Smedley Butler
Smedley Butler was a Major General in the United States Marines who became well known for his 1935 speech "War is a racket", recognized by some as a precursor in its recognition of the Military-industrial complex. Butler wrote,
| "A racket is best described, I believe, 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 very many...Out of war a few people make large fortunes...If we put them to work making poison gas and more and more fiendish mechanical and explosive instruments of destructions, they will have no time for the constructive job of building a greater prosperity for all peoples...By putting them to this useful job, we can all make more money out of peace than we can out of war – even the munition makers...So I say, TO HELL WITH WAR”. |
| "I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period 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.
I helped make Mexico and 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 benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902- 1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China, in 1927, I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might 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." |
