American Experience

Historian Fred Greenstein on Eisenhower's Plan

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Eisenhower reports to Marshall, General Marshall as the Chief of Staff says, how would you approach the problems of World War II? Eisenhower says give me a few hours and give me a typewriter. He returns with a very brief, highly analytic presentation which cuts to the bone. Essentially what he's sensed is that the main show is in Europe, but it's important for the United States to make a move immediately in the Pacific area where the Japanese have attacked. Secondly he realizes that the Philippines are going to fall, but he immediately says, we can't be forgiven if we seem to ignore the Philippines. So he really almost instinctively produces a combined military, political judgement. And Marshall obviously recognized this as precisely the kind of judgement that he wanted in a leader. And within six months MacArthur has moved him up and he's on his way to Europe, as Supreme Commander.

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