This was deliberate deceit; first in a statement of fact since the interview with Adams took place at noon on May 18, at Russell’s country house nine miles from London, and in all reasonable supposition the despatch to Lyons would not have been sent until the Foreign Secretary’s return to his office; second because Lyons was not instructed to negotiate on the Declaration.  The interpretation is justified therefore that Russell “evaded the offer of the United States Government.”  The result of this evasion was delay, but when Seward learned from Lyons that he had no authority to negotiate a convention and Adams received renewed instructions to proceed, the latter “kept his temper, but the affair made a lasting impression on his mind, and shook his faith in the straightforwardness of the British Government.”  In renewing his overtures at London, Adams made explanations of the previous “misunderstanding” and to these Russell replied with further “inaccuracies” as to what had been said at the first interview.

Thus beginning his survey with an assertion of British deceit and evasion from the very outset, and incidentally remarking that Lyons, at Washington, “made little disguise of his leanings” toward the South, Henry Adams depicts Russell as leading France along a line of policy distinctly unfriendly to the North.  Examining each point in the negotiation as already narrated, he summarized it as follows: 

“The story has shown that Russell and his colleagues ... induced the French Government to violate the pledge in the protocol of the Declaration of Paris in order to offer to both belligerents a partial adhesion, which must exclude the United States from a simple adhesion, to the Declaration of Paris, while it placed both belligerents on the same apparent footing.  These steps were taken in haste before Adams could obtain an interview.  When Adams by an effort unexpected to Russell obtained an interview at Pembroke Lodge at noon of Saturday, May 18, and according to Russell’s report of May 21, said that the United States were ’disposed to adhere to the Declaration of Paris,’ Russell evaded the offer, saying that he had already sent sufficient instructions to Lyons, although the instructions were not sufficient, nor had they been sent.  When this evasion was afterward brought to his notice by Adams, Russell, revising his report to Lyons, made such changes in it as should represent the first proposal as coming from himself, and the evasion to have come from Adams.  When at last obliged to read the American offer, Russell declared that he had never heard of it before, although he had himself reported it to Lyons and Lyons had reported it to him.  When compelled to take the offer for consideration, Russell, though always professing to welcome adhesion pure and simple, required the co-operation of Dayton.  When Adams overcame this last obstacle, Russell interposed a written proviso, which as he knew from Lyons would prevent ratification.