In April 1779 John André was placed in charge of the British Secret Intelligence. In this role he continued the negotiations with Benedict Arnold, which had been in progress since 1778. As Arnold was promoted to commander of West Point in August 1780, the British began to take his offerings seriously.
All that remained were the final details. Not easy to arrange, Arnold demanded a personal meeting with André. He asked André to go to Sheldon's Headquarters at Lower Salem, disguised as "John Anderson," an American agent. This would expose André to all of the hazards of ordinary secret agents. If André was disguised to look like a spy, he would be captured as a spy. Clinton and André did not want this to happen. André wanted the final meeting to be in public, so that he would not have to take any unnecessary risk. However, as time wore on and they were unable to make these plans, Clinton and André agreed to follow Arnold's lead.
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