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War is a Racket
War is a Racket
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- Jul, 22 , 24
War Is a Racket is a 50-page book first published in 1935. The book, which is still widely read today, is a critique of war and of US foreign policy in the early 20th century. The author, Smedley Butler, asserts that he personally fought in several wars, which were undertaken exclusively for the profit of private commercial interests in the United States.
Just a few years prior, in 1931, Butler retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of major general. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, twice. Butler was first awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as a battalion commander at the Battle of Veracruz (1914), and again for his role in the suppression of a political revolt in Haiti in 1915.
Butler’s later posts included commander of the Marine Barracks at Quantico and commander of the Marine Expeditionary Force in China (the “China Marines”). After retiring from the Navy, Butler unsuccessfully ran for the Senate, but proceeded with political activism and an extensive speaking tour. Butler’s primary causes were pacifism, anti-fascism, and veterans affairs. In 1934, he testified before Congress that he had been recruited to take part in the “Business Plot,” an alleged scheme by wealthy, particularly banking, commercial leaders to overthrow FDR and install a fascist dictatorship.
Smedley Butler was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1881. The house he grew up in on West Miner Street is still standing today. The Butlers were a well-established Quaker family that enjoyed elevated social status and financial means. Smedley’s father, Thomas, sat in the US House of Representatives from 1897 to 1928 (when he died), having won 16 consecutive elections. Thomas was a member of the House Committee on Naval Affairs from 1919 through 1928.
Both Thomas and Smedley Butler are buried in Oaklands Cemetery, just north of the borough of West Chester (about 35 minutes from the Schiffer office). Smedley Butler died in Philadelphia on June 21, 1940, 84 years ago.
OFFICIAL USMC PHOTOGRAPHUSMC Archives from Quantico, USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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- US foreign policy ,
- veteran
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