View source for Biography:George Marshall

{{short description|US military leader, Army Chief of Staff}}
{{Other people|George Marshall}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = General of the Army
| name                = George C. Marshall
| image               = George C. Marshall, U.S. Secretary of State.jpg
| office              = 15th Chief of Staff of the United States Army
| president           = Franklin D. Roosevelt<br/>Harry S. Truman
| term_start          = September 1, 1939
| term_end            = November 18, 1945
| predecessor         = Malin Craig
| successor           = Dwight D. Eisenhower
| office1             = United States Special Envoy to {{wipe|China}}
| president1          = Harry S. Truman
| term_start1         = December 20, 1945
| term_end1           = January 1947
| predecessor1        = position established
| successor1          = position abolished
| office2             = 50th United States Secretary of State
| president2          = Harry S. Truman
| term_start2         = January 21, 1947
| term_end2           = January 20, 1949
| deputy2             = Dean Acheson<br/>Robert A. Lovett
| predecessor2        = James F. Byrnes
| successor2          = Dean Acheson
| office3             = 10th President of the American Red Cross
| term_start3         = October 1, 1949
| term_end3           = December 1, 1950
| predecessor3        = Basil O'Connor
| successor3          = E. Roland Harriman
| office4             = 3rd United States Secretary of Defense
| president4          = Harry S. Truman
| term_start4         = September 21, 1950
| term_end4           = September 12, 1951
| deputy4             = Stephen Early<br/>Robert A. Lovett
| predecessor4        = Louis A. Johnson
| successor4          = Robert A. Lovett
| birth_name          = George Catlett Marshall
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1880|12|31}}
| birth_place         = Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1959|10|16|1880|12|31}}
| death_place         = [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| party               = [[Social:Independent politician|Independent]]<ref>Marshall Papers Pentagon Office Selected Correspondence Box 69 Folder 18 George C. Marshall Foundation http://www.marshallfoundation.org</ref>
| spouse              = {{marriage|Lily Carter Coles|February 11, 1902|September 15, 1927|end=d.}}<br/>{{marriage|Katherine Boyce Tupper Brown|October 15, 1930}}
| education           = Virginia Military Institute (BS)
| awards              = Nobel Peace Prize<br/>Congressional Gold Medal
| signature           = George C Marshall Signature.svg
| allegiance          = {{flag|United States of America}}
| branch              = {{flag|United States Army}}
| serviceyears        = 1902–1959<ref>U.S. officers holding five-star rank never retire; they draw full active duty pay for life.{{cite book |author=Spencer C. Tucker |title=The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qh5lffww-KsC |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-85109-961-0 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=qh5lffww–KsC&pg=PA1685 1685]}}</ref>
| rank                = [[File:US-O11 insignia.svg|25px]] General of the Army
| commands            = Chief of Staff of the United States Army<br/>Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Army<br/>5th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division<br/>Fort Moultrie and District I, Civilian Conservation Corps<br/>8th Infantry Regiment<br/>15th Infantry Regiment
| battles             = Philippine–American War<br/>[[Social:World War I|World War I]]
* Western Front
* Meuse-Argonne Offensive
[[Social:World War II|World War II]]<br/>Chinese Civil War
* Operation Beleaguer
Korean War
| mawards             = Army Distinguished Service Medal (2)<br/>Silver Star<br/>''Complete list''
| module              = {{Infobox college football player
|embed           = yes
|school=VMI Keydets
|position        = Left Tackle
|pastschools     = VMI (1900)
|highlights      = All-Southern (1900)
}}
}}
General of the Army '''George Catlett Marshall Jr.''' (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American soldier and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff under presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, then served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman.<ref name="Historical Office George C. Marshall">{{cite web |url=http://history.defense.gov/Multimedia/Biographies/Article-View/Article/571266/george-c-marshall/ |title=George C. Marshall – Harry S. Truman Administration |publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense – Historical Office}}</ref> Winston Churchill lauded Marshall as the "organizer of victory" for his leadership of the Allied victory in [[Social:World War II|World War II]], although Marshall declined a final field leadership position that went to his protégé, later U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. After the war, as Secretary of State, Marshall advocated a significant U.S. economic and political commitment to post-war European recovery, including the Marshall Plan that bore his name. In recognition of this work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.<ref name=a>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/marshall/|title=George Catlett Marshall, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of State|publisher=CNN|accessdate=2007-12-12 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113061529/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/marshall/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=2007-11-13}}</ref>

Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Marshall graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1901. After serving briefly as commandant of students at the Danville Military Academy in Danville, Virginia, Marshall received his commission as a second lieutenant of Infantry in February, 1902. In the years after the Spanish–American War, he served in the United States and overseas in positions of increasing rank and responsibility, including platoon leader and company commander in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War. He was the Honor Graduate of his Infantry-Cavalry School Course in 1907, and graduated first in his 1908 Army Staff College class.  In 1916 Marshall was assigned as aide-de-camp to J. Franklin Bell, the commander of the Western Department. After the United States entered [[Social:World War I|World War I]], Marshall served with Bell while Bell commanded the Department of the East. He was assigned to the staff of the 1st Division, and assisted with the organization's mobilization and training in the United States, as well as planning of its combat operations in France. Subsequently, assigned to the staff of the American Expeditionary Forces headquarters, he was a key planner of American operations including the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

After the war, Marshall became an aide-de-camp to John J. Pershing, who was then the Army's Chief of Staff. Marshall later served on the Army staff, commanded the 15th Infantry Regiment in China, and was an instructor at the Army War College. In 1927, he became assistant commandant of the Army's Infantry School, where he modernized command and staff processes, which proved to be of major benefit during [[Social:World War II|World War II]]. In 1932 and 1933 he commanded the 8th Infantry Regiment and Fort Screven, Georgia.  Marshall commanded 5th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and Vancouver Barracks from 1936 to 1938, and received promotion to brigadier general. During this command, Marshall was also responsible for 35 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps in Oregon and southern Washington. In July 1938, Marshall was assigned to the War Plans Division on the War Department staff, and later became the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff. When Chief of Staff Malin Craig retired in 1939, Marshall became acting Chief of Staff, and then Chief of Staff, a position he held until the war's end in 1945.

As Chief of Staff, Marshall organized the largest military expansion in U.S. history, and received promotion to five-star rank as General of the Army. Marshall coordinated Allied operations in Europe and the Pacific until the end of the war. In addition to accolades from Churchill and other Allied leaders, ''{{wipe|Time (magazine)}}'' magazine named Marshall its Man of the Year for 1943. Marshall retired from active service in 1945, but remained on active duty, as required for holders of five-star rank.<ref name=wedemeyer>{{cite web|title=General George C Marshall|url=http://www.general-wedemeyer.com/marshall/|website=general-wedemeyer.com|accessdate=7 September 2015}}</ref> From December 15, 1945 to January 1947 Marshall served as a special envoy to China in an unsuccessful effort to negotiate a coalition government between the Nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek and Communists under [[Biography:Mao Zedong|Mao Zedong]].

As Secretary of State from 1947 to 1949, Marshall advocated rebuilding Europe, a program that became known as the Marshall Plan, and which led to his being awarded the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize.<ref name=b>{{cite book|last=W. Del Testa|first=David |author2=Florence Lemoine |author3=John Strickland|year=2001|title=Government Leaders, Military Rulers, and Political Activists|page=120}}</ref> After resigning as Secretary of State, Marshall served as chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission<ref name="New York Times 1949, p. 1">New York Times:  January 8, 1949, p. 1.</ref> and president of the American National Red Cross. As Secretary of Defense at the start of the Korean War, Marshall worked to restore the military's confidence and morale at the end of its post-World War II demobilization and then its initial buildup for combat in Korea and operations during the [[History:Cold War|Cold War]].  After resigning as Defense Secretary, Marshall retired to his home in Virginia. He died in 1959 and was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

==Early life==
George Catlett Marshall Jr. was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the son of George Catlett Marshall Sr. and Laura Emily (née Bradford) Marshall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marshallfoundation.org/marshall/timeline-chronology/|title=Timeline - George C. Marshall|website=www.marshallfoundation.org}}</ref> Marshall was a scion of an old Virginia family, as well as a distant relative of former Chief Justice John Marshall.<ref>{{cite book |last=Higginbotham |first=Don |date=1985 |title=George Washington and the American Military Tradition |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NzZD0Wh99HEC&pg=PA106 |location=Athens, GA |publisher=University of Georgia Press |page=106 |isbn=978-0-8203-2400-5}}</ref> Later, when asked about his political allegiances, Marshall often joked that his father had been a Democrat and his mother a Republican, whereas he was an Episcopalian.<ref>https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-168/the-noblest-romans/ citing Larry I. Bland, ed., The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, 2: We Cannot Delay,” July 1, 1939 – December 6, 1941 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986), p. 616</ref>

[[File:1900 VMI Keydets football team marshall encircled.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|1900 VMI Keydets football team. Marshall encircled]]
From age 16-20 Marshall studied at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He always ranked first in military discipline and about midway academically. He graduated 15th of 34 in the Class of ’01.<ref>https://www.marshallfoundation.org/marshall/timeline-chronology/</ref>

==Early infantry career and the Philippines==
Following his graduation from VMI, Marshall sat for a competitive examination for a commission in the United States Army.<ref>{{cite book |last=Risjord |first=Norman K. |date=2006 |title=Giants in Their Time: Representative Americans from the Jazz Age to the Cold War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOjP45DTUpAC&pg=PA183 |location=Lanham, MD |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=183 |isbn=978-0-7425-2784-3}}</ref>  While awaiting the results, Marshall had accepted the position of Commandant of Students at the Danville Military Institute in Danville, Virginia.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pops |first=Gerald M. |date=2009 |title=Ethical Leadership in Turbulent Times: Modeling the Public Career of George  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KyeN6ffYFdcC&pg=PA307 |location=Lanham, MD |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=307 |isbn=978-0-7391-2476-5}}</ref> Marshall passed the exam and was commissioned a second lieutenant in February, 1902.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Axelrod |first1=Alan |last2=Kingston |first2= Jack A. |date=2007 |title=Encyclopedia of World War II |volume=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LbWFgjW6KX8C&pg=PA547 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Facts on File |page=547 |isbn=978-0-8160-6022-1}}</ref>

Prior to World War I, Marshall received various postings in the United States and the {{wipe|Philippines}}, including serving as an infantry platoon leader and company commander during the Philippine–American War and other guerrilla uprisings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marshallfoundation.org/marshall/timeline-chronology/ |title=George Catlett Marshall: A Chronology |website=Biography: George C. Marshall |publisher=The George C. Marshall Foundation |location=Lexington, VA |access-date=August 24, 2016 |ref={{sfnRef|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}}}}</ref> He was schooled in modern warfare, including a tour at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas from 1906 to 1910 as both a student and an instructor.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stoler|first=Mark|year=1989|title=George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century|url=https://archive.org/details/georgecmarshall00mark|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/georgecmarshall00mark/page/21 21–25]}}</ref> He was the Honor Graduate of his Infantry-Cavalry School Course in 1907, and graduated first in his 1908 Army Staff College class.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}}

After another tour of duty in the Philippines, Marshall returned to the United States in 1916 to serve as aide-de-camp to the commander of the Western Department, former Army chief of staff Major General J. Franklin Bell, at the Presidio in San Francisco.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}} After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, Marshall relocated with Bell to Governors Island, New York when Bell was reassigned as commander of the Department of the East.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}} Shortly afterwards, Marshall was assigned to help oversee the mobilization of the 1st Division for service in France.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}}

==World War I==
During [[Social:World War I|World War I]], Marshall had roles as a planner of both training and operations. In the summer of 1917, he was assigned as assistant chief of staff for operations on the staff of the 1st Division.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}} After overseeing the division's mobilization and organization in Texas, he departed for France with the division staff in mid-1917.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}}  On the long ocean voyage, his roommate was the division's assistant chief of staff for training, Lesley J. McNair;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/10437/Calhoun_ku_0099D_11980_DATA_1.pdf?sequence=1 |title=General Lesley J. McNair: Little-Known Architect of the U.S. Army |last=Calhoun |first=Mark T. |date=2012 |website=kuscholarworks.ku.edu/ |publisher=University of Kansas |location=Lawrence, KS |page=43 |ref={{sfnRef|"General Lesley J. McNair: Little-Known Architect of the U.S. Army"}}}}</ref> the two formed a personal and professional bond that they maintained for the rest of their careers.{{sfn|"General Lesley J. McNair: Little-Known Architect of the U.S. Army"|page=43}}

After arriving in France, Marshall served with the 1st Division on the St. Mihiel, Picardy, and Cantigny fronts.{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}} He won recognition and acclaim for his planning of the attack for the Battle of Cantigny, which took place from May 28 to 31, 1918;{{sfn|"George C. Marshall: Timeline"}} its success resulted in the first notable American victory of the war.<ref>{{cite book|last=Davenport|first=Matthew J.|title=First Over There.|year=2015|publisher=St. Martins|location=New York|isbn=978-1250056443}}</ref>  On May 26, Marshall was injured while traveling to several subordinate units to conduct pre-attack coordination.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marshall |first=George C. |date=1976 |title=Memoirs of My Services in the World War, 1917–1918 |url=https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmyservi00mars/page/93 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |page=[https://archive.org/details/memoirsofmyservi00mars/page/93 93] |isbn=978-0-395-20725-3 |ref={{sfnRef|''Memoirs of My Services in the World War, 1917–1918''}} }}</ref>  As he departed the division headquarters area, his horse stumbled, fell, and rolled over;{{sfn|''Memoirs of My Services in the World War, 1917–1918''|page=93}} Marshall's left foot was caught in the stirrup, and he sustained a severe sprain and bruise.{{sfn|''Memoirs of My Services in the World War, 1917–1918''|page=93}}  A physician bound Marshall's injured ankle and foot with adhesive tape so that he could avoid medical evacuation and remain with the division to oversee the Cantigny attack.{{sfn|''Memoirs of My Services in the World War, 1917–1918''|pages=93–94}}

In mid-1918, he was posted to the headquarters of the American Expeditionary Force, where he worked closely with his mentor, General John Joseph Pershing, and was a key planner of American operations. He was instrumental in the planning and coordination of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which contributed to the defeat of the German Army on the Western Front in 1918.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lengel|first=Edward G.|title=To Conquer Hell.|year=2008|publisher=Henry Holt|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8050-7931-9}}</ref>  Marshall held the permanent rank of captain and the temporary rank of colonel;<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Spencer  |last2=Roberts |first2=Priscilla Mary |date=2006 |title=World War I: A Student Encyclopedia |volume=I, A–D |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TogXVHTlxG4C&pg=PA1186 |location=Santa Barbara, CA |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=1186 |isbn=978-1-85109-879-8 |ref={{sfnRef|''World War I: A Student Encyclopedia''}}}}</ref> he was recommended for promotion to temporary brigadier general in October 1918, but the Armistice occurred before the recommendation was acted on.{{sfn|''World War I: A Student Encyclopedia''|page=1186}}  After the war, Marshall reverted to his permanent rank.{{sfn|''World War I: A Student Encyclopedia''|page=1186}}

==Between the wars==
[[File:Colonel George Marshall.tif|left|thumb|Colonel George Marshall in France in 1919]]
In 1919, he became an aide-de-camp to General Pershing. Between 1920 and 1924, while Pershing was Army Chief of Staff, Marshall worked in a number of positions in the army, focusing on training and teaching modern, mechanized warfare. Between the World Wars, he was a key planner and writer in the War Department, commanded the 15th Infantry Regiment for three years in China, and taught at the Army War College. In 1927, as a lieutenant colonel, he was appointed assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, where he initiated major changes to modernize command and staff processes, which proved to be of major benefit during [[Social:World War II|World War II]]. Marshall placed Edwin F. Harding in charge of the Infantry School's publications, and Harding became editor<ref name="campbell">{{cite book|last= Campbell |first=James |title=The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea – The Forgotten War of the South Pacific |publisher=Three Rivers Press|date=September 30, 2008|page=400 |isbn=978-0-307-33597-5}}</ref>{{rp|41}} of ''Infantry in Battle'', a book that codified the lessons of World War I. ''Infantry in Battle'' is still used as an officer's training manual in the Infantry Officer's Course and was the training manual for most of the infantry officers and leaders of World War II.

From June 1932 to June 1933, Marshall was the commanding officer of the 8th Infantry Regiment at Fort Screven, Georgia. From July 1933 to October 1933 he was commander of Fort Moultrie, South Carolina and District I of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and he was promoted to colonel in September 1933.  He was senior instructor and chief of staff for the Illinois National Guard's 33rd Division from November 1933 to August 1936.

Marshall commanded the 5th Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division and Vancouver Barracks in Vancouver, Washington from 1936 to 1938, and was promoted to brigadier general in October 1936. In addition to obtaining a long-sought and significant troop command, traditionally viewed as an indispensable step to the pinnacle of the US Army, Marshall was also responsible for 35 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps in Oregon and southern Washington. As post commander Marshall made a concerted effort to cultivate relations with the city of Portland and to enhance the image of the US Army in the region. With the CCC, he initiated a series of measures to improve the morale of the participants and to make the experience beneficial in their later life. He started a newspaper for the CCC region that proved a vehicle to promote CCC successes, and he initiated a variety of programs that developed their skills and improved their health. Marshall's inspections of the CCC camps gave him and his wife Katherine the chance to enjoy the beauty of the American northwest and made that assignment what he called "the most instructive service I ever had, and the most interesting."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgecmarshall.org|title=Home|website=www.georgecmarshall.org|access-date=2016-07-04}}</ref>

In July 1938, Marshall was assigned to the War Plans Division in [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]] and subsequently reassigned as Deputy Chief of Staff. In that capacity, then-Brigadier General Marshall attended a conference at the White House at which President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a plan to provide aircraft to England in support of the war effort, lacking forethought with regard to logistical support or training. With all other attendees voicing support of the plan, Marshall was the only person to voice his disagreement. Marshall also spoke in favor of a large ground army although Roosevelt had said a large air force would be a greater deterrent to enemies than a large army.{{sfn|Roberts|2009|p=26}} Despite others' belief then that he had ended his career, this action resulted in his being nominated by Roosevelt to be the Army Chief of Staff as his personal choice. Marshall was then only 34th in seniority and outranked by 21 major-generals and 11 brigadier-generals; but he was the fifth-ranking officer under an unwritten rule that the chief of staff should be able to serve a four-year term before reaching 64.{{sfn|Roberts|2009|p=27}} 

Upon the retirement of General Malin Craig on July 1, 1939, Marshall became acting chief of staff. Marshall was promoted to general and sworn in as chief of staff on September 1, 1939, the same day the German Army launched its invasion of Poland.<ref>[http://www.georgecmarshall.org/Meet-General-Marshall/Early-Career George C. Marshall's Early Career]. georgecmarshall.org</ref> He would hold this post until the end of the war in 1945.

On May 11, 1940 Congress cut $10 million from a $28 million appropriation budget for equipment to detect Japanese aircraft off the west coast of America. Marshall saw Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau Jr. and they went to see Roosevelt together; Marshall emphasized the supreme importance of getting the full amount and told Roosevelt "you have got to do something and you’ve got to do it today". So Marshall got "all he wanted and more".{{sfn|Roberts|2009|pp=32,33}}

==World War II==
[[File:George Marshall 1947.jpg|thumb|right|Marshall during World War II]]
As Chief of Staff, Marshall organized the largest military expansion in U.S. history, inheriting an outmoded, poorly equipped army of 189,000 men and, partly drawing from his experience teaching and developing techniques of modern warfare as an instructor at the Army War College, coordinated the large-scale expansion and modernization of the U.S. Army. Though he had never actually led troops in combat, Marshall was a skilled organizer with a talent for inspiring other officers.<ref>Bland, Larry I., ''George C. Marshall and the Education of Army Leaders'', Military Review 68 (October 1988) 27–51, Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas</ref>  Many of the American generals who were given top commands during the war were either picked or recommended by Marshall, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jacob L. Devers, George S. Patton, Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr., Lloyd Fredendall, Lesley McNair, Mark Wayne Clark and Omar Bradley.<ref name="ReferenceA">Ossad, Steven L., ''Command Failures: Lessons Learned from Lloyd R. Fredendall'', Army Magazine, March 2003</ref>

===Expands military force fortyfold===
Faced with the necessity of turning an army of former civilians into a force of over eight million soldiers by 1942 (a fortyfold increase within three years), Marshall directed McNair to focus efforts on rapidly producing large numbers of soldiers. With the exception of airborne forces, Marshall approved McNair's concept of an abbreviated training schedule for men entering Army land forces training, particularly in regard to basic infantry skills, weapons proficiency, and combat tactics.<ref>Ambrose, Stephen, ''Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany June 7, 1944 – May 7, 1945'', New York: Simon & Schuster (1997), pp. 271–84</ref><ref>Keast, William R. (Maj), ''Provision of Enlisted Replacements'', Army Ground Forces Study No. 7, Washington, D.C.: Historical Section – Headquarters Army Ground Forces, 314.7(1 Sept 1946)GNHIS September 1, 1945</ref>  At the time, most U.S. commanders at lower levels had little or no combat experience of any kind. Without the input of experienced British or Allied combat officers on the nature of modern warfare and enemy tactics, many resorted to formulaic training methods emphasizing static defense and orderly large-scale advances by motorized convoys over improved roads.<ref>George, John B. (Lt. Col), ''Shots Fired In Anger'', NRA Press (1981), {{ISBN|0-935998-42-X}}, pp. 13–21</ref>  In consequence, Army forces deploying to Africa in Operation Torch suffered serious initial reverses when encountering German armored combat units in Africa in the Battle of Kasserine Pass and other major battles.<ref name="ReferenceB">Keast, William R. (Maj), ''Provision of Enlisted Replacements''</ref>  Even as late as 1944, U.S. soldiers undergoing stateside training in preparation for deployment against German forces in Europe were not being trained in combat procedures and tactics in use there.<ref>Hanford, William B., ''A Dangerous Assignment'', Stackpole Books, {{ISBN|978-0-8117-3485-1}}, p. viii</ref>

===Replacement system criticized===
[[File:George marshall&henry stimson.jpg|thumb|Marshall with Secretary of War Henry Stimson]]
Originally, Marshall had planned a 265-division Army with a system of unit rotation such as practiced by the {{wipe|United Kingdom}} and other Allies.<ref name="Article">Vandergriff, Donald E. (September 12, 2003). ''Seven Wars and a Century Later, a Failed System'', [https://web.archive.org/web/20081206135605/http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Vandergriff_091203,00.html Archived] December 06, 2008, at the [[Wayback Machine]]</ref>  By mid-1943, however, after pressure from government and business leaders to preserve manpower for industry and agriculture, he had abandoned this plan in favor of a 90-division Army using individual replacements sent via a circuitous process from training to divisions in combat.<ref name="Article"/>  The individual replacement system devised by Marshall and implemented by McNair exacerbated problems with unit cohesion and effective transfer of combat experience to new soldiers and officers.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="Ambrose, Stephen pp. 277-284">Ambrose, Stephen, ''Citizen Soldiers'', pp. 277–84</ref> In Europe, where there were few pauses in combat with German forces, the individual replacement system had broken down completely by late 1944.<ref>Henry, Mark R., ''The US Army in World War II: Northwest Europe'', Osprey Publishing (2001), {{ISBN|1-84176-086-2}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84176-086-5}}, pp. 12–14</ref>  Hastily-trained replacements or service personnel reassigned as infantry were often given only a few weeks' refresher training before being thrown into battle with Army divisions locked in front-line combat.

The new men were often not even proficient in the use of their own weapons, and once in combat, could not receive enough practical instruction from veterans before being killed or wounded, sometimes within the first few days.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="Henry, Mark R. 2001 pp. 12-14">Henry, Mark R., ''The US Army in World War II: Northwest Europe'', Osprey Publishing (2001), {{ISBN|1-84176-086-2}}, {{ISBN|978-1-84176-086-5}}, pp. 12–14</ref><ref>Ambrose, Stephen, ''Citizen Soldiers'', pp. 271–84</ref>  Under such conditions, many soldiers suffered a crippling loss of morale, while veterans were kept at the front until they were killed, wounded, or incapacitated by battle fatigue or illness. Incidents of soldiers going AWOL from combat duty as well as battle fatigue and self-inflicted injury rose rapidly during the last eight months of the war with Germany.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="Ambrose, Stephen pp. 277-284"/><ref name="Henry, Mark R. 2001 pp. 12-14"/>  As one historian concluded, "Had the Germans been given a free hand to devise a replacement system..., one that would do the Americans the most harm and the least good, they could not have done a better job."<ref name="Henry, Mark R. 2001 pp. 12-14"/><ref>Ambrose, Stephen, ''Citizen Soldiers'', p. 277</ref>

Marshall's abilities to pick competent field commanders during the early part of the war was decidedly mixed. He was instrumental in advancing the careers of the highly capable generals such as Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, Krueger and Clark.  A notable exception was his recommendation of the swaggering Fredendall to Eisenhower for a major command in the American invasion of North Africa during Operation Torch. Marshall was especially fond of Fredendall, describing him as "one of the best" and remarking in a staff meeting when his name was mentioned, "I like that man; you can see determination all over his face."  Eisenhower duly picked him to command the 39,000-man Central Task Force (the largest of three) in Operation Torch. Both men would come to regret that decision, as Fredendall was the leader of U.S. Army forces at the disastrous Battle of the Kasserine Pass.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

===Planned invasion of Europe===
[[File:Infantry in battle cover.gif|thumb|Cover to the book ''Infantry in Battle'', the World War II officer's guide to infantry combat operations. Marshall directed production of the book, which is still used as a reference today.]]
During World War II, Marshall was instrumental in preparing the U.S. Army and {{wipe|United States Army Air Forces}} for the invasion of the European continent. Marshall wrote the document that would become the central strategy for all Allied operations in Europe. He initially scheduled Operation Overlord for April 1, 1943, but met with strong opposition from Winston Churchill, who convinced Roosevelt to commit troops to Allied invasion of Sicily for the invasion of Italy. Some authors think that World War II could have ended earlier if Marshall had had his way; others think that such an invasion would have meant utter failure.

It was assumed that Marshall would become the Supreme Commander of Operation Overlord, but Roosevelt selected Eisenhower as Supreme Commander. While Marshall enjoyed considerable success in working with Congress and Roosevelt, he refused to lobby for the position. President Roosevelt didn't want to lose his presence in the States. He told Marshall, "I didn't feel I could sleep at ease if you were out of Washington."<ref name=d>{{cite book|last=Buell|first=Thomas B.|author2=John H. Bradley|title=The Second World War: Europe and the Mediterranean|page=258}}</ref>  When rumors circulated that the top job would go to Marshall, many critics viewed the transfer as a demotion for Marshall, since he would leave his position as Chief of Staff of the Army and lose his seat on the Combined Chiefs of Staff.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pogue|first1=Forrest C.|title=The Supreme Commander|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Supreme/USA-E-Supreme-1.html|website=ibiblio.org|publisher=OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY|accessdate=9 September 2015}}</ref>

On December 16, 1944, Marshall became the first American Army general to be promoted to five-star rank, the newly created General of the Army – the American equivalent rank to field marshal. He was the second American to be promoted to a five-star rank, as William Leahy was promoted to fleet admiral the previous day.

Throughout the remainder of World War II, Marshall coordinated Allied operations in Europe and the Pacific. He was characterized as the organizer of Allied victory by Winston Churchill. ''{{wipe|Time (magazine)}}'' magazine named Marshall Man of the Year for 1943. Marshall resigned his post of chief of staff on November 10, 1945, but did not retire, as regulations stipulate that Generals of the Army remain on active duty for life.  He was succeeded as Army chief of staff by General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower.<ref name="wedemeyer"/>

==Analysis of Pearl Harbor intelligence failure==
After World War II ended, the Congressional Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack received testimony on the intelligence failure. It amassed 25,000 pages of documents, 40 volumes, and included nine reports and investigations, eight of which had been previously completed. These reports included criticism of Marshall for delay in sending General Walter Short, the Army commander in Hawaii, important information obtained from intercepted Japanese diplomatic messages. The report also criticized Marshall's lack of knowledge of the readiness of the Hawaiian Command during November and December 1941. Ten days after the attack, Lt. General Short and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, commander of the Navy at Pearl Harbor, were both relieved of their duties. The final report of the Joint Committee did not single out or fault Marshall. While the report was critical of the overall situation, the committee noted that subordinates had failed to pass on important information to their superiors, including Marshall.<ref>Hearings before the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack, Congress of the United States, Seventy-Ninth Congress (Washington, D.C.), Part 39, pp. 144–45.</ref><ref>Conclusions and Recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack, Congress of the United States, Seventy-Ninth Congress (Washington, D.C.) pp. 252, 265</ref>

A secret report into the Army's role, the Clausen Report was authorized by Secretary Stimson; it was critical of Short and also of Colonel Bratton who, he concluded, arrived later on Sunday morning than he initially claimed during testimony and invented a story about not being able to get in touch with Marshall which "nearly destroyed" Marshall.

==Post war: China==
In December 1945, President Harry Truman sent Marshall to China, to broker a coalition government between the Nationalist allies under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Communists under [[Biography:Mao Zedong|Mao Zedong]]. Mao promised Marshall the Communists would give up armed revolution, embrace the old enemies, and build a democracy in China. Marshall hoped for a coalition government, and toasted their common future.  The Americans assumed that if the Communist won the Civil War, they would remain on friendly terms with the United States. <ref>{{cite book|author=Daniel Kurtz-Phelan|title=The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QDIsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT7|year=2018|publisher=W. W. Norton|pages=7, 141|isbn=9780393243086}}</ref>  Marshall had no leverage over the Communists, but he threatened to withdraw American aid essential to the Nationalists. Both sides rejected his proposals and the Chinese Civil War escalated, with the Communists winning in 1949. His mission a failure, he returned to the United States in January 1947.<ref name=f>{{cite book|last=Stoler|first=Mark A.|year=1989|title=George C. Marshall|url=https://archive.org/details/georgecmarshall00mark|url-access=registration|pages=[https://archive.org/details/georgecmarshall00mark/page/145 145–51]}}</ref><ref name=g>{{cite book|last=Tsou|first=Tang|year=1963|title=America's Failure in China, 1941–50|url=https://archive.org/details/americasfailurei00tsou|url-access=registration|publisher=[Chicago] University of Chicago Press}}</ref> Chiang Kai-shek and some historians later claimed that cease-fire, under pressure of Marshall, saved the Communists from defeat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://book.people.com.cn/BIG5/n/2013/0731/c69360-22386991.html |title=蔣介石敗退台灣最恨誰？日記顯示並非毛澤東 |trans-title=Who did Chiang Kai-shek hate most with his withdraw to Taiwan? Diary says it's not Mao Zedong |publisher=Xin Hua Net |date=July 31, 2013}}</ref> As Secretary of State in 1947–48, Marshall seems to have disagreed with strong opinions in The Pentagon and State Department that Chiang's success was vital to American interests, insisting that U.S. troops not become involved.

==Secretary of State==
[[File:MedalGeorgeMarshall1982.jpg|thumb|Medallion issued in 1982 to honor George Marshall's post-war work for Europe]]
After Marshall's return to the U.S. in early 1947, Truman appointed Marshall Secretary of State. He became the spokesman for the State Department's ambitious plans to rebuild Europe. On June 5, 1947 in a speech<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgecmarshall.org/learn/index.asp?L=17 |title=The Marshall Plan |accessdate=2009-02-17 |work=georgecmarshall.org |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.is/20090109124504/http://www.georgecmarshall.org/learn/index.asp?L=17 |archivedate=January 9, 2009 }}</ref> at [[Organization:Harvard University|Harvard University]], he outlined the American proposal. The European Recovery Program, as it was formally known, became known as the Marshall Plan. Clark Clifford had suggested to Truman that the plan be called the Truman Plan, but Truman immediately dismissed that idea and insisted that it be called the Marshall Plan.<ref name="mcculloughtrumanbook">{{cite book |last= McCullough |first= David |title= Truman |year= 1992 |publisher= Simon and Schuster |location= New York |isbn= 0-671-86920-5 |page= [https://archive.org/details/truman00mccu_0/page/717 717] |title-link= Truman (book) }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Behrman | first=Greg | title=The Most Noble Adventure: The Marshall Plan and the Time When America Helped Save Europe | publisher=Free Press | year=2007 | isbn=978-0-7432-8263-5 | url=https://archive.org/details/mostnobleadventu00behr }}</ref> The Marshall Plan would help Europe quickly rebuild and modernize its economy along American lines. The [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] forbade its satellites to participate.

Marshall was again named ''Time'''s Man of the Year for 1947. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his post-war work in 1953, the only career officer in the United States Army to ever receive this honor.
Pres. Truman repeatedly rejected Marshall's advice on Middle Eastern policy.<ref> Frank W. Brecher, "US Secretary of State George C. Marshall's Losing Battles against President Harry S. Truman's Palestine Policy, January–June 1948." ''Middle Eastern Studies'' 48.2 (2012): 227-247. </ref> As Secretary of State, Marshall strongly opposed recognizing the newly formed state of [[Place:Israel|Israel]]. Marshall felt that if the state of Israel was declared that a war would break out in the Middle East (which it did in 1948 one day after Israel declared independence). Marshall saw recognizing the Jewish state as a political move to gain Jewish support in the upcoming election, in which Truman was expected to lose to Dewey. He told President Truman in May 1948, "If you (recognize the state of Israel) and if I were to vote in the election, I would vote against you."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=376&PID=0&IID=2203|title=President Truman's Decision to Recognize Israel|accessdate=2009-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306101503/http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=111&FID=376&PID=0&IID=2203|archive-date=2012-03-06|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0591/9105017.htm|title=Truman Adviser Recalls May 14, 1948 US Decision to Recognize Israel|date=May–June 1991|work=Washington Report on Middle East Affairs|page=17|accessdate=2009-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hst/h.htm|title=Recognition of Israel|accessdate=2009-02-17|publisher=The Truman Library}}</ref>  However, Marshall refused to vote in any election as a matter of principle.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Uldrich|first1=Jack|title=Soldier, Statesman, Peacemaker: Leadership Lessons from George C. Marshall|date=2005|publisher=AMACOM Books|isbn=9780814415962|quote=Marshall even went to great lengths to prevent himself from falling prey to the allures of power. He had always refused to vote because he subscribed to the belief that a professional soldier should remain above politics, but he took a number of other steps to insulate himself from the corrupting influence of power once he became chief of staff.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=McKinzie|first=Richard D.|date=November 13, 1972|title=Joseph C. Satterthwaite Oral History Interview|url=https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/oral-histories/satterwt|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-27|website=Truman Library|location=Washington, D.C.|quote="General Marshall could see the President anytime, but being a general he never took advantage of this. In fact, on one occasion, I think it was over Palestine actually, he told the President -- I was told by somebody at the meeting -- "Mr. President, if you take this action I wouldn't vote for you, but of course I don't vote." He as an Army officer never voted apparently in his life."}}</ref>

Marshall resigned from the State Department because of ill health on January 7, 1949, and the same month became chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission.<ref name="New York Times 1949, p. 1"/> In October 1949, Marshall was named president of the American National Red Cross.

==Secretary of Defense==
[[File:George C. Marshall.jpg|thumb|Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall sits for a portrait in 1950.]]
When the early months of the Korean War showed how poorly prepared the Defense Department was, President Truman fired Secretary Louis A. Johnson and named Marshall as Secretary of Defense in September 1950.  The appointment required a congressional waiver because the National Security Act of 1947 prohibited a uniformed military officer from serving in the post.  This prohibition included Marshall since individuals promoted to General of the Army are not technically retired, but remain officially on active duty even after their active service has concluded. Marshall was the first person to be granted such a waiver; in 2017, Jim Mattis became the second. Marshall's main role as Secretary of Defense was to restore confidence and morale to the Defense Department while rebuilding the armed forces following their post-World War II demobilization.

===Korean War===
[[File:Thomas Edgar Stephens - George C. Marshall - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|George Marshall portrait by Thomas E. Stephens (c. 1949)]]
Marshall worked to provide more manpower to meet the demands of both the Korean War and the [[History:Cold War|Cold War]] in Europe. To implement his priorities Marshall brought in a new leadership team, including Robert A. Lovett as his deputy and Anna M. Rosenberg, former head of the War Manpower Commission, as assistant secretary of defense for manpower. He also worked to rebuild the relationship between the Defense and State Departments, as well as the relationship between the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Marshall participated in the post-Inchon landing discussion that led to authorizing Douglas MacArthur to conduct operations in North Korea.  A secret "eyes only" signal from Marshall to MacArthur on September 29, 1950 declared the Truman administration's commitment: "We want you to feel unhampered strategically and tactically to proceed north of the 38th Parallel".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The American Culture of War: The History of US Military Force from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedon|last=Lewis|first=Adrian|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|isbn=978-0415890199|location=|page=104}}</ref> At the same time, Marshall advised against public pronouncements which might lead to {{wipe|United Nations}} votes undermining or countermanding the initial mandate to restore the border between North and South Korea. Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff were generally supportive of MacArthur because they were of the view that field commanders should be able to exercise their best judgment in accomplishing the intent of their superiors.

Following Chinese military intervention in Korea during late November, Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff sought ways to aid MacArthur while avoiding all-out war with China. In the debate over what to do about China's increased involvement, Marshall opposed a cease–fire on the grounds that it would make the U.S. look weak in China's eyes, leading to demands for future concessions. In addition, Marshall argued that the U.S. had a moral obligation to honor its commitment to South Korea. When British Prime Minister Clement Attlee suggested diplomatic overtures to China, Marshall opposed, arguing that it was impossible to negotiate with the Communist government. In addition, Marshall expressed concern that concessions to China would undermine confidence in the U.S. among its Asian allies, including Japan and the Philippines.  When some in Congress favored expanding the war in Korea and confronting China, Marshall argued against a wider war in Korea, continuing instead to stress the importance of containing the Soviet Union during the Cold War battle for primacy in Europe.

====Relief of General MacArthur====
Increasingly concerned about public statements from MacArthur, commander of United Nations forces fighting in the Korean War, which contradicted President Truman's on prosecution of the war, on the morning of 6 April 1951, Truman held a meeting with Marshall, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar Bradley, Secretary of State Dean Acheson and advisor W. Averell Harriman to discuss whether MacArthur should be removed from command.

Harriman was emphatically in favor of MacArthur's relief, but Bradley opposed it. Marshall asked for more time to consider the matter. Acheson was in favor but did not disclose this, instead warning Truman that if he did it, MacArthur's relief would cause "the biggest fight of your administration." At another meeting the following day, Marshall and Bradley continued to oppose MacArthur's relief. On 8 April, the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with Marshall, and each expressed the view that MacArthur's relief was desirable from a "military point of view," suggesting that "if MacArthur were not relieved, a large segment of our people would charge that civil authorities no longer controlled the military."

Marshall, Bradley, Acheson and Harriman met with Truman again on 9 April. Bradley informed the President of the views of the Joint Chiefs, and Marshall added that he agreed with them. Truman wrote in his diary that "it is of unanimous opinion of all that MacArthur be relieved. All four so advise."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.trumanlibrary.org/exhibit_documents/index.php?pagenumber=2&titleid=188&tldate=1951-04-06&collectionid=firem&PageID=1&groupid=3416 | accessdate = 5 June 2011 | title = Diary entries, 6–7, April 1951, Truman Papers. | publisher = Harry S. Truman Library and Museum}}</ref> (The Joint Chiefs would later insist that they had only "concurred" with the relief, not "recommended" it.)

On April 11, 1951, President Truman directed transmittal of an order to MacArthur, issued over Bradley's signature, relieving MacArthur of his assignment in Korea and directing him to turn over command to Matthew Ridgway. In line with Marshall's view, and those of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, MacArthur's relief was looked upon by proponents as being necessary to reassert the tenet of [[Social:Civilian control of the military|civilian control of the military]].

==Later life==
Marshall retired in September 1951 to his home, Dodona Manor, in Leesburg, Virginia to tend to his gardens and continue his passion for horseback riding. He was head of the American delegation at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.  He also served as Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission from 1949 to 1959.

==Death and burial==
[[File:George Marshall Gravesite.jpg|thumb|Grave site of George Marshall at Arlington National Cemetery]]
Marshall died at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. on October 16, 1959 at the age of 78. Although he was entitled to an Official Funeral, Marshall preferred simplicity, so received a Special Military Funeral after lying in state at the Washington National Cathedral for 21 hours, guarded by representatives from all the U.S. armed services, as well as a VMI cadet.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.army.mil/books/Last_Salute/Ch19.htm|title=Chapter 19 - The Last Salute|website=history.army.mil}}</ref> President Eisenhower ordered flags flown at half-mast, and was among the invited guests at the funeral service at the Fort Myer Old Post Chapel; other dignitaries included former President Truman,  Secretary of State Christian A. Herter, former Secretary of State Dean G. Acheson, W. Averell Harriman and Generals Omar N. Bradley, Alfred M. Gruenther and General Matthew B. Ridgway. His parish priest, Rev. Franklin Moss Jr. from St. James Episcopal Church  in Leesburg, Virginia conducted the chapel and graveside services, assisted by former chief chaplain and National Cathedral Canon Rev. Luther Miller. Following a 19-gun salute, Marshall was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in a place he had picked, in Section 7, Grave 8198, beside his first wife, Elizabeth Carter Coles (1875–1927) and her mother, Elizabeth Pendleton Coles (1849–1929); his second wife, Katherine Tupper Brown Marshall (1882–1978) would later join them.

==Reputation and legacy==
Marshall's reputation for excellence as a military organizer and planner was recognized early in his career, and became known throughout the Army.  In a performance appraisal prepared while Marshall was a lieutenant in the Philippines, his superior, Captain E. J. Williams responded to the routine question of whether he would want the evaluated officer to serve under his command again by writing of Marshall "Should the exigencies of active service place him in exalted command I would be glad to serve ''under him''." (Emphasis added.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marshallfoundation.org/library/digital-archive/editorial-note-on-becoming-general-liggettos-aide/ |title=1-070, Editorial Note on Becoming General Liggett's Aide, February 1915 |website=marshallfoundation.org |publisher=George C. Marshall Foundation |access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref>

In 1913, Lieutenant Colonel Johnson Hagood completed a written evaluation of Marshall's performance in which he called Marshall a military genius. Responding to the question of whether he would want his subordinate Marshall to serve under him again, Hagood wrote "Yes, but I would prefer to serve ''under his command''." (Emphasis added.)<ref>{{cite book |last=Puryear |first=Edgar F. Jr. |date=2000 |title=American Generalship: Character Is Everything: The Art of Command |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z1qIPXNUJFoC&pg=PA191 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Random House |page=191 |isbn=978-0-89141-770-5}}</ref> Hagood went on to recommend Marshall's immediate promotion to brigadier general, despite the fact that there were more than 1,800 officers, including Hagood, who were senior to him.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1953/press.html |title=Award Ceremony Speech, Nobel Peace Prize, George Marshall |last=Hambro |first= Carl Joachim |date=1953 |website=Nobelprize.org |publisher=The Nobel Foundation |location=Stockholm, Sweden |access-date=June 22, 2018 |ref={{sfnRef|"Award Ceremony Speech, Nobel Peace Prize, George Marshall"}}}}</ref>

After the surrender of the Nazi German government in May 1945, Henry L. Stimson, the Secretary of War, paid tribute to Marshall in front of a gathering of members of the Army staff, concluding with: "I have seen a great many soldiers in my lifetime and you, Sir, are the finest soldier I have ever known."{{sfn|"Award Ceremony Speech, Nobel Peace Prize, George Marshall"}}

In addition to his military success, Marshall is primarily remembered as the driving force behind the Marshall Plan, which provided billions of dollars in aid to post war Europe to restart the economies of the destroyed countries. In recent years, the cooperation required between former European adversaries as part of the Marshall Plan has been recognized as one of the earliest factors that led to formation of the European Coal and Steel Community, and eventually the [[Social:European Union|European Union]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marshallfoundation.org/marshall/the-marshall-plan/history-marshall-plan/ |title=History of the Marshall Plan |website=marshallfoundation.org |publisher=George C. Marshall Foundation |access-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref>

In a television interview after leaving office, Harry S. Truman was asked which American he thought had made the greatest contribution of the preceding thirty years. Without hesitation, Truman picked Marshall, adding "I don't think in this age in which I have lived, that there has been a man who has been a greater administrator; a man with a knowledge of military affairs equal to General Marshall."<ref>{{cite book |last=Farinacci |first=Donald J. |date=2010 |title=Truman and MacArthur: Adversaries for a Common Cause |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7OzfAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA253 |location=Bennington, VT |publisher=Merriam Press |page=253 |isbn=978-0-557-40902-0}}</ref>

Orson Welles said in an interview with Dick Cavett that "Marshall is the greatest man I ever met... I think he was the greatest human being who was also a great man... He was a tremendous gentleman, an old fashioned institution which isn't with us anymore."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1fauAc48tA |title=Orson Welles talks about Cornelia Lunt |publisher=YouTube}}</ref> Welles's story to Cavett was about how we witnessed Marshall taking the time to speak with a young American G.I. who had accidentally entered the same room.

==Family life==
George Marshall was the youngest of three siblings.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jeffers |first1=H. Paul |last2=Axelrod |first2=Alan |date=2010 |title=Marshall: Lessons in Leadership |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YlTgCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA6 |location=New York, NY |publisher=St. Martin's Press |pages=6–8, 10, 12 |isbn=978-0-230-11425-8 |ref={{sfnRef|''Marshall: Lessons in Leadership''}}}}</ref> His older brother Stuart Bradford Marshall (1875–1956) was a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, and became a manager and executive in several metal production corporations, including the American Manganese Manufacturing Company.{{sfn|''Marshall: Lessons in Leadership''|pages=6–8, 10, 12}}<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Parmelee |first=H. C. |date=August 15, 1918 |title=Personal: Mr. Stuart B. Marshall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qj9DAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA214 |magazine=Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering |volume=XIX |number=4 |location=New York, NY |publisher=McGraw-Hill Company |page=214 |ref={{sfnRef|''Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering''|page=214}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Glenn |first=Justin |date=2014 |title=The Washingtons: A Family History |volume=5 (Part One) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQNtBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA568 |location=El Dorado, CA |publisher=Savas Publishing |page=568 |isbn=978-1-940669-30-4}}</ref>  He later worked as a metallurgist and consulting engineer specializing in the production and operation of blast furnaces, coke ovens, and foundries.{{sfn|''Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering''|page=214}}  George and Stuart Marshall were long estranged; according to relatives, George Marshall's first wife, Lily, had dated other VMI cadets before him, and rejected their proposals, to include Stuart Marshall.{{sfn|''Marshall: Lessons in Leadership''|pages=6–8, 10, 12}}  When Stuart found out George was engaged to Lily, Stuart made unkind remarks about her, and George "cut him off my list".{{sfn|''Marshall: Lessons in Leadership''|pages=6–8, 10, 12}}  His sister, Marie Louise (1876–1962) was the wife of Dr. John Johnson Singer, an Army physician who died in 1934.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 12, 1962 |title=A Greenburg Resident: General Marshall's Sister Dies at 85 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/149093791/ |work=Pittsburgh Press |location=Pittsburgh, PA |page=22 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Marshall married Elizabeth Carter Coles, or "Lily", at her mother's home on Letcher Avenue in Lexington, Virginia, on 11 February 1902.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stevens |first1=Sharon Ritenour |last2=Williams |first2=Alice Trump |date=2009 |title=Images of America: Lexington |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Eo2ykvbyQg0C&pg=PA123 |location=Charleston, SC |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |page=123 |isbn=978-0-7385-6818-8}}</ref>  She died on 15 September 1927 after thyroid surgery that put significant strain on her weak heart.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mullins |first=Richard J. |date=January 1, 2017 |title=The General's Goiter: The Outcome of a Subtotal Thyroidectomy Performed on United States Army General George Catlett Marshall |url=http://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515(16)31514-9/fulltext |magazine=Journal of the American College of Surgeons |location=New York, NY |publisher=American College of Surgeons |page=79}}</ref>  They did not have children.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brooks |first=David |date=2015 |title=The Road to Character |url=https://archive.org/details/roadtocharacter00broo |url-access=registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=Random House |page=[https://archive.org/details/roadtocharacter00broo/page/117 117] |isbn=978-0-8129-9325-7}}</ref>

On 15 October 1930, Marshall married Katherine Boyce Tupper (8 October 1882 – 18 December 1978);<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.podles.org/dialogue/katherine-boyce-tupper-wife-of-a-murder-victim-and-wife-of-a-general-3074.htm|title=Katherine Boyce Tupper: Wife of a Murder Victim and Wife of a General &#124; Leon J. Podles :: DIALOGUE|website=www.podles.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=LCAm9zvOQSsC&q=Katherine+Boyce+Tupper+Brown+1882&dq=Katherine+Boyce+Tupper+Brown+1882|title=The United States Executive Branch: M-Z|first1=Robert|last1=Sobel|first2=David B.|last2=Sicilia|date=March 13, 2003|publisher=Greenwood Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9780313325946}}</ref>  Katherine Tupper was the mother of three children with Baltimore lawyer Clifton Stevenson Brown, who had been murdered by a disgruntled client in 1928.{{sfn|"Pershing is Best Man for His Former Aide"}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Pearson |first=Richard |date=December 20, 1978 |title=Katherine Marshall, 96, Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1978/12/20/katherine-marshall-96-dies/9359540d-541c-42bb-98f1-bd25f3501084/ |work=Washington Post |location=Washington, DC |ref={{sfnRef|"Katherine Marshall, 96, Dies"}}}}</ref>  The second Mrs. Marshall was a graduate of the [[Organization:American Academy of Dramatic Arts|American Academy of Dramatic Arts]]; she later studied at the Comédie-Française, and toured with Frank Benson's English Shakespearean Company.{{sfn|"Katherine Marshall, 96, Dies"}}  She authored a memoir, 1946's ''Together: Annals of an Army Wife''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Marshall |first=Katherine Tupper |date=1946 |title=Together: Annals of an Army Wife |url=https://archive.org/stream/togetherannalsof001707mbp#page/n7/mode/2up |location=New York, NY |publisher=Tupper and Love |page=Title}}</ref>  One of Marshall's stepsons, Allen Tupper Brown, was an Army lieutenant who was killed by a German sniper in Italy on May 29, 1944. Another stepson was Major Clifton Stevenson Brown Jr. (1914–1952). Step-daughter Molly Brown Winn, who was the mother of actress Kitty Winn, was married to US Army Major James Julius Winn, who had been an aide to General Marshall.

Marshall was a Freemason, having been made a Mason "at sight" in 1941 by the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia.
<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nymasons.org/about-freemasonry/famous-masons-i.html |publisher=MWGLNY |title=Famous Masons |date=January 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110010123/http://www.nymasons.org/about-freemasonry/famous-masons-i.html |archivedate=2013-11-10 }}</ref>

George Marshall maintained a home, known as Dodona Manor, in Leesburg, Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgecmarshall.org |title=The Marshall House |last=|first=|date=|website=www.georgecmarshall.org |publisher=|access-date=11 July 2016}}</ref> This was his first and only permanent residence owned by Marshall who later said "this is Home...a real home after 41 years of wandering."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/02/20/restoration-of-marshall-house-in-leesburg-enters-home-stretch/4d39fb4c-fc9f-4449-9639-41df78c9c669/ |title=Restoration of Marshall House in Leesburg Enters Home Stretch |last=Wheeler|first=Linda|date= 20 February 2015 |website=www.washingtonpost.com|publisher=|access-date=11 July 2016}}</ref> The restored home and its surrounding gardens are open to the public as a museum.

==Fictional portrayals==
Marshall has been played in film and television by
* Keith Andes in the 1970 film ''Tora! Tora! Tora!''
* Ward Costello in the 1977 film ''MacArthur''
* Dana Andrews in the 1979 film ''Ike, The War Years''.
* Bill Morey in the 1980 television film ''Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb''. 
* Norman Burton in the 1988 miniseries ''War and Remembrance''.
* Hal Holbrook in the 1989 television film ''Day One''.
* Harris Yulin in the 1995 television movie ''Truman''.
* Harve Presnell in the 1998 film ''Saving Private Ryan''.
* Scott Wilson in the 2001 film ''Pearl Harbor''.
* Donald Eugene McCoy in the 2009 Chinese movie ''The Founding of a Republic''.
* Richard DuVal in the 2012 Russian mini-series "Chkalov".

Marshall is a character in three different alternate history timelines in novels by Harry Turtledove: Worldwar, ''Joe Steele'', and The Hot War.

==Dates of rank==
{|class="wikitable" style="background:white"
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|''No pin insignia in 1902''
|Second lieutenant, United States Army: February 2, 1901 <br>(Appointment accepted on February 2, 1902.)
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O2 insignia.svg|13px]]
|First lieutenant, United States Army: March 7, 1907
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O3 insignia.svg|33px]]
|Captain, United States Army: July 1, 1916
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O4 insignia.svg|40px]]
|Major, National Army: August 5, 1917
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O5 insignia.svg|40px]]
|Lieutenant colonel, National Army: January 5, 1918
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O6 insignia.svg|60px]]
|Colonel, National Army: August 27, 1918
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O3 insignia.svg|33px]]
|Captain, Regular Army (reverted to permanent rank): June 30, 1920
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O4 insignia.svg|40px]]
|Major, Regular Army : July 1, 1920
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O5 insignia.svg|40px]]
|Lieutenant colonel, Regular Army: August 21, 1923
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O6 insignia.svg|60px]]
|Colonel, Regular Army: September 1, 1933
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O7 insignia.svg|33px]]
|Brigadier general, Regular Army: October 1, 1936
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O8 insignia.svg|66px]]
|Major general, Regular Army: September 1, 1939
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[File:US-O10 insignia.svg|133px]]
|General, temporary, for service as Army Chief of Staff: September 1, 1939<ref>From 1917 to 1945 Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army were usually promoted to the rank of general (O-10) temporarily for their term of office.</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"|[[File:US-O11 insignia.svg|95px]]
|General of the Army, Army of the United States: December 16, 1944
|-
|General of the Army rank made permanent in the Regular Army: April 11, 1946
|}<ref>Official Register of Commissioned Officers of the United States Army. 1948. Vol. 1.</ref>

==Awards and decorations==
 <!--mostly uncited-->

===U.S. military decorations and medals===
{|
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|Distinguished Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marshallfoundation.org/blog/marshall-distinguished-service-medal/|title=Marshall and the Distinguished Service Medal|last=Kozak|first=Jeffrey|date=October 28, 2016|website=The George C. Marshall Foundation|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Silver Star ribbon.svg|60px]]
|Silver Star
|-
|[[File:Philippine Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|60px]]
|Philippine Campaign Medal
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=4|type=service-star|ribbon=World War I Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|World War I Victory Medal with four campaign clasps
|-
|[[File:Army of Occupation of Germany ribbon.svg|60px]]
|Army of Occupation of Germany Medal
|-
|[[File:American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|60px]]
|American Defense Service Medal
|-
|[[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|60px]]
|American Campaign Medal (First recipient)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141129021841/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/Heraldry.aspx?HeraldryId=15297&CategoryId=4&grp=4&menu=Decorations%20and%20Medals&ps=24&p=0 American Campaign Medal]</ref>
|-
|[[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|60px]]
|World War II Victory Medal
|-
|[[File:National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|60px]]
|National Defense Service Medal
|}

===Foreign orders===
{|
|-
|[[File:Order of the Bath (ribbon).svg|60px]]
|Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom)
|-
|[[File:Legion Honneur GC ribbon.svg|60px]]
|Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (France)<ref>[https://www.marshallfoundation.org/blog/marshall-medals/ Marshall and Medals]</ref>
|-
|[[File:BRA Ordem do Merito Militar Gra-cruz.png|60px]]
|Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil) (Presented by General Francisco José Pinto on behalf of President Getulio Vargas on 3 June 1939)<ref>{{cite news|title=Homenagem á Missão Militar Norte Americana|url=http://memoria.bn.br/DocReader/Hotpage/HotpageBN.aspx?bib=090972_08#|accessdate=13 October 2015|agency=VASP|publisher=Correio Paulistano|date=4 June 1939|ref=1939–25535}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:CHL Order of Merit of Chile - Grand Cross BAR.png|60px]]
|Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Chile)
|-
|[[File:Order of Boyacá - Extraordinary Grand Cross (Colombia) - ribbon bar.png|60px]]
|Grand Cross of the Order of Boyacá Cherifien (Colombia) (Given by President Ospina Perez as he opened the IX Panamerican Conference, March 1948)
|-
|[[File:PRT Order of Christ - Commander BAR.png|60px]]
|Member 1st Class of the [http://www.medalnet.net/Cuba_Merito_%20Militar.htm Order of Military Merit] (Cuba)
|-
|[[File:Order of Abdón Calderón 1st Class (Ecuador) - ribbon bar.png|60px]]
|Member 1st Class of the Order of Abdon Calderon (Ecuador)
|-
|[[File:GRE Order of George I - Grand Cross BAR.png|60px]]
|Knight Grand Cross with swords of the Order of George I (Greece)
|-
|[[File:Cavaliere di gran Croce Regno SSML BAR.svg|60px]]
|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Italy)
|-
|[[File:Gran croce OCI BAR.svg|60px]]
|Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy (Italy)
|-
|[[File:Ordre de l'Ouissam Alaouite GC ribbon (Maroc).svg|60px]]
|Grand Cross of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
|-
|[[File:NLD Order of Orange-Nassau - Knight Grand Cross BAR.png|60px]]
|Knight Grand Cross with swords of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)
|-
|[[File:PER Order of the Sun of Peru - Grand Officer BAR.png|60px]]
|Grand Officer of the Order of the Sun (Peru)
|-
|[[File:Order of Suvorov 106x30.png|60px]]
|Member 1st Class of the Order of Suvorov (Soviet Union)
|}

===Foreign decorations and medals===
{|
|[[File:CroixdeGuerreFR-BronzePalm.png|60px]]
|Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 with bronze palm (France)
|-
|[[File:Medal for the Centennial of the Republic of Liberia.png|60px]]
|Medal for the Centennial of the Republic of Liberia
|-
|[[File:DK Forsvarets Medalje for Faldne i Tjeneste Ribbon.png|60px]]
|Silver Medal for Bravery (Montenegro)
|-
|[[File:PAN Medalla de la Solidaridad.png|60px]]
|Medal of Solidarity, 2nd Class (Panama)
|-
|[[File:Ribbon_-_QE_II_Coronation_Medal.png|60x60px|Ribbon – QE II Coronation Medal]]
|Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (United Kingdom)
|}

===Civilian honors===
* 1943 – Awarded the American Legion's Distinguished Service Medal.
* October 16, 1945 – presented with permanent membership in the Reserve Officers Association by President Harry Truman.
* 1946 – awarded the United States Congressional Gold Medal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://artandhistory.house.gov/house_history/goldmedal.aspx|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723055434/http://artandhistory.house.gov/house_history/goldmedal.aspx|url-status=dead|title=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives|archivedate=July 23, 2011}}</ref>
* 1948 – awarded the Grand Lodge of New York's Distinguished Achievement Award for his role and contributions during and after World War II.
* 1948 – Award for Distinguished Achievement, Kappa Alpha Order.
* 1953 – Nobel Peace Prize for the Marshall Plan.
* 1959 – Karlspreis (International Charlemagne Prize of the city of Aachen).
* 1965-1978 – The United States Postal Service honored him with a Prominent Americans series 20¢ postage stamp.

===Namesakes===
* 1960 – George C. [[Organization:Marshall Space Flight Center|Marshall Space Flight Center]], originally the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, became a NASA field center and was renamed.
* The British Parliament established the Marshall Scholarship in recognition of Marshall's contributions to Anglo-American relations.
* Many buildings and streets throughout the U.S. and other nations are named in his honor.
* George C. Marshall Award, the highest award given to a chapter in Kappa Alpha Order.
* George C. Marshall High School, founded in 1962 and located in Falls Church, Virginia, is the only public high school in the United States named for Marshall. The nickname of the school – "The Statesmen" – appropriately reflects his life and contributions.
* George C. Marshall International Center, a non-profit organization that oversees Marshall's Leesburg home as a museum and works to interpret Marshall's legacy.
* The Marshall Elementary School is in the Laurel Highlands School District, Uniontown, Pennsylvania.
* George C. Marshall Elementary School: located in Vancouver, Washington.
* The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
* George Catlett Marshall Medal, awarded by the Association of the United States Army.  Awarded to Bob Hope in 1972.
* The George C. Marshall Award, awarded to a citizen of Leesburg, Virginia who has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the community.
* George C. Marshall Elementary School: located in Seaside, California.
* George-Marshall-Straße, a street in Wiesbaden, Germany is named in his honor.

==See also==
* German Marshall Fund
* George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
* George C. Marshall Foundation
*[https://www.georgecmarshall.org/ George C. Marshall International Center]
* USS ''George C. Marshall'' (SSBN-654)

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* Bland, Larry I. "George C. Marshall and the education of Army leaders." ''Military Review'' 68 (1988): 27-37. [http://www.marshallfoundation.org/marshall/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2014/04/Education_of_Army_Leaders.pdf Online]
* Brower, Charles F. ''George C. Marshall: Servant of the American Nation'' (2011) [https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-0-230-11928-4_1 Excerpt].
* Bryan, Ferald J. "George C. Marshall at Harvard: A Study of the Origins and Construction of the 'Marshall Plan' Speech." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' (1991): 489-502. [http://streitcouncil.org/uploads/Early%20Leaders/Clayton_Marshall-Origins.pdf Online]
* Cray, Ed. ''General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman.'' Norton, 1990. 847 pp.
* Findling, John E. and Frank W. Thackeray eds. ''Statesmen Who Changed the World: A Bio-Bibliographical Dictionary of Diplomacy'' (Greenwood, 1993) pp 337–45.
* Gullan, Harold I.  "Expectations of Infamy: Roosevelt and Marshall Prepare for War, 1938–41." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' Volume: 28#3 1998. pp.&nbsp;510+ [https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001392305 online edition]
* Hopkins, Michael F. "President Harry Truman's Secretaries of State: Stettinius, Byrnes, Marshall and Acheson." ''Journal of Transatlantic Studies'' 6.3 (2008): 290-304.
* Jordan, Jonathan W., ''American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II'' (NAL/Caliber 2015).
* Kurtz-Phelan, Daniel. ''The China Mission: George Marshall's Unfinished War, 1945-1947'' (2018) [http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.php?id=53461  online review]
* May, Ernest R. [http://www.marshallfoundation.org/newsroom/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/01/May-2002.pdf "1947–48: When Marshall Kept the U.S. Out of War in China"]. ''Journal of Military History'' 2002 66(4): 1001–10. {{ISSN|0899-3718}}
* Levine, Steven I. "A New Look at American Mediation in the Chinese Civil War: the Marshall Mission and Manchuria." ''Diplomatic History'' 1979 3(4): 349–375. {{ISSN|0145-2096}}
* Parrish, Thomas. ''Roosevelt and Marshall: Partners in Politics and War''. (1989). 608 pp.
* Forrest Pogue, Viking, (1963–87) Four-volume authorized biography: complete text is online
** ''[http://marshallfoundation.org/library/collection/pogue-biographies/volume1-education-of-a-general/#!/collection=272 George C. Marshall: Education of a General, 1880–1939]''
** ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130510235644/http://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/poguecollection.htm George C Marshall: Ordeal and Hope, 1939–1943]''
** ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130510235644/http://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/poguecollection.htm George C. Marshall: Organizer of Victory 1943–1945]''
** ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20130510235644/http://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/poguecollection.htm George C. Marshall: Statesman 1945–1959]''
* Pops, Gerald.  "The ethical leadership of George C. Marshall." ''Public Integrity'' 8.2 (2006): 165-185. [https://academic.udayton.edu/RichardGhere/POL%20318/Pops.pdf Online]
* {{cite book|last = Roberts|first = Andrew|title = Masters and Commanders. How Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall and Alanbrooke won the war in the west|publisher = Allen Lane|series =|year = 2008|isbn = 978-0-7139-9969-3|ref=harv}} [https://archive.org/details/masterscommander00andr  Online free] to borrow]
* {{cite book | last = Roberts | first = Andrew  |  title = Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses who Led the West to Victory in World War II | publisher = Penguin | date = 2009 | location = London | page = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0-141-02926-9 }} 
* Steele, Richard W. ''The First Offensive, 1942: Roosevelt, Marshall, and the Making of American Strategy''. 1973. 239 pp.
* Stoler, Mark C. ''George C. Marshall: Soldier-Statesman of the American Century. '' (1989) 252pp
* Unger, Debi and Irwin with Stanley Hirshson. ''George Marshall: a Biography.'' Harper, 2014. {{ISBN|9780060577193}}
* Weissman, Alexander D. "Pivotal politics—The Marshall Plan: A turning point in foreign aid and the struggle for democracy." ''History Teacher'' 47.1 (2013): 111-129. [http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/pdfs/THT-NHDWeissman.pdf online], for middle and  high  school students
===Primary sources===
* ''The Papers of George Catlett Marshall:'' (Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens, eds.)
** Vol. 1: The Soldierly Spirit," December 1880 – June 1939. (1981)
** Vol. 2: "We Cannot Delay," July 1, 1939 – December 6, 1941. (1986)
** Vol. 3: The Right Man for the Job, December 7, 1941 – May 31, 1943. (1991)
** Vol. 4: "Aggressive and Determined Leadership," June 1, 1943 – December 31, 1944. (1996)
** Vol. 5: "The Finest Soldier," January 1, 1945 – January 7, 1947. (2003)
** Vol. 6: "The Whole World Hangs in the Balance," January 8, 1947 – September 30, 1949. (2012)
** Vol. 7: "The Man of the Age," October 1, 1949 – October 16, 1959. (2016), xxxviii, 1046 pp.
* Bland, Larry; Jeans, Roger B.; and Wilkinson, Mark, ed. ''George C. Marshall's Mediation Mission to China, December 1945 – January 1947.'' Lexington, Va.: George C. Marshall Found., 1998. 661 pp.
* Marshall, George C. ''George C. Marshall: Interviews and Reminiscences for Forrest C. Pogue.'' Lexington, Va.: George C. Marshall Found., 1991. 698 pp. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130901032122/http://www.marshallfoundation.org/library/pogue.html online edition]
* George Catlett Marshall. ''Memoirs of My Services in the World War, 1917–1918'' (1976)
*  Marshall, George. {{cite book|title=Infantry in Battle|isbn=0-940328-04-6|author=The Infantry Journal Incorporated|location=Washington, DC|year=1939|publisher=Garrett and Massey|url=http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/download/csipubs/InfantryinBattle.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221234524/http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/download/csipubs/InfantryinBattle.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-02-21}}

==External links==
* [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1953/marshall-bio.html Brief biography at the official Nobel Prize site]
* [http://www.marshallfoundation.org/ The Marshall Foundation]
* [http://www.marshallcenter.org/ George C. Marshall Center, Garmisch Germany]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110128132654/http://marshallfoundation.org/library/index_av.html The Marshall Plan Speech MP3]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718154030/http://www.marshallfilms.org/ The Marshall Films Collection]
* [http://www.marshallscholarship.org/ Marshall Scholarships]
* [https://archive.is/20070927213054/http://www.georgecmarshall.org/lt/speeches/marshall_plan.cfm/ The Marshall Plan Speech]
* [http://www.georgecmarshall.org/ George C. Marshall's Dodona Manor]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080623142321/http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/marshall/marsh2.htm "George C. Marshall: Soldier of Peace"] (Smithsonian Institution)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060828141439/http://alsos.wlu.edu/qsearch.aspx?browse=people%2FMarshall%2C+George Annotated bibliography for George Marshall] from the [[Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues]]
* [http://www.history.army.mil/books/Last_Salute/Ch19.htm The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funeral, 1921–1969, Chapter XIX, General of the Army George C. Marshall, Special Military Funeral, 16 – October 20, 1959] by B.&nbsp;C.&nbsp;Mossman and M.&nbsp;W.&nbsp;Stark. United States Army Center of Military History, 1991. CMH Pub 90-1.
* The George C. Marshall Index at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, [http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box3/folo43.html Part 1] and [http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box4/folo44.html Part 2]
* {{cite web | url=http://www.cityofvancouver.us/cmo/page/general-george-c-marshall-and-vancouver | title=General George C. Marshall and Vancouver | publisher=City of Vancouver Washington | accessdate=January 25, 2017}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090425043331/http://www.jackson.army.mil/IRR/TFM.htm Task Force Marshall Information Page]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/pha/congress/part_0.html Joint Committee on The Investigation of Pearl Harbor, 79th Congress]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.2569675|name=Big Picture: The General Marshall Story}}
* Rachel Yarnell Thompson's Marshall Biography: ''[https://georgecmarshall.org/index.php?bid=41&srcShopFormId=13&CatalogItemID=31 Marshall – A Statesman Shaped in the Crucible of War]''
* {{imdb name|550895}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/011959}}


{{S-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=Stanley Dunbar Embick}}
{{s-ttl|title=Deputy Chief of Staff of the United States Army|years=1938–1939}}
{{s-aft|after=Lorenzo D. Gasser}}
{{s-bef|before=Malin Craig}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chief of Staff of the United States Army|years=1939–1945}}
{{s-aft|after=Dwight D. Eisenhower}}
{{S-off}}
{{U.S. Cabinet official box
|before=James F. Byrnes
|after=Dean Acheson
|years=1947–1949
|president=Harry S. Truman
|department=Secretary of State}}
{{U.S. Cabinet official box
|before=Louis A. Johnson
|after=Robert A. Lovett
|years=1950–1951
|president=Harry S. Truman
|department=Secretary of Defense}}
{{S-ach}}
{{S-bef|before=Prince Konoye}}
{{S-ttl|title={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}
|years=July 29, 1940}}
{{S-aft|after=Sir Alan F. Brooke}}
{{S-bef|before=Ed Flynn}}
{{S-ttl|title={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}
|years=October 19, 1942}}
{{S-aft|after=John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort}}
{{S-bef|before=Patriarch Sergius I of Moscow}}
{{S-ttl|title={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}
|years=January 3, 1944}}
{{S-aft|after=Erich von Manstein}}
{{S-bef|before=Francisco Franco}}
{{S-ttl|title={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}
|years=March 25, 1946}}
{{S-aft|after=Omar Bradley}}
{{S-bef|before=King George II of Greece}}
{{S-ttl|title={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}
|years=March 10, 1947}}
{{S-aft|after=[[History:Arnold J. Toynbee|Arnold J. Toynbee]]}}
{{S-bef|before="Madonna and Child" by Alesso Baldovinetti}}
{{S-ttl|title={{wipe|Time (magazine)}}
|years=January 5, 1948}}
{{S-aft|after=Gregory Peck}}
{{S-bef|before=Lilli Palmer and Rex Harrison}}
{{S-ttl|title=Cover of Life Magazine
|years=December 18, 1950}}
{{S-aft|after=Christmas Children Special}}
{{S-end}}
{{USSecState}}
{{Nobel Peace Prize Laureates 1951-1975}}
{{1953 Nobel Prize winners}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, George C.}}
[[Category:American Nobel laureates]]
[[Category:Nobel Peace Prize laureates]]

{{Sourceattribution|George Marshall|1}}