Customer Reviews:
 Powerful and Sad March 26, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
4 Stars not 5 because of Intro (not written by Butler). Butler reveals an impassioned hatred of war because he is a human being with a conscience. It is so sad how indifferently governments and nations treat their soldiers and how ignorant and willing people are to rationalize inflicted death.
 Wake up America!! February 17, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
War is a Racket is one of the greatest anti-war book ever penned. As a Marine veteran of Iraqi Freedom it is easy to disregard this a commi-b.s.propaganda , but looking further into what is "the war to make the world safe for democracy" ( not the infinite war on terror, but The Great War, WW1) We can see the true propaganda of business corrupting our sovereignty. The first casualties of war are common sense and open discussion. It is almost impossible for America to be truly attacked; if our forces were at home it would be virtually impossible to sustain any large force , even if it were, the Unorganized militia would crush them, providing we have not been disarmed by all the gun-grabbing cowards like Socialist Billy Bob Clinton and Mr. Fascist Patriot Act Bush. Wake up, learn from one of our most decorated warriors and open your mind to something other than "the terrorist are gonna get us if we don't go fight them in the sandbox". Gimme a break.
The Marines Pride January 27, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Even today this book is very informational. What was written then is still being done today.
Follow the money November 20, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
In this classic pamphlet the authentic war hero, Gen. Butler, brings doubt on the pretty face so often given to war. It is Gen. Butler's wakeup to reality that the causes of war are far more complex than the slogans and noble phrases that precede it. In order to truly understand the cause of wars we must follow the money. Often, those who speak the General's message are branded as less than patriots; the most decorated soldier of his time, Gen. Butler lays that accusation to rest for all time.
Gen. Butler's work was prophetic, anticipating the military-industrial complex long before President Eisenhower's famous speech coining that phrase. It is as profitable for us today to be aware of those forces on society as it was then.
Though somewhat lacking in recent details, Gen. Butler still manages to give us pause to ponder the connections between money and war. Business interests have indeed fueled many wars and ignoring those interests is ignoring reality. A great work that can help us avoid the hysteria so prevalent at war's beginnings and perhaps save us from the same old mistakes. Every true patriot will want to be familiar with this short but convincing little classic.
A Smoking Gun November 5, 2007
7 out of 32 found this review helpful
General Smedley Butler is someone that Americans should pay attention to. He was a highly decorated Marine Corps general who understood the system he was apart of, and wasn't afraid to expose it in the end. He realized that both he and his men were being exploited by big-business interests who have more say in government policy than they're entitled to. The horrible truth of it all is that war is a business; and that there are many American bankers and industrialists who have no scruple about causing the deaths of other people as long as they can make money. The result is that in America there is a veritable syndicate of bankers and industrialists who have a vested interest in seeing the United States mired in one frivolous war after another.
There was another brave military man out there who also warned about this problem. I refer to the former President and retired WWII General Dwight Eisenhower. In one his last speeches as President he warned the American people about the so-called "Military Industrial Complex." He warned America about a politically powerful corporate culture which had a vested interest in seeing America go to war, as opposed to other possible solutions which might be in the better interest of the United States and the people.
I know there are many people out there who believe that there are no "conspiracies" in America. Yet this is exactly what the retired generals Butler and Eisenhower warned us about. If our own leaders in big business and government are willing to connive to start wars and get thousands of people killed, then what else are they capable of?
I believe that Smedley Butler and Dwight Eisenhower were, like all of our serving men and women, honorable citizens who stood up in an emergency situation and followed orders. They obeyed our leaders in good patriotic faith. This is the sacrifice that all of our men and women make from the beginning when they are sent off to war, and to be shot and blown to pieces. They accept in good faith that their leaders are telling the truth, and that their sacrifices are necessary for the survival of our society. But once the fighting and the horror has come and gone - the real questions begin. Obviously Smedley Butler and Dwight Eisenhower were two veterans among many who realized that they weren't being told the whole truth, and that the system itself is corrupt.
The final question is whether the American people have the moral fortitude and courage to heed these warnings? Or will they sit idly as criminals lead this country down the road to bankruptcy, with half the world looking for revenge?
I believe that Smedley Butler's book addresses some vitally important issues - issues that could one day get you, or some one else in your family killed. Ignore this book at your own peril.
Now I know that there are some who would point to WWII as a refutation of Butler's thesis. But this position is the result of a most shallow consideration of the issues. Yes, we had to go to war to stop Hitler and the Japaneses - and to Roosevelt's credit he spent less money on Germany and Japan than Bush has spent in Iraq (so far). But the question most people never ask is "What happened to the Versaille Treaty?" When Hitler came to power in 1933 Germany was subject to this treaty, and Germany's economy was under the control of a syndicate of American banks which financed Germany's war reparations payments. Furthermore, under the Versaille Treaty Germany had no army, navy or airforce. In 1933 Hitler was in a very weak position and he could have easily been toppled.
Hitler never lied about his objectives. He could have been easily toppled. But instead, the US and British governments agreed to stop enforcing the Versaille Treaty, and they allowed Hitler to re-arm Germany. Many American companies like Ford, General Motors and ITT helped to rebuild Germany's military. (Some of these companies have even been sued by Holocaust survivors.) JP Morgan helped re-organize Germany's diverse chemical industry into the notorious IG Farben conglomerate, which in turn was the chief financial backer of the Nazi regime. Some readers may also be aware of the role W's grand father, Prescott Bush, in the financing of Germany's steel industry, which provided the steel for all those new Panzer tanks, and for the battleships Bismark and the Graf Spee.
Yes, once we look into the real issues, it becomes more than obvious that the good General Butler was in fact right after all.
Yes, we needed to fight WWII, but then again we had the leaders in place here at home who made damn sure that there was an enemy there to fight with. Most disgusting is that some of the American institutions who profited from the rebuilding of Germany's military also profited from the US war against Germany.
It would have been very intersting to see Smedley Butler's reaction to all of this, but he died in 1940. Right up to his death Butler was opposed to any US involvement in the British war with Germany. He is open to criticism because of this; but he certainly cannot be blamed for smelling a rat.
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