"And the Marshall Plan, to us, meant a general who had turned into a secretary of state, and that the secretary of state saw the necessity of the reconstruction of these European countries that had suffered so heavily"

Giovanni Agnelli's quote is referring to the Marshall Plan, which was a program created by the United States in 1947 to help restore Europe after World War II. The Marshall Plan was named after General George Marshall, who had become the Secretary of State in 1947. Agnelli's quote suggests that Secretary of State Marshall acknowledged the need to help restore the European nations that had actually been ravaged by the war. The Marshall Plan provided financial aid to European nations to help them rebuild their economies and infrastructure. The strategy was successful in assisting Europe recover from the war and it likewise helped to enhance the ties between the United States and Europe. Agnelli's quote is a testament to the value of the Marshall Plan in helping Europe recover from the war.