George C. Marshall Foundation Overview

The Man

Few Americans have done as much for their nation and the world as George C. Marshall.  As Army Chief of Staff during World War II, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, special envoy to China, and president of the Red Cross, Marshall was not only the architect of the Allies’ victory, he was also the prime mover behind the European Recovery Program (“The Marshall Plan”) that restored the economy of war-ravaged Europe. 

The Foundation

 

Founded in 1953 at the urging of President Harry Truman, the independent Marshall Foundation, is the place where the values that shaped and motivated Marshall are kept alive.  The Foundation perpetuates Marshall’s legacy, his leadership qualities and exemplary character through scholarship, leadership and statesmanship programs and facilities (including a museum and research library) that offer a wide range of resources and materials for use by the general public, amateur historians, scholars and students of all ages.              

 

The Marshall Foundation in the World Today

Through sponsorship of international conferences, the Foundation extends Marshall’s legacy into the 21st century by examining a variety of international challenges and issues.  The Foundation will continue to facilitate these important dialogues on the international stage regarding Marshall Plan-related solutions for economic development for emerging nations and economic recovery for those involved in post-conflict, post-regime change and post-natural disaster reconstruction.  The goal is to stimulate emergence of realistic, workable solutions and to communicate the results to policymakers and interested parties.  Examples of recent conferences include:

• In September 1999, The Marshall Foundation, the European Commission, and the World Bank sponsored a conference on “The Economic Transformation of the Balkans” held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC to discuss how best to rebuild the economies of the Balkan Region.

• The Marshall Foundation in partnership with the East West Institute and the World Bank hosted a second conference on “Transformation in the Balkans” on September 2000 in Prague, Czech Republic to examine the progress made since the formation of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe—what many have referred to as a Marshall Plan for the Balkans—in June 1999. 

• As part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of George Marshall’s receiving the Nobel Prize for Peace, Lord Robertson, Secretary General of NATO, presided over a day-long conference, “The Marshall Legacy: The Role of the Transatlantic Community in Building Peace and Security.”  The conference was co-sponsored by the Marshall Foundation, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in November 2003.  

• In preparation of a monograph In Search of a Usable Past: The Marshall Plan and Postwar Reconstruction Today, the Marshall Foundation sponsored a session in Paris, France, in June 2006 in collaboration with the OECD, UNESCO, George Washington University, and the U. S. Embassy in Paris to discuss contemporary applicability of the Marshall Plan from the European perspective of experts from the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, France and Greece. 

• Continuing the important discussion of the Marshall Plan’s potential for application in contemporary post-conflict situations, the Marshall Foundation collaborated with the OECD, UNESCO, George Washington University, Jean Monnet Foundation and the U.S. Missions to France to conduct a symposium in Paris in June 2007 on The Marshall Plan: Lessons Learned for the 21st Century.  A monograph of the same name includes a compilation of the studies, proceedings and recommendations.

 

The Growing Electronic Reach of the Foundation

A growing presence on the internet, the Marshall Foundation makes Marshall-related information and material from its extensive collections available to students, scholars and researchers who have access to the World Wide Web.  The Foundation is continually adding content to its Web site.  Electronic access is part of the mission of the Foundation to extend its reach broadly, which routinely includes Web site visitors from as many as 110 countries. Additional access is provided through aggressive distribution of audio and video files on YouTube and Apple’s iTunes Beyond Campus.   

 

Marshall Foundation Leadership and Corporate Support

The Foundation is led by a Board of Trustees of 32 members including the President of the Foundation, Brian Shaw, who oversees the work of 19 full-time and part-time staff in Lexington, Virginia.  A Council of Advisors participates in many programs and events and includes several former trustees who wish to remain involved in the work of the Foundation.  The successful Corporate Partners for Leadership program provides financial and programmatic support.  Members include AM General, AUSA, BAE Systems, The Coca-Cola Company, Eni, ExxonMobil, FedEx, Fluor, General Dynamics, HDT Global, L-3 Communications, ManTech International, Raytheon, RWH Foundation and VMI Foundation. 

 

The Work of the Marshall Foundation

• Conferences and Symposia in collaboration with world-class organizations on topics of international interest to scholars, diplomats and business leaders
• Executive Leadership Workshops for government and corporate employees
• Marshall Undergraduate Scholars from colleges in the mid-Atlantic states conduct research using primary source materials from the collections

• Baruch Fellowships encourage doctoral or post-doctoral research in 20th-century U.S. military or diplomatic history

• Library & Archives with one of the most comprehensive collections on the life of a world-famous individual ever assembled, also available to researchers on line   

• Marshall Museum houses more than 2,000 artifacts, including the Nobel Peace Prize, which Marshall won in 1953.  Each year more than 20,000 people visit the Museum.

• The Marshall Papers present documents by Marshall and detailed annotations, summaries of documents, illustrations, maps, photos, cartoons, and facsimile documents.  Combined with the four-volume Pogue biography, the Papers Project presents a comprehensive study of Marshall’s life and career.   

• Marshall ROTC Award Seminars for U.S. Army cadets with an emphasis on leadership and national security