While the topic of George Washington's Office of Indian Trade might sound like something of only antiquarian interest, assuming that you were even aware that there was such an agency, that the author lifts it above the level of antiquarian trivia is quite impressive. I know of the records and I'm certainly impressed that such a worthwhile monograph could be quarried out of them. Essentially, the Office was an instrument of American empire as, even after the victory of Fallen Timbers, it was clear to the Federalists that their Indian problem could not be solved by force alone; particularly since His Majesty's government was still prepared to invest in their Indian allies. Thus we have the office, which was charged with the mission of weening the independent tribes east off the Mississippi away from their European patrons, and bringing them into a dependent relationship with the United States; if they became so dependent that debt could be exchanged for land, so much the better.

While the Office never quite achieved the ends that were hoped for, it did place the U.S. government on a regular diplomatic footing with the assorted tribes, that recognized that certain norms stretching back into the 1600's still applied. That the system was eventually disestablished was probably inevitable, as after the Crash of 1819 the agency was looking for a new mission, and John Jacob Astor didn't need the competition; and he had the political clout to do make this possible. This is particularly when full-fledged Jacksonian Indian removal was waiting in the wings.

Highly recommended for students of the early U.S. republic. ( )