Oliver Pollock, a friend of the governor of Louisiana, served in April of 1776 as a secret mediator between Luis de Unzaga and the Founding fathers Patrick Henry and Robert Morris in order to bring the first secret aids for the birth of the United States of America. In 1777 he was appointed "commercial agent of the United States at New Orleans", making him the representative of the colonies in the city. He used his fortune to finance American operations in the west, and the successful campaign of General George Rogers Clark in Illinois 1778 occurred with his financial support. In the same year, he borrowed $70,000 from Spanish Louisiana's Governor Bernardo de Gálvez, but the financial needs of the country at the time left him with a loss. In September of that year, Pollock introduced Col. David Rogers and Capt. Robert Benham (politician) to the Governor. Rogers was delivering an important letter from Patrick Henry from Virginia. This meeting led to Spain joining the war against England.