On Saturday, November 9, 2024, The Carmel Institute organized a trip to George C. Marshall’s Dodona Manor in Leesburg, Virginia. Tour guide Bill Webster and Professor Fedyashin gave the students a 90-minute tour of the house during which they introduced the students to the career and lifestyle of one of America’s greatest statesmen.

Historians recognize General George Catlett Marshall to be one of the greatest modern-day Americans. As Chief of Staff of the United States Army between 1939 and 1945, Marshall organized the Allied victory in World War II. As United States Special Envoy to China between 1945 and January 1947, he attempted to reconcile the nationalists and communists. This was hi only failure as a statesman, but it laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship with Chiang Kai Shek and his wife, many of whose gifts adorn Dodona Manor. As the 50th US Secretary of State between 1947and 1949, Marshall oversaw the implementation of the European Recovery Program (the Marshall Plan) that changed the face of the world and earned Marshall the Nobel Peace Prize. He then went on to serve as the President of the American Red Cross and returned o the government at President Truman’s request as Secretary of Defense from 1950 to 1951. From the beginning of his 45-year public career as a graduate of Virginia Military Institute in 1901 to recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, Marshall received more than 60 decorations, awards, and honorary degrees, including military, civilian as well as substantial foreign recognition.

In preparation for the visit and tour, the students read George Kennan’s “Long Telegram,” Winston Churchill’s famous speech “The Sinews of Peace,” Nikolai Novikov’s famous telegram, and George Marshall’s speech “The whole world hangs in the balance…”. The students also watched the documentary “George Marshall and the American Century.” The trip explored Marshall’s legacy in the context of the Cold War. After the tour, the students went to lunch to share their impressions of the museum collection and further discuss the historical context for what they saw there.

Museum visits, concert attendance, and study trips have been part of the Carmel Institute’s programming since its inception. As Professor Fedyashin has always reminded his students, although our knowledge about the past depends primarily on reading, history must also be walked, seen, touched, smelled, and tasted. Offering all of these, the visit to Dodona Manor gave the chance for students to experience the history of US-Russian relations.