Previously, we discussed that America was colonized by venture capitalists to create massive profits. When the King of England started to cut into these profits by asking the venture capitalists to start sharing the burden for their security, they responded with the Declaration of Independence.
Fast forward to 1934 in the middle of what was then called 'The Great Depression.' President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a member of the venture capitalist class and cousin of reformer president Teddy Roosevelt, was accused of betraying his class by enacting several measures to ease the suffering of working class Americans.
FDR's perceived betrayal lay primarily in three parts. First, FDR abandoned the Gold Standard. Second, he instituted a minimum wage law. Thirdly, and possibly the last straw, he authorized collective bargaining among federal workers.
The venture capitalists were convinced FDR had gone socialist. From their perspective, nothing cut into their profits more than social programs that helped workers. They felt they needed to 'take their country back.'
In Germany and Italy, international venture capitalists were funding Fascist movements led primarily by groups of WWI veterans. American venture capitalists decided to try the same thing (many American bankers and industrialists were funding German re-armament and supporting Hitler's rise to power).
In 1932, around 40,000 veterans and their families marched on the capital, demanding payment of the bonuses they had been promised. The veterans were led by much decorated retired Marine Corps general Smedley Butler.
Then president Herbert Hoover ordered the army to disperse the protesters. Gen. Douglas MacArthur was in command of the operation, assisted by Major Dwight Eisenhower and Major George Patton.
Gen. Butler was a hero to many veterans for leading the march and supporting their efforts (one can speculate as to what the veterans thought of MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton). So it was Butler that the venture capitalists approached to lead the military coup against FDR.
Butler, approached with the possibility of leading a military dictatorship with the president left as a mere figurehead, responded by secretly contacting a journalist. Butler went along with the coup long enough to collect credible information verified by multiple sources, which he then turned over to Congress.
Congress launched an investigation which concluded the coup attempt was credible. The venture capitalists responded to the charges by ridiculing Butler through their media outlets.
FDR said nothing. However, he was able to enact a multitude of social programs from that point forward with only token opposition. At the time, it was speculated that FDR cut a deal with the venture capitalists.
If the venture capitalists dropped their opposition to FDR's social programs, it was said that FDR would insure that no charges would be brought against the conspirators. If true, it was a brilliant move. It would have been difficult to prove treason against the venture capitalists as they contacted Butler through intermediaries.
FDR's programs helped contribute to the recovery from the depression and fueled working class prosperity after WWII the likes of which the world has never seen. Since FDR, the venture capitalists have sought to repeal these programs.
To this day, collective bargaining and minimum wage are measures the venture capitalists are seeking to contain, diminish or repeal. The problem they face is that these programs are popular with American workers.
It needs to be pointed out that the military coups led by WWI veterans were successful in Germany and Italy. In America, the venture capitalists in their coup attempt failed to anticipate that a Marine general cared more about his country than money and power.
We need to ask why hardly anybody knows who Smedley Butler is and what he did for our country. I don't know, but I'm going to keep watching the History Channel. Maybe between the programs on Hitler there will be one on Butler. Stay tuned.
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