There had been instances of what was then called “frightfulness,” a more polite name for terrorism, preceding the Lusitania attack.

By coincidence, many of the photographs are of the District during the 1980s, an era in local history whose frightfulness has been much overstated.

Since abduction left a loophole in the complete furtherance of the plot, Teutonic thoroughness and frightfulness had devised a more drastic plan.