sentences:  When Laurens was sent to France in 1781 armed with a Memorial written by George Washington outlining why a sizable loan (25 million livres) was needed, he took Jackson, who, like Laurens, had a good command of French, and with them at his own expense went Thomas Paine.Upon their arrival at Versailles, for six weeks they dealt unsuccessfully with Foreign Affairs Minister Vergennes, a longtime diplomat who wanted England tied up in an American war but knew the precarious situation of France's own finances.Finally, against Franklin's advice, direct contact was made with the King and Washington's Memorial handed to him.