Evening star., 1947-01-08
Marshall Appointment
Surprise to Capitol
Presidential Succession Bill Now
Seems to Be Likely
By David laurence

OeGmS 10 De Likely
By David Lacrence
While there have been, from time to
time, intimations that in the event of
the resignation of Secretary Of State
Byrnes Gen. Marshall might be the
man President Truman would pick to
succeed him, nevertheless the actual an
nouncement of the change took official
Washington by surprise.
The idea that the task of Secretary
OF State bad proved so exacting to Sec
retary Byrnes as to jeopardize his health
has hong been prevalent here. After all.
Mr.. Byrnes has had a strenuous time
in public life. Service such as he has
had i'm the House, then the Senate, then
on the Supreme Court, next as Director
of Economic Mobilization for the late
President Roosevelt, and finally as Sec
retary of State in these uncertain times,
would break down many man less
sturdy than Mr.. Byrnes.
1t has been known, of course, that
President Truman had very extreme
admiration for Gen. Marshall and con-
sidered him not only a great soldier
but tactful diplomat. But, while ru-
NOR had it that Gen. Marshall was
the favorite for Secretary of State in
case Of Mr.. Byrnes' resignation, 1t was
considered also that younger man
possibly Secretary OF the Navy James
Forrestal-might be chosen.
Matter Of Succession.
The matter of presidential succession
comes up Immediately, of course. II
Mr.. Forrestal had been named, he
might have been talked Of as Demo-
cratic nominee to succeed Mr.. Truman,
for the Navy Secretary is regarded as
one OF the most efficient men Of the
younger group in public life and an
especially capable negotiator.
BY selecting Gen. Marshall, the presi-
Dental succession could pass to mill
tary man if fate took President Truman
from the presidency through illness or
sudden accident When the presidential
succession bill was discussed in 1945, at
the time that Edward Stettinius was
Secretary of state. the Congress prompt
ly ceased thinking much about the
problem as James F. Byrnes became
the head of the cabinet. Now, with q
military man as second to Mr.. Truman,
it seems probable that the passage OF
a presidential succession bill will be
hastened.
AS a matter of Fact, Gen. Marshall
would make an excellent President. But
labor union leaders have never felt
kindly toward a military man In the
White House or a Governors chair.
They seem to feel that military men
would use troops to break strikes or
would have such a rigid attitude toward
labor unions as to be potentially hostile
Gen. Marshall, it will be recalled, said
something rather forceful about railroad
unions in December, 1914, when there
was a threat of a railroad strike. He
seemed to think that this thwarted
some of our diplomatic plans to shorten
the war in Europe.
Will Dismiss Politics.
Gen. Marshall has been mentioned
from time to time as man who might
be politically desirable for the Demo-
Gratis to nominate in the event that
President Truman chooses not to run in
1948. But the general is not likely to
allow politics to bother him, as he has an
exact sense Of duty and, If boom arises.
he will dispose of it without hesitation.
1t seems safe assumption that If Gen.
Marshall is ever to become a candidate
for high Office it will not be through
his efforts or through the efforts OF any
group of friends seeking to gain the
Office for him. He would squelch that
sort of thing promptly. 1t would havs
to be real draft by a party convention.
Gen. Marshall will make an excel
lent Secretary of State. He has patience
and broad familiarity with diplomatic
questions growing out of the wal He
also will bring to the State Department
policy of cooperation with the military
branches of the Government, so that
in a sense the often urged blending Of
diplomatic and military policy may
make greater progress through the
coincidence of the appointment Of .
former Chief of Staff to the secretary
ship of State than it could make
through formally chosen council.
1t may be, however, that Gen. Mar
shall will insist on the formation Of
such a council because, it will be re-
called, he was one Of those who COM
planned about the inability of the
armed services to keep pace with dip
lomatic policy before Pearl Harbor.
The appointment of Gen. Marshall
will be interpreted abroad as indicat-
ing firmness rather than appeasement
or softening of our attitude on the
atomic bomb or anything else in the
field of diplomacy.
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