Jonathan Turley

What's interesting is that his relationship with Washington was really a father-son relationship.

He rode into Philadelphia with Washington.

Washington credited him.

uh with saving the revolution when when washington was in the winter at valley forge and his troops had no uh morale left he turned to thomas paine and said right and he did and it rallied the troops now that relationship i explore in the book towards the end of the french revolution discussion because i think the greatest disappointment for paine

And he didn't show that a lot because a lot of people attacked him.

But I think the thing that cut him the deepest was he felt that Washington abandoned him, that when he was sitting in the Luxembourg prison, he did not feel that Washington came to his side.

I think that it wasn't clear to Paine.

Paine dedicated rights of man to Washington, which Washington didn't like.

So when he sent Washington the books, Washington didn't respond.

But then when he got sent to the Luxembourg prison,

I there was no real strong intervention by the United States to save his life.

And you could see it was really having this impact on pain because Washington really was his North Star.

He he believed in Washington.

And that was one of the most telling moments for Payne.

That was a very dark period of his life.

The French Revolution had turned into the terror.

They were going to execute him.

Then suddenly Robespierre was executed instead, and he was released.

But I think it was that break with Washington that took its greatest toll on Payne.

Washington was terribly important, as you know, Glenn, that he was this rallying figure.