Smedley Butler

Smedley Butler – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Smedley D. Butler (1881–1940) was a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps Major General who later became a vocal critic of war profiteering. Explore his life, military career, radical transformation, and enduring statements.

Introduction

Smedley Darlington Butler is a rare historical figure who straddled two very different roles: one of the most decorated Marines in U.S. history, and later a fierce critic of American militarism. His later pamphlet War Is a Racket popularized his indictment of war as a profit-making enterprise. His life invites reflection on service, conscience, and the hidden drivers behind conflict.

Early Life and Education

Smedley Butler was born July 30, 1881, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, into a Quaker-descended family.

He attended West Chester Friends Graded High School and the Haverford School (Quaker-affiliated) before his military calling intervened.

Military Career & Transformation

Service and Distinctions

Butler’s military service spanned from 1898 to 1931. Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, Banana Wars in Central America and the Caribbean, the U.S. interventions in Mexico (such as Veracruz), and World War I (in logistics, training, and defensive support roles) among others.

He was awarded two Medals of Honor (one for action in Veracruz in 1914, another in Haiti in 1915) — a rare distinction shared by very few in U.S. military history.

At the time of his death, he was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.

Leadership and Controversy

Butler held command roles including at Quantico, transforming it into a permanent Marine base.

However, his outspokenness created friction. In 1931, after publicly repeating rumors about Benito Mussolini, he was briefly arrested (as a general) — a rare event in U.S. military history.

From Soldier to Critic

After retiring in 1931, Butler underwent a dramatic shift. Drawing on his own experiences, he became a vocal critic of U.S. foreign interventions and the business interests behind them.

In 1933 he became involved in what became known as the Business Plot: he testified before Congress that financial elites had attempted to recruit him to lead a fascist coup against President Roosevelt. Though the alleged conspirators denied it, the congressional committee confirmed some irregularities.

In 1935, he published War Is a Racket, a short but influential work based on speeches he gave — in which he laid out a blistering indictment of war as a profit-making machine.

He continued speaking and lecturing against militarism until his death.

Major Ideas & Themes

Butler’s transformation from decorated warrior to antiwar critic rests on several core ideas:

• War as profiteering: He argued that the people who profit most from war are rarely the soldiers who fight it.

• Military-industrial collusion: He saw support for war by business, banks, munitions makers, and political elites as a malign alliance.

• Moral accountability: Butler believed that those who send soldiers to die should themselves carry moral responsibility.

• Curb military power: He advocated limiting military forces to home defense, removing profit motives, and granting those who bear arms a say in whether a nation goes to war.

Legacy and Influence

Butler’s legacy has grown because his dual identity — warrior and dissenter — is compelling and rare. Some ways he continues to influence:

• War Is a Racket remains a classic in antiwar, radical, and peace literature.

• His testimony about the Business Plot is taught in courses on American political history and conspiracy theory.

• He is invoked by pacifist thinkers, critics of military-industrial complex, and political reformers.

• His life challenges simple categorization: he forces us to ask whether heroism and conscience can coexist.

Famous Quotes by Smedley Butler

Here are several notable quotes attributed to him:

• “War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”

• “I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service … I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.”

• “We must take the profit out of war.”

• “The normal profits of a business concern … are six, eight, ten, and sometimes twelve percent. But war-time profits … twenty, sixty, one hundred, three hundred, and even eighteen hundred per cent — the sky is the limit.”

• “My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military.”

• “Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few — the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.”

• “There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights.”

These quotes reflect his critique of war, the economic underpinnings of conflict, and his disillusionment with military command.

Lessons from Smedley Butler’s Life

1. Courage includes dissent
   Butler risked reputation and status to speak truth to power. Real courage can be internal as well as martial.

2. Reflect on one’s role
   He turned his insider experience into biting critique. Understanding systems from the inside can yield powerful insight.

3. Power and profit often align in unseen ways
   Butler’s analysis reminds us to question who benefits when wars are declared.

4. Moral transformation is possible
   His life shows that one can change views deeply, even after a storied career.

5. Speaking truth has consequences
   His criticisms were not always welcomed — yet he persisted in public advocacy.

Conclusion

Smedley Butler’s life is compelling precisely because of its contradictions: a decorated military officer turned fierce critic of war. His legacy challenges us to think more deeply about the nature of service, the cost of war, and who truly profits from conflict.