Did Smedley Butler Save America In 1933?

Many Americans are concerned about threats to our democracy. From a plot to kill George Washington to the January 6 Insurrection, America has come under attack from within before. It’s possible that in the early 1930s, a plot was hatched by millionaires to overthrow the U.S. government! According to the testimony of the two-time Medal of Honor-winning Marine General Smedley Butler, a cabal of wealthy, influential conservatives actively plotted to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt, replacing him with a dictator. General Butler testified under oath on November 24, 1934, at an extraordinary Congressional Special Committee on Un-American Activities meeting. He exposed the scheme, today known as the “Wall Street Plot” or “Business Plot.” Historians still debate how seriously to take the attempted coup. General Butler believed there was an imminent threat to our nation. So, the question can be asked: Did Smedley Butler Save America In 1933?

WHO WAS SMEDLEY BUTLER?

Born in 1881, Butler was the son of an influential congressman. At 16, he enlisted in the Marines. His career was spectacular. Promotions quickly followed his successful combat leadership in service in the Philippines, China, Central America, the Caribbean, and France in World War I. In 1918, at age 37, Smedley Butler became the youngest General in Marine Corps history. Butler’s troops and colleagues revered him for his courage, intelligence, and leadership.

This reputation reportedly convinced the “Business Plot” leaders to send intermediaries to approach Gen. Butler. They believed he would accept their offer to become the new leader of America and that his popularity, reputation, and well-known concern for the welfare of World War I veterans would convince the nation to support him.

WHAT WAS THE “BUSINESS PLOT?”

The details of the plot are very complicated. Shady characters move in and out of the narrative. Even Butler’s motivations can be interpreted with skepticism or admiration, depending on how one reads the facts. I recommend the book “The Plot To Seize The White House” by Jules Archer. It is available through your library, for purchase on audiobook or paperback, and you can even read it for free online. Below is just an outline of the plot.

President Franklin Roosevelt’s experimental and drastic actions to combat the depression were very controversial. His overwhelming election in 1932, followed by three subsequent reelections, clearly demonstrated his extraordinary popularity with the average Americans. However, many wealthy and influential conservative leaders feared that Roosevelt was destroying the underpinnings of American democracy.

According to General Butler’s sworn testimony, a group of influential, wealthy conservatives, outraged by the new deal, schemed to raise a group of 500,000 World War I veterans to march on Washington, DC. They planned to lay siege to the capital and force FDR to resign. The plan was to install General Butler as the new dictator of America. The plotters aimed to recruit men through the American Legion. The plotters allegedly promised $59 million (in 2022 money) to back the effort. They believed General Butler’s enormous popularity and sterling reputation provided gravitas to their scheme. Additionally, Butler had spoken out against the mistreatment of homeless veterans during the 1932 encampment known as the Bonus March on Washington.

An article on the coup summarized Butler’s identification of the plotters:

“prominent tycoons and Wall Street supposedly dreamed up the plan big shots who controlled many of the country’s major corporations like Chase Bank, Maxwell House, General Motors, Goodyear, Standard Oil, DuPont, and Heinz, as well as other noted Americans, including Prescott Bush, grandfather of former U.S. president George W. Bush.”

Did Smedley Butler Save America In 1933?

Smedley Butler refused to help the plotters and revealed the scheme during his riveting testimony before the Congressional Committee. No one was charged, and the open testimony may have caused the potters to abandon any future attempts. The committee found Butler’s testimony credible,  although all the named plotters laughed it off. Historians are still divided over whether the plot was as serious and advanced as Butler believed. Butler, a man of principle but also ambition, may have had conflicting motivations for offering his testimony.

I tend not to believe in conspiracy theories overall. My training as a professional historian taught me to evaluate the facts in evidence. All of the accused conspirators denied the charges, yet the congressional committee could not find any evidence to contradict General Butler’s testimony.

At a distance of almost 90 years, it’s hard to separate fact from innuendo. Nonetheless, it seems clear that a plan was coming together to overthrow American democracy. The coup had probably not formulated as solidly as General Butler believed. But he could only testify to what the plot member told him. The two-time Medal of Honor winner approached Congress as a whistleblower. It seems clear that he testified honestly.

Implications For Today

The January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol shocked America. Although it was the most recent direct attack on American democracy, it is not the only time our form of government has come under attack. During the Civil War, traitors attempted to overthrow our government and succeeded in murdering our president, Abraham Lincoln. Even if the “Wall Street Plot” was not close to being executed, there were serious discussions about it.

When the 1787 constitutional convention was adjourned, a woman supposedly asked delegate Benjamin Franklin what kind of government they had designed for the United States.

He replied, “A republic – if you can keep it.”