Borchard, Edwin Montefiore

Borchard, Edwin Montefiore (1884–1951) professor of international law; born in New York City. He served as adviser to the U.S. delegation to the international court at the Hague and was law librarian of the U.S. Congress before becoming a professor of international law at Yale University (1917–50). His specialty was the title of his classic text, Diplomatic Protection of Citizens Abroad (1915). Between the world wars, he argued for U.S. neutrality on the grounds that international law could settle disputes. He opposed U.S. diplomatic activities in World War II and was suspicious of the Potsdam agreement and the Nuremburg trials. A member of the American Civil Liberties Union, he was a strong advocate for providing restitution to individuals wrongly convicted of crimes.