War Is A Business

War Is A Business… Smedley D. Butler was a great man. The world would be a terrible place without him. A true democrat, when that actually meant something. Smedley Butler was approached by industrialist robber barons who proposed he lead 500,000 veteran men to intimidate the government in 1933 to install a fascist dictatorship. Smedley tricked the plotters into thinking he was interested for just long enough until he was sure he knew who the real players were before he told the president and congressional committee. This is what he said,

“I appeared before the congressional committee, the highest representation of the American People under subpoena, to tell what I knew of activities which might lead to attempt to set up a fascist dictatorship. The plan as outlined to me was to form an organization of veterans to use as a bluff or a club at least to intimidate the government and break down our democratic institutions. The upshot of the whole thing was I was supposed to lead an organization of 500,000 men which would be able to take over the functions of government. My main interest in all this is to preserve our democratic institutions. I want to retain the right to vote, the right to speak freely, and the right to write. If we maintain these basic principles, our democracy is safe. No dictatorship can exist with suffrage, freedom of speech and press.”

I do not own this footage, I spliced some clips from Francis Connelly’s documentary ‘Everything From JFK to 911 Is A Rich Man’s Trick”

https://youtu.be/4oVpt_I9iQQ