Lacking motivation? Find an enemy. It seems that somewhere along the lines, Smedley Darlington Butler was the recipient of this advice. When he was not fighting abroad, Butler was fighting at home, using his impassioned personality to arm himself in a war against corruption. While many of us hope for a quiet retirement down the road, Butler had no intention of settling down until he completed his collection of vendettas that included cracking down on crime, campaigning for the Senate, lecturing against war profiteering and exposing political conspiracies. And after the First World War, Butler started on this to-do list, facing his most fearsome foe yet: cleaning up the city of Philadelphia as the Director of Public Safety.
Smedley Darlington Butler wasn’t known for being subtle. On his first day on the job in January 1924, Butler gathered all 4,000 of Philadelphia’s police officers into the Metropolitan Opera House to inform his subordinates that change was on the horizon. He weeded out corrupt officers, ridding the city of a portion of local protection rackets and profiteering. Never one to sit idly, Butler orchestrated raids on over 900 speakeasies in his first 48 hours on the job. Butler also took aim at elite establishments such as the Beaux Arts, The Stenton, The Ritz-Carlton and the Bellevue-Stratford Hotels in an attempt to prove that the privileged were not out of his reach.
But, police corruption and illegal alcohol were not his only concerns. Butler also turned his attention to prostitution and gambling, attempting to make the most of the unenviable job. While his time as Director of Public Safety evoked mixed reactions from the public and politicians alike, one thing was certain; the job left much to be desired. Resigning under pressure in December 1925, Butler summarized his thoughts in the following statement: “Cleaning up Philadelphia was worse than any battle I was ever in.”
Several years later, Butler assumed yet another leadership role. Butler was appointed commander of the Marine Expeditionary Force in China from 1927-1929. He made the most of his time as commander by influencing generals and warlords to ensure the protection of United States interests.
After his performance abroad, Butler was promoted to major general, becoming the youngest major general of the Marine Corps at age 48. His promotion was not the only thing that garnered national attention, however. On his off time, Butler took thousands of his men and reenacted battles at Civil War sites such as Gettysburg, frequently leading from the front and wowing spectators with impressive displays. It warms my heart to know that beyond sharing blood, Butler and I share a flair for the dramatics.
When it came to Benito Mussolini, even Butler could not resist a piece of juicy gossip. While serving as a diplomat in 1931, Butler violated the rules of diplomacy by publicly recounting hearsay about the Italian dictator. Rumor had it that Mussolini had killed a child with a speeding automobile in a hit and run style accident. In a tizzy, the Italian government contacted President Hoover who, holding no warm feelings for Butler, forced the secretary of the Navy, Charles Francis Adams III, to court-martial him. Luckily, Butler’s court-martial was canceled with a reprimand. Because of his rank, Butler reportedly wrote his own reprimand and never apologized to Mussolini, showcasing his stubborn nature and providing the dictator with a slap in the face.
Butler’s true colors were showcased after his retirement. Butler retired after failing to inherit the position of Commandant of the Marine Corps after his superior Major General Wendell C. Neville passed away. But for Smedley, it was on to greener pastures with a new life in politics and lectures. While he lost the bid for the Senate in the Pennsylvania Republican Primary, Smedley was still a powerful political player.
To Butler, war went beyond fame and glory. It took time away from the Marines for him to realize that “I never had a thought of my own until I left the service.” This realization allowed him to become a popular activist, speaking at meetings arranged by veterans, pacifists and church groups in the 1930s. He criticized the government for using propaganda to encourage conscription and war efforts and for painting war with beautiful ideals.
Butler described war as a mechanism for American corporations to secure interests and criticized the United States government for its seemingly imperialist motivations. In his words, Butler “helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914 . . . helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in . . . helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street . . . helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 . . . brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916” and helped in China to “see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested”
He then revealed the only times that he deemed war appropriate: “There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket” (all excerpts from a speech in 1933). These thoughts were summarized in his 1935 book “War Is a Racket,” allowing him recognition as an esteemed author and popular anti-war advocate.
Before his death in 1940, Butler became famed for one final deed: exposing a political conspiracy known as “The Business Plot.” In November 1934, Butler announced that a group of wealthy business men had solicited him in an effort to overthrow Franklin D. Roosevelt and establish a fascist dictatorship. Testifying before the McCormack-Dickstein Committee (later named the House Un-American Activities Committee), Butler explained that the group supposedly had a backing of $3 million and 500,000 ex-soldiers. The media ridiculed Butler, however, and no real action was taken. While some historians still question the truth of his claims, a final report by a special House of Representatives Committee confirmed some of Butler’s statements, and journalist John L. Spivak charged the congressional committee with deliberately suppressing evidence of the offer made to Butler.
Smedley Darlington Butler was truly an exceptional man. In his battles at home and abroad, he always fought with an unbreakable spirit. He was progressive for his time, making arguments relative to today’s social and political landscape. To finish this installment, I will leave you with a quote from War is a Racket that summarizes his thoughts and emphasizes his beliefs: “AL INFIERNO CON LA GUERRA” (TO HELL WITH WAR).
Celine Butler is a second-year student majoring in psychology with minors in French and Fine Art. ✉ CB869017@wcupa.edu.