Jefferson was worried about the idea of having as a neighbor in the west a strong France in place of a weak Spain. Jefferson ordered Robert R. Livingston, The American minister to France to explore the idea of buying New Orleans and West Florida. He let certain letters to fall in hands of French agents that hinted at a joint U.S.-British attack on Louisiana. Napoleon also needed money to finance the war against Great Britain, and feared that once the war began the US would take advantage of this and try to seize Louisiana.
