War Is a Racket

The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

By: Smedley Darlington Butler

Narrated by: Victor Craig

War Is a Racket is a 1935 book by Smedley D. Butler (1881 –1940), a retired United States Marine Corps Major General and two-time Medal of Honor recipient who became an outspoken critic of American wars and their consequences. During his 34-year career as a Marine, he took part in military actions in the Philippines, China, Central America, the Caribbean, and France. After his retirement from the US Marine Corps in 1931, he took his speech "War is a Racket" on a nationwide tour. Due to its popularity, he wrote a longer version for a booklet published in 1935.

Based on his career military experience, Butler exposed the huge scale of war profiteering by business interests. In War is a Racket, he wrote, “For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out."

©1935 Smedley D. Butler (P)2020 Woodkeep Audio

Timeless

War is a Racket could have been written today with adjustments for inflation and updates to the companies and politicians who send the poor to bleed and die for their profit.

Marines…A must read

Marines…A must read, 2 time Medal of Honor recipient, has some strong words, we should all hear.