Grey Eminence: Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship

This slim volume does a decent job in delivering on its title, giving us a focused look at Major General Fox Conner's development of the junior officers who would become the leaders of WW II. — Patton, Marshall, and Eisenhower. It very briefly sketches the assignments that prepared Conner to shine on General Pershing's staff in WW I then shows us how he identified and cultivated the rising talent behind him. All of these future leaders would later claim that his mentorship was the key element in their own success, and this volume does a good job of driving that point home in a very short read. So it's utility is reserved for staff assignments where you want to emphasize the principle of mentorship without the time it would take for a larger volume of traditional military history. The book does highlight some decent moments in the military careers of these leaders, such as Conner's assignment with the French artillery, or the Eisenhowers' reaction to their new home in Panama. But the prose is not stellar, and the narrative has a rather choppy feel. The layout and the formatting could also use a bit of work. Bottom line, this is a fairly good staff study tool, but it's not a great example of military history research or writing.

Given the importance of Fox Connor in enhancing the careers of at least two of the 20th century's most important figures--George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower, it is astonishing that no major biography of the man has been written. Conner is prominently mentioned in biographies of these figures, such as Smith's excellent bio of Ike. But no professional biographer has taken on Conner. This study by Cox is frankly not a very good piece; it is more of a sketch than a portrait. But, it is a good beginning. It reads more like a term paper in a military history seminar, than an examination of a gifted man who exerted a subtle but telling influence in a period of enormous complexity and importance.

This is one of my favorite books on mentorship. This discusses how Fox Conner was a pivotal mentor to Eisenhower, Patton, and Marshall. This truly discusses the relationship between followers and leaders, developing leaders from those followers, humility, and the lost art of being a "silent professional". Fox Conner was highly influential in the development of these fine leaders but was never arrogant, and continued to serve as a mentor to these men well after he himself was out of the service and as they were in prominent positions. This is an easy read and does not fluff anything. If you are looking for a great book on mentorship and want something with some real substance, lacks pomp, and can read in a couple of days, this is the book for you!

For a short book, this was an excellent read.After reading various biographies about Marshall, Eisenhower and Patton, I began to come across the name, Fox Conner, more and more. Other than knowing he was the Operations Officer for General Pershing in the AEF in WW1, just who exactly was this guy? It appeared he had major influences on some of the emerging generals of (pending) WW2.I started my own research to learn more. Conner was turning out to be a well regarded person based on the limited available information. Over the years, I have kept my eye for a source book focusing on this man. This book finally fit the bill. I suspect that this book started as a scholarly research paper for the author at the Army Command and General Staff school or other military professional education course. Then evolved into this short book.I wish there was more material on Conner, but more than one hundred and ten years after his West Point graduation the author probably scoured most everything available. I found Fox Conner a much respected man and someone that should be treated as a noteworthy general for cadets in learning mode at United States Military Academy. I never heard of him during my 4 years at that institution. My loss. It is a relatively easy read and I hope future pending graduates will be required to read this book.Nice work, Ed. If you find more source material and enhance this book or write another, I will be first in line to read same.

If you have not read much about the American involvement in the First World War, this book will introduce you to a few of the key American leaders of that war and the roles that Marshall, Patton, and Eisenhower played in WWI and soon thereafter.Fox Conner demonstrated that lifelong learning is a key factor in rising within one's profession. He encouraged others to do what he was doing: professional self-study and self-improvement.I found the book dealt with mentorship superficially. Fox Conner plucked Marshall from division staff due to his excellent work to serve in the AEF operations section where he oversaw Marshall. Later, Conner had him assigned to be the First Army's operation officer. Conner met Patton on a train heading to Fort Riley in 1913 and began a lifelong friendship. Later, Patton introduced Eisenhower to Conner and recommended Ike to be Conner's number two in Panama. While there, Conner directed Ike to write daily orders and spent evenings with Ike discussing military history. Conner also used his connections at times to rescue these men when their careers were in trouble or stalling. However, the book does not go into much greater depth about his mentorship than that.The author faced a major challenge in researching Fox Conner. Conner himself had his own papers and journals destroyed. That lack of primary source material may have robbed all succeeding generations of some direct key insight. Therefore, the author and historians need to look at the lives he touched to derive Conner's actions and influence.