Abstract
Spanish American relations during the American Revolution were extraordinary. Madrid did not openly support the Americans as did its French ally. Instead, the Spanish chose a clandestine policy for aiding the insurgents and attempted to use the Anglo-American struggle for their own selfish interest. The governors of Spanish Louisiana were the implementors of this extraordinary policy. No official in the New World carried out Spain's objectives as thoroughly as Governor Bernardo de Galvez. | For approximately two years and a half (January, 1777-June, 1779) Galvez, in the interest of his government secretly aided the Revolutionaries. The purpose of this dissertation is to suggest why the Governor was so partisan toward the Americans before Spain declared war against Great Britain in June, 1779.