WAR IS A RACKET: And Other Essential Truths from General Smedley Butler, brutal, frank, determined to tell the truth he saw

WAR IS A RACKET: And Other Essential Truths from General Smedley Butler
SMEDLEY BUTLER (foreword by Kristofer Goldsmith)
Steerforth Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$11.99 ebook, preorder now for delivery 22 September 2026

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Includes a new introduction by Kristofer Goldsmith, the nation’s most recognized authority on the targeting of American troops and veterans with disinformation and extremist recruiting efforts.

Updated with fresh material, this edition brings the prophetic warnings of the 2-time Medal of Honor recipient to a new generation.

"A short, blunt, and extremely vigorous blast." —The New York Times

Smedley Butler, a retired Marine Corps major general and the most decorated combat veteran of his era, is best known today for War is a Racket (1935), a searing anti-war, anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism critique of U.S. military interventionism that has remained perennially in-print and is as relevant today as ever.

This new collection features additional writings that underscore Butler’s role as a staunch advocate for veterans' rights and a fearless defender of democracy. In addition to his 1933 call-to-action, "You've Got to Get Mad," this volume includes his explosive 1934 testimony before the McCormack-Dickstein Committee. There, Butler exposed "The Business Plot"—a conspiracy by a group of Wall Street and other powerful figures that sought to convince Butler to use his influence over disgruntled veterans to seize control of the federal government and install a fascist regime.

With America’s present day military activity more closely tied to corporate profits and the enrichment of its leaders than ever, Butler’s insightful breakdown of the military-industrial complex remains highly resonant. Featuring a new introduction from combat veteran and advocate Kristofer Goldsmith, this edition is an essential resource for anyone looking to build their antifascist toolkit.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: War is a racket. It's just true. In these chapters, a career Marine with the most stellar service record, a reputation as a straight-shootin' sunuvabitch tells it like it is:

1. War is a racket
2. Who makes the profits?
3. Who pays the bills?
4. How to smash this racket!
5. To hell with war!

Written after his retiremet from the position as head of US-occupied Haïti's police force as a speech, turned into a bestselling, Reader's Digest-distributed short book...isn't it telling that almost a hundred years ago peace was a right-wing talking point?...and renowned until the US joined the hugely profitable-for-business world war made its message...awkward.

This new edition of the book is contextualized for modern audiences by Iraq veteran, military-family-descended Kristofer Goldsmith. His clarity and honesty about the personal costs, most of a century after this book's appearance, and thus the consequences of the war machine were know and deliberately ignored.
Smedley Darlington Butler was also the whistleblower that saved the US from the success of the Wall Street Putsch in 1933. The fascists who made that attempt chose the wrong figurehead. They've been quietly designing the next one since then. We're living through it.

Read a moral man's account of what "They" want. It should tell you why it is imperative to #Resist.