The only man to ever serve as both secretary of state and secretary of defense, his greatest achievement may have been devising the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt a devastated Europe after World War II.

Gen. George C. Marshall was a dedicated public servant. As chief of staff of the U.S. Army, he did essential work to get a dangerously unprepared America at least partially ready for World War II ...

Though World War II launched Marshall’s legacy, in “The Making of a Leader,” Josiah Bunting III focuses on Marshall’s prewar years.

Its commanders, George Marshall included, are unproved in the combat of World War II. Yet he is a commander, his is an army with a task unprecedented in military history.

But that short speech, delivered by U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, was instrumental in winning the peace after World War II.

Josiah Bunting has done a fine job of supplementing and enriching that mammoth work. Learn more: Josiah Bunting III, “The Making of a Leader – The Formative Years of George C. Marshall,” Knopf.