Before making a decision, the French cabinet decided it was necessary to acquire more information about the social, economic, and political situation in the United States. To do this, the cabinet chose Julien Alexandre Achard de Bonvouloir, a 26-year-old former French officer, to travel to the United States as an undercover agent, and make contact with the Continental Congress. The main reason that France wanted this secrecy was to avoid fighting with Britain, who would be angry and threatened if they discovered France was providing aid to their rebelling colonies.