Dear General: Eisenhower’s Wartime Letters to Marshall

By Joseph P. Hobbs. Reprint, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. 272 pp. $16.95 softcover.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commanding general of the European Theatre of Operations, wrote on 26 June 1942 (two days after he arrived in England) the first of his many personal letters to his superior, General George C. Marshall, US Army Chief of Staff.  By the end of the war in Europe, Eisenhower had sent to Marshall 108 such letters.  Seventy-five of the most significant letters from Eisenhower to Marshall are published herein.  They provide a fascinating and insightful perspective not only on the conduct of operations and the war, but more importantly, on the development and maturing of Eisenhower’s leadership and generalship.

Eisenhower was handpicked by Marshall first in December 1941 to serve in the War Plans Division and then in mid-1942 to increasingly responsible and significant positions, culminating as Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force.  Eisenhower’s letters to Marshall were personal in nature, intended only for the Chief of Staff’s eyes, and as such are very candid and revealing.  As Eisenhower gained experience, he displayed growing confidence, capabilities, and decisiveness, and shared with Marshall his trials and tribulations in forming the organization that would eventually invade Europe and soundly defeat the Germans.  Eisenhower knew and understood Marshall’s philosophies and expectations, and considered him an unparalleled mentor; Marshall always provided unwavering support to his protege.  Nonetheless, the letters demonstrate clearly that Eisenhower was in fact commanding Marshall’s army in Europe, with the latter firmly in charge.

This book was originally published in hardcover in 1971.  This paperback edition contains a new preface enumerating the revisionary, and positive, reassessments of Eisenhower the military leader (and president) that have taken place during the last three decades.  Editor Hobbs served as assistant editor during the 1960s on The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower project, and he has skilfully edited these letters to enhance their value and meaning by adding chapter introductions and explanatory footnotes.  In doing so, Hobbs has transformed raw material into worthwhile history.

Eisenhower’s wartime letters to Marshall provide unique insight into the former’s development as a leader; his relationships with military and political superiors and subordinates; coalition warfare and strategic planning; and the manner in which he overcame challenges.  There are also a number of implied lessons in this book on the selection and grooming of subordinate officers that contemporary military leaders would do well to pay attention to.  This intriguing and interesting study in leadership can only enhance Eisenhower’s reputation as a general.

Republished with author’s

permission from Military

17, June 2000, 42