? Ah, then there is no truth in it. In these matters I keep my own counsel and I keep it very well. But the chamber would never approve the transfer. Chamber! Since when do I go to the chamber to seek approval for any matter? I consider required for the safety of the state. Lucien, do you hear that? I, uh, I must admit, brother, I share Joseph's apprehension. Will you sell to the America? If I sell, I sell because I only sell what will be lost. Who's a province like Louisiana by war? That is wholly honorable, but to sell it, that would be a disgrace. Great! Your infant, I beg your pardon. Victor, Victor. I warn you, if you place this matter before the deputies, I will myself lead the opposition. You warn me, you! You swore to uphold the Constitution, brother. Remember that! Constitution honor, great words, fine phrases. I snap my fingers at you both. The chamber, the Constitution. I am the Constitution. I repeat, if you attempt to sell to the Americans, I will lead the opposition. Get out! Both of you, get out! Leave my presence! Victor, Victor! Get these two unfaithful parasites out of the palace! Get me Telerin! Get me Marboire! Get me a towel! You're listening to the DuPont Cavalcade of America, starring Thomas Mitchell and our Bill Hamilton speaking for the DuPont Company. Do you know that industrial plants sometimes use cows and goats to keep down unwanted grass and weeds? But the modern way to eliminate such vegetation is with DuPont's new CMU weed killer. Wherever grass and weeds are a fire hazard, a maintenance problem, or just a plain eyesore, one treatment with CMU can wipe them out and keep them out all season long. CMU is unusually safe to use and handle, and a little goes a long way. As a matter of fact, CMU does such a good job, it shouldn't be used around vegetation you want to keep. Industries that wish to learn more about CMU as an answer to their maintenance problems may write to DuPont Cavalcade, Wilmington, Delaware. We'll be glad to send you an interesting leaflet about CMU, another of the DuPont Company's better things for better living through chemistry. Now we return to our Cavalcade story of Time to Grow, starring Thomas Mitchell as Robert Livingston. Early April of 1803, and while the Parisians that were enjoying the first light touch of spring, behind doors in the palaces and the ministries, all talk was of Bonaparte's furious quarrel with his brothers Joseph and Lucienne over the possible sale of New Orleans to America. The American minister, Robert Livingston, was suddenly summoned to the foreign ministry to an audience with Tellyran. I have a confession to make to you, Mr. Livingston. What confession? I have, and I have estimated you. You play the diplomatic game with Venus? May I ask you to be a bit more explicit, Mr. Tellyran? Hardly a need for that. At this moment, Bonaparte would sell Bordeaux to the Algerians if he thought such actions would cause his brothers discomfort. It seems, Mr. that you have done your work. And the first council has decided to sell us New Orleans? Why should he do that? Because he realizes he won't be able to defend it against the British. There's no other alternative. Ah, but there is. I failed to see it. Possibly because it looms so large. Oh, yes. The other alternative is for the United States to purchase the entire territory of Louisiana. The entire territory of Louisiana? All of it. Rivers, plains, mountains, all of it. An interesting suggestion, eh, Mr. Livingston? Yes. What is the price? Why can't say the matter of price and all further conversation on this matter will be handled by the finance minister of the Marquis de Marvoire. Marvoire? Yes, Marvoire. No doubt you will find him more sympathetic, but I suggest you finish your business quickly, Mr. Livingston. Why do you say that? Because, and this is one of the few honest statements I can ever be accused of making. While you are trying to buy Louisiana, I shall be doing everything in my power to prevent it. James Monroe reached Paris on April 12th, 1803. Livingston immediately brought him up to date on developments, told him of Talleyrand's unexpected offer. I don't know what to say, Livingston, and perhaps it's just another of Talleyrand's tricks. Well, it might be, but I doubt it. All of it? Or nothing. That's the story. Perhaps we can negotiate. Negotiate, Monroe. You don't understand. Negotiation is impossible. There's no people or legislature, no counselors. There's one man. His ministers are mere clerks. Then there's nothing for us to do than prepare dispatches for President Jefferson and get them off by the first packet for America. Yes. Hey, wait a minute. Look. Where? There. Strolling calmly in our garden. The Marquis de Mabois. Well, let's have that gentleman in. By all means. The Mabois. Livingston. What a surprise. Livingston. I just happened by, looked in, and so he was so busily in conversation with my good friend, Monsieur Monroe, that I thought I would just walk a bit in the garden and not disturb you. Oh, well, come in, sir. Please. Thank you. Monsieur Monroe. I'm nice to see you again. How are you, sir? At the moment, rather concerned. Oh, a sit down, sir. Please. Thank you. I am just now from an audience with Napoleon. He has instructed me to negotiate with you gentlemen on the matter of the purchase of Louisiana by the United States. Yes, I've already been informed of that by Tellyran. Has Napoleon mentioned the price? 100 million francs. What? 100 million francs. But our instructions in no way permit us to obligate our government to anything near that amount. Listen to me. If you relay, the chance will be lost. But we'll have to get word to Jefferson. There is no time. Every minute that passes gives the opposition further chance to alter Napoleon's mind. They will stop it nothing, believe me. Before I go to the other end of the table, gentlemen, before I become the cold and hard negotiator, let me as a friend of America make one last plea. Do this. Do it now. Do it quickly. Well, Livingston, Dawn's coming up. And where have we gotten? Oh, no, I really don't know. Look at this, Matt Monroe. The Louisiana Territory, one million square miles. We could double the size of the United States overnight for 15 million dollars. Never any more worry about New Orleans. Suppose, Monroe, you and I sign a compact with Bonaparte to purchase Louisiana. What would happen if Congress refused to ratify? Why, in that case, we would suddenly become two ex-diplomats who will long be remembered for their undistinguished careers. And yet, if we lose this chance, if Bonaparte changes his mind, what then? Look what is lost then. Monroe, you say our careers are at stake. Our careers against all of Louisiana? Not much in the way of balance. Not much indeed. Well, I'm willing to put my career on the scales. And I'll put mine. Good. That settles the matter then. We'll sign that compact and we'll not wait for word from home. We'll buy Louisiana on our own responsibility. It's a fair bit of real estate. Yes. A neat parcel of land. On May 22nd, 1803, Bonaparte declared war on England. And on the same day, he signed the ratification of the compact that brought the Louisiana Territory to the United States. Your Excellency, we'll sign in here. Let the Louisianans know that we separate ourselves from them with regret. That we stipulate for everything they can desire. And let them hereafter, happy in their independence, they collect that they have been Frenchmen. And that France in ceding them has secured for them advantages which no European power, however paternal, could have afforded. Let them retain love for us. And may our common origin, language, and custom perpetuate that love. Mr. Livingston, Mr. McGraw, for the United States. This treaty has not been dictated by force. It's equally advantageous to both contracting parties. It will change vast solitudes into a flourishing country. Today, the United States takes its place among the powers of the first rank. The instrument we've signed will cause no tears to flow. It will prepare centuries to come. It will prepare centuries of happiness for innumerable generations. The Mississippi and the Missouri will see them prosper and increase in the midst of equality, under just laws, freed from the errors of superstition, from the scourges of bad government, and truly worthy of the regard and care of problems. Over a million square miles, the western empire that would become the heartland of America, raw material for 13 new states, raw material from which eventually would be carved North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Louisiana. On this, the 150th anniversary of the purchase of this vast territory, we salute again the vision and courage of the men who made it possible, Robert Livingston, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson, great builders of America's future. Our thanks to Thomas Mitchell and the Cavalcade players for tonight's true story, and now Bill Hamilton speaking for the DuPont Company. For nearly 18 years, we have closed each Cavalcade broadcast with a little story about chemistry. Some of them still make interesting reading today. For instance, here is part of our DuPont message for November 20th, 1935, just a month after Cavalcade began, and I quote, Some of DuPont's research chemists are making a study of fibers, those tiny wisps that make up materials like cotton, silk, and rayon. As days, months, and years roll by, these scientists are getting to know more about the molecules that have the special property of making fibers. And four years later, visitors to San Francisco's exposition saw the results of that research. Our Cavalcade announcer in May 1939 said, Many people are showing great interest in that latest miracle of chemistry, nylon. Since then, nylon has become a household word, and other DuPont-made fibers have taken their places beside it. The years between our first broadcast in 1935 and this, our 781st, have been years of change and progress. Dozens of new products have been added to DuPont's growing list of better things for better living, each answering some definite need. Research facilities have been greatly expanded, new manufacturing plants built, and with this growth, new job opportunities have been created. At the time of the first Cavalcade broadcast, DuPont had 42,648 employees. Today, there are over 90,000. In the same period, the number of DuPont stockholders has increased from 63,000 to 143,000. And of greatest importance in this growth, are you, the men and women across the nation, who have expressed your confidence in DuPont by your purchases of its products. With tonight's performance, Cavalcade comes to an end of its present series on radio. But we can't say goodbye to our Cavalcade friends without saying thanks. Thanks for tuning us in each week and for the thousands of letters you have written us. Cavalcade has won many awards, but the one we value most is the friendship you have given to Cavalcade and to DuPont. Makers of better things for better living through chemistry. Tonight's DuPont Cavalcade was written by Irv Tunick. Original music was composed by Arden Cornwell, conducted by Donald Boris. The program was directed by John Zoller. With our star, Thomas Mitchell, you heard Ian Martin as Joseph, Louis van Rooten as Napoleon, Daniel Aco as Tally Rand, and Guy Sorrell as DuPont. Others were Ed Jerome, Robert Dryden, Chester Stratton, Jean Leonard, Joseph Bell, Scott Tennyson, and George Petrie. And this is Si Harris reminding you that the DuPont company is now bringing you Cavalcade of America on television. Wednesday nights over most of the NBC stations, check your newspaper for local listings. The DuPont Cavalcade of America came to you from the Belasco Theater in New York City and is sponsored by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. Makers of better things for better living through chemistry.