The protection of American rights at sea was to him simply a "case" in which he had been retained as counsel for the plaintiff.

As a good lawyer it was his business to score as many points as possible for his client and the more weak joints he found in the enemy's armour the better did he do his job.

It was his duty to scan the law books, to look up the precedents, to examine facts, and to prepare briefs that would be unassailable from a technical standpoint.

To Mr.Lansing this European conflict was the opportunity of a lifetime.

He had spent thirty years studying the intricate problems that now became his daily companions.