Greetings, I am Diego María de Gardoqui y Arriquibar, born on November 12, 1735, in Bilbao, Spain. I hail from an esteemed Basque family with a long history of involvement in business, particularly in commerce and the emerging metallurgical industry linked to naval shipyards. As a member of the Gardoqui family, I served as a financial intermediary between the Spanish Court and the Colonies during the American Revolutionary War, engaging in discussions with John Jay on several occasions.