A Beginning

As he arrived in Washington, the General did not seem to have much to say. It was after 9 in the morning when he stepped off the train in his fur-collared tan overcoat, accompanied by his wife, in a grey sport coat and wearing an orchid. He answered the routine questions in a routine way, speaking to 24 newsmen and into a portable microphone. The questioning over, he asked: "Any more questions? If not, I'll give you something." What General George Catlett Marshall then said was indeed something:

"I think this is as good a time and place as any to terminate speculation regarding me in a political way. I'm assuming that the office of Secretary of State ... is nonpolitical, and I will govern myself accordingly. I will never become involved in political matters, and therefore I never can be considered as a candidate for political office."

A newsman interrupted: "You are talking about the presidency?"

"I am talking about political office," said George Marshall. "The popular conception that no matter what a man says he can be drafted as a candidate for some political office would be without any force and effect in regard to me. I never could be drafted. I am being explicit and emphatic in order to terminate once and for all any discussion of my name in connection with political matters."

No one could criticize the General's sense of timing. Had his statement come later, some might have suspected that Harry Truman had suggested to Marshall that he bow himself out. And he had headed off a lot of sniping from Republicans, who could now cooperate on bipartisan foreign policy without the uneasy feeling that they might be building up a presidential candidate for the opposition.

"I'll Do My Best." From the station, General Marshall went to his old office in the Pentagon Building. He looked at his mail, brushed his hair and washed up. A few minutes before eleven, he drove to the White House. As he strode in, the waiting crowd in the lobby burst into spontaneous applause.

The President's office was crowded with Cabinet members and ranking Congressmen. Facing Chief Justice Fred Vinson, George Catlett Marshall took the oath as Secretary of State. Beaming Harry Truman stepped forward to shake his hand, said warmly that he appreciated "very much your willingness to accept this burden." Secretary Marshall replied gravely: "I'll do my best."

The others filed out, and Secretary Marshall stayed behind for a 45-minute chat with the President. Then he walked over to the State Department, where Jimmy Byrnes was waiting. Over a lunch of oyster soup, lamb, and mince pie at Blair House, he listened to his predecessor's quick outline of what he was getting into. Back at the State Department, Marshall picked up the top-secret statements of U.S. policy on each country of the world. Then, for three quarters of an hour, he submitted patiently to the traditional ordeal by camera. At 4 p.m., he drove off for Leesburg and his first look at his colonial house since last spring.

"He Wants Things Done." For the rest of the week, Marshall ducked engagements and public pronouncements and plugged away at learning his new job. His first move was to talk Under Secretary Dean Acheson into staying on for a few more months. He had a long talk with the President about China, Germany, Palestine and Argentina, and got assurance of a free hand in running and, if necessary, overhauling the creaky State Department machinery.

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt dropped in. Senator Arthur Vandenberg invited him--but no hurry about it--to talk to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He decided that he would go to Moscow in March for the Council of Foreign Ministers meetings. Coming to closer grips with the sizzling Argentina policy controversy, he conferred with Ambassador George Messersmith and Assistant Secretary of State Spruille Braden.

At week's end, Secretary Marshall was still checking up on the mechanics of his sprawling domain. But he had already laid some fears and raised some hopes. He made it clear that there would be no invasion of the department by the military. He approved immediate study of a "planning board" under the Secretary to 1) develop overall U.S. policy, 2) see that all divisions of the department conform to that policy. He indicated clearly that his object was not sweeping reorganization of the statute-ridden State structure, but changes to make the present setup work. Said one awed underling: "This Marshall, he wants things done!"

It looked like a good start.

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