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Original Exhibition Caption: FDR was fascinated by John Paul Jones (1747-1792), the naval hero of the Revolutionary War who is considered the "father" of the United States Navy. Jones triumphed in a famous 1779 naval clash that pitted the outgunned USS Bonhomme Richard against the British frigate HMS Serapis. During the desperate battle, Jones is reputed to have shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Roosevelt collected many items related to Jones, including portraits, prints, drawings, and manuscripts. During the early 1920s, he even wrote a treatment for a feature film that would be based on Jones's life. But his efforts to interest Hollywood in the project proved fruitless. In this letter to Silas Deane, an American diplomat in France, Jones discusses naval matters, including the possible exchange of a captured British warship (Ariel) for a different warship (Terpsicore). He also mentions his efforts to obtain the prize money for merchant ships he has captured.