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The American 1924 Adjusted Service Certificate Law gave [[World War I]] veterans "bonus" certificates that they could redeem for cash in 1945. When the [[Great Depression]] hit in the early 1930s, many veterans went through financial struggles and, like many other Americans, found themselves out of work, and some began to demand their certificates early. 15,000 of them marched on [[Washington, D.C.]] in May, 1932, demanding that they receive their bonuses. A significant percentage of the membership in the Bonus Army had been composed of Communist instigators by the time they arrived at Washington.<ref>http://go.roguecc.edu/sites/go.roguecc.edu/files/users/RStuart/HST202/pdf/BonusArmyResearchDocuments.pdf<br />*Document #2:A secret Army intelligence report issued by Conrad H. Lanza, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, to the intelligence Officer of the second Corps Area. The report was dated July 5, 1932. 'Word has been passed around in Syracuse (New York) that the first blood shed by the Bonus Army at Washington, is to be a signal for a communist uprising in all large cities thus initiating a revolution. The entire movement is stated to be under communist control, with branches being rapidly developed in commercial centers.'<br />*Document #9: Statement to the press by President Hoover, July 28. ...Congress made provision for the return home of the so-called bonus marchers who have for many weeks been given every opportunity of free assembly, free speech and free petition to the Congress. Some 5,000 took advantage of this arrangement and have returned to their homes. An examination of a large number of names discloses the fact that a considerable part of those remaining are not veterans; many are communists and persons with criminal records.<br />*Document #16: An excerpt from Benjamin Gitlow's The Whole of Their Lives, a book describing the author's experiences as a Communist published in 1948. Walter W. Waters charged that the communist gang led by (John T.) Pace which seized the Illinois contingent were drunkards guilty of misusing veterans funds. The communists, now in the driver's seat, kicked Waters out of command, put Thomas Kelly in command for a few hours and then took complete charge of the Bonus March movement.  

 

The American 1924 Adjusted Service Certificate Law gave war veterans "bonus" certificates that they could redeem for cash in 1945. When the [[Great Depression]] hit in the early 1930s, many veterans went through financial struggles and, like many other Americans, found themselves out of work, and some began to demand their certificates early. 15,000 of them marched on [[Washington, D.C.]] in May, 1932, demanding that they receive their bonuses. A significant percentage of the membership in the Bonus Army had been composed of Communist instigators by the time they arrived at Washington.<ref>http://go.roguecc.edu/sites/go.roguecc.edu/files/users/RStuart/HST202/pdf/BonusArmyResearchDocuments.pdf<br />*Document #2:A secret Army intelligence report issued by Conrad H. Lanza, Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, to the intelligence Officer of the second Corps Area. The report was dated July 5, 1932. 'Word has been passed around in Syracuse (New York) that the first blood shed by the Bonus Army at Washington, is to be a signal for a communist uprising in all large cities thus initiating a revolution. The entire movement is stated to be under communist control, with branches being rapidly developed in commercial centers.'<br />*Document #9: Statement to the press by President Hoover, July 28. ...Congress made provision for the return home of the so-called bonus marchers who have for many weeks been given every opportunity of free assembly, free speech and free petition to the Congress. Some 5,000 took advantage of this arrangement and have returned to their homes. An examination of a large number of names discloses the fact that a considerable part of those remaining are not veterans; many are communists and persons with criminal records.<br />*Document #16: An excerpt from Benjamin Gitlow's The Whole of Their Lives, a book describing the author's experiences as a Communist published in 1948. Walter W. Waters charged that the communist gang led by (John T.) Pace which seized the Illinois contingent were drunkards guilty of misusing veterans funds. The communists, now in the driver's seat, kicked Waters out of command, put Thomas Kelly in command for a few hours and then took complete charge of the Bonus March movement.  

...The communists had succeeded in keeping the veterans in Washington almost a month. The mood of the veterans got uglier from day to day. The communists' leaders were then firmly in the saddle. On July 5 Earl Browder (Chairman of the American Communist Party) declared that the veterans were shock troops of the unemployed. Said he, "The Bonus revolutionary force in Washington is the most significant beginning of the mass struggle against the consequences of the crisis."  

...The communists had succeeded in keeping the veterans in Washington almost a month. The mood of the veterans got uglier from day to day. The communists' leaders were then firmly in the saddle. On July 5 Earl Browder (Chairman of the American Communist Party) declared that the veterans were shock troops of the unemployed. Said he, "The Bonus revolutionary force in Washington is the most significant beginning of the mass struggle against the consequences of the crisis."  

One of the bonus camps--that within 12th and 14th and B and C Streets, S.W.-was occupied principally by Communists headed by Pace. Possession of this government property had been seized and occupied by these marchers without any authority. During June and July, while the Bonus Army was present, Communist meetings were held in this city frequently. The files of this Department contain voluminous reports of these meetings, at many of which incendiary speeches and plans to stir the Bonus Army to violence and bloodshed were made. During the various disorders, including the final riot, persons identified as radicals and Communists were observed among the disturbers. There is irrefutable proof that a very large body of Communists and radicals, some ex-service men and some not, were in the city as part of the Bonus Army, circulating among them and working diligently to incite them to disorder.  

One of the bonus camps--that within 12th and 14th and B and C Streets, S.W.-was occupied principally by Communists headed by Pace. Possession of this government property had been seized and occupied by these marchers without any authority. During June and July, while the Bonus Army was present, Communist meetings were held in this city frequently. The files of this Department contain voluminous reports of these meetings, at many of which incendiary speeches and plans to stir the Bonus Army to violence and bloodshed were made. During the various disorders, including the final riot, persons identified as radicals and Communists were observed among the disturbers. There is irrefutable proof that a very large body of Communists and radicals, some ex-service men and some not, were in the city as part of the Bonus Army, circulating among them and working diligently to incite them to disorder.  

</ref> In addition, [[John Pace]] also was sent in by the communists to stir up trouble.<ref>History.net article on the Bonus Army "In June, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Patman bill, but the Senate defeated the measure with a lopsided vote of 62 to 18. ...many of the marchers felt betrayed and disillusioned. With nowhere else to go, they decided to stay. Ominously, their disappointment festered in Washington's muggy summer heat. To complicate matters, at this point the American Communist Party saw an opportunity to cause trouble, and sent forth John Pace as the catalyst with instructions to incite riot. The degree of his success is uncertain and will be forever a matter of debate, but his presence alarmed the Washington power structure. The almost constant tension between the marchers and Washington police, coupled with the stifling summer heat, fueled frustrations on both sides, leading to confrontations that caused the police to ask for federal assistance. Historian Kenneth S. Davis theorizes that Pace may have had a hand in escalating the tensions, goading the angry veterans to become more aggressive. A more plausible explanation for rising tension may simply be that frustrations finally reached a boiling point. </ref> Although the [[House of Representatives]] passed a bill that would have given them their money, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] voted against it. [http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bonusarmy.htm] The marchers, known as the '''Bonus Army''', did not leave. Fearing a coup, on July 28, President [[Herbert Hoover|Hoover]] deployed the military. General [[Douglas MacArthur]] led a strong strike against the Bonus Marchers where they were camped at Anacostia Flats in Washington, D.C., involving the use of tanks. While only one Bonus Marcher was killed when all was said and done, the reputation of Hoover had been permanently stained. [http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/bonusm.htm]

</ref> In addition, [[John Pace]] also was sent in by the communists to stir up trouble.<ref>History.net article on the Bonus Army "In June, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the Patman bill, but the Senate defeated the measure with a lopsided vote of 62 to 18. ...many of the marchers felt betrayed and disillusioned. With nowhere else to go, they decided to stay. Ominously, their disappointment festered in Washington's muggy summer heat. To complicate matters, at this point the American Communist Party saw an opportunity to cause trouble, and sent forth John Pace as the catalyst with instructions to incite riot. The degree of his success is uncertain and will be forever a matter of debate, but his presence alarmed the Washington power structure. The almost constant tension between the marchers and Washington police, coupled with the stifling summer heat, fueled frustrations on both sides, leading to confrontations that caused the police to ask for federal assistance. Historian Kenneth S. Davis theorizes that Pace may have had a hand in escalating the tensions, goading the angry veterans to become more aggressive. A more plausible explanation for rising tension may simply be that frustrations finally reached a boiling point. </ref> Although the [[House of Representatives]] passed a bill that would have given them their money, the [[United States Senate|Senate]] voted against it. [http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bonusarmy.htm] The marchers did not leave. Fearing a coup, on July 28, President [[Herbert Hoover|Hoover]] deployed the military. General [[Douglas MacArthur]] led a strong strike against the Bonus Marchers where they were camped at Anacostia Flats in Washington, D.C., involving the use of tanks. While only one Bonus Marcher was killed when all was said and done, the reputation of Hoover had been permanently stained. [http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/bonusm.htm]

The movement to demand early payment of the bonuses did not go away, and in 1936, Congress overrode the veto of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]], and gave the veterans their bonuses early. In the 1940s, the G.I. Bill of Rights was passed in an effort to prevent a similar scenario from occurring again. [http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,111104_BonusArmy,00.html]

The movement to demand early payment of the bonuses did not go away, and in 1936, Congress overrode the veto of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]], and gave the veterans their bonuses early. Congress passed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 in an effort to prevent a similar scenario from occurring again. [http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,111104_BonusArmy,00.html]

==Notes and references==

==Notes and references==