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The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration That Won World War II
On September 1, 1939, the day World War II broke out in Europe, Gen. George Marshall was sworn in as chief of staff of the U.S. Army. Ten months later, Roosevelt appointed Henry Stimson secretary of war. For the next five years, from adjoining offices in the Pentagon, Marshall and Stimson headed the army machine that ground down the Axis. Theirs was one of the most consequential collaborations of the twentieth century. A dual biography of these two remarkable Americans, The Partnership tells the story of how they worked together to win World War II and reshape not only the United States, but the world.
The general and the secretary traveled very different paths to power. Educated at Yale, where he was Skull and Bones, and at Harvard Law, Henry Stimson joined the Wall Street law firm of Elihu Root, future secretary of war and state himself, and married the descendant of a Founding Father. He went on to serve as secretary of war under Taft, governor-general of the Philippines, and secretary of state under Hoover. An internationalist Republican with a track record, Stimson ticked the boxes for FDR, who was in the middle of a reelection campaign at the time. Thirteen years younger, George Marshall graduated in the middle of his class from the Virginia Military Institute (not West Point), then began the standard, and very slow, climb up the army ranks. During World War I he performed brilliant staff work for General Pershing. After a string of postings, Marshall ended up in Washington in the 1930s and impressed FDR with his honesty, securing his appointment as chief of staff.
Marshall and Stimson were two very different men who combined with a dazzling synergy to lead the American military effort in World War II, in roles that blended politics, diplomacy, and bureaucracy in addition to warfighting. They transformed an outdated, poorly equipped army into a modern fighting force of millions of men capable of fighting around the globe. They, and Marshall in particular, identified the soldiers, from Patton and Eisenhower to Bradley and McNair, best suited for high command. They helped develop worldwide strategy and logistics for battles like D-Day and the Bulge. They collaborated with Allies like Winston Churchill. They worked well with their cagey commander-in-chief. They planned for the postwar world. They made decisions, from the atomic bombs to the division of Europe, that would echo for decades. There were mistakes and disagreements, but the partnership of Marshall and Stimson was, all in all, a bravura performance, a master class in leadership and teamwork.
In the tradition of group biographies like the classic The Wise Men, The Partnership shines a spotlight on two giants, telling the fascinating stories of each man, the dramatic story of their collaboration, and the epic story of the United States in World War II.
The general and the secretary traveled very different paths to power. Educated at Yale, where he was Skull and Bones, and at Harvard Law, Henry Stimson joined the Wall Street law firm of Elihu Root, future secretary of war and state himself, and married the descendant of a Founding Father. He went on to serve as secretary of war under Taft, governor-general of the Philippines, and secretary of state under Hoover. An internationalist Republican with a track record, Stimson ticked the boxes for FDR, who was in the middle of a reelection campaign at the time. Thirteen years younger, George Marshall graduated in the middle of his class from the Virginia Military Institute (not West Point), then began the standard, and very slow, climb up the army ranks. During World War I he performed brilliant staff work for General Pershing. After a string of postings, Marshall ended up in Washington in the 1930s and impressed FDR with his honesty, securing his appointment as chief of staff.
Marshall and Stimson were two very different men who combined with a dazzling synergy to lead the American military effort in World War II, in roles that blended politics, diplomacy, and bureaucracy in addition to warfighting. They transformed an outdated, poorly equipped army into a modern fighting force of millions of men capable of fighting around the globe. They, and Marshall in particular, identified the soldiers, from Patton and Eisenhower to Bradley and McNair, best suited for high command. They helped develop worldwide strategy and logistics for battles like D-Day and the Bulge. They collaborated with Allies like Winston Churchill. They worked well with their cagey commander-in-chief. They planned for the postwar world. They made decisions, from the atomic bombs to the division of Europe, that would echo for decades. There were mistakes and disagreements, but the partnership of Marshall and Stimson was, all in all, a bravura performance, a master class in leadership and teamwork.
In the tradition of group biographies like the classic The Wise Men, The Partnership shines a spotlight on two giants, telling the fascinating stories of each man, the dramatic story of their collaboration, and the epic story of the United States in World War II.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2022
18 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 15, 2023
I finished this book months ago but am just now writing a review. I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't bear the thought of it being over. My deferment is of course only a futile attempt at denying reality.
But there is another reason I have delayed publishing my thoughts. I desperately wanted whatever I wrote to do justice to the work.
I wanted to tell Aldrich's story. About how he is not an author by profession but a banker. And how he wrote the book on a train over 8 years during his daily commute. And how he went to Yale, found Stimson's diary, purchased it, and had it digitized so he could read it on his way to work. And how his father was his research assistant (what a precious gift to be able to write a book with your father).
I wanted to describe Aldrich's conversational style, and the glimpses he gives into the backroom dealings of a global war, and his audacious claim that FDR's decision to pair Marshall with Stimson "was arguably the greatest personnel decision with the most far-reaching consequences ever made by a United States president"—and how Aldrich then backed it up with facts.
But I couldn't pull it together. I was paralyzed by the prospect. My mind's reach exceeded my pen's grasp.
I have therefore decided to give up the fight and leave you only with a simple but sincere appeal:
If you are interested in why Churchill said Marshall was the only General he ever feared, and why Eisenhower admired Stimson's "supreme qualities of leadership," and how these two coordinated one of the most heroic feats of logistics in military history, then please do read this book.
But there is another reason I have delayed publishing my thoughts. I desperately wanted whatever I wrote to do justice to the work.
I wanted to tell Aldrich's story. About how he is not an author by profession but a banker. And how he wrote the book on a train over 8 years during his daily commute. And how he went to Yale, found Stimson's diary, purchased it, and had it digitized so he could read it on his way to work. And how his father was his research assistant (what a precious gift to be able to write a book with your father).
I wanted to describe Aldrich's conversational style, and the glimpses he gives into the backroom dealings of a global war, and his audacious claim that FDR's decision to pair Marshall with Stimson "was arguably the greatest personnel decision with the most far-reaching consequences ever made by a United States president"—and how Aldrich then backed it up with facts.
But I couldn't pull it together. I was paralyzed by the prospect. My mind's reach exceeded my pen's grasp.
I have therefore decided to give up the fight and leave you only with a simple but sincere appeal:
If you are interested in why Churchill said Marshall was the only General he ever feared, and why Eisenhower admired Stimson's "supreme qualities of leadership," and how these two coordinated one of the most heroic feats of logistics in military history, then please do read this book.
May 5, 2022
Just finished The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson and the Extraordinary Collaboration That Won World War II by Edward Farley Aldrich, a dual biography on two extraordinary men who devoted their lives to the service of the United States.
A weakness of multi person biographies is that tendency to get lost between the transition from one subject to the next, an issue that I noticed when recently reading Scott Anderson’s The Quiet Americans. Unlike The Quiet Americans which dealt with four subjects though Aldrich is only addressing two main subjects and he does it impeccably.
When looking back at their lives one can’t help but notice the similarities between two men who came from vastly different backgrounds. Henry Stimson had a patrician background trained as a lawyer who served as an artillery officer in World War I. He also served as a United States Attorney for the Southern District, a two time Secretary of War, Secretary of State and the original wiseman who drifted between private practice, public service and trusted advisor to multiple presidents. George Marshall a man of a simple background from Uniontown, Pennsylvania who attended both VMI and West Point. Commissioned as a lieutenant who served on General Pershing’s Staff in World War I, numerous staff and training positions who ultimately served as Chief of Staff during the entirety of World War II and finished his career as Secretary of State, with his career highlight in this role being as the author of the European Recovery Act better known as The Marshall Plan and The Secretary of Defense.
Both men dedicated their lives to the United States giving some of their best efforts to successful creation of the military that successfully prosecuted a two theater war.
A cradle to grave biography that spends sufficient time on the lives of these men both before and during World War II.
An impeccably interesting and readable book 5 star book.
A weakness of multi person biographies is that tendency to get lost between the transition from one subject to the next, an issue that I noticed when recently reading Scott Anderson’s The Quiet Americans. Unlike The Quiet Americans which dealt with four subjects though Aldrich is only addressing two main subjects and he does it impeccably.
When looking back at their lives one can’t help but notice the similarities between two men who came from vastly different backgrounds. Henry Stimson had a patrician background trained as a lawyer who served as an artillery officer in World War I. He also served as a United States Attorney for the Southern District, a two time Secretary of War, Secretary of State and the original wiseman who drifted between private practice, public service and trusted advisor to multiple presidents. George Marshall a man of a simple background from Uniontown, Pennsylvania who attended both VMI and West Point. Commissioned as a lieutenant who served on General Pershing’s Staff in World War I, numerous staff and training positions who ultimately served as Chief of Staff during the entirety of World War II and finished his career as Secretary of State, with his career highlight in this role being as the author of the European Recovery Act better known as The Marshall Plan and The Secretary of Defense.
Both men dedicated their lives to the United States giving some of their best efforts to successful creation of the military that successfully prosecuted a two theater war.
A cradle to grave biography that spends sufficient time on the lives of these men both before and during World War II.
An impeccably interesting and readable book 5 star book.
June 14, 2022
America’s Two Remarkable Leaders in World War II
Nearly all histories of America’s involvement in World War II examine the great air, land, and naval battles in the European and Pacific theaters of war. To the extent that historians have addressed Western alliance decisions at the top, they have chronicled these taken by Roosevelt, Churchill and, regarding the decision to drop the atomic bomb, Truman.
This book by Edward Aldrich breaks ground that will be new to most readers, including those who have read a great deal about World War II. As such, the author sheds light on the leadership and administrative genius of two personalities, General George Marshall, chief of staff to the army, and Henry Stimson, secretary of war. These two men had to shoulder enormous responsibilities from 1939 to war’s end, and to navigate the politics not only within their own country but also with the British.
Throughout the war, Stimson and Marshall had adjoining offices and kept the door between them always open. This sent a message to staff that they had no secrets from one another, and facilitated numerous one-on-one consultations during the day. For historians, the downside of this arrangement was that it reduced the historical record of the debates and decisions taken by the two men. In researching the book, Aldrich realized that a relatively untapped source was found at Yale, which held Stimson’s wartime diary. Stimson recorded daily his thoughts during his five years working with Marshall — and these ran to more than 4,000 pages.
A first problem facing the two men related to America’s weak military position in 1940. In 2 ½ years, under their leadership, America’s military went from 170,000 to 2.5 million. In 18 months, barracks were built in 250 locations to house 1.2 million men. New weapons had to be adopted and manufactured including the Garand rifle and the jeep. One of the great challenges: the need to ship men and material to distant overseas battlegrounds.
Both men had to recruit senior talent as well. Stimson knew and tapped accomplished men of the establishment from major law firms, financial institutions such as Brown Brothers, and from the Fed in New York. Marshall had kept a little black book over the years, in which he noted officers who had impressed him. Eisenhower was one such officer. Of Patton, for example, Marshall noted words to the effect that he was a little crazy, was likely a good tank commander, but needed to be controlled.
As the war proceeded, the decisions were huge. Should Europe or the Pacific receive top priority? Why fight in North Africa or Italy since the invasion of northern Europe was essential to victory? In the Pacific, was fighting in New Guinea and the Philippines necessary or should all resources be devoted to island-hopping across the Pacific on a more direct route to the invasion of Japan?
This reader gained a number of insights.
Stimson first learned about the possibility of the atomic bomb about a month before Pearl Harbor, and he was the senior official responsible for the project over the next four years. During that time, he had to ask then-Senator Harry Truman, who was auditing war expenses, to cease and desist from asking about the Manhattan Project. Ironically, Roosevelt never informed his new vice president about the bomb and once Truman became president it was Stimson who told him about it.
Once America entered the war, both Stimson and Marshall had to wage a constant fight with the British to keep the cross-channel invasion of France from being indefinitely postponed. Aldrich tells this part of the story dramatically and in detail. The British were right to resist such an attempt in 1942 and 1943, when American troops were unprepared and the vast resources of D-Day 1944 had not yet been assembled. But left to their own devices, the British might have delayed such an invasion until 1945 or even 1946. Had the British and Americans held off invasion that long, one is left to contemplate whether Stalin would have either made a separate peace with Hitler or whether Soviet success would have resulted in the occupation of far more than Eastern Europe.
Around the world, every general wanted more. Marshall was very tough on subordinates who requested more troops or resources without making a very compelling case. Once the allies had landed in Europe, Marshall capped the number of divisions at 90. This paid off in the end but it was a very close-run thing, given casualties and the morale problem when inexperienced junior officers were placed in command of veteran troops. Only two of the 90 divisions didn’t see combat.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons of the Stimson-Marshall partnership was the commitment to civilian control of the military. The book includes a poignant photo of a long line of generals paying tribute to Stimson upon his retirement. George Marshall was the last in line to receive Stimson, and the message was that civilian over military rule is what distinguishes America and makes us great.
This is Aldrich’s first book. It’s readable, insightful, and breaks new ground. One hopes that this book is not his last.
Nearly all histories of America’s involvement in World War II examine the great air, land, and naval battles in the European and Pacific theaters of war. To the extent that historians have addressed Western alliance decisions at the top, they have chronicled these taken by Roosevelt, Churchill and, regarding the decision to drop the atomic bomb, Truman.
This book by Edward Aldrich breaks ground that will be new to most readers, including those who have read a great deal about World War II. As such, the author sheds light on the leadership and administrative genius of two personalities, General George Marshall, chief of staff to the army, and Henry Stimson, secretary of war. These two men had to shoulder enormous responsibilities from 1939 to war’s end, and to navigate the politics not only within their own country but also with the British.
Throughout the war, Stimson and Marshall had adjoining offices and kept the door between them always open. This sent a message to staff that they had no secrets from one another, and facilitated numerous one-on-one consultations during the day. For historians, the downside of this arrangement was that it reduced the historical record of the debates and decisions taken by the two men. In researching the book, Aldrich realized that a relatively untapped source was found at Yale, which held Stimson’s wartime diary. Stimson recorded daily his thoughts during his five years working with Marshall — and these ran to more than 4,000 pages.
A first problem facing the two men related to America’s weak military position in 1940. In 2 ½ years, under their leadership, America’s military went from 170,000 to 2.5 million. In 18 months, barracks were built in 250 locations to house 1.2 million men. New weapons had to be adopted and manufactured including the Garand rifle and the jeep. One of the great challenges: the need to ship men and material to distant overseas battlegrounds.
Both men had to recruit senior talent as well. Stimson knew and tapped accomplished men of the establishment from major law firms, financial institutions such as Brown Brothers, and from the Fed in New York. Marshall had kept a little black book over the years, in which he noted officers who had impressed him. Eisenhower was one such officer. Of Patton, for example, Marshall noted words to the effect that he was a little crazy, was likely a good tank commander, but needed to be controlled.
As the war proceeded, the decisions were huge. Should Europe or the Pacific receive top priority? Why fight in North Africa or Italy since the invasion of northern Europe was essential to victory? In the Pacific, was fighting in New Guinea and the Philippines necessary or should all resources be devoted to island-hopping across the Pacific on a more direct route to the invasion of Japan?
This reader gained a number of insights.
Stimson first learned about the possibility of the atomic bomb about a month before Pearl Harbor, and he was the senior official responsible for the project over the next four years. During that time, he had to ask then-Senator Harry Truman, who was auditing war expenses, to cease and desist from asking about the Manhattan Project. Ironically, Roosevelt never informed his new vice president about the bomb and once Truman became president it was Stimson who told him about it.
Once America entered the war, both Stimson and Marshall had to wage a constant fight with the British to keep the cross-channel invasion of France from being indefinitely postponed. Aldrich tells this part of the story dramatically and in detail. The British were right to resist such an attempt in 1942 and 1943, when American troops were unprepared and the vast resources of D-Day 1944 had not yet been assembled. But left to their own devices, the British might have delayed such an invasion until 1945 or even 1946. Had the British and Americans held off invasion that long, one is left to contemplate whether Stalin would have either made a separate peace with Hitler or whether Soviet success would have resulted in the occupation of far more than Eastern Europe.
Around the world, every general wanted more. Marshall was very tough on subordinates who requested more troops or resources without making a very compelling case. Once the allies had landed in Europe, Marshall capped the number of divisions at 90. This paid off in the end but it was a very close-run thing, given casualties and the morale problem when inexperienced junior officers were placed in command of veteran troops. Only two of the 90 divisions didn’t see combat.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons of the Stimson-Marshall partnership was the commitment to civilian control of the military. The book includes a poignant photo of a long line of generals paying tribute to Stimson upon his retirement. George Marshall was the last in line to receive Stimson, and the message was that civilian over military rule is what distinguishes America and makes us great.
This is Aldrich’s first book. It’s readable, insightful, and breaks new ground. One hopes that this book is not his last.
February 8, 2022
The partnership of George C. Marshall and Secretary of War Henry Stimson was responsible for the prosecution and planning of the Second World War. There have been numerous quality biographies of George marshall, but where the true new insight is found in this book are the details about the largely forgotten Henry Stimson. Well worth the time especially for those who are unaware of Stimson and his vital role in the Victory over Fascism.
July 24, 2022
This is the first book to be published by Edward Farley Aldrich . The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration That Won World War II was released in 2022.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as G.
As stated in the book title, this is the story of George Marshal and Harry Stimson. Marshall was Chief of Staff of the US Army from 1 September 1939 until 18 November 1945. Henry Stimson served as the Secretary of War from 10 July 1940 until 21 September 1945. Together they led the US efforts in WWII.
The first 30% of the book details their childhood and early careers. The remainder of the book deals with the many challenges the two faced during the war. They worked well together in a true partnership. Their offices were next door to one another in the Pentagon. They generally had the connecting door between their private offices open for quick consultations.
They both had to deal with the logistical needs of a nation at war. They also had to frequently deal with disagreements with our allies, particularly with the British. Likewise, they had to discretely handle many power struggles. Some within the US government and others with allied powers.
A small portion of the book addresses their post-war lives.
I enjoyed the 22 hours I spent reading this 762-page history. While long, it is a very readable book. I had, of course, heard of George Marshal, but I was not nearly as familiar with Henry Stimson. The book provides a very behind-the-scenes look at the US war effort. The cover art is plain, but gives focus to the two primary figures. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as G.
As stated in the book title, this is the story of George Marshal and Harry Stimson. Marshall was Chief of Staff of the US Army from 1 September 1939 until 18 November 1945. Henry Stimson served as the Secretary of War from 10 July 1940 until 21 September 1945. Together they led the US efforts in WWII.
The first 30% of the book details their childhood and early careers. The remainder of the book deals with the many challenges the two faced during the war. They worked well together in a true partnership. Their offices were next door to one another in the Pentagon. They generally had the connecting door between their private offices open for quick consultations.
They both had to deal with the logistical needs of a nation at war. They also had to frequently deal with disagreements with our allies, particularly with the British. Likewise, they had to discretely handle many power struggles. Some within the US government and others with allied powers.
A small portion of the book addresses their post-war lives.
I enjoyed the 22 hours I spent reading this 762-page history. While long, it is a very readable book. I had, of course, heard of George Marshal, but I was not nearly as familiar with Henry Stimson. The book provides a very behind-the-scenes look at the US war effort. The cover art is plain, but gives focus to the two primary figures. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
March 26, 2025
“In what was arguably the greatest personnel decision with the most far reaching consequences ever made by a United States president….Roosevelt paired Stimson up with Marshall in the summer of 1940 in anticipation of the global war into which all three men knew the United States could be shortly drawn.”
—Edward Farley Aldrich, The Partnership
The greatest logistical challenge in history – the mobilization of the United States’ military, economic, and bureaucratic mechanisms both before and after Pearl Harbor - was undertaken by two of the greatest planners, managers, and leaders the country has ever seen. Incredibly, despite unrelenting global pressures, they also maintained complete trust and respect for each other throughout the course of the war, keeping the door between their adjacent Pentagon offices open at all times.
If at any time in life you’ve had to manage a significant operational situation or event, you will appreciate - and hopefully learn from - the control, discipline, and integrity with which these men acted. The purpose of history is not primarily to find life lessons; however, one could read a dozen books on leadership principles and not match the real-life content contained in the lives of Marshall and Stimson.
On a final note, Aldrich’s work, which is divided into four sections, doesn’t fully hit its stride until the latter half. The post-Pearl Harbor content is by nature more engaging, but the author also seems far more at ease once he shifts from the first half’s stilted structure (a chapter-apiece dual-biography approach) to the events-driven narrative of the latter half. Bottom line - keep reading. This is a book that is worth pushing through.
—Edward Farley Aldrich, The Partnership
The greatest logistical challenge in history – the mobilization of the United States’ military, economic, and bureaucratic mechanisms both before and after Pearl Harbor - was undertaken by two of the greatest planners, managers, and leaders the country has ever seen. Incredibly, despite unrelenting global pressures, they also maintained complete trust and respect for each other throughout the course of the war, keeping the door between their adjacent Pentagon offices open at all times.
If at any time in life you’ve had to manage a significant operational situation or event, you will appreciate - and hopefully learn from - the control, discipline, and integrity with which these men acted. The purpose of history is not primarily to find life lessons; however, one could read a dozen books on leadership principles and not match the real-life content contained in the lives of Marshall and Stimson.
On a final note, Aldrich’s work, which is divided into four sections, doesn’t fully hit its stride until the latter half. The post-Pearl Harbor content is by nature more engaging, but the author also seems far more at ease once he shifts from the first half’s stilted structure (a chapter-apiece dual-biography approach) to the events-driven narrative of the latter half. Bottom line - keep reading. This is a book that is worth pushing through.
August 31, 2022
“The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the extraordinary collaboration that won World War II,” by Edward Farley Aldrich (Stackpole, 2022). A lengthy (505 pages including notes), detailed, thoroughly absorbing joint biography of two men who Aldrich argues understood what was needed to win the war, and did what had to be done to do it. Stimson was a dyed in the wool or born and bred member of the WASP Establishment: Yale (Skull and Bones), Harvard Law, all the right clubs and connections. But according to Aldrich he was always driven to do good, to help humanity, even as he became an extremely rich lawyer. Marshall’s father was in the coal/coke business in Pennsylvania, and did well until his business collapsed. So Marshall had a good life as a youth. He also wanted to be in the military (attended Virginia Military Institute), proved to be a superb organizer and leader, and began a slow climb up the ladder of promotion. Stimson was deeply involved in government, serving twice as secretary of war, and on many committees and boards. At the beginning of World War II, FDR appointed Stimson as secretary of war; meanwhile, Marshall had become Chief of Staff of the Army. The pair worked extremely well together. Several times Aldrich emphasizes that their offices were next door to one another, and the doors were always open. It's an extraordinary story. The US has often been very lucky in its leaders during times of crisis, and this was one of those times. Powerful and important book.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-...
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-...
October 13, 2024
Solid re-telling one of the most important relationship's in USA war effort, Army chief of staff Marshall and War Department Secretary Henry Stimson. Scholars will find little new, but "newbies" will probably be surprised at how important Stimson was in directing the US Army in WW II and setting allied strategy.
My major criticism? The author fails to let Stimson speak for himself, and directly quote from the Stimson Diaries. Further, the book is very defensive about FDR, and Mr. Aldrich seems to reluctant to side with Stimson or Marshall in their mostly justified criticisms of the President. OTOH, there's little critical analysis of the Stimson/Marshall obsession with invading France, no matter what the risk or the costs.
Most interesting tidbit: After the Darlan Deal, Stimson had a private meeting with Felix Frankfurter, Wendell Wilkie, and Henry Morganthau, providing them with Eisenhower's "inside baseball" justification for the Deal and future plans. One wonders why a Surpeme Court justice and the Secretary of the Treasury were getting Top level secret mlitary briefings, or why FDR/Stimson felt it was it neccessary to win their support. Curious.
My major criticism? The author fails to let Stimson speak for himself, and directly quote from the Stimson Diaries. Further, the book is very defensive about FDR, and Mr. Aldrich seems to reluctant to side with Stimson or Marshall in their mostly justified criticisms of the President. OTOH, there's little critical analysis of the Stimson/Marshall obsession with invading France, no matter what the risk or the costs.
Most interesting tidbit: After the Darlan Deal, Stimson had a private meeting with Felix Frankfurter, Wendell Wilkie, and Henry Morganthau, providing them with Eisenhower's "inside baseball" justification for the Deal and future plans. One wonders why a Surpeme Court justice and the Secretary of the Treasury were getting Top level secret mlitary briefings, or why FDR/Stimson felt it was it neccessary to win their support. Curious.
July 11, 2022
well written
A very good history of WWII and all the personality involved. These guys were well educated, experienced, and really good human beings.
A very good history of WWII and all the personality involved. These guys were well educated, experienced, and really good human beings.
July 28, 2022
Great read that has as much value to an MBA student as a history buff. You will be hooked from the start.
December 6, 2022
97/100
5 stars - 90/100
4 stars - 80/100
3 stars - 70/100
2 stars - 60/100
1 star - 50/100
5 stars - 90/100
4 stars - 80/100
3 stars - 70/100
2 stars - 60/100
1 star - 50/100
October 10, 2024
A joint biography is rare.
This joint biography of General George Marshall and Secretary of War Henry Stimpson is more than justified because of their (individual and joint) integrity, work-ethic and contributions to the U.S.' WW2 effort.
They had an extraordinary working relationship - adjoining offices in the new Pentagon building with the door left ajar. Stimpson focused on Non-Military matters; Marshall on Military matters - but each valued the others' guidance and counsel.
The U.S. was unprepared for WW2 - Marshall and Stimpson noted this during the late 1930's but could do little about it - as the U.S. population was basically isolationist in its worldview.
Only after the fall of France (June 1940) did public opinion shift slightly - President Roosevelt increased Defense spending in both 1939 and 1940.
The book is complimentary to both - but doesn't "whitewash" some errors (Japanese-American internment at the outset of WW2) - a position Stimpson later regretted.
General Marshall "had the responsibility" for the U.S. Army - had to contend with the British who didn't support Operation Overlord; big personalities in the U.S. Pacific theatre (King and MacArthur) - while planning the war buildup and demobilization.
Secretary Stimpson had responsibility for Non-Military matters - what should the policies of the U.S. post WW2; also he was very influential in the development and deployment of the Atomic Bomb.
This book is recommended - and should be of interest to those who read about the U.S. in WW2 and its leadership.
Carl Gallozzi
Cgallozzi@comcast.net
This joint biography of General George Marshall and Secretary of War Henry Stimpson is more than justified because of their (individual and joint) integrity, work-ethic and contributions to the U.S.' WW2 effort.
They had an extraordinary working relationship - adjoining offices in the new Pentagon building with the door left ajar. Stimpson focused on Non-Military matters; Marshall on Military matters - but each valued the others' guidance and counsel.
The U.S. was unprepared for WW2 - Marshall and Stimpson noted this during the late 1930's but could do little about it - as the U.S. population was basically isolationist in its worldview.
Only after the fall of France (June 1940) did public opinion shift slightly - President Roosevelt increased Defense spending in both 1939 and 1940.
The book is complimentary to both - but doesn't "whitewash" some errors (Japanese-American internment at the outset of WW2) - a position Stimpson later regretted.
General Marshall "had the responsibility" for the U.S. Army - had to contend with the British who didn't support Operation Overlord; big personalities in the U.S. Pacific theatre (King and MacArthur) - while planning the war buildup and demobilization.
Secretary Stimpson had responsibility for Non-Military matters - what should the policies of the U.S. post WW2; also he was very influential in the development and deployment of the Atomic Bomb.
This book is recommended - and should be of interest to those who read about the U.S. in WW2 and its leadership.
Carl Gallozzi
Cgallozzi@comcast.net
April 29, 2025
A gift from my son this book turned out to be absolutely first class. Aldrich writes very well and fills in more then enough of the background and career of the 2 men individually to make it almost a joint biography. Not forgotten but neither as well known as they should be these trully were the 2 men who won ww2, making this book really worth reading. A lot of good modern ww2 books look at close aspects of the fighting but sometimes it is good to zoom right out and look at the bigger picture.
September 1, 2023
This book sometimes ventures into hagiography of its two subjects, but also contains a thorough description of how America's most important commanders approached, developed, and executed their WWII plan.
November 17, 2024
I found this book to be thorough, richly detailed, exhaustive, ... and excellent. For me, it was similar to, and on par with, reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" or "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". While this book may not be for everyone, I found it very satisfying.
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