Authority Past and Present
October 28th, 2006The Salt-Lake Tribune has run today an article that I greatly enjoyed, this one, about the greatness of General George Marshall. It’s worth remembering or, if you’re unaware, of reading about (then check out his Wikipedia page). An excerpt:
Foremost, he believed in putting those at the bottom of the ladder - the ground troops, the infantrymen - at the top of his list. From his time at Fort Benning, there’s a great story about him ripping an officer because the troops didn’t have blankets and stoves. He called the officer on the carpet and said, “Get every damn one of those things tonight. Not tomorrow. Tonight. We are going to take care of the troops first, last, and all the time.” “First, last, and all the time … ” That is the kind of commitment we owe the troops.
He believed that personal integrity conferred more authority than any ribbon or star ever could. Marshall was a guy who almost never pulled rank to make a point. But he scared the living hell out of people. Think about General Patton, who was no shrinking violet. Patton once said if he had to choose between facing Marshall in an interview or face a whole Nazi Panzer division by himself …. The decision would be easy: face the Panzers.
Marshall believed that he had a solemn duty to speak truth to power. That’s something that you don’t learn in basic training. In his very first meeting with President Roosevelt - one of the most popular and powerful presidents and commanders-in-chief to ever sit in the Oval Office - Marshall, then chief of staff of the Army, had the courage to look him in the eye and say, “I am sorry, Mr. President, I don’t agree with you at all.” His very first meeting! And I have to tell you, that takes more than guts.
He believed in being candid and direct. Churchill was once arguing to delay the invasion of Europe in favor of an attack on Rhodes. Marshall listened quietly for a long time, nodding, and then finally he exploded. He said, “You can plan all you want. But not one American soldier is going to die on that goddammed beach.” He believed in extreme loyalty: the kind of loyalty that goes up and down the chain of command. His view was that you select talented people, you put your trust in them, and then let them do their job. In 1947, when it became clear after face-to-face talks with the Soviets that the Cold War was going to be a reality, Marshall came back to the State Department and called George Kennan into his office. He told him that he would have to immediately set up a policy office and write a master plan to deal with the threat.
So, there you have Kennan, this brilliant guy who immediately sees 389 dimensions to the problem. And you have the grand strategy for the fate of the Western world hanging in the balance. It doesn’t get bigger than that. So Kennan tells Marshall, “Mr. Secretary, I am going to need more guidance from you.” Marshall paused for a few seconds. And then he looked at him and said precisely two words: “Avoid trivia.”
And that’s one of the things I have always loved about Marshall: he didn’t believe that anyone, regardless of rank, should take himself too seriously. One time, Gen. Walter Bedell Smith - in full uniform - came to report to Marshall’s house to give him a report. And it turned out that Marshall was out in the rain, picking corn in his vegetable patch. After a few minutes in the rain and mud, Smith started to get a bit testy. And he said, “General, do I have to stand out here to make my report?” And Marshall said, “No, Smith. Of course not. Turn over that bucket and sit down.” If there’s one idea - one lesson - from Marshall’s life that I could leave you with, I think that would be it.
That’s why I love History, and why I love General Marshall. I’m sure Iraq would be better off if we had men in the Department of Defense, State and NSA that processed as he did.
In Iraq today, their Prime Minister had strong words for our ambassador, and it’s an interesting situation.
Iraq’s prime minister sharply criticized U.S. policy Friday during a private meeting with the American ambassador, pointing to the United States’ failure to either reduce violence or give his government authority over security matters, aides to the Iraqi leader said. The criticism was the latest example of tension between the two governments and stood in contrast to a joint public statement issued after the meeting.
They want more authority? We should pull out and give it to them!
(Want to read another interesting story? “How the Neo-Cons Lost the War.“)