GEORGE C. MARSHALL: Statesman 1945-1959

by Forrest C. Pogue ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1987

The fourth and last volume of Pogue's authorized biography of one of America's greatest soldier/statesmen. Pogue, for many years Executive Director of the Marshall Library in Lexington, Va., is currently with the George C. Marshall Research Foundation. He narrates the final phase of Marshall's career--his involvement with the plan for European economic recovery that bore his name into posterity--with due attention to the little personal stresses and pressures that played behind the scenes. Marshall's wife, seeking a quiet life after the war years, never quite overcame her bitterness when, only three days after her husband's retirement as Chief of Staff, President Truman called upon him for a stint as Special Ambassador to China to try to mediate between Chiang Kai-shek and the Communist insurgents. That assignment was followed by appointments as Secretary of State and of Defense. In the latter position, he had the difficult duty of trying to ease the strain between the egotistical MacArthur and Truman. Under Pogue's clear lens, Marshall comes across as a man who gave unselfishly of himself for over 50 years of government service: a fitting conclusion to this definitive biography.

Pub Date: June 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION