Les Cayes, Republic of Haiti

May 28th, 1798

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Ambassador," President Toussaint L'Ouverture of the Republic of Haiti said through his translator as he shook the African American man's hand, "My countrymen and I greatly appreciate the assistance of the United States through our troubled times."

"It's a shame we could not do more, Mr. President. However, the United States will now stand firmly behind your nation and support you in any way we can. That is a promise," Former Senator, now the American Ambassador to Haiti, Eliyah James replied.

The two of them were meeting in a spacious house in the middle of Les Cayes, the de facto capital of the Republic of Haiti. Ambassador James arrived on the morning of May 27th after being appointed by President Madison and the Senate as the ambassador to the new American nation. He was well-liked by the people of South Carolina and was fondly remembered as a soft-spoken, yet strong-willed, Senator that stood up for African Americans during the early days of the republic. He considered his new position as a great honor and accepted it willingly. While he knew little about the local language and culture, he was more than willing to learn about Haiti in order to ensure that the United States maintained a close relationship with its Republican counterpart.

President Toussaint smiled, "That is good to hear, Mr. Ambassador. For a while, some of my fellow Haitians were nervous that the US would turn us away or throw us to the wolves."

"For what reason?"

"They believed that America would not want to risk a conflict with Spain over a mere "former colonial possession," The Haitian president coughed, "Of course, I always believed that the US would pull through to help us. After all, your nation provided us with valuable aid during our War of Independence. Some of my lieutenants preferred to have direct American military aid, but intelligence and non-military supplies were crucial to our victories as well."

Ambassador James was briefly informed by President Madison about the role of the NIS in the Haitian War of Independence. The US remained firmly "neutral" in the conflict, as they believed that supplying any rebels in order to topple governments and nations was a bad precedent to set. The former senator thought about that notion for a while and had to agree. It would be foolhardy to fund any insurgents with weapons and money since there were no guarantees that they would become Republicans or even nominally democratic after they achieved independence. The Haitians were no exceptions, though, after Toussaint all but guaranteed that Haiti would become a republic, the US sent limited aid to support the rebels. As the Haitian president mentioned, the US provided intelligence for rebels through the NIS. The National Intelligence Service maintained a sizeable spy network in the area due to their recruitment of former slaves that fled from the island to the US. As such, NIS agents were able to gain insight into Spanish activities on the island. Using forged government papers, money, and bribery (mainly of Spanish authorities), the Haitian rebels were always one step ahead of the Spanish. As for non-military aid, the US sent foodstuffs, clothes, and farming tools to prevent starvation. The Spanish government lodged an official protest, but due to strained relations and the Akasna Crisis, the US refused to back down. And as public opinion was firmly against Spain for its atrocities on the large Caribbean island and in Louisiana, the US didn't give a damn about their protests. After the American government allowed Spain to randomly check cargo of any American civilian ships that approached the rebel-controlled parts of Saint Domingue, the European nation discovered that the US was only sending non-military supplies (America's official statement was that it was trying to prevent mass starvation on the island and even offered some to the Spanish colony). Spain was unwilling to fire upon American ships for providing non-military aid to the Haitians and the whole matter was avoided like the plague.

The entire debacle made the ambassador feel proud of his country. Yes, the US could have provided more aid for the Haitian rebels, but the US still showed some levels of commitment and allowed the Haitians to free themselves. It legitimatized the nation as an independent entity that achieved victory through themselves, instead of being hobbled along by a foreign power. The US was also like Haiti, back in the day. It was alone in the world without friends and squared off against a dominant European empire. Yet, the United States won and achieved independence by itself (with some assistance by France, like how the United States provided aid to Haiti). And above all else, it showed great restraint by the United States. America was supposed to be a beacon of freedom, liberty, and free will. Instead of toppling the Spanish authorities directly and creating a puppet state in Haiti (which was certainly feasible given the size of the American military), the United States guided the freedom fighters to turn their nation into a democratic republic and recognized them as equals. There was no demand for compensation or repayment, only a display of friendship.

"The United States stands, and will always stand, with her friends in the Americas."

"And so will Haiti," Toussaint replied evenly, "Now, Mr. Ambassador, I was told that you have an important message from Columbia?"

Ambassador James pulled out a letter written by President Madison and handed it to the Haitian leader, "President Madison requested that I delivered this letter to you personally, and then negotiate the terms written on the letter."

For a few minutes, the American ambassador remained silent as the president read through the letter with a neutral expression. James was well-aware of the content of the letter. In it, Madison addressed the need to revive Haiti's destroyed economy and offered various forms of aid in order to help Haiti get back on its feet. The offer included a list of loans (with very low-interest rates), reconstruction efforts (providing lumber and tools needed to rebuild many Haitian towns), a free trade deal (which would allow the US to establish a presence in the Haitian economy, and vice versa), essential aid (foodstuffs, tools, military arms, and experts), and military training (with members of the Haitian military being allowed to train with the US military). Afterward, he folded the letter neatly and placed it on his desk, "The terms are agreeable, but I believe a few of them can be adjusted a bit."

"Very well, then let us discuss."