General Marshall General George C. Marshall has fully demonstrated he is a great military leader, an administrator and a states¬man with a scholar's grasp of world events and circum¬stances. He is 69, which we are inclined to view as an ad¬vanced age for an official charged with grave responsibilities in a national emergency, and his health recently was pre¬carious. It seems certain, however, the general, who has been giving vigorous leadership to the Red Cross, would not accept Truman's nomination as secretary of defense to succeed Louis Johnson unless he felt he can meet all tests. At any event, an intolerable situation arising from the clamor against Johnson has been resolved. Marshall Sees Nation in ‘Great Peril’ 9/27/50 CLEVELAND Sept, 27 (AP) – Secretary of Defense Marshall said Wednesday night the nation is going through a time of "great peril” and warned that it would be "folly” to discount the possibility of atomic attack. Speaking as president of the American Red Cross Marshall an¬nounced that the Red4Cross has ac-cepted an administration request to take the lead in training as many as 26,000,000 Americans in first-aid technique. He called for hundreds of thou¬sands of Red Cross volunteers and declared that part of their task will be to build Up motor and can¬teen services "in preparation for any sudden emergency which might require large-scalp move¬ments of people on short notice." To Aid Program ^Volunteers will also aid in the f Red Cross blood program, Mar¬shall said. He emphasized that blood and blood derivatives are es¬sential in cases of shock and burns" and are "the only known treatment for radiation sickness." In another step, he said, the Red Cross will "greatly expand" its nursing service and expects to train at least 10,000 women as nurses aides. Addressing a meeting of Red Cross volunteers, Marshall said Gruelling Period "We, face a gruelling period of hard \fork, self-denial, and danger. "In one important respect, the present emergency is unlike any other which the American people have faced. Our home soil has not been in serious danger of attack or invasion since 1814. "Today we live in the era of the guided missile, the atomic bomb, the long-range planes and subma-rines capable of delivering attacks far from their home bases. In the light of recent experience, it would be folly for this country to assume that it will, remain forever free from such dangers." Marshall May Give Up Job as Secretary of Defense After Short Time to Continue as Red Cross Chief By Drew Pearson WASHINGTON, Oct. J—General j Marshall has given a hint that he may remain as secretary of de¬fense only a short time. The hint is a request to continue as head of the American Red Cross—despite the fact that at the age of 70 he occupies one of the most back-breaking jobs in the cabinet. The reason given is that Gen¬eral Marshall has been a strong advocate of civilian defense, and has committed the Red Cross to several civilian defense programs on which he would like to follow through. Behind this, however, it is believed that the general may want to step out of the defense department some time next year and go back to the Red Cross. The Red Cross board of gover-nors will meet on November 18 to decide whether they will re¬tain Marshall. In the interim Marshall rates j next to the president as the high¬est-paid public servant in the Unit¬ed States. His salary is $45,000 plus $6000 for entertainment—total $51,000. This is because Marshall now draws $22,500 as a cabinet mem-ber plus another $22,500 as head of the American Red Cross, plus $6000 for entertainment. Even when head of the Red Cross alone and before he took the defense job, Marshall was one of the highest-paid public officials in the country, drawing $18,761 as a five-star general, plus $22,500 from the Red Cross, plus $6000 for en¬tertainment, or a, total of $47,261.