Twice as Big

In matter-of-fact soldier's prose, 70-year-old Defense Secretary George Marshall sent a progress report to his Commander in Chief. "As of tomorrow, 21 March, 1951," he wrote the President, "the strength of our armed forces will be exactly double what it was on 25 June, 1950. This has been accomplished less than nine months after the Communist aggression against the Republic of Korea." Then, with pride, he added: "For your information, the strength we have already attained . . . was not attained in World War II until more than twenty-one months after our build-up started . . ."

The U.S. now had over 2,900,000 men under arms, was rapidly approaching its goal of 3,500,000 men by June 30. The Army had jumped from 592,000 to 1,300,000 men, the Navy from 381,000 to 700,000 the Air Force from 411,000 to 700,000, and the Marines from a weak 74,000 to 200,000.

The draft was also running smoother. Army enlistments in January and February had more than doubled, and casualties in Korea had been lower than expected.

First happy by-product of all of this: the draft call for April would be cut from 80,000 to 40,000 men.

George Marshall likes to say that in World War II he earned a Ph.D. in mobilization. He had proved again his right to the degree.

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