Marshall: Hero for Our Times

Winston Churchill called him the “organizer of victory.” Harry Truman said “he was the greatest of the great.” And General George Patton vowed he “would rather face the whole Nazi panzer army single-handed than be called to an interview with General Marshall.”

This is the first anecdotal, single-volume biography of George C. Marshall; one of the greatest generals in our history, a private, often enigmatic man, whose life was marked by incredible peaks and awesome depths.

Time and again Marshall put his career on the line before his political superiors and military contemporaries and rivals. He made what seemed like a tragic mistake at Pearl Harbor, but turned that disaster into a launching pad to victory. By facing down arrogant statesmen and politicians, he single-handedly decided policy that meant the difference, not just between victory or defeat, but between peace or war.

He had to fight for his nation’s interests and sometimes its very life -both as Chief of Staff during World War II and as Secretary of State in the raw, cold, hungry postwar world that followed.

The remarkable thing about Marshall was that he never lied, either in his own interest or in his country’s. A superb negotiator and a brilliant public speaker, he could manipulate the most stubborn, difficult and politically agile men, including Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. He had wit, persuasion, and charm a great deal of charm, as a number of famous and beautiful women discovered.

In a world of overpaid heroes and untrustworthy officials, Marshall made it to the top and maintained his principles, though not without pain, struggle and suffering.

This book lays bare the anguishing incidents in Marshall’s life. It tells the awful truth about his wedding night. It tells of the General’s torment when his stepson was killed by a German sniper in Italy, while knowing that he could have kept his stepson alive. It tells of how General MacArthur hated Marshall and tried to hamstring his career. It shows how General Eisenhower — who owed everything to Marshall — finally showed his gratitude in an abysmal act. It discloses the secret events behind Marshall’s mission to China and why it failed. It reveals untold stories about how Marshall went about organizing and winning World War II for the Allies, then, having won the war, how he went on to save the peace by keeping Europe from starvation with the Marshall Plan, stemming the panic in Washington over MacArthur’s behavior in Korea, counselling Presidents,‘ and instilling confidence in prime ministers.

There will never be another man like Marshall.
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