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Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
to mask his game; but it should so be done that suspicion shall not be awakened, and he ought always to be prepared with an answer in case of discovery.' The correspondence of an ambassador with his own Government has regard to three objects—what is done, what is being done, and what may be done. The first alone is easy, although it may be difficult to obtain the requisite intelligence concerning a league between two Powers against a third, where it is to the interest of one of them to preserve secrecy, so that great prudence and circumspection ate in such cases called for. The difficulty of knowing what is passing is of a different category, because in place of facts as data there are merely conjectures. 'Besides, the courts of princes are full of men whose sole occupation is to listen to everything, and to repeat what they have heard, as well to make friends of those to whom they communicate the intelligence, as to learn something from them which they may turn to their profit. The friendship of this class of men may be gained by talking of such things as dinners and gaming; and I have seen very grave personages permit gaming at their houses, to afford the opportunity of seeing many persons whom it would otherwise have been difficult to meet in any place so as to converse with them. But, to extract any information from a man, you must occasionally encourage him by reposing a confidence in him, which he may think important. In a word, nothing is more likely to make others disclose what they know than to appear to set the example. But, in order to do this, an ambassador ought to be informed of all that passes at his own Court and elsewhere. … Amongst the matters of which you will hear, there will undoubtedly be many entirely false, as well as some that are true, or probable. It is your duty to weigh them with judgement, and inform your Court of those which you think have some foundation, and merit its attention; and, as it would not be eligible to place your judgement in your own lips, I would recommend you to adopt the form of dispatches that several ministers have used with effect. It consists in an exposé of the facts that have come to your knowledge, sketching the characters of the parties, and the interests which direct them, and concluding in this manner: "taking into consideration all I have said, the most judicious persons here think that such and such will be the result." … I know also some who, every month or two, were at the pains to give their Courts a picture of the general situation of the State or city where the prince resided to whom they were sent …; for nothing is so well calculated to enlighten a Government as a knowledge of the resources of other States.'
