NOTE: Due to inclement weather, tonight's Meet the Author event will now be held in BB's Stage Door Canteen.

David Roll presents “George Marshall: Defender of the Republic” 

5:00 p.m. Reception | 6:00 p.m. Presentation | 7:00 p.m. Book Signing

The Institute for the Study of War and Democracy is delighted to host authority David Roll for a conversation about his new book focusing on General George C. Marshall, the chief of staff of the US Army who helped oversee the Allied efforts in World War II and then recovery efforts to rebuild a broken world.

David Roll’s defining account of Marshall’s life and service to his nation, George Marshall: Defender of the Republic, restores Marshall to his rightful place as one of America’s most essential leaders and offers up a portrait of the man that is far more authentic and nuanced than previous biographies. Tapping into a deep array of primary sources, many revealed for the first time, Roll challenges decades of historical assumptions, breaking new ground not just on Marshall’s WWII legacy, but in his roles as special envoy to China, secretary of state, and secretary of defense at the dawn of the Cold War. Also explored is Marshall’s meteoric rise during World War I, when his hot temper got the best of him and he publicly rebuked General John Pershing, the supreme commander, before a crowd of fellow officers—a move that earned Pershing’s respect, and set Marshall on a path to destiny.

In this rich history are valuable lessons about leadership, from Marshall’s steady climb up the army ranks, to his education in the uses and limits of political power, and to his own lifelong struggle to control his temper. He was a master of organization and decision-making, a deft reader of political winds, and a surprisingly effective influence on Congress.

Joining Roll in conversation will be Robert M. Citino, PhD, Executive Director of the Museum’s Institute for the Study of War and Democracy and Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian.  The reception and presentation are free and open to the public but please register to attend.

For more information or to register, call 504-528-1944 x 412.

About the author:

David L. Roll is the author of The Hopkins Touch: Harry Hopkins and the Forging of the Alliance to Defeat Hitler and the coauthor of Louis Johnson and the Arming of America, a biography of Harry Truman’s defense secretary. He is Senior Counsel at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, a Washington DC-based international law firm, Nonresident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and founder of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation, a public interest organization that provides pro bono legal services to social entrepreneurs around the world.