War is a Racket by Smedley BUtler

Reprint of 1933 speech by highly decorated USMC Major-General Smedley Darlington Butler (1881-1940) speaking out on global war involvement by the US Government having said “it is not our business as to which countries live under democracies or monarchies, or whether they are Fascists or Communists, our problem is to preserve our own democracy.” However, he did support a strong military rather than disarmament, and felt the U.S. should have an “iron-clad defense a rat couldn’t crawl through.” He explains how war is a racket, who makes the profits and who pays the bills, and how to smash the racket.