One of our greatest US Marines, Major General Smedley Butler in his 1935 speech ‘War is a Racket’, described the workings of the military-industrial complex and its hegemonic control of the military…
“War is a Racket – It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”
For those who don’t know him, prior to WWII, Smedley was the most decorated US Marine in history and very nearly became Commandant of the Marine Corps. By the end of his career he had received 16 medals, five for heroism. He is the only person to be awarded the Brevet Medal and TWO Medals of Honor (April 22, 1914 – Mexican Campaign in Veracruz Mexico; and November 17, 1915 – Haiti Campaign), all for separate actions.
“What Butler fought so hard to do was to take the focus off of moral and ideological arguments for war and concentrate on the geopolitical factors that actually motivated war. He tried to raise awareness of what the real motivating factors of war were as well as the consequences of war. He was one of the first Americans to really bring the economic implications of war to the forefront of the public conscience. In War is a Racket Butler “names names” and lays out in wonderfully blunt detail how the American “military machine” was used to the benefit of wealthy American industrialists. He noted how proponents of war typically call on God as a supporter of the cause and how they embellish the mission as one of liberation and the spreading of freedom, but that these people tend to shy away from discussing the economic details of military ventures.” (One modern example, is Lawrence B. Lindsey Bush’s White Economic Adviser who was fired in December 2002 prior to the lead up to the Iraq War which started in March 2003 for saying that the war in Iraq would cost upwards of $200 Billion when the White House was saying it might cost less than $100 Billion. Cost Estimates of the Iraq War now range from $1.5 TRILLION to $3 TRILLION, and the thousands dead and injured.
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Smedley Butler’s Excerpts of his speech below:
War is a Racket
“War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we’ll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
I wouldn’t go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.
There isn’t a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its “finger men” to point out enemies, its “muscle men” to destroy enemies, its “brain men” to plan war preparations, and a “Big Boss” Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.
It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912.. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
1) TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAJOR GENERAL SMEDLEY BUTLER CLICK HERE.
2) See a Video rendition of his Speech below.
P.S.
Whatever your feelings about any particular war, please always remember the sacrifices of our Veterans and their families and our duty to look after their needs, especially as our Veterans struggle to recover from their traumatic physical and emotional injuries (i.e. TBI – Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD), and as they also work to reintegrate back into society …For example in Orange County it is estimated that there are about 3-5 thousand single homeless veterans, and about 10-12 thousand homeless veterans with families.
by Francisco J Barragan, Commander of a Veterans Organization in Orange County, CA.
Oddly, I’ve not come across Butler’s speech before. Very interesting.
Butler’s message (in these excerpts) is perhaps overstated, but it is essentially correct, I think, and it would be wonderful if more Americans would approach our nation’s policies and actions more skeptically and critically, especially when the subject is war.
One danger, of course, is the attraction of conspiracy theories; these are more often than not unwarranted and simplistic. Naturally, when it comes to decisions to wield power and to kill and maim, we need to think clearly and competently—to avoid excess in one direction or another. We need to get it right.
Decisions (about policy and war) are difficult. This kind of judgment has always struck me as beyond the capacities of the average person, who is, after all, inclined to buy insurance because of the charming blather of a fictional green lizard and to care deeply about the adventures of Linday Lohan and the outcome of the Superbowl. Stunning, really.
That’s why the traditional liberal arts education is so valuable. Well, now, we’re tossing that away.
In a democracy, for better or for worse, the people must decide—or at least they shouldn’t be perpetually in the dark as, in my lifetime at least, they seem inevitably to be (and to be inclined to be), when it comes to war.
Nearly seven years ago, at my college, when instructors discussed the painful subject of the invasion of Iraq in the classroom, administrators responded by issuing a ban on instuctors’ engaging in commentary about the war in class.
We were too skeptical, I guess. What the hell did we think we were doing, questioning this war?
We were right, and we were doing God’s work (I mean: supposin’ there is a God). That’s what.
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just….”
I’m a former Marine officer. Smedly Butler is one of my hero’s, not for his late-in-life anti-war revelation (though I sort of agree), but for his absolute love for the Corps, and a total life of committment to the young Marines he led. Absolutely a hero’s hero, his first award was the “Brevet Medal”, the highest award given to officers at a time when the “Medal of Honor” was only given to enlisted; otherwise he would have had 3 Medals of Honor. A Marine’s Marine, he was a skinny guy with a full USMC globe&anchor tatoo’d across his chest and belly.
A must read for every marine should be “Old Gimlet Eye … Adventures of Smedly Butler” written in 1933 by Lowell Thomas. Out of print for a long time, you can find a copy on e-bay or Amazon.com. The big bucks you’ll have to pay for a copy is worth it for a Marine. It’s a view of the “Old Corps” – pre- world war one. Hilarously funny, absolutely inspiring, the traditions of the Corps are wonderfully described in this book. I’m proud to be part of it.
Thanks for the Smedley post, Paco! While I was in prison, for some reason I kept thinking about this hero and how I had to do something on his birthday on the blog… but that’s in February isn’t it?
I first became aware of this guy via a letter to the New York Times. War is a Racket.
That’s not him in the YouTube video, that’s some actor.
Just glanced thru your article, Paco. You leave out what made him so controversial – his testimony before Congress that a group of wealthy American businessmen were trying to convince him to lead a military coup against President Roosevelt and keep us out of WWII and to some degree ally with Hitler.
He was treated as a lunatic for claiming that, but it seems perfectly credible to me. And many others.
Vern:
1) DOB for General Smedley Butler per his Medal of Honor citation (First Award) is given as:
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 30 July 1881
2) The video at the end of the rendition of the speech alludes to the allegation that in 1932 some right-wing industrialists wanted him to lead a coup against the US government which he refused to do and exposed . . . perhaps someone could research his testimony before Congress.
per the following link – “The Plot to Seize the White House”:
http://www.eclectica.org/v1n1/reviews/wharton_plot.html
“The reader who wishes to examine the official testimony is referred to the government report, `Investigation of Nazi Propaganda Activities and Investigation of Certain Other Propaganda Activities: Public Hearings Before the Special Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Seventy-third Congress, Second Session, at Washington, DC, December 29, 1934. Hearings No. 73-D.C.-6, Part 1.’ Extracts of the censored testimony are revealed in the books A MAN IN HIS TIME, by John L. Spivak [NY: Horizon Press, 1967], and ONE THOUSAND AMERICANS, by George Seldes [NY: Boni & Gaer, 1947]” (p 140).
see also:
http://www.clubhousewreckards.com/plot/ptstwh3theconspiracyexplodes.htm
As a society we should always question the reasons for going to war…in one of the links I provided about the general he wanted to REMOVE the Profit incentive from War but the recognized that in order for this to be effective this would have to be international in scope.
Glad you enjoyed our great USMC General.
Francisco “Paco” Barragan
served US Marines 1987-1994 (Top Honor Graduate – asked to serve on HMX-1 but declined it for colllege – Helicopter Marine Squadron One – responsible for Helo transport of US President)
served CA Army National Guard 1994-1997
A great and trippy American who everyone should know about. We should start observing Smedley Butler Day here every July 30.