When life has us in a tight corner, on of the first questions we may ask is: can I ____1___this with a laugh. Men with giant responsibilities have frequently used this approach to big problems------often with good ___2____. When Gen. George C. Marshall, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, tried hard to prepare his un-ready nation to enter World War II, he met a strong ___3___from his Commander-in-Chief _____4___the elements that called for the support. Marshall felt that _5____was needed most was highly developed ground forces. President Roosevelt was a navy man, who believed that their _____6_____need was a powerful navy, plus a large sir force. In_____7____ tense debates with President, Marshall pushed his argument so hard that he began to ____8_____even stronger resistance. Finally, during a particularly hot meeting, the usually stone-faced Marshall forced a grin. “At least, Mr. President,” he said, “ you might stop ____9___the Navy as ‘us’ and the army as ‘them’.” Roosevelt studied Marshall over his glasses, then laughed with a great show of teeth. Later on, he made a more objective study of Marshall’s ______10____ and eventually bought the ground-force concept.

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