George Marshall

George Catlett Marshall (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army (1939-1945), Secretary of State (1947-1949), and the third Secretary of Defense (1950-1951). As Secretary of State his name was given to the Marshall Plan, a policy for rebuilding nations damaged in World War II, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.

George Marshall in The Hot War
George Marshall was U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Korean War and World War III. Throughout the first months of the new global conflict, President Harry Truman relied heavily on Marshall's insight.

Truman consulted Marshall after the first round of atomic bombings between the U.S. and the Soviet Union which saw the U.S. drop several bombs on strategic points in Manchuria on January 23, 1951, and the Soviets retaliating with attacks on Aberdeen and Norwich in the United Kingdom; Nancy and Rouen in France, and; Augsburg and Bremen in West Germany. The Soviet army headed west as the bombs were landing in Europe, as did the armies of its various satellites.

The attacks on Britain and France effectively triggered the NATO treaty. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and French President Vincent Auriol immediately demanded the U.S. respond. So did West Germany, but as that country wasn't in NATO, Truman felt comfortable ignoring them. Truman consulted with Marshall. While neither were enthusiastic about attacking the Soviets again, Truman decided that destroying Pechenga was the least terrible option, as it might mollify Britain and France, and was sufficiently isolated from more populous Soviet territory that Stalin might not feel compelled to respond. Ignoring the European attacks might end NATO altogether and send Europe into an alliance with Stalin. At Marshall's suggestion, Truman had the planes fly out of the UK and France. He also ordered Alaska put on alert, as it was similar to Pechenga, and would be a likely target if Stalin did retaliate.

George Marshall in Worldwar
George Marshall was instrumental to the nation's defense following the invasion of the Race's Conquest Fleet in 1942. After the Race destroyed Washington, DC with an atomic bomb, Marshall coordinated the defense of his invaded country from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. There he met with Jens Larssen and Leslie Groves, who convinced him of the vital importance of developing an American atomic bomb.

Following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the ascendancy of his Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, to the Presidency, Hull asked Marshall to replace him as Secretary of State. Marshall accepted the position and represented the United States at the Peace of Cairo conference, where he obtained guarantees from Atvar that the Race would respect the sovereignties of the United States, Canada, Haiti, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and a joint American-Canadian claim to Iceland and Greenland.

George Marshall in Joe Steele
George Marshall a prominent American military and political figure during the 20 year presidency of Joe Steele, eventually rising to the office of Secretary of War. However, Marshall fell victim to the political intrigue that marked American politics after Steele's death.

Marshall first came to prominence as part of the military tribunal that presided over the trial of the Supreme Court Four. He survived the military purges that came after a soldier attempted to assassinate Steele in 1937. Marshall's single-minded tenacity helped save him from the president when the United States entered World War II and became a trusted military adviser.

Marshall was part of Steele's entourage to the Basra Conference where he assisted the President in coming to an agreement with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Leon Trotsky.

Marshall was Secretary of War when Steele finally died on March 5, 1953. Steele's successor, John Nance Garner, immediately secured the resignation of the entire Cabinet, save for Marshall and Secretary of State Dean Acheson. Garner also accepted the resignations of Steele's three key aids, Lazar Kagan, Stas Mikoian and Vince Scriabin. He offered them ambassadorships to soften the blow, with Mikoian going to Afghanistan, Mikoian to Paraguay, and Scriabin to Outer Mongolia. While Mikoian and Kagan left the country for their respective assignments, Scriabin had no interest in going quietly to Outer Mongolia, and began to tap into the remaining clout he had in the Senate. Subsequently, Acheson died in a plane crash. A week later, Marshall was about to give a speech, when he turned blue and keeled over. Despite there being several doctors on hand, Marshall could not be saved.