So he was definitely not acting out of economic prudence but out of a concept. Or, at the very least, he viewed his activities as a very long-term investment -- not so much economic, but geopolitical.

Visually, what goes against LIE is the reflective look on most of the photos. Usually LIEs look like they are in the middle of some activity (of course, I realize they had still photography back then).

What kinds of things did he build in Belgium, and what was his rationale/motivation?