Great Marine

To the editor:

A Vietnam veteran recently gave me a book about one of his heroes, Smedley Darlington Butler (1881-1940), a much-decorated major general in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Halfway through his career, Butler realized he was leading his men into battle not to defend American life and liberty, but to make Central America, the Philippines, and China safe for the business interests of rich american corporation.

In 1912 he was assigned to interfere with the elections in Nicaragua. World War I made him even more cynical, and he retired from the U.S. military in 1932.

Because he was highly popular with veterans’ groups, he was approached by some wealthy bankers and businessmen, who wanted him to participate in a plot to undermine Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency.

FDR's economic policies, such as taking the country off the gold standard, were very unpopular with those who had been successful before the Great Depression.

Of course, these people detested tax policies that transferred money from the wealthiest Americans to the poorest. Some rich financiers thought the model of Nazi Germany, was preferable to FDR’s New Deal.

Smedley D. Butler, a true patriot, was not corrupted by the bribes he was offered. He testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and earlier iteration of the infamous committee of the late 1940s and early 1950s, and the plot now exposed, never materialized. Butler’s testimony was tampered with, his reports were ridiculed in political cartoons, and the plotters were never questioned, let alone brought to justice.

The book, “The Plot to Seize the White House,” written by Jules Archer, was first published in 1973 and was reprinted last year. It honors an unsung military hero and the many American veterans who truly believed in government of, by and for the people.

I am certain the Jules Archer wanted to encourage all citizens to look into the way certain American corporations benefit from violence.

With U.S. military spending in 2007 at $711 billion (U.S. Dept. of Defense, quoted in the current “Sojourners” magazine), Americans need to question whether our money (mostly borrowed) is truly serving our ideals or merely lining already-rich pockets.

CAROLYN PETERSON

Houghton