Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-01


made to fly him to London to take
command Of the cross-channel in
vasion forces. President Roosevelt
scotched the plan.
II feel I could not sleep at night
with you out Of the country" FDR
told Gen. Marshall.
I asked if those were the facts.
The general nodded.
"Of course l wanted to get out OF
Washington, he said, with a touch
Of asperity. I'm a soldier. I
wanted combat command. But I
had no choice. President Roosevelt
wanted me to stay in Washington"
A sparkling raconteur, Gen. Mar
shall reminisced about unpublished
bits Of history for nearly two hours
as he showed the way, with Mrs.
Marshall at his side. through the
historic 20-room house and gardens
on the 4-acre estate.
The house, shaded by giant oaks
and maple trees. was begun in 1853
by George Washington Ball, a
nephew of George Washington.
Gen. Marshall paused in the din
ing room to relate how the floor
was hurriedly completed so it would
be ready for a dance in honor OF
the French Marquis De Lafayette.
Conference in the Roin
Outside he pointed to patch OF
garden and told how Gen. Walter
Bedell Beetle Smith. then Gen.
Eisenhower's chief of staff, found
him there one rainy wartime eve
ming hoeing "a billion weeds.
II was all muddy and his bust
ness was urgent. l wasn't going to
track all that mud into the house.
so he had to stand there in the rain
with me.
1T, must have been strange
sight. Beetle was dressed in
magnificent uniform, and l looked
like some old farmer. He had come
to tell me about plans for the Nor
man0y INVASION.
Living here in semi-retirement on
his $10,761 -a-year salary as nVe-
star general, Gen. Marshall Is q
familiar figure to the local towns
folk in his stubby jeep-style wagon.
When noted that his Negro but
ler-chauffeur drives a more expen-
sive car than he does. the general
growled good-naturedly:
Il should think he would, the SAL
airy he gets"
Gen. Marshall's mode Of living is
simple, almost Spartan. compared
to the luxury he might enjoy II ne
had accepted fabulous offers to
write his memoirs. He is one OF the
few great wartime leaders who has
persistently refused to write his own
story.
There are too many people still
alive who could be hurt" he says.
explaining why he rejected offers
ranging up to a million dollars for
THE Marshall Story" Aides say
he never will write it.
He indicated, however. that biog-
raphers are now at work on his
private papers which eventually
will 60 to the George c. Marshall
Research Foundation on the cam
pus at Virginia Military Institute,
in Lexington, Va. He is a VMI
graduate, class of 1901.
The papers will be available TO
scholars and historians, but with
the stipulation that anS controver-
sial material will not be made public
without his consent or until after
his death.
Now the Quiet Life
Today his life in quiet Leesburg
20 miles from Washington, is a far
cry from the tempestuous years
when he guided the destinles OF
millions of American fighting men
as World War II Chief OF Stan.
After the war he served first as
Secretary of State and then as Sec
rotary of Defense during the early
days of the cold war with Russia.
Nowadays the architect of the
multi billion dollar Marshall Plan
for European recovery likes to
putter around the garden. raising
lettuce, onions. asparagus and
tomatoes.
The general and his wife, who
has written a book about their
life entitled Together" have been
living here since 1912. Recently
they put the house up for sale for
$4,000 with the thought OF spend
ing future summers in the cool
woods-and lakes country in the
Allegheny Mountains at Eagles
Mere, Pa. They spend winters.
from November to May, in Pine
hurst, N. C.
Although he finally retired in
1851. after being three times re-
called to public service by former
President Truman, Gen. Marshall
is still listed as ION active duty" BY
law, five-star generals never retire,
although they may resign.
ASIDE from a DIleI return 10 Ine
spotlight in 1858, when he won
the Nobel Peace Prize, Gen. Mar
shall has appeared little in the
news during the last five years.
His health, according to an aide,
is generally good
A tall. bulldog handsome man
with startling blue eyes, he spends
much of his time reading a yarie-
gated diet of history. current events
and smoke Westerns.
The general, once described by
Harry Truman as the greatest liv-
ing American was asked to name
his biggest thrill in so years Of
service to his country.
The old soldier replied:
when l was promoted to first
lieutenant, / waited Ave wears to