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War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier Paperback – April 1, 2003

by Smedley D. Butler (Author), Adam Parfrey (Introduction)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 680 ratings
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General Butler's screed crosses all ideological boundaries.

Originally printed in 1935, War Is a Racket is General Smedley Butler’s frank speech describing his role as a soldier as nothing more than serving as a puppet for big-business interests. The introduction discusses why General Butler went against the corporate war machine and how he exposed a fascist coup d’etat plot against President Franklin Roosevelt. Widely appreciated and referenced by left- and right-wingers alike, this is an extraordinary argument against war – more relevant now than ever.

This elegant new edition includes additional photos from the notorious 1932 anti-war book The Horror of It by Frederick A. Barber and two never-before-published anti-interventionist essays by General Butler.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    80 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Feral House
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2003
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0922915865
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0922915866
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“There is little likelihood one will encounter a putdown and discounting of armed service, while questioning the reason for it, by a top experienced commander, anywhere within a light year of Marine General Smedley D. Butler’s WAR IS A RACKET. And there is utterly nothing comparable to the grim anthology of photographs devoted to the unspeakable hideousness of the bloody gore of modern – since Napoleonic times – warfare, THE HORROR OF IT. The American public recoiled from these two works when they were published, in close sequence, two generations ago… We can hope that this dual masterpiece at hand, in quite a different context, does a better job of reducing the level of ignorance.” — James J. Martin 

“Butler is scathing in his description of how the U.S. government wasted the lives of those soldiers who died but also of those who survived… A stunning condemnation of U.S. militarism and it ends with a demand that rings true down to today – ‘To hell with war.’” — Ashley Smith, Socialist Worker

“America had seen its own attempt at a Fascist coup. Why, then, is this incident in U.S. history not better known? Why don’t children learn in school about the plot to seize the United States government?… The time has obviously come for Smedley Butler to have his moment in the sun. Butler’s attack on the military-industrial complex does more than expose war for the racket it is: It also gives the antiwar movement unmatched credibility.”— Ken Mondschein, corporatemofo.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Feral House; Reprint edition (April 1, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 80 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0922915865
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0922915866
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.56 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 680 ratings

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  1. Smedley D. Butler

    Smedley D. Butler

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  2. Adam Parfrey

    Adam Parfrey

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    Adam Parfrey is an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books,whose work in all three capacities frequently centers on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge.

    The Feral House blog appears at:

    http://feralhouse.com/category/feral-blog/

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
680 global ratings
General Smedley Butler knows the TRUTH!
5 Stars
General Smedley Butler knows the TRUTH!
With the exception of WWII, there are no wars that are motivated by anything but greed, getting an economic advantage over another nation, territory or state. All the young men and women that kill themselves during and after their term of service also know the truth, that they are used as what used to be called cannon fodder. All the sentimental BS about the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard,Air Force, &c is just BS.
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Top reviews from the United States

Doctor S 457337
5.0 out of 5 stars War Is a Racket
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2020
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A great book -- short, to the point. War is a racket that profits banks and corporations and not the people who fight or pay for the wars.

The one thing I found out of order with this book ... the front cover erroneously states that the following quote by Butler is from War is a Racket:

"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."

That quote is actually not found in the book; it was published in a magazine article written by Butler. The full quote:

"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. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

What a most courageous and honest admission.

You will find that the book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins parallels and reinforces the writings of Smedley Butler.

Also of interest is The Creature from Jekyll Island by C. Edward Griffin, which details the way in which Wall Street banks and corporations led us into World War I.

Without a doubt, these and other books like them give us the most important teachings by which Americans can benefit. If we are wise we will heed these lessons by which we can evolve to the next level; but if we do not, we could continue being victimized by those who continue to profit from our ignorance.
12 people found this helpful
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John P. Jones III
5.0 out of 5 stars "Conscript Capital..."
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2013
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Smedley Butler was one of the most decorated American soldiers ever. He won the Medal of Honor, twice! He served in the Marine Corps for 33 years, and was on virtually all the battlefields that the United States participated in during the early years of the 20th century, from China and the Philippines, to France during World War I, and then on to be an "enforcer" for Wall Street in the "Banana Republics" in the `20's. He clearly "paid his dues"; his opinions, which obviously changed, have much merit; he ultimately came to the conclusion that he had been used by the "powers that be." Even after resigning from the Marine Corps in 1931, he claims they still wanted to use him, with certain Wall Street interests trying to recruit him into a plot to overthrow "the Socialist," FDR, and install a fascist dictatorship, per Congressional testimony. He even developed a rather sardonic view towards the medals that he won: "Napoleon once said: `All men are enamored of decorations...they positively hunger for them.' So, by developing the Napoleonic system-the medal business- the government learned it could get soldiers for less money, because the boys like to be decorated. Until the Civil War there were no medals."

This edition contains five essays, and is the one to purchase. It contains the title essay, "War is a Racket," which is only 28 pages long. There are two other essays by Butler, "Common Sense Neutrality" which was a plea to stay out of what would become the Second World War (although he had carried the American flag throughout the world, he ended up in the isolationist camp), and "An Amendment for Peace." There is an introductory peace by Adam Parfrey which provides additional details on the plot to overthrow FDR, and the book concludes with some black and white pictures on the horrors of war, certainly updating Goya, since some are truly horrific, including the veteran with much of his face missing.

The title essay is a polemic, and it is short, but it is rich in ideas, so many of which are carefully air-brushed out of the main stream media. Butler commences by stating how many Americans grew truly rich because of the First World War: 21,000 became millionaires, or billionaires. He then goes on to identify some of the corporations, starting with du Pont, whose profits rose over pre-war levels by astounding percentages (for du Pont, it was more than 950%). He says it quite simply: "We must take the profit out of war." And proposes the mechanism: pay the corporate titans, and all others, the same wage as those in the trenches, which was $30 a month at the time, for the duration of the war. In this manner, they could show their patriotism, and they still have the advantage of not being shot at! Yes, "conscript capital." Butler also addresses how President Wilson, who had campaigned in 1916 on the platform that he had "kept us out of war," suddenly declared war six months after his re-election. (Ah, how history repeats, with LBJ proclaiming that "American boys should not be fighting Asian wars" and within six months, he too, would be sending the troops). Butler says that the reason, "stripped of its diplomatic language" was that an allied commission saw Wilson, said their cause was lost, and the American suppliers of their weaponry would not get their money back! So...

His essay on neutrality is also an interesting read, though in retrospect, the received wisdom is on the side of those who saw the ultimate evil of the Nazis, and felt it should have been crushed as early as possible.

Butler's work remains an essential read for anyone... and should that not be all of us...who wonders how we seem to get into wars so easily, yet have so much difficulty ending them. A very suitable read for Veterans' Day. 5-stars.
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Top reviews from other countries

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frosty
5.0 out of 5 stars should be required reading in every high school
Reviewed in Canada on February 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
A classic but so timeless and timely!
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Michael Cullen
5.0 out of 5 stars Smedly Butler is the horses mouth
Reviewed in Germany on March 15, 2022
Verified Purchase
Smedley Butler was a died in the wool soldier. His insights on war are first hand. His patriotism saved America from rule by the oligarchs, at least for a while.
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avano
5.0 out of 5 stars De la bouche du cheval
Reviewed in France on July 15, 2021
Verified Purchase
Bref mais au point. Des millions de morts et la ruine de la société ne signifient rien quand il s’agit de cupidité et de pouvoir.
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Gerardo Pérez
1.0 out of 5 stars No llegó
Reviewed in Mexico on February 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
No lo se.. no llegó
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JK
5.0 out of 5 stars So . . . I say, "TO HELL WITH WAR!"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 13, 2012
Verified Purchase
I'd read about Gen. Smedley and the fascist coup he was asked to be a part of before I bought this book, and was taken back that there are still people in the higher ranks that have honesty and belief in their fellow man such as Smedley did. Here is a man who was offered the chance to take over the country, all the money and power he could ever want, what does he do? He plays along so he can find out the names of the participants and exposes them for the world to see. Unfortunately the mainstream media never really covered the congressional hearings that took place, the only mention of it was smear campaigns on Smedley himself, and for good reason, as those papers doing the smearing happened to be affiliated with people who were in on the coup.

Why would a gang of Industrialists want to hire an anti-war 'activist' to help take over the Country you say?

Well, Smedley wasn't always anti-war. He started speaking out against the establishment when World War One veterans, 500,000 to be exact, were refused their war bonus'. Smedley had given many speeches at their protests in Washington D.C and was well known amongst the troops. Generals Patton, MacNider and MacArthur were brought in to disband the protests, sometimes causing deaths.

At the congressional hearings it is stated that the group wanted either MacArthur or MacNider to lead the coup, but were aware the half-a-million-strong disenchanted veterans knew MacArthur and MacNider were involved in working against the veterans in their protests and getting hold of their war bonus'. The group had their eyes on Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler to lead the veterans as he was seen as the only one who had the troops support. At first, Smedley went along with them, just enough to find out the names of the conspirators. Then proceeded to expose them. The book only covers a small portion of the event but there are resources online that go into the minutes of the hearings.

Other than coup d'états, this book is very touching. A plea to all citizens to become more informed and learn to differentiate between propaganda and reality, to not be so eager to beat the war drum. Smedley makes it clear that the only winners in war are the Industrialists, Bankers, and generally anyone who makes a lot of money from it without ever having to pick up a rifle. At the time of Smedley's writing he was touring the U.S, among other things visiting veterans Hospitals. It becomes obvious that seeing the World War One veterans, mentally scarred, limbless or blind 25 years on had a huge impact on him, as it would anyone else. "Living Dead" he calls them. He makes a desperate plea at the end of the book to all Mothers and Fathers to not be so eager to send their boys off to war.

Smedley warns about foreign entanglements and proceeds to explain why America should have a defensive military only as the country's strategic location makes it near impossible for invasion of a foreign force, and that if the country were to be invaded, the invader would be met by tens of millions of armed citizens as well as a well-trained army, navy and air force. No doubt Smedley and military minds like him are turning in their grave at the present day situation.

This is only a short book, roughly 66 pages, but it's well worth it. Men like Smedley aren't talked about in the history books as the system does not look down upon such men with favouritism. If anything this book and reading about General Smedley has taught me to keep on informing myself, friends and family.
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