This Chapter is still in the beginning process, and will be updated as new material is developed.

 Wedemeyer in Retirement

Chapter VIII

Wedemeyer strongly professed a believe in the purity of General Marshall’s motives in his assessment of the China policy, but thought Marshall had come to the wrong conclusions and had lost sight of the long range interests of the United States, because of a number of factors including his exhaustion from his superlative war efforts, his incessant pounding from critics, his “…getting on in years,” and finally his implicit faith in the reports of his old friend General Stilwell, who ascribed all the problems in China to the government of Chiang Kia-shek. [1] Further, although both he and Marshall were career military men, Wedemeyer obviously thought his experience, training, study, and particularly his exposure to Communism both in Germany and then in China better equipped him to understand the menace. Wedemeyer wrote in 1958:

General Marshall was primarily a military man who had little knowledge of the complexities of the world conflict and no conception of the skill with which the Communists pervert great and noble aspirations for social justice into support of their own diabolic purposes. Moreover, by the time he arrived in China on his fatal mission, George Marshall was physically and mentally too worn out to appraise the situation correctly. Finally, as I hate to admit because I never revered anyone more than General Marshall, he was not immune from the besetting sin of most human beings who rise to the heights of power or influence.[2]

Wedemeyer might have been correct in his assessment. But, if he intended this passage to be constructive criticism with a silken glove, this writer would have to disagree and suspect that Marshall, the architect of the “Marshall Plan”, the Chief of Staff during the greatest war we have ever fought, and probably the best soldier to ever wear an American uniform was justifiably a proud and ambitious man, and surely would have been furious on seeing this passage. In charging Marshall with “little knowledge” of the complexities, “no conception” of the skill of the Communists, “too worn out” to deal with them, and worst of all “not immune” from the “sin” of those who rise to power, he virtually disqualified Marshall from having any right to hold any valid opinion on China, let alone hold the exalted office of Secretary of State in the most powerful country in the world!    In the next passage Wedemeyer pours salt into the wound by reminding him of Lord Acton’s famous dictum about “absolute power” etc. When General Marshall read Wedemeyer Reports! in 1958 he must have been livid. Retirement of General Officers after 35 or so years, just like the 1947 Indian Constitution which “abolished the caste system” does not erase human memory, of who was the “superior” and who was the “subordinate”. It might have been better to leave this passage out.   Any hopes that Wedemeyer might have had for reconciliation were dashed.

[1] Wedemeyer Reports! p. 369-370.

[2] Wedemeyer Reports! p. 370.