President Obama talks with General George Marshall, deceased, fellow peace prize winner

President Obama talks with General George Marshall, deceased, fellow peace prize winner

fiction
edward w pritchard

As regular readers of this blog will know, few they be, this author has the ability to summon famous deceased persons from the past when appropriate. This time General George Marshall has come to talk with our President Obama. Both men have won a Nobel peace prize and both would seem at first glance an unlikely recipient. Their conversation is summarized below:

President Obama- I know you were in charge of the US military when Pearl Harbor occurred.

George Marshall-It always starts with that. Just wait, just wait; you will see

President Obama -sorry, you won the peace prize

George Marshall-yes, for my plan to revitalize Europe after 1946

President Obama- a forward piece of thinking

George Marshall- that's why I am here, forward thinking, If I may: what do you hope to accomplish in three active wars?

President Obama- It's very complicated

George Marshall- I know, from experience: German aggression, WW2, then China goes communist, I presided over many complex military situations myself, under several Presidents. But I always took the long term view, it's a military habit to look at getting into things with the end in mind. The American people have a short attention span for foreign wars.

President Obama- tell me about Communist China

George Marshall- first don't get me wrong, I wanted anything but communism in China. But I disagreed with my boss President Truman that we should send hundreds of American advisers to counsel the followers of Chiang against Mao. Believe me Truman was not easy to disagree with. But I sincerely believed in 1947 and 1948 that we couldn't stop the changes occurring in China without paying an unacceptable cost to America. I had to think beyond solving the immediate problem facing us, and to think long term, in my Countries best interests and against my feelings.

President Obama- What are you trying to say to me?

to be continued
end part 1