Draft of President Harry S. Truman's Address at a Dinner in Honor of General George C. Marshall

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6-4-49 'NATIONAL ARCHIVES Alla REGORDS SERVICE* Third Draft We of the United States are grateful to the other nations represented here tonight for honoring George C. Marshall. We are happy to join with them in this tribute to one of the greatest of living ? Americans of all time The nations represented here owe as much to General Marshall, in war and in peace, as they owe to any one man in the world. He shaped the victory of the Allies in the recent war to an extent that may not yet be fully realized. He was one of coequals among the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined Chiefs of Staff. Yet by the authority of his character and the quality of his judgment, his influence was predominant in developing the strategy that brought complete victory. Although General Marshall had richly earned the right to retire when the war ended, I asked him to give further of his great talent in the service of his country. His response was generous and complete -- the response of a soldier and a patriot. As Secretary of State in a critical period, he rose to new heights of leadership and achievement. He had been the master strategist of the war; now he rallied the democratic forces for peace. He found