Robert Edsel's Blog

I never get tired of seeing the White House. I jog around it as I head south towards the Washington Monument, then west around the World War ll Memorial until I reach the Lincoln Memorial and head back.

This past weekend brought unseasonable springlike weather to Washington which made the appearance of the marigolds seem out of place. But the pigeons sitting atop Andrew Jackson’s head didn’t mind in the least…nor did those of us who meandered around outdoors, relishing our last few days of glorious weather.

Last Friday was the 50th anniversary of the death of General George Marshall.

Time magazine had a simple tag line to its December 1943 cover when he was named its “Man of the Year”: “He armed the Republic”. Winston Churchill referred to him as “the organizer of victory.” His name was George Catlett Marshall. On this day 50 years ago, the commander of the largest army this country has ever assembled to fight the greatest war the world has known, died. Sadly, his name rarely is heard when asking almost anyone, even veterans, “Who was the greatest general in our nation’s history?”

First a little background: Marshall first entered the U.S. Army in 1901. By 1919 he had become an aide-de-camp of General John J. Pershing. He was a key war planner and later educator at the Army War College. He later served for 3 years in China. At least one of the publications he wrote, Infantry in Battle, is still used as an officer’s training manual. In 1939 he was selected by President Roosevelt to become the Army Chief of Staff. He would hold this position for a period of 6 years, until 1945. In 1944 he was awarded—over his objection—a 5-star rank, the first such award of its kind. (In keeping with his selfless demeanor, General Marshall didn’t believe that such recognition was necessary as he could perform all his tasks with the rank of 4 stars.)

The General was not without humor: The rank of 5-star general was the equivalent to that of Field Marshall, a rank that did not exist in the United States. General Marshall once commented that he was glad the United States never created such a rank as he would have been referred to as “Marshall Marshall.”

In 1939 he assumed leadership of an army with only 188,000 soldiers. 188,000!!! Within five years he would successfully lobby Congress for the necessary approvals to build the most modern, complex war machine in history with more than 8.3 million men and women in uniform. When former General Electric CEO Jack Welch and so many other well-known business titans discuss the topic of leadership and building organizations, this accomplishment really gets put into proper historical perspective. It is, like so many of the events of World War II, an unimaginable achievement.

Even when his service during war had ended, General Marshall continued to perform great deeds for this country–and the world. Within just two days of his “retirement”, President Truman asked him to return to China in an attempt to broker peace between Communist and Nationalist forces. In 1947 he returned home to become the Secretary of State, a role which would earn him the most name recognition of his career. Once again, that notoriety came over his objection. While delivering a speech at Harvard University in June 1947, General Marshall outlined his vision for the “European Recovery Plan”, as he referred to it until the day he died. Of course, the world today knows it as the “Marshall Plan”. For this great achievement he would be recognized once again as Time magazine’s “Man of the Year in 1948″. He was also honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.

Photographs of plaques on the facade of the Hotel Talleyrand I took while visiting Paris

General Marshall’s service to the United States also included a brief period as President of the American National Red Cross which was interrupted when war in Korea commenced. Once again, General Marshall was asked to serve his nation, this time as Secretary of Defense, where he served for a year before retiring from politics for good in 1951. He would enjoy retirement but for eight years before dying on Friday, October 16, 1959.

His record of service and career are truly inestimable. A few years ago, then Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked why his office had two portraits of his hero, General Marshall, to which he replied: “George Marshall recognized that the Western democracies were in uncharted waters after World War II, with both dangers and opportunities ahead. He had a vision that was built to scale for the challenges of that moment in history. He wasn’t afraid to think boldly.  He was afraid of what would happen if we didn’t think boldly.”

Where is such leadership, such vision, such courage among leaders today??? Perhaps if we spent a little more time studying history to learn about great leaders such as George C. Marshall, we would have a much better idea of what kind of leadership is possible today? No doubt, leaders today would stand only in this giant’s shadow.

Today there is a great seminar of experts and interested parties discussing how we can make continued improvements to our efforts to complete the mission of the Monuments Men as to objects stolen during World War II as well as the steps needed for the United States to do a better job in the protection of cultural property during future conflict.  I spoke at this conference last year and was honored to be asked to speak again.  Now, as then, scholars, students, and other interested parties have come together with a common commitment to protect and preserve the cultural heritage belonging to all of us.

I’ll have more to add about this critically important event in the days ahead.

Monuments Men Foundation Announces that Famous Murillo Paintings Stolen from Rothschild Family in Paris, later discovered by the Monuments Men during World War II, have been Identified at SMU’s Meadows Museum

Dallas, TX (October 22, 2009) — Based on new evidence about the systematic looting of art from Jewish owners in the course of hostilities in Europe during World War II, a pair of famous paintings on display at SMU’s Meadows Museum created by Spanish master Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1618-1682) of Seville’s Patron Saints Justa and Rufina, estimated to be worth more than $10 million, are believed to have been stolen from the Rothschild family in Paris in 1941. The Nazi ERR (Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg) code evidencing Rothschild ownership is still visible on the stretcher bar of one of the paintings; it appears to have been rubbed off the other. The Monuments Men Foundation, recipient of the 2007 National Humanities Medal for its work preserving the legacy of these unknown heroes, which it received from the President of the United States at a White House ceremony, is continuing its research to document conclusively whether both paintings were properly restituted to the rightful owners prior to donation to the Meadows Museum.

Click Here to Read More>>

Courtesy of MSNBC and the Morning Joe" Show

This morning I appeared as a guest on the “Morning Joe” show, hosted by Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski (whose mother was an artist!), and Willie Geist, to discuss my new book, The Monuments Men.  Seated beside me was one of the great historians of our time, and a personal heroine of mine, Doris Kearns Goodwin!  Time passes very quickly on live national television so I had to speak very rapidly….and what a great experience it was!

When I commented that one of the exciting experiences for me in writing The Monuments Men was to provide a character—Rose Valland, the greatest heroine of the war in my opinion—that women can now relate to as a path to develop an interest in World War ll, Doris Kearns Goodwin swung her arms in jubulation and cheered ‘A Woman!’. For all she knows about World War ll and history in general, she commented to me how amazing it was that the story of the Monuments Men was one that was long overdue being told.

One of the most meaningful experiences of researching and writing about living history is having the chance to share it with someone else who knows the process.  When Doris Kearns Goodwin immediately commented to me that writing the story of  these great unknown heroes of World War ll must have been deeply moving for them and their families, it spoke volumes about her years of experience listening to people.

One final comment:  Doris Kearns Goodwin closed the program by saying “It’s just a reminder that Hitler really was the greatest threat to western civilization I think it’s ever experienced, and I mean not only killing all the people, not only all the treasures, but civilization and these symbols of it that would have been gone because of this one person and that terrible ideology.” And that in my view validates just how big the story of The Monuments Men truly is.

I am so appreciative that Joe, Mika and Willie invited me on their show and provided me with this wonderful opportunity to share these heroes’ story.

If you’d like to view the clip, you can visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/vp/33411966#33411966.

Tomorrow morning, I will appear live on “Morning Joe” with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist on MSNBC at 8:45am EST. This is an incredible opportunity for us to publicize the story of the Monuments Men and their incredible achievements before, during and after World War II. Please invite your family and friends to tune in. Click the link for more information about the show and to find out what channel it airs on in your area. http://www.morningjoe.com.

Today, I am filming an appearance that will air on CBS Up to the Minute tonight. If you are a regular night owl, the program airs from 2 – 6am ET/PT. The appearance will cover my work with the Monuments Men. To view what the program is about, click this link http://www.cbsnews.com/uptotheminute.shtml.

The upcoming week is filled with media appearances that highlight The Monuments Men. Please feel free to click the links to find out where and when these programs will air in your area.

Television

C-SPAN BOOK TV (http://www.booktv.org/monumentsmen)

• Saturday, October 17th at 4:45pm (ET)
• Sunday, October 18th at 7:00am (ET)

CBS Up to the Minute (http://www.cbsnews.com)

• Taping Tuesday, October 20

MSNBC – Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough (http://www.morningjoe.com)

• Wednesday, October 21 at 8:45am (ET) – Broadcast Live

Radio

Travel with Rick Steves (NPR)

• Saturday, October 17 – Broadcast to over 120 radio stations nationwide.  Please check this link for times and affiliates near you. (http://www.ricksteves.com/radio/whereitairs.htm)

Newspaper

I was also interviewed for an article about Vermeer’s The Astronomer, currently of view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Minneapolis Star Tribune

• October 16, 2009 – Robert interviewed about the Monuments Men’s rescue of Vermeer’s The Astronomer during WWII. Article running in conjunction with a new exhibit in Minneapolis. Click o read the article (http://www.startribune.com.html)

I received this email from a friend several weeks ago.  It was being circulated with a request to send it on to others.  It IS an amazing story, one I am proud to share with you.   However, we LIVE THIS STORY EVERYDAY dealing with the Monuments Men and their families as we listen to and record their stories, their contribution to history and its preservation.  There is so much to learn from older people but it does require two things in short supply today:  listening, and patience (i.e., having an attention span greater than 1 minute in length).

Please enjoy Shifty’s story and please do share it with others, but I hope that you will also take a moment to learn about the Monuments Men and their equally amazing experiences.

We’re hearing a lot today about big splashy memorial services. I want a nationwide memorial service for Darrell “Shifty” Powers.Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you’ve seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel , you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them.

I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn’t know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the “Screaming Eagle,” the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he’d been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said “Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 .. . . ” at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said “I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . .. do you know where Normandy is?”

At this point my heart stopped.

I told him “yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what D-Day was.” At that point he said “I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem .” I was standing with a genuine war hero

and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day… I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said “Yes. And it’s real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can’t make the trip.” My heart was in my throat and I didn’t know what to say.

I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I’d take his in coach. He said “No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to make an old man very happy.” His eyes were filling up as he said it.

And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17, 2009 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center .

No wall to wall back to back 24×7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

And that’s not right.

Let’s give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans.

Rest in peace, Shifty.

Chuck Yeager, MajGen. [ret.]

Tomorrow evening CSPAN will broadcast my speaking engagement from the National World War ll Museum in New Orleans at 6pm central, 7pm eastern. I delivered this presentation several weeks ago when we were hosted by Dr. Nick Mueller, President of the Museum and lifelong friend of its famed founder, Dr. Stephen Ambrose.  It was an unforgettable experience to tour the museum and its new expansion space, especially with Nick and his fine team as our guide.

I am always deeply moved when having the opportunity to bear witness to someone’s long-held vision being fulfilled.  To imagine Stephen Ambrose and Nick Mueller dreaming of a day when our nation would actually have a museum to honor those who fought to preserve the world we have today from the greatest evil ever known and then to stand inside the buildings and see the exhibitions is inspirational.

We had a full house that evening…I’m not big on being second, but we were told it was the second largest audience they had for a speaking engagement since Tom Brokaw lectured there many years ago…so I guess in this instance second isn’t too bad!

Please tune in or TiVo the event (I believe it runs about 1 hour and 20 minutes).  I hope you’ll enjoy a different insight to these Monuments Men and women and my passion for their story.