Exposing the Legacy of American Corporatism
By Richard Sanders, editor, Press for Conversion!
This issue of Press for Conversion! exposes a little-known,
fascist plot to overthrow the U.S. government in the 1930s. We
know about this scheme, and the corporate elite behind it, thanks
to a high-ranking military whistle-blower: Marine Corps Maj.-Gen.
Smedley Butler. Butler is largely forgotten today, but 70 years
ago he was the most revered American military hero, the only man
to have twice been awarded the Marines prestigious Medal
of Honor. During his loyal 33-year military career, Butler led
invasions, quelled nationalist rebellions and instituted regime
changes to benefit U.S. business interests in Mexico, Haiti, Cuba,
Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and China.
In 1933, Butler was approached a clique of multi-millionaire
industrialists and bankers. They hated U.S. President Franklin
D. Roosevelt (FDR) with a passion, and saw his New Deal
policies as the start of a communist take-over that threatened
their interests. FDR even had the temerity to announce that the
U.S. would stop using its military to interfere in Latin American
affairs! Wall Streets plutocrats were aghast! They had long
been accustomed to wielding tremendous control over the governments
economic policies, including the use of U.S. forces to protect
their precious foreign investments. Because of Butlers steadfast
military role in upholding U.S. business interests abroad, the
plotters mistakenly thought they could recruit him to muster a
super-army of veterans to use as pawns in their plan
to subjugate or, if necessary, eliminate FDR.
Butler played along in order to determine who was behind the
plot. Testifying under oath before a House Committee on un-American
activities, he named those directly involved. He also identified
an organization of powerful financiers, the American Liberty League,
that was backing the plot. News of Butlers sensational testimony
thwarted the coup, but the plotters were never questioned, let
alone arrested or charged with seditious treason. In fact, they
continued to conspire behind the scenes to rid America of FDR
and to smash his New Deal. Evidence of continued
efforts by powerful U.S. fascists to regain control of the White
House is illustrated by a 1936 statement by William Dodd, the
U.S. Ambassador to Germany:
A clique of U.S. industrialists is hell-bent to bring a
fascist state to supplant our democratic government and is working
closely with the fascist regime in Germany and Italy. I have had
plenty of opportunity in my post in Berlin to witness how close
some of our American ruling families are to the Nazi regime....
A prominent executive of one of the largest corporations, told
me point blank that he would be ready to take definite action
to bring fascism into America if President Roosevelt continued
his progressive policies. Certain American industrialists had
a great deal to do with bringing fascist regimes into being in
both Germany and Italy. They extended aid to help Fascism occupy
the seat of power, and they are helping to keep it there. Propagandists
for fascist groups try to dismiss the fascist scare. We should
be aware of the symptoms. When industrialists ignore laws designed
for social and economic progress they will seek recourse to a
fascist state when the institutions of our government compel them
to comply with the provisions.
Many of those exposed by Butler, boosted their fortunes by investing
in the fascist experiments of Mussolini and Hitler. Some of them
even amassed great profits by arming the Nazis, both before and
during WWII.
How is this history of relevance today? Although all of the top
U.S. fascists behind this 1930s plot are dead, their corporations
carry on. These companies, with their roots firmly planted in
the fascist milieu of the 1930s, are now among the worlds
wealthiest corporations. They continue to exert enormous influence
over U.S. government policies, and by extension
over global matters of war, peace and human rights.
Although those within the highest echelons of U.S. corporate
power were willing to instigate a coup to take control of the
White House, their plot against FDR was called off. However, they
did eventually regain their long-standing influence over American
politics.
President George Walker Bushs grandfather (Prescott Bush)
and great grandfather (George Herbert Walker) were among Wall
Streets ultra-right elite. Before WWII, they financed Hitlers
rise to power. During the war, they profited from companies that
used slave labour at Auschwitz. Then, after the war, they laundered
Nazi loot for Fritz Thyssen, Hitlers richest industrialist
backer.