ABSTRACT
The Perkins affair involved legal maneuvering, political scandal, and international diplomacy and reached its peak during a critical point in Russian-American relations. Perkins's attorneys persisted. In January 1869, Stoeckl had retired and was replaced by a new minister, Constantine Catacazy, and the Perkins claim took an entirely new direction. The Perkins claim had taken on a life of its own in the contentious relationship developing between Catacazy and members of the U.S. administration. The Perkins affair is a complicated tale. Began in June 1855 when Benjamin Perkins was in New York City and met Charles Rackelwicz, a man claimed to be an agent and courier of the Russian government Kidder met with G. G. Newhall and Company to contract 150 tons powder, at 17 cents a pound, to be ready to ship within 60 days. On June 7,1856, Perkins filed a complaint in the Supreme Court of New York.
