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Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History
Smedley Butler's life and career epitomize the contradictory nature of American military policy through the first part of this century. Butler won renown as a Marine battlefield hero, campaigning in most of America's foreign military expeditions from 1898 to the late 1920s. He became the leading national advocate for paramilitary police reform. Upon his retirement, however, he renounced war and imperialism and devoted his energy and prestige to various dissident and leftist political causes.
318 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 1998
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185 people want to read
About the author
Hans R. Schmidt
2 booksHans R. Schmidt is a retired historian who taught at the Hong Kong University, the University of Zambia and SUNY New Paltz.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 20, 2017
Maverick Marine charts Smedley Butler's long and controversial career as an imperial enforcer, expanding American influence by force in Cuba, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Mexico, China, Haiti and France before becoming a staunch opponent of imperialism, fascism and war. For all his undoubted courage as a multiple Medal of Honor winner, Butler does not come off well here. Despite his about-face later in life, he clearly had no qualms about brutality or racism while actually serving (his epithets towards the Haitians in particular would make a Klansman blush), earning a memetic reputation as a deadly fighter (Nicaraguans of the era, Schmidt reports, cautioned misbehaving children that "Major Butler will get you"). Schmidt explores this with commendable objectivity, allowing Old Gimlet Eye to speak for himself without editorializing; his own words are pretty damning. As for his later turn towards pacifism, Schmidt suggests that it came less from principle than a falling out with the Marine Corps brass over a delayed promotion and bureaucratic infighting; always outspoken and unvarnished in his opinions, Butler made many enemies even within the institution he served so faithfully. A fascinating biography highly recommended to students of military history.
May 28, 2017
The General Drives this book, not the writer
Very few men win one Congressional Medals of Honor (CMH). Most Medal of Honor winners die in the act of earning the award. There was one officer who has two CMHs, Marine General Smedley D. Butler. His biography should be one that lifts the reader, this is not that biography. It is a workman like product, relatively complete and thoughtful. In the end it is dry and lacks spark.
The contradictions that made this man unlikely; the historic events that he figured in and commented upon; should leave a reader spellbound and eager to get to the next page. Instead the events and comments are reported as classroom recitation.
Coming from a Quaker family, he should not have been a warrior, much less a respected leader of men. He would become an exemplar of both. He would lead many successful military operations, sometimes heroically but in this book his two CMH's seem like political payoffs rather than battle changing efforts.
His organization, operations and command during the relief of Peking in 1900 is another case of contradictions. Gen. Butler enforced rigorous discipline on his men demanding that they perform huge amounts of manual labor and accept 10PM curfews. Indeed "old Gimlet Eye" as he was called became fierce on the subjects of respect for the locals and sobriety. For this his men would criticize him as forgetting that Marines were men and needed to let off steam.
What would keep Gen. Butler from being Marine Corps Commandant would be his refusal to stay a passive participant in American imperialism. He would make it know and ultimately publish that he was sick of the Marines being used as a private army for American business interests. For an American military man to be this critical of his country he has to retire. Gen. Butler would always place his duty and honor above other concerns. He retired and went public describing some of his ordered duties as comparable to Al Capone mobsterism. The title of his most famous book: "War is a Racket" pretty much tells it all.
One of the last dramas of Gen. Butler's life was an attempt to recruit him in a plot to overthrow President Roosevelt, end the new deal and place the KKK and corporate interests in front of a new government. From this book it is unclear just how real this threat was, or how unique such plots were. Ol' Gimlet Eye had none of it and promptly reported the plot and insured its swift end.
The point of this review is to emphasize that Gen. Smedly D. Butler was as the title suggests a Maverick Marine. His story is worthy, important and vital to understanding not just the history of the Marine Corps, but how the modern use by American of its' military is understood by the nations who are on the receiving end. This biography could serve to tell much that is powerful. Instead Hans Schmidt tells a story that favors the academic and assumes that you can interpret incompletely detailed discussions.
Ultimately I liked learning about a man worthy of respect and deserving of having his story told. I kept waiting for the narrative to match the man or to fully explain his significance. I never felt that this book achieved the potential of its subject.
Very few men win one Congressional Medals of Honor (CMH). Most Medal of Honor winners die in the act of earning the award. There was one officer who has two CMHs, Marine General Smedley D. Butler. His biography should be one that lifts the reader, this is not that biography. It is a workman like product, relatively complete and thoughtful. In the end it is dry and lacks spark.
The contradictions that made this man unlikely; the historic events that he figured in and commented upon; should leave a reader spellbound and eager to get to the next page. Instead the events and comments are reported as classroom recitation.
Coming from a Quaker family, he should not have been a warrior, much less a respected leader of men. He would become an exemplar of both. He would lead many successful military operations, sometimes heroically but in this book his two CMH's seem like political payoffs rather than battle changing efforts.
His organization, operations and command during the relief of Peking in 1900 is another case of contradictions. Gen. Butler enforced rigorous discipline on his men demanding that they perform huge amounts of manual labor and accept 10PM curfews. Indeed "old Gimlet Eye" as he was called became fierce on the subjects of respect for the locals and sobriety. For this his men would criticize him as forgetting that Marines were men and needed to let off steam.
What would keep Gen. Butler from being Marine Corps Commandant would be his refusal to stay a passive participant in American imperialism. He would make it know and ultimately publish that he was sick of the Marines being used as a private army for American business interests. For an American military man to be this critical of his country he has to retire. Gen. Butler would always place his duty and honor above other concerns. He retired and went public describing some of his ordered duties as comparable to Al Capone mobsterism. The title of his most famous book: "War is a Racket" pretty much tells it all.
One of the last dramas of Gen. Butler's life was an attempt to recruit him in a plot to overthrow President Roosevelt, end the new deal and place the KKK and corporate interests in front of a new government. From this book it is unclear just how real this threat was, or how unique such plots were. Ol' Gimlet Eye had none of it and promptly reported the plot and insured its swift end.
The point of this review is to emphasize that Gen. Smedly D. Butler was as the title suggests a Maverick Marine. His story is worthy, important and vital to understanding not just the history of the Marine Corps, but how the modern use by American of its' military is understood by the nations who are on the receiving end. This biography could serve to tell much that is powerful. Instead Hans Schmidt tells a story that favors the academic and assumes that you can interpret incompletely detailed discussions.
Ultimately I liked learning about a man worthy of respect and deserving of having his story told. I kept waiting for the narrative to match the man or to fully explain his significance. I never felt that this book achieved the potential of its subject.
July 30, 2024
Smedley Darlington Butler was a soldier who took his oath and duties seriously. Hans Schmidt seems to capture all sides of Major General Butler. There is a lot of history surrounding Butler's exploits.
Although a two-time Congressional Medal of Honor winner, Butler had to be ordered to accept his. One of his most admirable qualities was his dedication to his soldiers. Toward the end of his career, he fought for the soldiers' benefits. His actions morphed into what some would call liberalism. Or would you call it trying to defend the people who were not Wall Streeters or wealthy industrialists? The reader will have to decide.
Although a two-time Congressional Medal of Honor winner, Butler had to be ordered to accept his. One of his most admirable qualities was his dedication to his soldiers. Toward the end of his career, he fought for the soldiers' benefits. His actions morphed into what some would call liberalism. Or would you call it trying to defend the people who were not Wall Streeters or wealthy industrialists? The reader will have to decide.
May 10, 2021
While the author develops his theme well, the book skips over an awful lot of history and context.
November 5, 2021
Certainly an very interesting person to bad the author was up to writing a good book.
February 8, 2022
Remarkably well written biography of the most colorful Marine and one of the most colorful characters you’ve never heard of.
July 29, 2014
This book is an engrossing biography of an eccentric man that was deeply involved in an ignored period of American History. The book is as much a history of that period as it is a biography. The author has succeeded in writing about about a historically important person and the related military?political history without becoming dry and academic. The length of the book is reasonable and General Butler was such a colorful figure that his story alone makes for a very enjoyable read.
Gen. Butler's life story concerns his chosen profession, that of a Marine. The book details his various duties and combat exploits throughout his fabled career. He spent the majority of his time as a Marine in the Marine Expeditionary Forces during the height of America's "Gunboat Diplomacy" period.
The author relates Gen. Butler's courageous and individualistic leadership style. The story of his action in Cuba, the Philippines, China, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Mexico.
As General Butler's narrative progresses he begins to question the legitimacy of an American presence in these impoverished nations. At the end of his career Gen. Butler began nation wide speaking tours about his view of the American conquest of these countries. In pursuing his vision he had the audacity to "Speak truth to Power" and elucidate American citizens as to the real reasons for their sons being sent overseas; to use American forces to protect corporate interests around the world. When General Butler used the famous phrase he coined; "War is a Racket", he meant the phrase in its fullest meaning; that of American troops being used as "muscle" to protect the Maria that is Wall Street.
General Butler offered the American public a blunt explanation of what "American interests" the Marines were protecting. "…I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American Sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras 'right' for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested…"
General Butler's story did not stop with his condemnation of American "diplomatic" policy. He also became involved with another hidden part of American history; a plot to oust FDR and to set up a fascist dictatorship in America. The story about the clandestine bit of American history is intriguing, frightening…and true. One can only speculate as why this very important event in American history has been disregarded. This incident should be taught as a priority in all school textbooks, from primary school through college, if we value out nations heritage.
The fascist conspiracy that Gen. Butler exposed was far more important than the tragedy of 9-11. This was "home grown terrorism" of the worst sort. This attempt, to establish a fascist dictatorship in America, was financed by some of the wealthiest families in America. This is why I would recommend this book as a must read.
Gen. Butler's life story concerns his chosen profession, that of a Marine. The book details his various duties and combat exploits throughout his fabled career. He spent the majority of his time as a Marine in the Marine Expeditionary Forces during the height of America's "Gunboat Diplomacy" period.
The author relates Gen. Butler's courageous and individualistic leadership style. The story of his action in Cuba, the Philippines, China, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Mexico.
As General Butler's narrative progresses he begins to question the legitimacy of an American presence in these impoverished nations. At the end of his career Gen. Butler began nation wide speaking tours about his view of the American conquest of these countries. In pursuing his vision he had the audacity to "Speak truth to Power" and elucidate American citizens as to the real reasons for their sons being sent overseas; to use American forces to protect corporate interests around the world. When General Butler used the famous phrase he coined; "War is a Racket", he meant the phrase in its fullest meaning; that of American troops being used as "muscle" to protect the Maria that is Wall Street.
General Butler offered the American public a blunt explanation of what "American interests" the Marines were protecting. "…I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American Sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras 'right' for American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested…"
General Butler's story did not stop with his condemnation of American "diplomatic" policy. He also became involved with another hidden part of American history; a plot to oust FDR and to set up a fascist dictatorship in America. The story about the clandestine bit of American history is intriguing, frightening…and true. One can only speculate as why this very important event in American history has been disregarded. This incident should be taught as a priority in all school textbooks, from primary school through college, if we value out nations heritage.
The fascist conspiracy that Gen. Butler exposed was far more important than the tragedy of 9-11. This was "home grown terrorism" of the worst sort. This attempt, to establish a fascist dictatorship in America, was financed by some of the wealthiest families in America. This is why I would recommend this book as a must read.
July 15, 2016
This is an extraordinarily well researched biography on what may have been America's most famous and controversial Marine. Smedley Darlington Butler was a two time winner of the Medal of Honor and one of the Marine Corps's most accomplished fighting men.
Following his retirement he became an outspoken advocate for American isolationism and an anti-war advocate. A virulent anti-capitalist, Butler travelled the country's lecture circuit drumming up populist ire against the denizens of Wall Street. His book "War Is A Racket", a brief work lambasting American wars as doing little more than serving the needs of corporate profit, is still in circulation today.
The book provides a fascinating history of politics inside the Marine Corps in the first third of the 20th century, as well as the Corps struggle for identity and survival in the face of external hostility from the other services. Schmidt also provides some interesting parallels between the political world of Butler's time and that of our own Post 9-11 world.
Butler was a loose cannon, a passionate idealist, a fearless warrior, and a man of integrity and seeming contradictions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about him.
Following his retirement he became an outspoken advocate for American isolationism and an anti-war advocate. A virulent anti-capitalist, Butler travelled the country's lecture circuit drumming up populist ire against the denizens of Wall Street. His book "War Is A Racket", a brief work lambasting American wars as doing little more than serving the needs of corporate profit, is still in circulation today.
The book provides a fascinating history of politics inside the Marine Corps in the first third of the 20th century, as well as the Corps struggle for identity and survival in the face of external hostility from the other services. Schmidt also provides some interesting parallels between the political world of Butler's time and that of our own Post 9-11 world.
Butler was a loose cannon, a passionate idealist, a fearless warrior, and a man of integrity and seeming contradictions. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about him.
January 6, 2015
An unvarnished view of the man behind the myth that is Marine General Smedley Butler, two time recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. A very good read that separates Marine Corps myth from fact in regards to Gen. Butler. This book examines his father, an influential politician, his family, upbringing and service with civilian L.E. during prohibition. Be forewarned, the author liked the use of his thesaurus.
August 31, 2015
A must read for anyone gung ho for war
If you think liberals to blame and control the media, General Butler was the Marines Marine. Two time medal of honor winner. The man knows war and his career was all about it. If you want to understand US foreign policy, study and learn from General Butler's words and actions, not some dumbass on Fox news.
If you think liberals to blame and control the media, General Butler was the Marines Marine. Two time medal of honor winner. The man knows war and his career was all about it. If you want to understand US foreign policy, study and learn from General Butler's words and actions, not some dumbass on Fox news.
March 31, 2020
Many historical anecdotes are made to clarify why Smedley Butler was an outlier within a privileged family and career. They somewhat detract from the purpose of the book. If you are unfamiliar with US Military actions prior to WW1, this book will help inform you how the US Marine Corps was used. The most important aspect of his career, the alleged coup, is lacking in content.
March 7, 2009
Eye opening and enlightening . . . I had no idea this man even existed. This was the same kind of Marine that Chesty Puller was, only much more politically involved.
March 9, 2011
Schmidt brings General Smedley D. Butler to life. His use of Butler's personal papers and official reports of action that he participated in through his long career.
January 27, 2013
A pretty dry biography of a very compelling person.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews