The Papers of George Catlett Marshall

by Marshall, George Catlett; Bland, Larry I.; Stevens, Sharon Ritenour; Holt, Daniel D.; Stoler, Mark A.

• ISBN13: 9781421407920
• ISBN10: 1421407922
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-12-20
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

George Catlett Marshall's two years as secretary of state, from January 1947 to January 1949, remain among the most eventful in the history of both the State Department and American foreign policy in general. The period covered in volume 6 of The Papers of George Catlett Marshall saw the formal break between the United States and its Soviet wartime ally and the beginning of the cold war; civil wars in Greece and China; decolonization and independence for India, Pakistan, and Israel; the Truman Doctrine; the Marshall Plan; the Berlin blockade and airlift; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and the Organization of American States. Secretary of State Marshall played a pivotal role in the transformation of American relations with the rest of the world during these years. Not only was he President Harry S. Truman's key adviser in foreign affairs, he also proposed the European Recovery Program that bears his name. Implementing this and other U.S. foreign policies required attendance at a large number of international conferences in 1947 and 1948 and an even larger number of Senate and House committee hearings. His testimony at these hearings-and his close relations with legislative leaders-proved crucial to establishing the extraordinary bipartisan congressional approval of his proposals, and so, too, did his numerous public appearances to cultivate broad public support for his programs. Marshall retired at the beginning of 1949, but his respite from public service would be short-lived.

Excerpts

"We have had a cessation of hostilities, but we have no genuine peace. Here at home we are in a state of transition between a war and peace economy. In Europe and Asia fear and famine still prevail. Power relationships are in a state of flux. Order has yet to be brought out of confusion. Peace has yet to be secured. And how this is accomplished will depend very much upon the American people."—Speech at Princeton University, February 22, 1947

"Whether we like it or not, we find ourselves, our Nation, in a world position of vast responsibility. We can act for our own good by acting for the world’s good."—Statement to a Joint Meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations and the House Foreign Affairs Committees, November 10, 1947

"There is no blinking the fact that this country now stands at a turning point in its relations to its traditional friends among the nations of the old world. Either it must finish the task of assisting these countries to adjust themselves to the changed demands of a new age, or it must reconcile itself to seeing them move in directions which are consistent neither with their own traditions nor with those of this country. In this latter case, the United States would be faced with a radical alteration of its own position in the world. I ask you to consider most carefully the implication of such a development for the future prosperity and security of our country."—Speech to the Governors’ Conference, July 14, 1947

"Unfortunately, critical situations are not confined to Europe. They exist in the Middle East, in Indonesia, in China—and we cannot ignore Latin America, or our direct responsibilities in Japan and Korea. Therefore, very important decisions must be made by our Government as to exactly what we should do to meet these various crises. Our means are not unlimited—we must not spend our efforts unwisely."—Speech at the University of California at Berkeley, March 19, 1948

"It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace. Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos."— Speech at Harvard University, June 5, 1947

"We cannot ignore the factor of time involved here. The recovery of Europe has been far slower than had been expected. Disintegrating forces are becoming evident. The patient is sinking while the doctors deliberate. So I believe that action cannot await compromise through exhaustion. New issues arise daily. Whatever action is possible to meet these pressing problems must be taken without delay."—Radio Address, April 28, 1947