What did Washington mean when he wrote? The maximum honesty is the best policy should be applied to foreign relationships? The United States should have announced that it was cutting off early relations with other nations, the United States should’ve determined its formal relationships with European nations, there was no need to be coy about US intentions to avoid permanent alliances in the future, or the president should privately reassure foreign leaders that America stands with them, but publicly maintain a separation from other nations policies

Answer 1

When Washington wrote that "maximum honesty is the best policy should be applied to foreign relationships," he meant that the United States should be transparent and truthful in its interactions with other nations. This means that the United States should have announced that it was cutting off early relations with other nations and should have determined its formal relationships with European nations. There was no need to be coy about US intentions to avoid permanent alliances in the future, implying that the United States should be clear about its position and future plans regarding alliances. However, this does not mean that the president should publicly align with or adopt the policies of other nations. Instead, the president should privately reassure foreign leaders that America stands with them, but maintain a separation from other nations' policies in public declarations.