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Roosevelt and Marshall: Partners in Politics and War
Provides a provocative portrait of two larger-than-life leaders who orchestrated the Allied victory in World War II, changed the role of the American military, and controlled the fate of American politics
608 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 25, 2019
As the title indicates, this is an interwoven, dual biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt and George C. Marshall during their years of cooperation as President and Chief of Staff.
After a short Prologue ending with the General disagreeing with the President, the book transitions the paths that led the two men to their rendezvous with destiny. Marshall was the consummate, ambitious soldier who commanded the respect of colleagues while cultivating the support of political figures who could aid his ascent. Roosevelt, whose political future seemed to have vanished when he was stricken with polio, rebounded to craft a successful rise through national and New York politics to the White House.
Their partnership began with Marshall’s swearing in as Army Chief of Staff on the ominous day of September 1, 1939. World War II erupted in Poland, the U.S. was totally unprepared for war and the President was contemplating running for an unprecedented third term the following year. Marshall needed to garner support from Roosevelt and Congress and cooperate with naval brass to build the defense force that America’s interests required. FDR needed the professional guidance to lead the country down the path it needed to follow.
For almost six years they would form a unique partnership in which Roosevelt the politician relied on the political skills of Marshall to attract the Congressional support that the President alone could not. During the wartime conferences, Atlantic Charter (Newfoundland August 1941), Arcadia (Washington December 1941-January 1942), Casablanca (January 1943), Quadrant (Quebec August 1943), Cairo (November-December 1943), Teheran (November 1943), Octagon (Quebec September 1944), and Yalta (February 1945) the President and the General shared working on the Churchill and British officers to achieve agreements on offensives in the Mediterranean, France and the Pacific.
While many Army personnel decisions were made by Marshall, command of the invasion of France was reserved to Roosevelt. Though wanting to give Marshall his place in history as a great field commander, his value in Washington and the complications of replacing him with Eisenhower overruled the tug of glory. Victory was the crowning achievement the decisions taken.
Author Thomas Parrish has presented a thoroughly researched and excellently written narrative of an unprecedented partnership. It chronicles the cooperation of two men for whom respect compensated for a lack of intimacy and personal sacrifice to the greater cause provided a standard for subsequent teams of presidents and generals.
After a short Prologue ending with the General disagreeing with the President, the book transitions the paths that led the two men to their rendezvous with destiny. Marshall was the consummate, ambitious soldier who commanded the respect of colleagues while cultivating the support of political figures who could aid his ascent. Roosevelt, whose political future seemed to have vanished when he was stricken with polio, rebounded to craft a successful rise through national and New York politics to the White House.
Their partnership began with Marshall’s swearing in as Army Chief of Staff on the ominous day of September 1, 1939. World War II erupted in Poland, the U.S. was totally unprepared for war and the President was contemplating running for an unprecedented third term the following year. Marshall needed to garner support from Roosevelt and Congress and cooperate with naval brass to build the defense force that America’s interests required. FDR needed the professional guidance to lead the country down the path it needed to follow.
For almost six years they would form a unique partnership in which Roosevelt the politician relied on the political skills of Marshall to attract the Congressional support that the President alone could not. During the wartime conferences, Atlantic Charter (Newfoundland August 1941), Arcadia (Washington December 1941-January 1942), Casablanca (January 1943), Quadrant (Quebec August 1943), Cairo (November-December 1943), Teheran (November 1943), Octagon (Quebec September 1944), and Yalta (February 1945) the President and the General shared working on the Churchill and British officers to achieve agreements on offensives in the Mediterranean, France and the Pacific.
While many Army personnel decisions were made by Marshall, command of the invasion of France was reserved to Roosevelt. Though wanting to give Marshall his place in history as a great field commander, his value in Washington and the complications of replacing him with Eisenhower overruled the tug of glory. Victory was the crowning achievement the decisions taken.
Author Thomas Parrish has presented a thoroughly researched and excellently written narrative of an unprecedented partnership. It chronicles the cooperation of two men for whom respect compensated for a lack of intimacy and personal sacrifice to the greater cause provided a standard for subsequent teams of presidents and generals.
October 31, 2012
I give 4 stars only because of the huge writer's effort to write such a big and complex book!
To be honest I classified it under "ooks that can not be read"!
God, its so thick writting with thousands of trivial details in every single paragraph! The first pages I liked - but then it got so tiresome that I could not go on. Ant that's the pitty - I missed a lot of essential things into this sea of words!!
But still a bif effort - respect for that!
To be honest I classified it under "ooks that can not be read"!
God, its so thick writting with thousands of trivial details in every single paragraph! The first pages I liked - but then it got so tiresome that I could not go on. Ant that's the pitty - I missed a lot of essential things into this sea of words!!
But still a bif effort - respect for that!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews