ABSTRACT
Boston’s town leaders tell Benjamin Franklin that they are pleased with the shaping of public opinion so far, but they could not be complacent. They understood the power of opinion—with the public and on policy-makers, in London as well as Boston. All of the stereotypes notwithstanding, Whitehall and Westminster did not attempt to shape the empire in an informational vacuum. Boston’s leaders felt they were at a disadvantage in this setting. Imperial authorities like governors and customs agents sent their reports through official channels; town leaders had to hope that someone friendly to their cause would informally do the same for them.
