A Leader for All Times

General Marshall confers with President Franklin D. Roosevelt

By: Rachel Thompson, Marshall Historian

On the 75th anniversary of President Truman signing the European Recovery Program into law on April 3, 1948, we asked our Marshall Historian to reflect on the leadership legacy of the Marshall Plan’s namesake.

Despite wielding considerable power as a high-ranking general, George C. Marshall was never tempted to abuse it. He clearly understood a fundamental concept of power in a federal republic: our nation’s military is subject to the authority of an elected civilian chosen by the people, and that even in a time of war or great crisis, this system must direct the activities of the country. 

As Secretary of State, Marshall helped conceive of and sell the European Recovery Program – the Marshall Plan. This 1948-51 American initiative embodied the best of the country’s values and spirit. Gaining support for the legislation that created the program was not an easy task. We were a nation with isolationist tendencies, reeling from participation in the most destructive war of all time. 

Yet Marshall persuaded the citizenry that, despite the sacrifices of World War II, they could and should embrace an enlightened reconstruction of Europe. Most historians agree that it was Marshall’s moral stature that was the greatest selling point of the plan. For this achievement he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.

Marshall’s sense of duty to his country kept him in service to it long after he wished to retire to his home in Leesburg. Even after his duty as Secretary of State, he acted as president of the American Red Cross and answered President Truman’s call to become Secretary of Defense during the Korean War, before finally retiring in 1951. Regarding Marshall’s leadership, Lt. Col. David Saltman wrote that “among his greatest assets were his high standards, his integrity. . . self-control, exceptional patriotism and profound humility.”