Editing Robert Lansing (section)

==Career==
	1	U.S. Neutrality (1915–1917):
	◦	Lansing advocated a pro-Allied stance while Wilson maintained official neutrality. He believed Germany’s actions, particularly unrestricted submarine warfare, threatened U.S. interests.
	◦	He negotiated the Lusitania crisis (1915), pressing Germany to limit submarine attacks after the sinking of the British liner, which killed 128 Americans.
	◦	Established the Bureau of Secret Intelligence (BSI) within the State Department, authorizing agents to investigate foreign saboteurs and gather intelligence, a departure from traditional U.S. diplomacy.

	2	World War I and U.S. Entry (1917):
	◦	Supported U.S. entry into the war after Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram (1917) revealed German overtures to Mexico against the U.S.
	◦	Helped shape Wilson’s Fourteen Points, though he was skeptical of their idealism, particularly the League of Nations, preferring pragmatic diplomacy.

	3	Paris Peace Conference (1919):
	◦	Lansing served as a U.S. delegate to the Versailles Peace Conference, where his nephew John Foster Dulles was legal counsel to the U.S. delegation, working under him.
	◦	He opposed harsh reparations on Germany, aligning with Dulles’ arguments, but clashed with Wilson over the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, believing the treaty was too punitive and the League impractical without U.S. domestic support.
	◦	His strained relationship with Wilson deepened as Wilson sidelined him, relying more on advisor Edward House.

	4	Resignation (1920):
	◦	Frustrated by Wilson’s refusal to compromise on the League of Nations and his exclusion from key decisions, Lansing resigned in February 1920 after Wilson accused him of disloyalty for convening cabinet meetings during Wilson’s illness.
	◦	His departure marked the end of his formal government service, though he remained influential in diplomatic circles.