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George MarshallAmerican statesman and military leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1953.
Date of Birth: 31.12.1880
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American statesman and military leader, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Colleagues spoke of Marshall's lack of political ambition and praised his dedication to duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, and virtue. His honesty was renowned. "Morale is the main condition for victory," Marshall explained his principles. "Fighting alone is not enough. It is the spirit with which we go into battle. The heart and soul of a soldier are everything... A person's faith makes them invincible."
Early Life
George Catlett Marshall was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His family had a history of legal profession, with his relative John serving as a Supreme Court justice. George was the second son and third child of George Catlett Marshall, a successful coal merchant, and Laura Bradford. Marshall was a reserved and serious boy with a strong desire for excellence. Despite his parents' resistance, he chose a military career and entered the Virginia Military Institute in 1897, graduating successfully in 1901. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. After serving 18 months in the Philippines, Marshall returned to the United States and was stationed at Fort Reno, Oklahoma. He spent a year at the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, graduating with honors in 1907. The following year, Marshall completed his studies at the Army Staff College. After his second tour in the Philippines, Marshall was recalled to the United States and assigned to San Francisco and later Fort Douglas, Utah. During this time, one of his superiors described him as, "From my point of view, there is not more than five men in the Army capable of commanding a division better than he."
Military Career
Attached to the 1st Infantry Division in World War I, Marshall fought in battles near Luneville, Picardy, and Cantigny in 1917. A year later, he joined the General Staff and, as a colonel, developed operations for the 1st Army. In 1919, Marshall prepared plans for the anticipated offensive against Germany, catching the attention of General John Pershing. Marshall, known as a wizard among his comrades, was awarded the US Distinguished Service Medal and the French Croix de Guerre with palm leaves.
In peacetime, Marshall's rank was reduced to captain, but he continued to serve successfully. From 1919 to 1924, Marshall served as an aide to General Pershing, and then spent three years in China, where he learned to speak and write Chinese. These skills would prove useful later on. Upon returning to the US, he was appointed as an assistant commandant of the Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he served for almost five years. Marshall gained a reputation as a supporter of progressive infantry tactics and combat effectiveness. His colleagues respected him for his honesty, kindness, and professionalism. In 1938, Marshall moved to Washington, D.C., where he became the Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army. A year later, he assumed the role of Acting Chief of Staff with the rank of general. With the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Marshall became the Chief of Staff of the Army. Believing that the US Army was only fit for a "third-rate power," Marshall took on the task of modernizing equipment and strengthening the troops. He was constantly concerned about the military's lack of preparedness and, in 1940, convinced Congress to pass the Selective Service Act and consider the National Guard. During inspection visits, Marshall realized the need for officers to develop endurance, imagination, and leadership qualities within themselves. In Washington, D.C., Marshall reorganized the Department of War to improve control and command efficiency. As Secretary of State Cordell Hull's advisor, Marshall constantly warned military commanders in the Pacific about the potential Japanese attack.
While tirelessly working to strengthen the armed forces, Marshall continued to plan for the operations of World War II. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Marshall as his advisor on strategy and tactics. Marshall accompanied Roosevelt to conferences in Argentina, Casablanca, Quebec, Cairo, Tehran, and Yalta. Considering the defeat of Germany the top priority, Marshall, along with the British, led military operations in North Africa and Sicily, supplied arms and food to the Soviet Union, successfully concluded the war with Italy, and planned the largest amphibious assault in history for the Normandy landings and the occupation of Germany. During the war, Marshall was involved in the political committee overseeing the development of the atomic bomb. In 1945, he recommended to President Harry S. Truman to use this weapon against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, stating, "The bomb ended the war, so we had to use it." After Japan's surrender, Marshall resigned as Chief of Staff. Six days later, he began his diplomatic career when Truman sent him to China to prevent a civil war and establish a coalition government between nationalists and communists. However, the ceasefire proved short-lived, and in January 1947, Marshall reported to Truman about the failure of his mission, recommending the withdrawal of American troops from China.
A month later, Truman appointed Marshall as Secretary of State and entrusted him with the heavy task of rebuilding international relations in the post-war period. By the spring of 1947, President Truman despaired of reaching an agreement with the Soviet Union regarding the future of Europe, and the determination of the United States to stop Soviet expansion was manifested in military aid to Greece and Turkey. Concerned about the economic instability of Europe and the activities of communist parties, Marshall announced a plan for extensive economic assistance to Europe in his 1947 speech at Harvard. "Our policy is not directed against any country or doctrine," the Secretary of State declared. "It is against hunger, poverty, despair, and chaos." In September 1947, 16 European countries formed the Committee for European Cooperation, which developed a joint program for the economic recovery of Europe. The US Congress allocated $12 billion to support these goals. The "Marshall Plan" became the largest economic assistance program and was responsible for the so-called "economic miracle" in Germany in the 1950s. The aid to Europe was not the only challenge that Marshall faced during the Cold War. As US-Soviet relations deteriorated, the four-power administration regime in Germany became unsustainable, and the country was divided into two states. In 1948, Marshall opposed the Soviet blockade of Berlin by establishing the Berlin Airlift. Similar tensions between the US and the Soviet Union in Korea led the State Department to bring the disputed issue to the United Nations. UN-supervised elections in the southern part of Korea marked the establishment of the Republic of Korea the following year. Seeking to acquire new allies, Marshall strengthened relations with Italy and opened diplomatic missions in Ceylon, Israel, and Korea. He played a crucial role in the creation of the Organization of American States, initiated security negotiations in Europe that later led to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). On January 20, 1949, Marshall retired from public office due to health concerns.
In 1950, the escalation of hostilities in Korea prompted Truman to ask Marshall to return to government as Secretary of Defense. In September, Marshall began reorganizing the army system and pushed for the expansion of the Selective Service Act. Racial discrimination was prohibited in military training, and racially segregated units in Korea were disbanded. When President Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his duties, Marshall supported Truman during the congressional hearings. At the end of his term, Marshall faced attacks from Joseph McCarthy for being "soft on communism." Marshall chose not to respond. In September 1951, at the age of 70, Marshall left the post of Secretary of Defense. Two years later, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, becoming the first career military officer among the laureates. According to Carl Joachim Hambro, a representative of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the prize was awarded to Marshall not for his military accomplishments but for his peacetime achievements, particularly with the "Marshall Plan." In response to criticism, Marshall stated in his acceptance speech, "The cost of war is always before my eyes. It is an immense edifice supported by tombstones. With all my heart, I would like to find a way to avoid the danger of another war."
Marshall married Elizabeth Carter in 1902, a native of Lexington, Virginia. Due to heart disease, she was unable to have children, and in 1927, a surgery proved fatal for her. Three years later, Marshall married Katherine Tupper Brown, a widow, and adopted her three children. Allan, Marshall's favorite, was killed by a German sniper in Italy in the spring of 1944. Retaining his characteristic poise and dignity, Marshall lived in Leesburg, Virginia, after retiring. On October 16, 1959, he passed away in Washington, D.C., and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Marshall's life exemplifies American military traditions. Secretary of Defense Henry Stimson considered him "the best soldier he ever knew." Truman referred to Marshall as the "greatest living American," the man to whom the United States owed its future. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill described him as a "true organizer of victory." Most of the testimonials about Marshall, however, focus not only on his military achievements but on his personal qualities. Colleagues spoke of Marshall's lack of political ambition and praised his dedication to duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, and virtue. His honesty was renowned. "Morale is the main condition for victory," Marshall explained his principles. "Fighting alone is not enough. It is the spirit with which we go into battle. The heart and soul of a soldier are everything... A person's faith makes them invincible."
