From: Subject: Smedley Butler on Interventionism Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 17:12:07 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0005_01C59072.D23F4340"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1506 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0005_01C59072.D23F4340 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.fas.org/man/smedley.htm Smedley Butler on Interventionism 3D"Military

Smedley Butler on Interventionism

-- Excerpt from a speech = delivered=20 in 1933, by Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.=20

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, = as=20 something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a = small=20 inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit = of the=20 very few at the expense of the masses.=20

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing = else. If a=20 nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with = America is=20 that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets = restless and=20 goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and = the=20 soldiers follow the flag.=20

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy = investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight = for. One=20 is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War = for any=20 other reason is simply a racket.=20

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military = gang is=20 blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle = men" to=20 destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big = Boss"=20 Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.=20

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a = comparison.=20 Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four = months in=20 active military service as a member of this country's most agile = military=20 force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from = Second=20 Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of = my time=20 being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and = for the=20 Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.=20

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am = sure of=20 it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a = thought of=20 my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in = suspended=20 animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical = with=20 everyone in the military service.=20

I helped make Mexico, 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=20 a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. = The record=20 of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the = international=20 banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that = name=20 before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar = interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil = went its=20 way unmolested.=20

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would = say, a=20 swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al = Capone a=20 few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three = districts.=20 I operated on three continents. = 





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