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Part One
In 1933 during Roosevelt’s first 100 days a plot was hatched among right wing industrialists and banking interests to usurp the office of the President and if that failed to forcibly remove the him from office and to replace him with a fascist dictatorship.
This was 1933 the future was unknown but what was seen by the world and much admired was a rapid economic recovery in Italy in Germany Adolf Hitler had just become chancellor in January of that year.
But to the American capitalist power structure the choice was obvious, seeing no fault in their own behavior in the stock market crash of 1929 they saw Roosevelt’s announced plan of banking reform as not only unnecessary but a direct assault on what they saw a their own peculiar institution. Like slavery a generation and a half before they saw control of the money and credit supply to be a private affair aloof to the prerogatives of lowly elected executives.
In Italy and Germany they saw governments that did not allow dissent that quashed labor unions. A synergy in which the Government and industry became collaborative effort with strict wage controls after a 25% cost of living increase German workers wages declined.
I note the cost of living increase because of the similarity of President Bushes 2001 tax rebate. German workers were then issued work books they could only legally be hired for a job by presenting their workbook then once employed the employer retained possession of the book and could refuse to return it to a worker who quit his job.
Against that backdrop of a co-opted state and a perceived free hand for business and banking what capitalist wouldn’t lick his lips at the prospect of an American Fuehrer.
These men however were naive they were bankers and Industrialists not politicians Irenee Du Pont - Right-wing chemical industrialist and founder of the American Liberty League, the organization assigned to execute the plot along with his deputy John J. Raskob - A high-ranking Du Pont officer and a former chairman of the Democratic Party. Robert Clark - One of Wall Street's richest bankers and stockbrokers. Gerald MacGuire - Bond salesman for Clark, and a former commander of the Connecticut American Legion. William Doyle - Former state commander of the American Legion and a central plotter of the coup and Grayson Murphy - Director of Goodyear, Bethlehem Steel and a group of J.P. Morgan banks.
In 1933 the American political landscape was in turmoil millions looking to Roosevelt to quickly revive the economy. To the plotters they saw a chance to use that turmoil to gain control of or to turn Roosevelt out of office. It was naive in its simplicity perhaps the light from nazi torch light parades twinkled in their eyes. The plotters attempted to recruit world war one war hero Smedley Butler to lead the coup they felt with Butler’s reputation with the troops would be able to sway veterans to go along with a plot to overthrow the government. The plotters mistake was in recruiting one from outside of their class Butler’s popularity was because of his closeness to the plain soldier not the elite.
The plan involved General Butler delivering an ultimatum to the President. Roosevelt would pretend to become sick and incapacitated from his polio, and allow a newly created cabinet officer, a "Secretary of General Affairs," to run things in his stead. The secretary, of course, would be carrying out the orders of Wall Street. If Roosevelt refused, then General Butler would force him out with an army of 500,000 war veterans from the American Legion. Gerald Macguire assured the General of success
"You know the American people will swallow that. We have got the newspapers. We will start a campaign that the President's health is failing. Everyone can tell that by looking at him, and the dumb American people will fall for it in a second…"
Robert Clark told Butler that he would spend half his $60 million fortune to save the other half so money was no object. Macguire told Paul French associate of the generals
"We need a fascist government in this country… to save the nation from the communists who want to tear it down and wreck all that we have built in America. The only men who have the patriotism to do it are the soldiers, and Smedley Butler is the ideal leader. He could organize a million men overnight."
But the plot unraveled when the General went public with what he knew. This was a hard lesson learned by right wing monied interests and would never be repeated all covert actions must be handled from the inside. It took all the media influence they could muster to save themselves from potential charges of treason.
As they saying goes politics makes strange bedfellows Roosevelt could have pursued the conspirators vigorously but would have risked destabilizing the economy even more or accept a tactical victory. That the conspirators were undone and to let them sink or swim by their own resources like a defeated army with it’s stragglers trying to retreat back to friendly lines.
When MacGuire was called before a congressional committee to explain, his story was he simply wanted to use Butler’s influence to return to the Gold Standard. But unknown to MacGuire other conspirators has already told the tale and much like Scooter Libby he suddenly developed memory problems.
How did the media respond to a plot against the government? The New York Times of Nov. 22 pulled the story off its front page, placing it on page 5, in one column, under the headline ``Inquiry Pressed in `Fascist Plot.'' It led with MacGuire's denials of all charges and the committee co chair stating all testimony would be withheld and the committee was unsure if they would call any further witnesses or even if there would be a public hearing. The fix was in MacGuire was right when he said they had the newspapers The New York Times published a litany of stories belittling the Coup in General and Smedley Butler in particular. Time Magazine chimed in calling Butler “A plot without Plotters” it wasn’t until 1967 before Smedley Butler finally had his name fully cleared.
No one went to jail and Roosevelt’s plans of a banking overhaul were scaled back, the atrocity of the Nazi’s quieted most critics. The US economy still foundered until defense orders brought and end to the great depression towards the end of the 1930’s. Industrialist in both Germany and America chaffed and resented government interference but as long as business was good they would go along quietly.
Despite the full court press by the media to dislodge Harry Truman He remained President for almost eight years instituting the Marshal Plan to rebuild Europe insisting on the name change to Marshall himself to improve chances of its passage. Throughout Truman’s presidency he had sought out Dwight Eisenhower’s politically leanings even offering to support him if he ran as a Democrat and almost up until the day Eisenhower announced his intention to run as a Republican he professed to Truman no political leanings opinions or ambitions. But Eisenhower is a pivotal character in our saga,
Eisenhower is the model Republican President all others are cut from that cloth, make speeches and pronouncements go on vacation, play golf but leaving the minutia of government to political operatives. Work to repeal and roll back reforms that aide the middle class by claiming the programs are unnecessary. Churchill’s Fulton Missouri speech helped foment the Cold war as well as Soviet pronouncements. Being a military man Eisenhower was in full accord of a defense build up but like Smedley Butler before him he feared the rise of “military industrial complex.”
Unlike the operatives in the Roosevelt era the new operatives work from the inside out to manipulate policy. With the rise of the Central Intelligence Agency the President is now able to conduct foreign or domestic surveillance and assassination. No more clumsy attempts with untrustworthy generals.
End of Part 1
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