Writing in The New Republic, Michael Kimmage reviews the new biography of George Marshall. An excerpt:
In their search for a statesman’s grand gestures, the Ungers and Hirshon devalue the challenge of coordination in World War II and in the early Cold War. Moving the U.S. to a wartime footing, between 1939 and 1941, was a Herculean task. Keeping the unruly Allies—the Soviet Union, Britain, and the U.S.—behind the common cause of fighting Nazi Germany was not just a military job. It was a diplomatic job, and Marshall excelled at it. Turning back the wave of isolationism that immediately followed the defeat of Germany and Japan was political work, as was the joining of the State Department, the White House and Congress into a coalition for the Marshall Plan. In American history, only George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower can compete with Marshall in the combination of political and military skill.
2 comments:
Marshall is justly associated with his WWII and postwar activities, but I hope they do justice to his formative years during WWI.
I had to research his work during the American offensives of 1918 for some of my writing, and it quickly became apparent to me that he established his reputation early and built the practical foundation for his understanding of strategic warfare long before he put it to use again after 1940.
It's a period that generally gets overlooked when people read about important WWII leaders.
Larry,
Very good point.
As I recall that was where Marshall crossed paths, rather memorably, with General Pershing.
An extraordinary man.
Michael
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