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Smedley Butler warned Congress in 1933 that a group of wealthy American industrialists were planning a coup d'état to overthrow FDR and the federal government (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 weeks ago by AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works to c/history@lemmy.world
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler

In 1933, Butler claimed to have been approached to become involved in a controversy, the Business Plot, telling a United States congressional committee a group of wealthy American industrialists were planning a coup d'état to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Butler also claimed the plotters of the alleged coup intended to use him, at the head of a group of veterans, to place the federal government under arrest. The individuals alleged to be involved in the coup all denied the existence of such a plot and the media ridiculed Butler's allegations, but a final report following an investigation by a special House of Representatives committee confirmed at least some of his testimony.

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[-] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 60 points 2 weeks ago

If they had been hanged in `33 as appropriate, we might not be dealing with this shit right now.

[-] rockSlayer 26 points 2 weeks ago

There were multiple inflection points that could have changed the direction of the modern day. The founding fathers could have grown a spine and outlawed slavery, for example

[-] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 4 points 2 weeks ago

That was never going to happen, sadly. Most of the southern states wouldn't have joined the union if slavery was targeted that early.

[-] teslekova@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Quite directly, yes, because Prescott Bush was one of them.

[-] vantablack 43 points 2 weeks ago

not just any coup either, but an explicitly fascist one

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot

[-] Notyou@sopuli.xyz 8 points 2 weeks ago

At least that punished everyone trying to over throw the gov, right?....right?.......

[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Prescott Bush (father of George and grandfather of Dubya) was one of its leaders.

[-] Stern@lemmy.world 41 points 2 weeks ago

If you haven't already, read War is a Racket. It's not especially long but really lays out the profiteering side of war.

https://www.heritage-history.com/site/hclass/secret_societies/ebooks/pdf/butler_racket.pdf

[-] EvacuateSoul@lemmy.world 18 points 2 weeks ago

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is also good

https://annas-archive.gl/md5/b0d3b6b5239d0ad8d340e1d0b8b51da4

[-] Stern@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

I feel like we might be able to go back and forth on "depressing reality" literature for a long while hahaha :(

[-] llii@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It's depressing to see how little has changed.

[-] tacosanonymous@mander.xyz 31 points 2 weeks ago

Eisenhower specifically called out the military-industrial complex in his final speech as president.

No one listened to him either (well, they might have used his warning as a road map) and meow the country, and perhaps the world, are in a very dark place.

[-] giantripdrop@piefed.social 15 points 2 weeks ago

Twenty years ago, when I was in high school, was the first time I listened to Ike's military industrial complex speech. I was a smart kid but the speech didn't have the weight it has now, in my adult life.

I think about that a lot. Same with the Robert Mueller warning. It's almost like, in both instances, these men felt they had no power to do anything beyond some ominous warnings. And unfortunately, like when I was a teenager, I feel it goes over most people and they are indifferent.

[-] TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 3 points 2 weeks ago

Eisenhower was also a politician and thus often talked the talk without walking the walk. It's hard to pat him on the back when he also participated in creating the conflict that feeds the military industrial complex.

[-] teslekova@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

... Did you say meow?

[-] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago

These were the Technocrats, right? Musk's family was involved in that and then fled to South Africa

[-] EvergreenGuru@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

Prescott Bush was involved and later became a senator, so I don’t see why the Musk family would have reason to flee. Maybe they were more culpable? My understanding is that they were Nazis involved in mining in S Africa.

[-] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago

They were Canadian and didn't approve of liberal reforms. They went to SA specifically because of Apartheid

[-] EatYourOrach@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago

Adding to Kobolds' reply, this link's to a decent CBC long read about Joshua Haldeman.

a few highlights:

-He was the head of Technocracy Inc's Regina branch and arrested during WW2 (link's to a newspaper clip from 1940).

-He was also one of the world's first chiropractors, and railed against fluoridation, vaccinations, and health insurance.

-He ran for the Prime Minister's gig twice and got VERY sooky when he lost.

-In 1948 when repeatedly interrupted by boos and catcalls at the Regina Housewives League party leaders' forum, Elon's granddaddy cried out: “I am making a speech here. Isn’t there still freedom of speech in Regina?”

-Then he heard South Africa would let him Lord it over the locals, so went there to be a super special Whitey. He didn't "flee" anything (except the reality that nobody wanted to vote for him).

-In 1951, he wrote in the Regina Leader-Post about his new life in SA: “We have two native (Negro) garden boys in the summer and one in the winter and a native girl. [...] The natives are very primitive and must not be taken seriously. We get quite a bang out of them and they are really quite useful. It takes three natives to do the work of one white man.”

-Following the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, Haldewell wrote at great length about how it's really "the white man" who's being discriminated against etcetcetc.

-He made his family spend their summers camping in the desert looking for a lost city of white people that gave South Africa civilization.

I only learned about any of this last year. Wish it was common knowledge during his "genius on The Big Bang" era.

[-] AlfalFaFail@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 weeks ago

The Business Plot inspired the movie Amsterdam. If I recall correcly, the movie ends with the original footage of Butler revealing the plot.

[-] godsammitdam@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 weeks ago

I just posted about him here lol

https://lemmy.zip/comment/27973126

And I learned about him from this video on Disco Elysium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ0G4hAUsVE

Scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds.

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 weeks ago

Time sure rhymes.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 4 points 2 weeks ago

They succeeded by using money, rather than overt violence.

[-] mlg@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2026
282 points (100.0% liked)

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