War is a Racket: Smedley Butler’s Explosive Truths Still Echo Today

Discover the shocking truths of War is a Racket by Smedley Butler, a Marine Corps legend who earned two Medals of Honor before exposing war as a profit-driven scheme. I’m Ryan Sahlberg, a retired Marine and history graduate, diving into Butler’s journey from hero to anti-war icon. From his daring actions in Veracruz and Haiti to his 1935 book revealing how wars enrich corporations, Butler’s story resonates today. Today, this is known as the Military-Industrial Complex. With $14 trillion in Pentagon spending since 2001 and $89.5 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine fueling defense giants like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, is war still a racket? Join the discussion! Like, subscribe, and share your thoughts below. For more hidden history, check out my channel, Manifest History!

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Sources:
- Butler, Smedley D. War Is a Racket. Round Table Press, 1935.
- U.S. Senate. Corporate Earnings and Government Revenues. 65th Cong., 2d sess., 1918. S. Doc. 259.
- Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. "Profits of War: Top Beneficiaries of Pentagon Spending, 2020–2024." July 8, 2025. (Reports Lockheed Martin at $313 billion in Pentagon contracts from 2020-2024; RTX at $147 billion; Boeing at $124 billion; General Dynamics at $96 billion; Northrop Grumman at $91 billion.)
- ExecutiveBiz. "Top 10 Government Contractors 2024." October 8, 2024. (RTX defense revenue over $40 billion in 2023; Northrop Grumman at $35 billion.)
- Visual Capitalist. "Ranked: America's Largest Defense Contractors." June 6, 2025. (Lockheed Martin received $61.4 billion in DoD contracts in 2023; RTX at $44.9 billion; Boeing at $38.3 billion; General Dynamics at $35.6 billion; Northrop Grumman at $31.3 billion.)
- Umbrex. "How the Defense Contractor Industry Works." 2024. (Top 100 defense companies generated $632 billion in arms sales in 2023, with Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman as key players.)