[200] Jefferson met four times with Joseph Letombe, the French consul in Philadelphia. Letombe wrote to Paris stating that Jefferson had told him that it was in France's best interest to treat the American ministers civilly but "then drag out the negotiations at length" to arrive at most favorable solution. According to Letombe, Jefferson called Adams "vain, suspicious, and stubborn."[201] When the envoys arrived in October, they were kept waiting for several days, and then granted only a 15-minute meeting with French Foreign Minister Talleyrand. The diplomats were then met by three of Talleyrand's agents. The French emissaries (later code-named, X, Y, and Z) refused to conduct negotiations unless the United States paid enormous bribes, one to Talleyrand personally, and another to the Republic of France.[200] Supposedly this was to make up for offenses given to France by Adams in his speech.[202] The Americans refused to negotiate on such terms.[203] Marshall and Pinckney returned home, while Gerry remained.[204]
News of the disastrous peace mission arrived in the form of a memorandum from Marshall on March 4, 1798. 