U.S. STAFF CHIEF

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 127, 1 June 1942, Page 4

U.S. STAFF CHIEF

TOUGH BUT GENIAL ALL BELIEVE IN HIM

(By MERWIN H. BROWNE*

WASHINGTON

It is good to see a "tough guy" running the army, to see him reasonable, kindly, tolerant in attitude and friendly, with a good sense of humour. General George Catlett Marshall, United States Chief of Staff, who occupies a position similar to tn a t occupied by General John J. Pershing during the last World War, is all of these. General Marshall, tolerant and kindly, is both rough and tough, and he can bless as well as curse. He has a notion that "cursing' is an admission of weakness. He won t do it unless it is absolutely necessarj r . George Marshall is in his present job because President _ Roosevelt thinks he is the best. He is not only Army Chief of Staff, but he is Commanding General of all the field forces. He is a real four-star general —a job that has been held before by men like Pershing, Grant, Sheridan and Sherman. Army reorganisations have left him untouched. General Marshall has a personality that draws one to him. War Department employees have long since recovered from the surprise of hearing a telephone voice say, "This is General Marshall." When they recover, thev find it really is the Army Chief of Staff. He makes his own calls on the telephone because he has no patience with red tape. A Baker's Dozen Jobs Where most men have one or two jobs at most, it sometimes seems as if General Marshall has a bakers dozen. He must spend more money than Croesus ever dreamed about. He must handle a 10,000,000-man army. He must be a combination Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun in handling Congress. He must also spend a major part of each day trying to outguess the German and Japanese High Command. General Marshall started modernisation of America's Army. Combining tact and iron, he brought the nation to the concept of a modern fighting force. No innovator for the sake of innovation alone, he brought younger men to the fore, gave support to those who called for utmost mechanisation, and kept close personal acquaintanceship with latest European developments. There is perhaps no man in Washington to-day whose word is more respected or as quickly accepted by Congress as is General Marshall's. It is said in the War Department that the Chief of Staff says what he believes must be said regardless of the wishes of the White House, the State Department or Congress. One reason for General Marshall's popularity with Congress, as well as with everyone with whom he comes in contact, is his distinctly human personality. He has no military attitude tnat repels. At his Press conferences, among the most popular in Washington, and which he seems to enjoy as much as the newspapermen, he is clear, frank, and quick in his answers to almost all questions, even those just skirting the edge of military secrecy. But no one would ever dream of taking advantage of him. Can Lick the Enemy During this war the time may come when General Marshall may take to the field. He is ready for it. He is happy because he is certain that Americans can fight. He believes they can lick their weight in wildcats or Germans or Japanese any time they meet a similar force, similarly armed. General Marshall is not a West Pointer and is one of seven who have achieved the honour of being Chief of Staff without graduating from the Academy. A great-grand nephew of Chief Justice John Marshall, he graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1901 and accepted a second lieutenant's commission in the Army. He served in the Philippines ana graduated with honours from the Fort Leavenworth infantry-cavalry school. He fought in France, and it was as Chief of Operations of the General Staff of the First American Army that he made his name.

Outlining the great MeuseArgonne offensive in the last days of the war, he planned the effort of 500,000 men and 2700 guns as well as immense quantities of supplies. Experts rate this as one of the finest jobs done anywhere during the world war, and it won for the then Colonel Marshall the Distinguished Service Medal and numbers of Allied awards. He remained in the Army, and when it needed a new Chief of Staff, he was President Roosevelt's choice. He is active, married, and lives at Fort Myer on the outskirts of Washington. His favourite sport is horse-back riding. He does not smoke. He looks like a typical westerner. He has a strong personality. It cgn be visualised that on a battlefield he is a man you would like to follow.—(Auckland Star and N.A.N.A.).