This account, written in the 1950, discusses Endurance's stay in Buenos Aires in 1914. The
passage highlights a particularly powerful lesson from Shackleton - faced with a difficult problem, whenever possible, deal with the issue in person.
Reginald James, physicist:
"I remember the chaos that reigned on board the ship in the harbour at Buenos Aires & the immediate shaping of things to a definite order as soon as he arrived (He joined the ship in B. A. coming out by liner). Port authorities were pacified, help was obtained from the Navy of the Argentine & all facilities granted, all as a result of personal interview. Shackleton was a great believer in the efficacy of personal interview & indeed I think he could persuade anyone to do almost anything if he could once talk to him. There was a mixture of personal magnetism, bluff & blarney that could be irresistible."
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