PDF transcript of recorded interview - The George C. Marshall ...

Mr. Roosevelt by an executive order put me in charge of operations over and above the Secretary
of War and organization. “Well, Mr. Secretary, here is a pretty good answer, and this is about
six months old” (maybe it was longer than that). And I gave him this and he read it and came
down to his signature. “Well,” he said, “what is this?” I said, “You signed it there, you ought to
know.” “Well,” he said, “what is it doing there?” I said, “I filed it in my desk here.” He said,
“You filed it.” I said, “Well, you didn’t consult me about. That deposed me. You were just
talking about how you supported me in all these things. It hadn’t anything to do with Judge
Patterson’s responsibility. Yet he takes the initiative and he writes the thing and you sign it and
I’m out and I am not even spoken to. So I just put it in my drawer. That’s a good place to solve
these difficult questions.” Mr. Stimson said, “I never saw anything like that.” And I said, “I’ve
never heard anything like that either. But it didn’t go any further than my drawer.” “Well,” he
said, “just give it to me.” I said, “Just hold on here. I have an executive order from the President
that I have the question of organization in my sole control. Now, are you going to take this out
and start it all over again?” He said, “No, I am going to give it to Judge Patterson and tell him to
tear it up.” But that shows the lengths to which they got to in this matter.
Q. 63. Do you feel that a separate Department of Air would have been feasible during the war?
A. Think I answered 63 in which I said I didn’t think it was possible to have a separate Air
Corps during the war and General Arnold was in complete agreement with me on this question.
Q. 64. Do you feel that the Army was wise in insisting in recent months on its own air force and
on its program of developing a long-range missile program?
A. Answer omitted.
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