Revision as of 17:21, 3 April 2006 editFagstein (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,973 editsm Revert to revision 46769845 using popups← Previous edit | Revision as of 17:39, 5 April 2006 edit undo195.194.86.150 (talk) →Timeline of eventsNext edit → | ||
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|colspan=7 align=center style="background:#efefef;"| '''1933''' | |colspan=7 align=center style="background:#efefef;"| '''1933''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
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| width= 100px valign=top align=center| ''' July 1''' <br> | ||
First Butler meeting with ] and ] | First Butler meeting with ] and ] | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''July 3 or 4''' <br> | ||
Second meeting with ] and ] | Second meeting with ] and ] | ||
|width= |
|width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''Around August 1'''<br> | ||
MacGuire visits Butler alone. Butler never sees Doyle again. | MacGuire visits Butler alone. Butler never sees Doyle again. | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| ''' September 24 {{ref|178}} ''' <br> | ||
MacGuire visits Butler's hotel room in Newark. | MacGuire visits Butler's hotel room in Newark. | ||
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|width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''Late-September'''<br> | ||
Butler meets with Robert Clark. | Butler meets with Robert Clark. | ||
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|width= 100px valign=top align=center| ''' First half of 1934'''<br> | ||
MacGuire travels to Europe, sends Butler postcards | MacGuire travels to Europe, sends Butler postcards | ||
|width= |
|width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''March 6'''<br> | ||
MacGuire writes Clark and Clark's attorney letter describing the ] | MacGuire writes Clark and Clark's attorney letter describing the ] | ||
|width= |
|width= 100px valign=top align=center|'''August 22''' <br> | ||
Butler meets MacGuire at a Hotel. Last time Butler meets MacGuire {{ref|153}} | Butler meets MacGuire at a Hotel. Last time Butler meets MacGuire {{ref|153}} | ||
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|width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''September 13''' <br> | ||
Undercover reporter French meets McGuire in his office | Undercover reporter French meets McGuire in his office | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''Late September'''<br> | ||
Butler tells Van Zandt that conspirators will meet him at upcoming Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. | Butler tells Van Zandt that conspirators will meet him at upcoming Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''November 20'''<br> | ||
] begins examining evidence.<br>Paul Comly French breaks the story in the ] and the ].{{ref|Paul}} | ] begins examining evidence.<br>Paul Comly French breaks the story in the ] and the ].{{ref|Paul}} | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| '''November 21'''<br> | ||
New York Times writes its first article on the story. | New York Times writes its first article on the story. | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| ''' November 24'''<br> | ||
The committee publicly releases its prelimary findings. | The committee publicly releases its prelimary findings. | ||
|- | |- | ||
|colspan=7 align=center style="background:#efefef;"| '''1935''' | |colspan=7 align=center style="background:#efefef;"| '''1935''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
| width= |
| width= 100px valign=top align=center| ''' January 3'''<br> | ||
Final day of committee{{ref|189}} | Final day of committee{{ref|189}} | ||
| width= |
| width= 150px valign=top align=center colspan=2| ''' January 29'''<br> | ||
Spivak publishes first of two articles in Communist magazine, arguing plot is part of Jewish conspiracy to take over USA; he alleges names of big business leaders, reveals deleted portion of congressional committee. | Spivak publishes first of two articles in Communist magazine, arguing plot is part of Jewish conspiracy to take over USA; he alleges names of big business leaders, reveals deleted portion of congressional committee. | ||
Revision as of 17:39, 5 April 2006
The Business Plot, The Plot Against FDR, or The White House Putsch, was a conspiracy to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 by a retired general backed by big money interests. The allegations of the plot came to light when retired Marine Corps General Smedley Butler testified that one Gerald MacGuire told Butler that he had been selected to lead the plot. Butler testified before the McCormack-Dickstein Committee in 1934 . In his testimony, Butler claimed that a group of several men had approached him as part of a plot to overthrow Roosevelt in a military coup. MacGuire vehemently denied any such plot. In their final report, the Congressional committee supported Butler's allegations on the existence of the plot, but no prosecutions or further investigations followed, and the matter was mostly forgotten.
Background
In 1932 thousands of World War I veterans converged on Washington, D.C., set up tent camps, and demonstrated in demand of immediate payment of a bonus due them according to the Adjusted Service Certificate Law of 1924. The bonus, however, wasn't due to be paid until 1945. They were called the Bonus Army and were led by Walter W. Waters, a former Army sergeant, and encouraged by an appearance from retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, who had considerable influence over the veterans, being one of the most popular military figures of the time. A few days after Butler's appearance the marchers were removed and their camps destroyed by US Army cavalry troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur.
After the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, some of the Bonus Army regrouped in Washington to restate their claims to the new president. Roosevelt rejected the Bonus Army's claims. Butler, although a prominent Republican, supported his old friend Roosevelt in the election.
Clayton Cramer, in a 1995 History Today article, reminded readers that the devastation of the Great Depression had caused many Americans to question the foundations of liberal democracy. "Many traditionalists, here and in Europe, toyed with the ideas of Fascism and National Socialism; many liberals dallied with Socialism and Communism." This helps explain why some American business leaders viewed fascism as a viable system to both preserve their interests and end the economic woes of the Depression.
Timeline of events
Timeline of events | |||||||||
1933 | |||||||||
July 1 |
July 3 or 4 |
Around August 1 MacGuire visits Butler alone. Butler never sees Doyle again. |
September 24 |
Late-September | |||||
January - August 1934 | |||||||||
First half of 1934 |
March 6 MacGuire writes Clark and Clark's attorney letter describing the Croix de Feu |
August 22 Butler meets MacGuire at a Hotel. Last time Butler meets MacGuire | |||||||
September - December 1934 | |||||||||
September 13 |
Late September Butler tells Van Zandt that conspirators will meet him at upcoming Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. |
November 20 Comittee begins examining evidence. |
November 21 New York Times writes its first article on the story. |
November 24 | |||||
1935 | |||||||||
January 3 Final day of committee |
January 29 Spivak publishes first of two articles in Communist magazine, arguing plot is part of Jewish conspiracy to take over USA; he alleges names of big business leaders, reveals deleted portion of congressional committee. |
February 15 Comittee submits to Congress its final report. |
McCormack-Dickstein Committee
The events testified in the the House Un-American Activities Committee-- the McCormack-Dickstein Committee happened between July and November 1933. The Committee began examining evidence a year later on November 20, 1934. On November 24 the committee released a statement detailing the testimony it had heard about the Plot and its preliminary findings. On February 15, 1935, the committee submitted to the House of Represenatives its final report. The McCormack-Dickstein Committee was the first House Committee On Un-American Activities (HUAC).
During the McCormack-Dickstein Committee hearings, Butler testified that through Gerald MacGuire and Bill Doyle, who was then the department commander of the American Legion in Massachusetts, the conspirators attempted to recruit him to lead a coup, promising him an army of 500,000 men for a march on Washington, D.C., $30 million in financial backing, and generous media spin control. Despite Butler's support for Roosevelt in the election, and his reputation as a strong critic of capitalism, Butler said the plotters felt his good reputation and popularity were vital in attracting support amongst the general public, and saw him as easier to manipulate than others.
Butler said he was approached for about thirty minutes by Gerald MacGuire. MacGuire was a bond salesman for Robert Clark, an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, an art collector who lived mostly in Paris, and one of Wall Street's richest investors. MacGuire was a former commander of the Connecticut American Legion and had been an activist for the gold currency movement that Clark sponsored.
In attempting to recruit Butler, MacGuire may have played on the general's loyalty toward his fellow veterans. Knowing of an upcoming bonus in 1945 for World War I veterans, Butler said MacGuire told him, "We want to see the soldiers' bonus paid in gold. We do not want the soldier to have rubber money or paper money." Such names as Al Smith, Roosevelt's political foe and former governor of New York, and Irene DuPont, a chemical industrialist, were said to be the financial and organizational backbone of the plot. Butler stated that once the conspirators were in power, they would protect Roosevelt from other plotters.
Given a successful coup, Butler said he would have held near-absolute power in the newly created position of "Secretary of General Affairs," while Roosevelt would have assumed a figurehead role.
Reaction to Butler's testimony by the media and business elite was dismissive or hostile. The majority of media outlets, including The New York Times, Philadelphia Post, and Time Magazine ridiculed or downplayed his claims, saying they lacked evidence. After the committee concluded, the New York Times and Time Magazine downplayed the conclusions of the committee.
The House Un-American Activities Committee deleted extensive excerpts from the report relating to Wall Street financiers including J.P. Morgan, the Du Pont interests, Remington Arms, and others allegedly involved in the plot attempt. As of 1975, a full transcript of the hearings had yet to be traced.
Those accused of the plotting by Butler all denied any involvement. MacGuire was the only figure identified by Butler who testified before the committee. Others involved were actually called to appear to testify, though never were forced to testify.
Partial corroboration of Butler's story
Portions of Butler's story were corroborated by:
- Veterans of Foreign Wars commander James Van Zandt. "Less than two months" after General Butler warned him, he said "he had been approached by 'agents of Wall Street' to lead a Fascist dictatorship in the United States under the guise of a 'Veterans Organization.' "
- Captain Samuel Glazier—testifying under oath about plans of a plot to install a dictatorship in the United States.
- Reporter Paul Comly French, reporter for the Philadelphia Record and the New York Evening Post.
Members of the McCormack-Dickstein Committee
From the McCormack-Dickstein Committee files found at wikisource.
- John W. McCormack, Massachusetts, Chairman. McCormack served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1961 until 1971.
- Samuel Dickstein New York, Vice Chairman. Evidence was later shown from the Soviet archives that Dickstein was a Soviet spy.
- Carl May Weideman, Michigan. Democratic Congressman from March 4, 1933-January 3, 1935.
- Charles Kramer, California. Democratic Congressman from March 4, 1933-January 3, 1943.
- Thomas A Jenkins, Ohio. Republican Congressman from March 4, 1925-January 3, 1959.
- James Willis Taylor, Tennessee. Republican Congressman from March 4, 1919-November 14, 1939.
- Ulysses Samuel Guyer, Kansas. Republican Congressman from March 4, 1927-June 5, 1943.
- Thomas W. Hardwick, Counsel.
John Spivak
Excerpts, unless noted, are from "The Plot to Seize the White House" by Jules Archer, page 194-220
Reporter "John L. Spivak had been tipped off earlier by a fellow Washington correspondent that some of Butler's testimony had been deleted in the committee's November 26, 1934 report to the House of Representatives..."
"Other newsmen joined (Spivak) in pressing for a copy of the (McCormack-Dickstein Committee report). It was then that the defunct McCormack-Dickstein Committee...decided to publish a 125-page document containing the testimony of Butler, McGuire, and others, on February 15, 1935. It was marked "Extracts"...
"A veteran Washington correspondent told Spivak that he had heard the deletions had been made at the request of a member of the President's Cabinet..."
Spivak "had been tipped-off earlier that the House of Representatives intended to let the McCormack-Dickstein Committee expire on January 3, 1935, rather than renew it as the committee had asked in order to continue its investigations."
"About a week later, seeking to do a story on its accomplishments in exposing Nazi and anti-Semitic activities in the United States, Spivak won permission from Dickstein to examine the committee's official exhibits and make photostatic copies of those that had been made public. Dickstein wrote a letter to this effect to the committee's secretary, Frank P. Randolph, and added, "If necessary consult John about it."
"Randolph, flooded with work involved in closing the committee's files and records, gave Spivak stacks of documents, exhibits, and transcripts of testimony that were being sent to the Government Printing Office. To Spivak's amazement, he found among these records a full transcript of the executive session hearings in the Butler affair."
Spivak "compared it with the official extract of the hearings and found a number of startling omissions made from the testimony of both Butler and French"
Journalist John L. Spivak wrote a two part article. Historian Schmidt explains:
- "Journalist John L. Spivak, researching Nazism and anti-Semitism for New Masses magazine, got permission from Dickstein to examine HUAC's public documents and was (it seems unwittingly) given the unexpurgated testimony amid stacks of other papers. Spivak's two-part feature "Wall Street's Fascist Conspiracy" appeared in early 1935, a month after the hearings closed. He cogently developed a case for taking the suppressed testimony seriously. But this relevant material was embellished with overblown aspersions against "Jewish financiers working with fascist groups" -- a mishmash of guilt-by-association that connected Morgan interests with Jewish financier Felix Warburg, HUAC, and certain members of the American Jewish Committee. Spivak was intent upon grinding his own axes, and elucidation of the plot was obscured. The suppressed Butler-MacGuire conversations could hardly support all this. Moreover New Masses possessed a limited readership; the scoop was stigmatized as "red" propaganda and generally not cited elsewhere."
After being told about the deletions by Spivak, in Butler's "broadcast over WCAU on February 17, 1935, Butler revealed that some of the "most important" portions of his testimony had been suppressed in the McCormack-Dickstein report to Congress. The committee, he growled, had "stopped dead in its tracks when it got near the top." He added angrily:"
- "Like most committees, it has slaughtered the little and allowed the big to escape. The big shots weren't even called to testify. Why wasn't Colonel Grayson M.-P. Murphy, New York broker ... called? Why wasn't Louis Howe, Secretary to the President of the United States, called? . . . Why wasn't Al Smith called? And why wasn't Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, called? And why wasn't Hanford MacNider, former American Legion commander, called? They were all mentioned in the testimony. And why was all mention of these names suppressed from the committee report?"
Historical Treatment
Several scenarios have been proposed in explaining why the affair did not become a cause celebre, among which are:
- The story was an embarrassment to people of influence, and it was best to sweep it under the rug as quickly as possible.
- In 1934, newspapers were controlled by a relatively small elite — according to then-Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes, 82% of all dailies had monopolies in their communities. Proponents of the theory thus suggest that the media downplayed Butler's testimony based on the interests of their advertisers and owners.
- Some of Roosevelt's advisors were in on the plot, and downplayed it when it was exposed to prevent their dirty laundry from being aired in public.
Those who doubt Butler's testimony claim that it simply lacked evidence.
The puzzle is why big business leaders would consider General Butler, known for his vehement attacks on bankers. Many of the alledged financial backers were all prominent "wet" Democrats--leaders of the movement to repeal prohibition. Butler was one of the most prominent "dry" Republicans who had fought these same figures for years.
- Historian Robert F. Burk: "At their core, the accusations probably consisted of a mixture of actual attempts at influence peddling by a small core of financiers with ties to veterans organizations and the self-serving accusations of Butler against the enemies of his pacifist and populist causes."
- Historian Hans Schmidt: ""Even if Butler was telling the truth, as there seems little reason to doubt, there remains the unfathomable problem of MacGuire's motives and veracity. He may have been working both ends against the middle, as Butler at one point suspected. In any case, MacGuire emerged from the HUAC hearings as an inconsequential trickster whose base dealings could not possibly be taken alone as verifying such a momentous undertaking. If he was acting as an intermediary in a genuine probe, or as agent provocateur sent to fool Butler, his employers were at least clever enough to keep their distance and see to it that he self-destructed on the witness stand...MacGuire repeatedly perjured himself...Butler may have blown the whistle on an incipient conspiracy..."
- Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.: "Most people agreed with Mayor La Guardia of New York in dismissing it as a "cocktail putsch... As for the House committee, headed by John McCormack of Massachusetts, it declared itself "able to verify all the pertinent statements made by General Butler" except for MacGuire's direct proposal to him, and it considered this more or less confirmed by MacGuire's European reports. No doubt MacGuire did have some wild scheme in mind, though the gap between contemplation and execution was considerable and it can hardly be supposed that the republic was in much danger."
- Historian James E. Sargent reviewing "The Plot to Seize the White House" by Jules Archer: "Thus, Butler (and Archer) assumed that the existence of a financially backed plot meant that fascism was imminent and that the planners represented a wide spread and coherent group, having both the intent and the capacity to execute their ideas. So when his testimony was criticized and even ridiculed in the media and ignored in Washington, Butler saw (and Archer sees) conspiracy everywhere. Instead, it is plausible to conclude that the honest and straightforward, but intellectually and politically unsophisticated, Butler perceived in simplistic terms what were in fact complex trends and events. Thus he leaped to the simplistic conclusion that the President and the Republic were in mortal danger. In essence, Archer swallowed his hero whole."
Final resolution
The Congressional committee report confirmed Butler's testimony:
In the last few weeks of the committee's official life it received evidence showing that certain persons had made an attempt to establish a fascist government in this country.
No evidence was presented and this committee had none to show a connection between this effort and any fascist activity of any European country.
There is no question that these attempts were discussed, were planned, and might have been placed in execution when and if the financial backers deemed it expedient.
This committee received evidence from Maj. Gen Smedley D. Butler (retired), twice decorated by the Congress of the United States. He testified before the committee as to conversations with one Gerald C. MacGuire in which the latter is alleged to have suggested the formation of a fascist army under the leadership of General Butler.
MacGuire denied these allegations under oath, but your committee was able to verify all the pertinent statements made by General Butler, with the exception of the direct statement suggesting the creation of the organization. This, however, was corroborated in the correspondence of MacGuire with his principal, Robert Sterling Clark, of New York City, while MacGuire was abroad studying the various forms of veterans organizations of Fascist character.
Even though the Senate committee did take the threat seriously and did verify that a fascist coup was indeed well past the planning stage, the Senate committee expired.
Notes
- Schlesinger Jr., Arthur M. (2003). The Politics of Upheaval : 1935-1936, The Age of Roosevelt, Volume III (The Age of Roosevelt). Mariner Books. ISBN 0618340874. p. 85 "As for the House committee, headed by John McCormack of Massachusetts, it declared itself "able to verify all the pertinent statments made by General Butler" except for MacGuire's direct proposal to him, and it considered this more or less confirmed by MacGuire's European reports."
- Schlesinger, p. 85 "In March 1934, the House of Representatives authorized an investigation into "un-American" activities by a special committee headed by John W. McCormack of Massachusetts and Samuel Dickstein of New York. In the following months the McCormack-Dickstein Committee inquired into Nazi operations in America, exposed William Dudley Pelley and the Silver Shirts, looked into Smedley Butler's allegations, and called the Communist leaders up for testimony. Its manner of investigation commanded special respect. McCormack used competent investigators and employed as committee counsel a former Georgia senator with a good record on civil liberties. Most of the examination of witnesses was carried on in executive sessions. In public sessions, witnesses were free to consult counsel. Throughout, McCormack was eager to avoid hit-and-run accusation and unsubstantiated testimony. The result was an almost uniquely scrupulous investigation in a highly sensitive area."
- Archer, Jules (1973). The Plot to Seize the White House. Hawthorne Books. ASIN: B0006COVHA.
{{cite book}}
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- Archer p. x (Foreword)
National Archives: The Special Committee on Un-American Activities Authorized To Investigate Nazi Propaganda and Certain Other Propaganda Activities (73A-F30.1) "The (McCormack-Dickstein Committee) conducted public and executive hearings intermittently between April 26 and December 29, 1934, in Washington, DC; New York; Chicago; Los Angeles; Newark; and Asheville, NC, examining hundreds of witnesses and accumulating more than 4,300 pages of testimony." - Schmidt, Hans (1998). Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813109574. p. 219 "Declaring himself a "Hoover-for-Ex-President Republican," Smedley used the bonus issue and the army's gas attack in routing the (Bonus Expeditionary Force) B.E.F-recalling infamous gas warfare during the Great War-to disparage Hoover during the 1932 general elections. He came out for the Democrats "despite the fact that my family for generations has been Republican," and shared the platform when Republican Senator George W. Norris opened a coast-to-coast stump for FDR in Philedelphia....Butler was pleased with election results that saw Hoover crash in defeat. He had exerted himself in the campaign more "to get rid of Hoover than to put in Roosevelt," and to "square a debt." FDR, his old Haiti ally, was a "nice fellow" and might make a good president, but Smedley did not expect much influence in the new administration."
- Feran, Tim (February 12 1999). "History Channel Looks At Plot to Oust FDR". Columbus Dispatch (Ohio): 1H.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Beam, Alex (May 25 2004). "A Blemish Behind Beauty at The Clark". The Boston Globe: E1.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link): "In his congressional testimony, Butler described Clark as being "known as the "millionaire lieutenant" and was sort of batty, sort of queer, did all sorts of extravagant things. He used to go exploring around China and wrote a book on it, on explorations. He was never taken seriously by anybody. But he had a lot of money." "Clark was certainly eccentric. One of the reasons he sited his fantastic art collection away from New York or Boston was that he feared it might be destroyed by a Soviet bomber attack during the Cold War..."(Clark) was pointed out to me during a trip to Paris," says one on his grandnieces. "He was known to be pro-fascist and on the enemy side. Nobody ever spoke to him.""
Wikisource: McCormack-Dickstein Committee - Archer, p. 153 See also:
- Archer, p. 178
- Archer, p. 189
- Archer, p. 173
Philadelphia Post, November 22, 1934 - Author unknown (December 3 1934). "Plot Without Plotters". Time Magazine.
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Author unknown (November 21 1934). "Gen. Butler Bares 'Fascist Plot' To Seize Government by Force; Says Bond Salesman, as Representative of Wall St. Group, Asked Him to Lead Army of 500,000 in March on Capital -- Those Named Make Angry Denials -- Dickstein Gets Charge". New York Times: 1.{{cite journal}}
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link); Author unknown (November 22 1934). "Credulity Unlimited". New York Times: 20.{{cite journal}}
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Philadelphia Record, November 21 and 22, 1934;Time Magazine, 25 February 1935: "Also last week the House Committee on Un-American Activities purported to report that a two-month investigation had convinced it that General Butler's story of a Fascist march on Washington was alarmingly true."
New York Times February 16 1935. p. 1, "Asks Laws To Curb Foreign Agitators; Committee In Report To House Attacks Nazis As The Chief Propagandists In Nation. State Department Acts Checks Activities Of An Italian Consul -- Plan For March On Capital Is Held Proved. Asks Laws To Curb Foreign Agitators, "Plan for “March” Recalled. It also alleged that definite proof had been found that the much publicized Fascist march on Washington, which was to have been led by Major. Gen. Smedley D. Butler, retired, according to testimony at a hearing, was actually contemplated. The committee recalled testimony by General Butler, saying he had testified that Gerald C. MacGuire had tired to persuade him to accept the leadership of a Fascist army." - Chapter 10, FDR; Man on the White Horse of Sutton, Antony C. (June, 1993). Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution. Buccaneer Books. ISBN 089968324X.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) Full book online. - Schlesinger, p 85; Wolfe, Part IV: "But James E. Van Zandt, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and subsequently a Republican congressman , corroborated Butler's story and said that he, too, had been approached by "agents of Wall Street." "Zandt had been called immediately after the August 22 meeting with MacGuire by Butler and warned that...he was going to be approached by the coup plotters for his support at an upcoming VFW convention. He said that, just as Butler had warned, he had been approached "by agents of Wall Street" who tried to enlist him in their plot."
"Says Butler Described. Offer". New York Times: 3. 1934.{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help) Quoted material from the NYT
Schmidt, p. 224 But James E. Van Zandt, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and subsequently a Republican congressman , corroborated Butler's story and said that he, too, had been approached by "agents of Wall Street."
Archer, p.3, 5, 29, 32, 129, 176. For more on Van Zandt, and the Archer quotes, see Uknown author. "James Edward Van Zandt". Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT). Retrieved March 28.{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - Burk, Robert F. (1990). The Corporate State and the Broker State : The Du Ponts and American National Politics, 1925-1940. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674172728.
- Schmidt p. 226, 228, 229, 230 Excerpts of Schmidt's book dealing with the plot are available online.
- For a very critical review of this book see, Sargent, James E. (November 1974). "Review of: The Plot to Seize the White House, by Jules Archer". The History Teacher. 8 (1): 151–152.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: year (link) - Schlesinger, p. 83
- Wolfe, Part IV: "New York's Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who was known as the "Little Flower"...a (supporter) of the fascist program of Mussolini, coined the term "cocktail putsch" to describe the Butler story: It's a joke of some kind, he told the wire services, "someone at a party had suggested the idea to the ex-marine as a joke."
- Schmidt, p. 229
See also Archer, p. 194, Found on wikisource. Archer's entire book can be downloaded here. - Investigation of Nazi Propaganda Activities and Investigation of Certain Other Propaganda Activities: Public Hearings Before the Special Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Seventy-third Congress, Second Session, at Washington, D.C. p.8-114 D.C. 6 II
Schmidt, p. 245 "HUAC's final report to Congress: "There is no question that these attempts were discussed, were planned, and might have been placed in execution when and if the financial backers deemed it expedient." The committee had verified "all the pertinent statements made by General Butler, with the exception of the direct statement suggesting the creation of the organization."" - ibid. p. 111 D.C. 6 II.
External links
- U.S. House of Representatives, Special Committee on Un-American Activities, Public Statement, 73rd Congress, 2nd session, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1934)
- U.S. House of Representatives, Special Committee on Un-American Activities, Investigation of Nazi Propaganda Activities and Investigation of Certain Other Propaganda Activities, Hearings 73-D.C.-6, Part 1, 73rd Congress, 2nd session, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1935).
- Adams, Cecil (November 18 2005). "Oh, Smedley: Was there really a fascist plot to overthrow the United States government?". The Straight Dope.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Cramer, Clayton (November, 1995). "An American Coup d'État? Plot against Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1934". History Today. 45 (11): 42.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) Examines Butler's testimony from both sides - LaMonica, Barbara (March–April 1999). "The Attempted Coup Against FDR". Probe.
{{cite journal}}
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Spivak, John L. (January 29 1935; February 5 1935). "Wikisource: Wall Street's Fascist Conspiracy: Testimony that the Dickstein MacCormack Committee Suppressed; Wall Street's Fascist Conspiracy: Morgan Pulls the Strings". New Masses.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) pdf file - Wolfe, L. (June 27 1994). "Franklin Delano Roosevelt vs. the Banks: Morgan's Fascist Plot, and How It Was Defeated". The American Almanac.
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(help)CS1 maint: year (link) Third party candidate Lyndon Larouche paper. Very caustic and one-sided but informative.
Further reading
- Jules Archer's The Plot to Seize the White House Fully downloadable HTML (or Microsoft Word copy)
- Extensive list of links, books and video on the plot
- Executive summary and/or extensive quotes of Jules Archer's book on the subject, mostly on Butler's Censored Testimony Concerning Attempts to Bribe Him Into the Plot
- The History Channel Video: In Search of History: The Plot to Overthrow FDR "While The Plot To Overthrow FDR will astonish those who never learned about this story in school, in the end many viewers may feel as if they are trying to handcuff a shadow."
- Archer, Jules (1973). The Plot to Seize the White House. Hawthorne Books. ASIN: B0006COVHA. Excerpts from the book
These books have chapters devoted to the Business Plot :
- Seldes, George (1947). 1000 Americans: The Real Rulers of the U.S.A. Boni & Gaer. ASIN: B000ANE968. p. 292-298 Excerpts of the book can be found here.
- Spivak, John L. (1967). A Man in His Time. Horizon Press. ASIN: B0007DMOCW. p. 294-298 Excerpts of the book can be found here.
- Bankers, Lawyers and Linkage Groups found in Simpson, Christopher (1995). The Splendid Blond Beast : Money, Law and Genocide in the Twentieth Century. Common Courage Press. ISBN 1567510620. p. 43-58 Book Experts can be found here
- Colby, Gerard (1984). Du Pont Dynasty: Behind the Nylon Curtain. L. Stuart. ISBN 0818403527. p. 324-330 Excerpts of the book about the plot found here.
Related Subjects
- Wolfskill, George (1962). The Revolt of the Conservatives: A History of the American Liberty League 1934-1940. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0837172519.
- Wolfskill, George John A. Hudson (1969). All but the people: Franklin D. Roosevelt and His Critics, 1933-39. Macmillan. ASIN: B0006BYJJQ.
- Goodman, Walter (1968). The Committee: The Extraordinary Career of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Farrar Straus & Giroux. ISBN 0374126887.