General of the Army

After reading the H.W. Brands biography of FDR, I read Partners in Command, by Mark Perry. I was left with a feeling of not knowing enough about George Marshall, and sought out a biography. Ed Cray's book does justice to the man.

George Marshall was both ambitious and selfless, something of a contradiction of terms and characteristics. From and early age he wanted to be a soldier, and served in the military for nearly six decades. Command of fighting soldiers is what he always sought, and was nearly always denied, for he turned out to have an uncanny talent for administration and planning. Pershing became his mentor and model, Fox Conner his teacher. From them he learned how to command and how to devise military strategy. FDR would grow to rely on him, to such a degree that he could not abide letting him go to serve as field commander.

After serving as Chief of Staff during WW 2, GCM went to China on President Truman's behalf, to try and get the Nationalists and Communists to compromise and form a government of national unity. That would become the basis for McCarthy and others of his ilk to charge Marshall with treason, an idea so palpably absurd that only a fanatic could entertain its veracity. The China Lobby could and would not understand that it was Chaing Kai Shek who "lost" China, and found scapegoats in Truman and Marshall.

GCM also served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. It was his misfortune to have to deal with Douglas MacArthur for most of his life and career. Yet Marshall understood that MacArthur needed to be handled gingerly, and always figured out how to do so.

Cray does a magisterial job of tracing GCM's life and career. The book is also very well edited. It reads easily, for one interested in a sweep of 20th century US history.