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Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America
Pulp History brings to life extraordinary feats of bravery, violence, and redemption that history has forgotten. These stories are so dramatic and thrilling they have to be true.
In DEVIL DOG, the most decorated Marine in history fights for America across the globe—and returns home to set his country straight.
Smedley Butler took a Chinese bullet to the chest at age eighteen, but that did not stop him from running down rebels in Nicaragua and Haiti, or from saving the lives of his men in France. But when he learned that America was trading the blood of Marines to make Wall Street fat cats even fatter, Butler went on a crusade. He threw the gangsters out of Philadelphia, faced down Herbert Hoover to help veterans, and blew the lid off a plot to overthrow FDR.
In DEVIL DOG, the most decorated Marine in history fights for America across the globe—and returns home to set his country straight.
Smedley Butler took a Chinese bullet to the chest at age eighteen, but that did not stop him from running down rebels in Nicaragua and Haiti, or from saving the lives of his men in France. But when he learned that America was trading the blood of Marines to make Wall Street fat cats even fatter, Butler went on a crusade. He threw the gangsters out of Philadelphia, faced down Herbert Hoover to help veterans, and blew the lid off a plot to overthrow FDR.
First published October 5, 2010
About the author
David Talbot
44 books295 followersDavid Talbot is an American progressive journalist, author and media executive. He is the founder, former CEO and editor-in-chief, an early web magazine, Salon. Talbot founded Salon in 1995. The magazine gained a large following and broke several major national stories. It was described by Entertainment Weekly as one of the Net's "few genuine must-reads".
Since leaving Salon, Talbot has researched and written on the Kennedy assassination and other areas of what he calls "hidden history." Talbot has worked as a senior editor for Mother Jones magazine and a features editor for The San Francisco Examiner, and has written for Time magazine, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and other publications.
Talbot was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Harvard Boys School, but did not graduate after falling afoul of the school's headmaster and ROTC program during the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz, he returned to Los Angeles, where he wrote a history of the Hollywood Left, "Creative Differences", and freelanced for Crawdaddy, Rolling Stone, and other magazines. He later was hired by Environmental Action Foundation in Washington, D.C. to write "Power and Light," a book about the politics of energy. After he returned to California, he was hired as an editor at Mother Jones magazine, and later, by San Francisco Examiner publisher Will Hearst to edit the newspaper's Sunday magazine, Image. It was at the Examiner where Talbot developed the idea for Salon, convincing several of his newspaper colleagues to join him and jump ship into the brave new world of web publishing.
Since leaving Salon, Talbot has researched and written on the Kennedy assassination and other areas of what he calls "hidden history." Talbot has worked as a senior editor for Mother Jones magazine and a features editor for The San Francisco Examiner, and has written for Time magazine, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and other publications.
Talbot was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Harvard Boys School, but did not graduate after falling afoul of the school's headmaster and ROTC program during the Vietnam War. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz, he returned to Los Angeles, where he wrote a history of the Hollywood Left, "Creative Differences", and freelanced for Crawdaddy, Rolling Stone, and other magazines. He later was hired by Environmental Action Foundation in Washington, D.C. to write "Power and Light," a book about the politics of energy. After he returned to California, he was hired as an editor at Mother Jones magazine, and later, by San Francisco Examiner publisher Will Hearst to edit the newspaper's Sunday magazine, Image. It was at the Examiner where Talbot developed the idea for Salon, convincing several of his newspaper colleagues to join him and jump ship into the brave new world of web publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 19, 2011
Sharply written, vividly illustrated with newspaper clippings and occasionally NSFW comic pages and wearing it's opinion on it's sleeve, this is a beautiful little biography of one of America's forgotten heroes. Smedley Butler was a two-time Medal of Honor winner and Marine General who served in the Spanish American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the banana wars of the early 20th Century and finally World War I. After the war, he came to regret a lot of what he'd done:
"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. 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. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents"
"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. 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. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents"
July 9, 2015
i'd never heard of Smedley Butler, which is too bad. he was the the best and worst of the American military - a ruthless warrior enslaving South Americans and Chinese because he was under orders to do so, then when he realized he and the soldiers he led had been duped he fought the military, the conservative press, big business and the politicians.
Even runs up against the American prima donna, Gen MacArthur.
Butler became a hero after leading in the military.
There are way to many parallels to today's wars in here. we've not learned.
Spain's illos are okay, but don't add anything.
Even runs up against the American prima donna, Gen MacArthur.
Butler became a hero after leading in the military.
There are way to many parallels to today's wars in here. we've not learned.
Spain's illos are okay, but don't add anything.
July 25, 2016
A serendipitous find at my library when browsing biographies. The surprise and excitement when I saw the name "Butler, Smedley" on the spine tag. The author and illustrator get respect from my perch given their creative approach and subject, an all but forgotten American hero, legendary U.S. Marine, and author himself of the must-read "War is a Racket" (1935).
There is a Marine Corps Base on the island of Okinawa named after the once most decorated and highest ranking Marine ever. The American Forces Network (AFN) used to be the lone channel of English language TV available on the island. And AFN used to have spots for military heroes instead of playing commercials. Surely they had a segment for Smedley Butler.
There is a Marine Corps Base on the island of Okinawa named after the once most decorated and highest ranking Marine ever. The American Forces Network (AFN) used to be the lone channel of English language TV available on the island. And AFN used to have spots for military heroes instead of playing commercials. Surely they had a segment for Smedley Butler.
May 25, 2024
Smedley Butler joined the Marines at sixteen and was first sent to Cuba at the end of that war. Next up was China where a coat button saved his life from a bullet near his heart. Teddy Roosevelt believed in expansion and traded barbs with Mark Twain. Of imperial adventures, Twain wryly observed, leaving her “soul full of meanness, her pocket full of boodle, and her mouth full of pious hypocrisies.” Nothing new as I write this in 2024.
The rape of Peking was , in fact, exactly that, as American, French, British and Russian troop looted as much as they could carry and sexually assaulted Chinese girls along the way. Butler would never be the same after this experience. He dreamed of the River Styx and his death.
The "banana wars" were next for Butler as he led troops to overthrow the governments of Nicaragua in order to hand over control to the Brown Brothers bankers, and now we have "General Raytheon,"Lloyd Austin, funding a genocide.
In 1915, the New York Times insisted that American troops would bring peace and prosperity to Haiti but Butler saw through the PR bullshit. National City Bank of New York gained control of the lucrative imports export fees; same old, same old. After being awarded the Medal of Valor, Butler became the defacto president of the country. In 1921, Senate hearings revealed that an officer ordered prisoners to dig their own graves before shooting them and that girls as young as eight were raped by American Marines.
After running a camp of 70,000 soldiers during WWI, Butler was promoted to general at the age of thirty-seven. In in 1924, he was appointed director of public safety in Philadelphia. Bootlegging was at level which astounded the man and after shaking one too many feathers of the wealthy, he was fired.
In 1932, Butler was visited by men who claimed that they wished to save American democracy from FDR. They were backed by J.P. Morgan and the DuPont's, who had made millions on munitions, including funding Hitler in the 1930's. The cabal were intent on having the retired war hero lead a throng of fellow soldiers in a coup to overthrow the president. He exposed the plot and was largely ignored for his heroism. I will close with a paragraph from the book.
After a lifetime of service to his country, he left behind an estate totaling $2,000, which shows why a man’s value can never be measured by his wealth.
The rape of Peking was , in fact, exactly that, as American, French, British and Russian troop looted as much as they could carry and sexually assaulted Chinese girls along the way. Butler would never be the same after this experience. He dreamed of the River Styx and his death.
The "banana wars" were next for Butler as he led troops to overthrow the governments of Nicaragua in order to hand over control to the Brown Brothers bankers, and now we have "General Raytheon,"Lloyd Austin, funding a genocide.
In 1915, the New York Times insisted that American troops would bring peace and prosperity to Haiti but Butler saw through the PR bullshit. National City Bank of New York gained control of the lucrative imports export fees; same old, same old. After being awarded the Medal of Valor, Butler became the defacto president of the country. In 1921, Senate hearings revealed that an officer ordered prisoners to dig their own graves before shooting them and that girls as young as eight were raped by American Marines.
After running a camp of 70,000 soldiers during WWI, Butler was promoted to general at the age of thirty-seven. In in 1924, he was appointed director of public safety in Philadelphia. Bootlegging was at level which astounded the man and after shaking one too many feathers of the wealthy, he was fired.
In 1932, Butler was visited by men who claimed that they wished to save American democracy from FDR. They were backed by J.P. Morgan and the DuPont's, who had made millions on munitions, including funding Hitler in the 1930's. The cabal were intent on having the retired war hero lead a throng of fellow soldiers in a coup to overthrow the president. He exposed the plot and was largely ignored for his heroism. I will close with a paragraph from the book.
After a lifetime of service to his country, he left behind an estate totaling $2,000, which shows why a man’s value can never be measured by his wealth.
July 12, 2011
Devil Dog is the opening salvo in a new series called “pulp history,” where author Talbot and illustrator Spain Rodriguez use a myriad of techiniques to tell the story of a forgotten historical figure, in this case Smedley Darlington Butler one of the most highly decorated Marines ever.
It's a fascinating story, covering the Boxer Rebellion, wars in Nicaragua and Haiti and World War I. Butler was a gung-ho Marine, but he was also an intelligent man who questioned the reasons behind his assignments and later used his fame to assist returned veterans being shabbily treated by our government and even to foil a plot against the President.
Great story, and an interesting format.
It's a fascinating story, covering the Boxer Rebellion, wars in Nicaragua and Haiti and World War I. Butler was a gung-ho Marine, but he was also an intelligent man who questioned the reasons behind his assignments and later used his fame to assist returned veterans being shabbily treated by our government and even to foil a plot against the President.
Great story, and an interesting format.
December 28, 2012
This the amazing story of Marine General Smedley Butler, a two time winner of the Medal of Hour who served in combat actions beginning with the Boxer Rebellion in China to World War I. His greatest contribution to his count however occurs long after he retires from the Marine Corp with plot to remove a standing president and set up fascist state in America.
Don't let the book's format fool you, with graphics by Spain Rodriquez and side bar of short supporting material is is swell researched piece of work. I highly recommend it.
Don't let the book's format fool you, with graphics by Spain Rodriquez and side bar of short supporting material is is swell researched piece of work. I highly recommend it.
November 29, 2012
Smedley Butler was a Marine Corps legend serving during the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Banana Wars of Central America. and World War I in Europe. Following his retirement from the Corps, he became the head of the Philiphia Police Department. The author constantly confuses Marines and soldiers and the illustrator has included many drawings of nude or semi-nude women., otherwise this would be a good book for teens.
June 18, 2014
The stranger-than-fiction story of Smedley Butler, a Quaker turned Marine--yes, really--who took on the military-industrial complex back when they were still called robber barons. I wish there were some evidence for some of the claims in this book--or better citations of the references used, anyway--but this is still a fascinating read. Illustrations by Spain "Trashman" Rodriguez, a first-generation underground cartoonist.
December 29, 2023
"Devil Dog" is a sort of graphic novel and short biography of Smedley Butler, one of the most decorated US soldiers in history who came to question his service as not one of spreading freedom and democracy, but furthering the interests of ultra-rich megacorporations. Raised in an old money Quaker family in the Philadelphia region, he joined the Marines just in time to be shipped off to fight in the invasion of Cuba, the long war against Filipino independence fighters, and apart of the force sent to China to crush the Boxer Rebellion.
Butler quickly rose through the ranks and gained a reputation as someone who fought hard for the average soldier. As someone who identified with the regular soldier, he quickly found himself butting heads with people above him, and fairly quickly realized that extended into who he was fighting on the battlefields of the "Banana Wars", or the long series of US invasions to back corporate-friendly governments from Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, and Mexico. He saw himself as a thug sent by the government to back Standard Oil and United Fruit's interests more than anything else. Finally, he is deployed to the battlefields of Europe, where he cuts through bureaucratic tape to organize a well run camp for the rank and file American soldiers in France.
In 1924, he took leave from the Marine Corps to take control of Philadelphia's police force in an effort to clean up crime that had riddled the streets after Prohibition. He only lasted 2 years on the job, because he quickly made enemies by launching major raids on the Union League club of the wealthy as well as working class speakeasies. He quickly realized the rich didn't expect Prohibition to apply to them, and openly flouted the law, so Butler more and more went after them as opposed to street hooch peddlers. As such, he was quickly fired after 2 tumultuous years and returned to his duties as a general in the Marine Corps, where he carried out a mission in China.
In 1931, as he was gaining in popularity as the voice of the everyday person in the worsening depression, he caused a diplomatic incident when he accused Italian dictator Mussolini of casually running over a little girl while showing off Italy to an American journalist. The Italian government pressured President Hoover to court martial him, and he was arrested, though the court martial was quietly dropped after it turned out the charge was true. From here, he speaks to the Bonus Army before Douglas MacArthuer flattened their camp and more and more believed that corporate america was behind the destruction of democracies, at home and abroad. By 1935, he became the center of the Business Plot, which involved Prescott Bush, the Dupont family, JP Morgan, and a host of other big industrialists in a plot to mobilize veterans in an army that would overthrow President Roosevelt and set up a fascist dictatorship. He played along for a little while, but then exposed them to the press and Congress. Afterwards, he was the subject of a massive discrediting campaign by big media sources, and when he died in 1940 at age 58, his politics were scarcely mentioned and his war record was instead emphasized.
This is a fascinating read that mixes comics with narrative. The art is very good, though sometimes it is a little off in where it's placed from where the narrative is. Definitely worth a good primer on someone who went to the depths of hell for the American military and came out with the conclusion that it was all for imperial dollar might.
Butler quickly rose through the ranks and gained a reputation as someone who fought hard for the average soldier. As someone who identified with the regular soldier, he quickly found himself butting heads with people above him, and fairly quickly realized that extended into who he was fighting on the battlefields of the "Banana Wars", or the long series of US invasions to back corporate-friendly governments from Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, and Mexico. He saw himself as a thug sent by the government to back Standard Oil and United Fruit's interests more than anything else. Finally, he is deployed to the battlefields of Europe, where he cuts through bureaucratic tape to organize a well run camp for the rank and file American soldiers in France.
In 1924, he took leave from the Marine Corps to take control of Philadelphia's police force in an effort to clean up crime that had riddled the streets after Prohibition. He only lasted 2 years on the job, because he quickly made enemies by launching major raids on the Union League club of the wealthy as well as working class speakeasies. He quickly realized the rich didn't expect Prohibition to apply to them, and openly flouted the law, so Butler more and more went after them as opposed to street hooch peddlers. As such, he was quickly fired after 2 tumultuous years and returned to his duties as a general in the Marine Corps, where he carried out a mission in China.
In 1931, as he was gaining in popularity as the voice of the everyday person in the worsening depression, he caused a diplomatic incident when he accused Italian dictator Mussolini of casually running over a little girl while showing off Italy to an American journalist. The Italian government pressured President Hoover to court martial him, and he was arrested, though the court martial was quietly dropped after it turned out the charge was true. From here, he speaks to the Bonus Army before Douglas MacArthuer flattened their camp and more and more believed that corporate america was behind the destruction of democracies, at home and abroad. By 1935, he became the center of the Business Plot, which involved Prescott Bush, the Dupont family, JP Morgan, and a host of other big industrialists in a plot to mobilize veterans in an army that would overthrow President Roosevelt and set up a fascist dictatorship. He played along for a little while, but then exposed them to the press and Congress. Afterwards, he was the subject of a massive discrediting campaign by big media sources, and when he died in 1940 at age 58, his politics were scarcely mentioned and his war record was instead emphasized.
This is a fascinating read that mixes comics with narrative. The art is very good, though sometimes it is a little off in where it's placed from where the narrative is. Definitely worth a good primer on someone who went to the depths of hell for the American military and came out with the conclusion that it was all for imperial dollar might.
March 6, 2020
Don't judge a book by its cover is truly applicable here. The true story of a great American hero and patriot that our school history books conveniently left out should be a must read for all Americans. Twice winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor, this USMC General saved American from itself during FDR's presidency.
May 16, 2021
I get the idea of celebrating him heroically but I got a bit tired of that nearing the end. Thankfully the last chapter was just in the nick of time: the fascist plot to overthrow FDR by Wall Street using Smedley Butler as a popular war hero to March half a million veterans on Washington and do a fucking coup! Who knew!
January 20, 2023
Don’t let the lurid illustrations put you off: this is a first-rate biography of Smedley Butler, the man who uncovered a plot to replace FDR with a fascist regime financed by the DuPonts, J.P. Morgan and other tycoons. This is the figure played by Robert DeNiro in the splendid 2022 movie Amsterdam. You gotta wonder how the plot would have fared had the schemers had today’s social media tools.
July 6, 2012
What an incredible tale, and all of it true, AND incredibly parallel to today. A nice quick read of what every American should know about our history in the last 100+ years. I never heard a hint of this in high school or college, got only hints of it from Soldier of Fortune articles longing for the "good ol' days" of American imperialism, and a quick blip on the Daily Show. If you don't want to read this fun blended media version, their are many more books about the plot against FDR and how the grandfathers of today's GOP were behind it. Rest in Peace, Smedley Darlington Butler. You truly deserve it.
March 9, 2014
The life of Marine Corps General Smedley D. Butler would be an impressive story wherever one found it, but this adaptation of his life somehow robs its characters of life and personality - you can't make the argument that this comicization makes the material more accessible for young readers, b/c nothing about this is intended for them. One wonders if Butler would have liked having a comic book about him, and whether, ultimately, this works. I enjoyed it, but...something's missing or wrong with this particular volume.
April 8, 2012
Fascinating history in a great format (part DK Eyewitness, part graphic novel, part Men's Adventure novel). Textbook publishers who are destroying a whole generation's love of history could take a page (or better a chapter)from Pulp History!
February 6, 2013
Interesting "fun and quick" read. A pulp history that brings to light the actions of Smedley Butler, the most decorated Marine in history, his actions while in the Corps, as police chief in Philadelphia, and his part in keeping democracy honest during the time of FDR. Not a heavy read.
July 20, 2013
Amazing story of the life of Marine Corps General Smedley Butler and what he did for his country. Fighting battles across seas and at home. Exposing a plot to overthrow the president.
July 27, 2011
The Corps needs more officers like this.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews