weekend, 48 hours of people and events telling the american story on american history tv. get our schedules and see past programs on our website and you can join in the conversation on social media sites. up next, a film produced in 1963 by the u.s. army. it's called the general marshall story about world war ii general george w. marshall who during his lifetime served as u.s. army chief of staff, secretary of state and defense secretary. after world war ii, general marshall designed the european recovery program which became known as the marshall plan. in 1953, he received the nobel peace prize for his work to stabilize and rebuild europe. this film aired as part of the big picture series on abc television from 1951 through 1975. focused on historic battles, figures and traditions in u.s. military history.

>> the united states army presents "the big picture" an official report produced for the armed forces and the american people. >> it is rare in history when a man who has distinguished his name in war goes on to greatness and peace. but for george marshall, it was a short step from a brilliant military career to his role as statesman, diplomat, peacemaker. winner of the nobel prize for peace. throughout his long career, general marshall served the most enduring ideals of a free people.

his record represented the best in the democratic tradition. walter cronkite, distinguished correspondent is our guest narrater as the u.s. army proudly turns back a page of its own history to salute citizen soldier george marshall. >> the marshall family had settled in southwestern pennsylvania a few years before george catlet was born in 1880. he entered a world more part of the past than of the future. marshall's boyhood past quietly and the only contact this child would have with the army he would serve came secondhand through his father's recollections of the civil war. america's indian frontier had only recently been tamed and the stories of custer were still fresh enough to excite the imagination of any boy. looking back ward over the

years, it's hard to find the precise reason why young george marshall decided to make the army his profession. but choose it he did and he began his soldiering at a soldier school. the virginia military institute trained many distinguished army men before george marshall arrived in september 1897. the m.i. provided the kind of environment calculated to encourage a young man with army ambitions. he was an honored graduate with a reputation for military skill and knowledge which was to follow him throughout his army career. he was a young man with a passion for facts. and the ability to apply them imaginatively. >> commission on infantry's

second lieutenant in 1901, marshall shortly found himself on troop duty in the philippines. assignment in oklahoma territories texas, massachusetts, and the ft. levinworth staff college. and by the time the united states began to mobilize for war in 1916, george marshall had become a captain in the regular army. he landed in france with the first american troops and as a member of the first division staff, he helped plan the battle of cantini.

>> as chief of operations prior to the offensive, marshall planned a successful movement of almost 1 million troops which made the great ally breakthrough possible. marshall had helped engineer the final victory. shown here with general henry allen, marshall had risen to full colonel and enormous contributions were being widely recognized. the work of the offensive brought personal accommodation. the man who designed the victory takes a moment to pose with other staff officers and friends. his reputation of brilliance. marshall emerged from world war i as one of the most promising officers in the army. assigned as aid to the general, his work kept him in close

contact with the aef commander during the last days in europe. on a post-war battlefield tour, calls one officer's attention to a camera man. it would some day be as newsworthy a figure as the e lustrous -- he bid farewell to france and boarded for america. with him went general marshall. he acquired a military planning brain, disappointed in the fact he'd been considered too valuable to spare for the combat command he coveted. he recommended marshall's promotion to brigadier, but the war's end prevented it. the two things most important to a professional soldier's career

promotion had been denied marshall through unfortunate timing or the talents he possessed deemed too important to squander on the battlefield. marshall's return was a time of triumph and frustration. he'd learned the business of war in a tough school and knew it as few others did. but there was small pleasure in the knowledge. long after the noise and the shouting when this harbor scene passed into memory and the world would once again take up arms, marshall would be ready. but he was still an obscure staff officer with a cinder in his eye. he had a round of professional

appearances. affecting the future security of the nation were being decided. the post war rule of the army was decided by political and military leaders. he believed in a professional force backed by a large citizen army. in marshall he found an enthusiastic supporter. this kind of army brought victory out of europe in 1918. as a member of the washington staff, marshall devoted much effort during the next four years toward a realization of the citizen army goal. 1924 brought duty with the 15th infantry regiment in china. but marshall posed for a rare picture, this was his first actual troop assignment in almost ten years.

this infantry was operating well enough when marshall joined it, but by the time he left it had become a crack outfit. china was practicingment chiooi -- the mission of the 15h infantry was to help protect both american trading concessions and american lives. it was a tense, but quiet assignment for marshall, and before he finished his tour, the 15th acquired snappy precision, it could outperform and outsign every other garrison regiment. the distinguished faculty at the

infantry school which included future generals bradley, stilwell and collins was under marshall's direction from 1927 to 1931. but he took over the school, one of the most important in the army found much of the instruction had fallen behind the times, but this hard-driving man with the passion for facts was not satisfied to fight old wars. it was the present and the future that concerned him and revised the curriculum accordingly. during the '30s, the world caught fire, ignited by a handful of global arsonists who enjoyed their work. germany threatened to even the score for her defeat in 1918. on the other side of the world, the japanese were introducing their neighbors to their own brand of arson. china felt the brutal aggression directed by the japanese war lords, the japanese onslaught of china carried out the ambitions

and aspirations of a nation bent on territorial conquests. for a while, many of us laughed at a comic opera character speaking from a roman balcony. but his intended victims in ethiopia did not laugh. they were a proud and fierce people determined to resist the italian dictator's aggression. mousolini invaded anyway and another piece of earth caught fire. an appeal was made, but no one came forward. he demonstrated for his friends how easy it was. the day germany invaded poland,

george marshall a general became chief of staff. the task of mobilization lay ahead. the resources of a mighty nation had to be tapped to produce the props of the great drama about to unfold. marshall had waited in the wings for 20 years for the role he was about to play. the country's manpower resources, the great citizen army in which marshall believed so deeply had to be activated, trained, and equipped to fight if necessary. and with each passing month in 1940 and '41, it appeared increasingly probable that the united states would be drawn into the war. the army numbered less than 200,000 men when marshall took over as chief of staff. it would swell to more than 8 million before the access defeat. he accumulated experience from

the early days in the philippines and the news are gone and the staff worked with the seasoning in china. the sum total was imaginatively applied by george marshall to direct the american army during the war. it was as if his career related to the monumental task he undertook. the american military build-up was just beginning to gain momentum when the japanese attacked pearl harbor. and an inspection of the army's new airborne troop at ft. bragg in 1942, marshall gets a close-up view of the citizen soldier at work. field soldiers never knew when the chief of staff might make an appearance such as this one at the jungle warfare training center in hawaii.

marshall might do his thinking and planning in washington, but it was from the field that he drew his facts. a gifted observer, the smallest detail did not escape him. army subordinates were either proud or dismayed by marshall's critical appraisal depending upon the performance. jungle training was a new experience for american troops, but it was clear from the beginning that in order to win the war in the pacific, our soldiers had to beat the japanese at their own game. in the forbidding gray of a november dawn in 1942, american naval vessels ghosted in toward the beaches of north africa. their objective, the german africa corps in tunisia. the enemy was led by irwin

ramel, the desert fox. his veterans had already been baptized by the battle toughened british tommy. with everything they had, the germans fought to keep from being pushed into the sea. when the allied military advisers convened at casa blanca in 1943, the campaign had been become tough and bitter. marshall had worked tirelessly to achieve a smooth running command organization at the highest american level. he held the president's trust and regard. and was consulted on every critical decision affecting the conduct of the war. marshall's diplomatic skill helped reconcile many opposing points of view with british leaders during the casa blanca

conference. came the allied decision to bomb germany around the clock. american b-17s help carry the war to the german backyard. the decision to invade sicily also was reached. and in july of 1943, americans and british jumped off from africa on the preliminary leg to the first assault on the italian mainland. a strong partisan for the women's army core as important to our mobilization, the chief of staff made a point to be in washington the day the colonel was sworn in as its new commander. but the time the allied leaders convened at cairo in december 1943, the italian campaign was well underway and the war against the japanese demanded stepped up operations. the future of the

china/burma/india theatre and the power had to be resolved. marshall took part in planning joint strategy with the russians. soviet demands for an expanded second front were addressed to the united states. it was george marshall who answered. when the chief of staff visited the pacific theatre on his return from tehran, the offensive was gaining speed. island by island, we were moving in on japan. and in 1944, marshall listened to a firsthand report on the successful operations on the gilbert islands and the planned invasions of the marshalls. marshall conferred with douglas macarthur as they were gearing for the big pacific push that

would carry them to the very doorstep of japan. italy had become a slow and painful struggle, the road to rome was a long one, and for marshall and his wife, one of extreme personal anxiety. the tank commander under patton, marshall's stepson had been engaged in fighting for weeks. when they broke through to the stub boborn enemy, the young officer met his end. a personal tragedy. from the spring of 1944, brought the long-planned invasion of france. marshall accompanied general eisenhower and other high-ranking officers ashore for the inspection on the normandy beach. 15 stars fill this corporal's jeep as admiral king and general marshall, bradley, and

eisenhower survey the battle damage. on this trip, marshall takes a few moments to visit an old friend, the colorful ex-cavalry man patton who had torn great holes in the german defenses. the chief of staff had personally ordered the general to his original combat assignment in north africa. the subsequent performance of the troops under patton's command confirmed general marshall's wise choice. allied planners met again in 1944, this time at quebec. a decision was reached to move the invasion of the philippines three months ahead of schedule. marshall returned from quebec to fly immediately to paris with secretary of state james burns for another meeting with general eisenhower. the chief of staff was involved with the vast and complicated problem of our global supply line. and he chose to inspect the

divisions poised for the final thrusts into germany. a minor slack in the line of supply at this moment could cause a major military disaster, and marshall knew all these facts at both ends of the line. the price of victory was far too high to risk delay. the trip to europe provided marshall with another opportunity, a chance to talk with the troops. he spoke informally to american soldiers who had faced the toughest test in history and triumph. marshall inspected their positions within range of the enemy. his last close look before the axis collapsed. world war ii ended with the final capitulation of japan.

when president truman presented marshall with the distinguished service medal of 1945, he said that although millions gave america extraordinary service, marshall gave it victory. 1945 also saw marshall dispatched to china as the president's special representative to negotiate a truce between chiang kai-shek and the communists. general eisenhower then chief of staff visited his former boss during the negotiations. this was the first time marshall officially functioned as a diplomat, but the role was not unfamiliar. although the army had been his profession, his country's interest had always been his tear career. marshall received the oath of office as secretary of state from chief justice vincent early in 1947. the president enthusiastically endorsed the former chief of

staff at a critical time in history. it was fairly said that mr. truman selected him not because of his experience but because he was marshall. >> there's nothing that i can say at this time regarding matters that pertain to my position in the state department, but i assume the duties with a great -- with a feeling of great responsibility, a very earnest desire to carry out the foreign policy of this government in the manner that has been so splendidly exemplified by my predecessor, mr. byrnes, my old friend. >> the new secretary brought imagination and a dignified intensity to his job which was equal to the world challenge. in march 1947 marshall headed a delegation to moscow whose mission was the peace agreement on germany and austria.

the opportunity to observe the russian bear in his native environment was valuable in view of increasing soviet hostility. russia already loomed as the largest question mark in america's future. the desperate economic plight of europe drew marshall's whole attention upon his return, and his recommendations were presented to the congress. >> europe is still emerging from the devastation and dislocation of the most destructive war in history. within its own resources europe cannot achieve within a reasonable time economic stability. the solution would be much easier, of course, if all the nations of europe were cooperating, but they are not. far from cooperating, the soviet union and the communist parties have proclaimed their determined opposition to a plan for european economic recovery. economic distress is to be

employed to further political ends. there are many who accept the picture that i have just drawn but who raise a further question, why must the united states carry so great a load in helping europe. the answer is simple. the united states is the only country in the world today which has the economic power and productivity to furnish the needed decisions. the $6.8 billion proposed for the first few months is less than a single month's charge of the war. to be quite clear this unprecedented endeavor of the new world to help the old is neither sure nor easy. it is a calculated risk. it is a difficult program. and you know far better than i do the political difficulties involved in this program. but there's no doubt whatever in my mind that if we decide to do

this thing, we can do it successfully. >> the great rubble heaps left by the war were soon met by american friendship which also proved an economic weapon against spreading communist. the marshall plan aid enabled many war ravaged countries to engage their foothold on a stable peacetime economy. trade and production were stimulated and communist plans which dependent on poverty and despair for their success were thwarted in many parts of the world. george marshall resigned as secretary of state in january 1949, intending to relax for the first time in almost 50 years. but the national red cross called upon him for one further task in the public interest when it asked him to serve as its head, meeting with polio foundation chief basel o'connor at the white house, marshall

outlined his plans for this vast mercy organization. less than one year later, the president persuaded him to return to the government as secretary of defense. he flew to korea where he met with general ridgway and other u.n. leaders. the man with the passion for facts was gathering them firsthand. this was a different american army than marshall had known and a different kind of war. the citizen soldier did the fighting in korea. but this time under a u.n. banner and for a limited objective. in washington, marshall assumed

the critical responsibility for all of the men and materiel necessary for victory in korea. the peculiar circumstances of the conflict called for the existence of large american forces without total mobilization in the united states. once more, george marshall the statesman distinguished himself. relaxation was rare for the busy cabinet member, but to the delight of a pretty queen, he did manage to officiate at the shenandoah apple blossom festival in 1951. on the 50th anniversary of his graduation, vmi paid tribute to general marshall with a day named in his honor. many of his old classmates came to lexington to applaud the school's most distinguished graduate and to recall their years as members of the cadet corps. after a howitzer salute to the

soldier-statesman, the entire body of cadets stood at attention while marshall was awarded virginia's distinguished service medal by governor john battle. then, the man whose life represents the highest ideals of the cadet corps inspected the ranks of the men that may be tomorrow's leader. george marshall resigned from the defense department and settles in leesburg, virginia, in 1951. his public service spanned a critical half century for our country, placing him in the ranks of great american patriots. >> the man with a passion of facts will long be an example for those who follow, in the army, in the government of his country, and in a peaceful world he worked so hard to make. now this is sergeant stuart

green, invitining you to be wit us again at another look at a big picture. >> "the big picture" is an official report for the armed forces and the american people. produced by the army pictorial center. presented by the department of the army in cooperation with this station. >> there's a new website for "american history tv" where you can find our schedules and preview our upcoming programs, watch featured video from our regular weekly series as well as access history tweets, "history in the news" and social media from facebook, youtube, twitter and four square. follow "american history tv" all weekend, every weekend on c-span3 and online at cspan.org/history.