The rule-bending ex-marine hired to turn the US into a fascist dictatorship

Introduction. When he died in 1940, General Smedley Butler was the most decorated marine in US history. He had an eventful military career, became an anti-war advocate, and killed in infancy a plot that may have made the US a fascist dictatorship in 1930s. Read on👇

When the American Spanish War of 1898 started, Smedley Butler was 16 - not old enough to join the army. To impress his dad, a congressman, he lied about his age and joined the Marine Corps. He showed bravery straight away - leading his "entire battalion straight into an ambush."

General Butler served in the army for 34 years. Here's how he described himself: " I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism."

General Butler didn't look upon his own career kindly. He confessed he worked in Mexico to make it "safe for American oil interests," helped "National City Bank boys to collect revenues" in Haiti and helped "in the raping of half a dozen republics for the benefit of Wall Street."

During the great Depression, 17k+ WW1 veterans marched on Washington to get their "Soldier's Bonus." The govt refused, claiming the bonus didn't mature till 1945. General Butler marched with the veterans but they were driven out with "tear gas, by tanks, and at bayonet point."

General Butler published a book called War is a Racket(1935) in which he exposed how corporations make "abnormal profits" during war. War is a racket because it's true purpose is hidden by the minority of business and political interests who profit, from the majority who suffers.

War is a Racket. General Butler toured the United States, delivering the highlights from his book as a riveting anti-war speech. General Butler also ran for senate, won 37% of the vote, but ultimately lost to the incumbent.

General Butler was approached by some bankers who asked him to lead an army of 500,000+ ex soldiers, march into Washington, and establish a fascist dictatorship. Butler exposed the plot. A senate committee concluded: "no question that these attempts were discussed, were planned."

President Eisenhower coined the phrase "Military-Industrial Complex" in his farewell address in 1961, 26 years after General Butler's book War is a Racket. However, to this day, the unholy alliance of business and politics continues to wage wars around the world and spread chaos.

Bottom line. General Smedley Butler was a brave man, both on and off the battlefield. He was very good at his work, but when the true humanitarian costs of what he did dawned on him, he didn't flinch from exposing it to the public. His impassioned expose resonates till today.