The author was an American diplomat, the Secretary of the American Legation in Brussels, at the beginning of World War I in 1914. This book consists of his edited selections from his daily journal, giving a firsthand look at the chaotic atmosphere before and throughout Germany's invasion of Belgium. His position as a diplomat of the then-neutral United States gave him an invaluable perspective from which to report on the deliberations of military and civilian decision-makers, the reactions of the public to the unfolding calamity, and the efforts of international relief organizations to meet the urgent needs of a flood of refugees. (Summary by Ted Lienhart)