Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler

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Smedley Butler

 

Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler

 

 

Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21,

1940) was at the time of his death the most decorated U.S. Marine in

history. He came forward to Congress in 1933 to reveal a coup d'etat

plot against President Roosevelt sponsored by big-money interests. He

was twice the recipient of the Medal of Honor, one of only nineteen to

be so honored.

Military career

 

* 1898 – Commissioned a Second Lieutenant

* April 1898 – Philippine-American War

* 1900 – Promoted to Brevet Captain for his action during the

Boxer Rebellion

* 1903 – Saves U.S. Consular agent in Honduras from rebels

* 1909–1912 – Nicaragua

* April 1914 – Vera Cruz, Mexico, earns first Medal of Honor

* November 17, 1915 – Action in Haiti, earns second Medal of Honor

* 1927 – Tour in China

* 1929 – Returns to the United States as a Major General

* October 1931 – Retires from the USMC

 

Quotes

 

* Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a

thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties

remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of

higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service. (1933)

 

* War is a racket. (1935)

 

* 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. (1940)

 

* " [M]y interest is, my one hobby is, maintaining a democracy. If

you get these 500,000 soldiers advocating anything smelling of

Fascism, I am going to get 500,000 more and lick the hell out of you,

and we will have a real war right at home. "

 

See also: Chesty Puller, War is a Racket.

External links

 

* Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC

(http://www.mclm.com/tohonor/sbutler.html) from the Marine CorpsLegacy

Museum (http://www.mclm.com/)

* Smedley D. Butler Citations

(http://www.cmohs.org/medal/history_links/s_butler.htm) from the

Congressional Medal of Honor Society (http://www.cmohs.org/)

* War is A Racket

(http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm) by General

Smedley D. Butler

* An American Coup d'État?

(http://home.iprimus.com.au/korob/fdtcards/Butler.html) by Clayton E.

Cramer. History Today, November 1995.

 

C