That's my understanding as well. Washington needed money and arms to fight off the English and he sent Benjamin Franklin as an emmisary to sweettalk the French into supporting the Colonies in their revolution. The French have had lots of wars with the British over the ages, and were willing to supply the colonies with arms to fight off the British, mostly just to annoy them. By all accounts, Benjamin Franklin was quite the ladies man. And, his being a well rounded scholar and scientist, he was an interesting person for anyone to talk to. Washington chose his emmisary well.