Ep 6 – The Real Coup

In 'War Is a Racket,' Smedley D. Butler offers a searing indictment of the true, profit-driven nature of warfare. Having seen the gruesome realities of combat firsthand, Butler unveils a shocking exposé on how wars are deliberately fomented to line the pockets of the elite. He challenges the noble façades often wrapped around military conflicts and invites readers to question the motives behind global battles. The book highlights how the business of war thrives on the sacrifices of soldiers and taxpayers, benefiting powerful industrialists and corporations. Butler also examines the intricate connections between government officials and major corporations that drive war policies for financial gain.

Gangsters of Capitalism tells an urgent story about a formative era of U.S. imperialism, tracing a path from the first wave of U.S. overseas expansionism to the rise of fascism in the 1930s and the crises of democracy today. Jonathan Myerson Katz traveled the world to recreate Butler’s journeys and analyzed personal letters to reveal how memories of U.S. imperialism remain a vital force shaping politics and culture globally. The book is a comprehensive biography of General Smedley Butler, who personified the first four decades of the American imperium, and it tallies the true costs of empire.