The Uncertain Traitor

Master spy, secret double agent and secret supporter of the American revolution! Edward Bancroft, a real life doctor and scientist, was all three. But his true story is little known and historians still differ on his career and motives.Bancroft was an Englishman born in Connecticut prior to American independence who lived and pursued his career as a doctor and scientist in London. He almost unwillingly became a spy for the British Secret Service and in addition worked for the American delegation in Paris seeking arms and an alliance with France. But which side did he help the most and was he ever discovered by the English or Americans?His confessional delves into his guilt over his betrayal of the American delegation led by Benjamin Franklin, the odd balance he sought to justify himself, and his subsequent attempts at expiation. His story captures all the great events of the period including the birth of the United States, the French Revolution, and major scientific discoveries.Bancroft's reward was not that which he was due as a hero, rather his life became a task just for survival during times of war and execution.