The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking TRUE Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow F.D.R.

by Jules Archer, Anne Cipriano Venzon (Introduction)

Many people might not know that in 1933, a group of wealthy industrialists—working closely with groups like the K.K.K. and the American Liberty League—planned to overthrow the U.S. government and run FDR out of office in a fascist coup. Readers will learn of their plan to turn unhappy war veterans into American “brown shirts,” depose F.D.R., and stop the New Deal. They asked Medal of Honor recipient and Marine Major General Smedley Darlington Butler to work with them and become the “first American Caesar.” Fortunately, Butler was a true patriot. Instead of working for the fascist coup, he revealed the plot to journalists and to Congress.
Archer writes a compelling account of a ploy that would have turned FDR into fascist puppet, threatened American democracy and changed the course of history. This book not only reveals the truth behind this shocking episode in history, but also tells the story of the man whose courage and bravery prevented it from happening.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, American History, Conspiracy Theories, Biography, Military Fiction

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Jules Archer was an American author who wrote many volumes of non-fiction history for a general audience and for young adults.

Archer served four years during World War II with the Army Air Corps in the Pacific theater. He is the author of many books on U.S. history, political events, and personalities, including The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR, and Jungle Fighters: A G.I. War Correspondent's Experiences in the New Guinea Campaign.

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

$1.99 on Kindle now! https://smile.amazon.com/Plot-Seize-W...

Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up because it is such an urgent subject

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: The wonder of History as a study is how much of what sounds new and apocalyptically nightmarish to you is, in fact, the latest of many iterations of the same bull. Humans seek patterns, and novelty; "this is unprecedented! and it's just like this thing that happened way back when!" sums it up.

Author Jules Archer (1915 – 2008) was a prolific popular writer on history for all ages. He grew up in New York City during times of great changes and the fomenting of radical opposition to the status quo. He saw, firsthand, the causes of the New Deal's legislation. He spent a lot of time in later life using the free college education that New Yorkers of sufficient academic achievements were at that time entitled to explaining the country, and history itself, to others.

This book was published first in 1973, in the soft, rotten middle of the Watergate hearings. The timing, and the subject, were chosen carefully. Remembering your history, younger-than-50s, you'll recall we as a country were in the throes of indicting and removing an actual criminal from the presidency, as well as losing a war in Asia. That war left the country with a lot of badly damaged men and no jobs for them when they returned to civilian life.

Any of this ringing some bells?

So Jules Archer, explainer extraordinaire (seriously, go look at his bibliography!), reached into his own past for an analogous passage of disastrously concatenated events and found World War I, the Bonus Army, and the very little spoken-of Businessmans' Coup of 1933. "We have been here before," said Archer, "and the country survived."

The hero of this piece is a man of whom I guarantee you have not heard. General Smedley Darlington Butler is one of those figures that appear all too seldom, the Man of Conscience whose principles are strong and whose moral compass, whether or not it's calibrated as is one's own, is clearly aligned with honor on every axis. The plotters of this heinous act of subversion as Archer details it chose exactly and precisely the wrong man to execute their plot. (Goddesses please accept our thanks that they didn't approach Douglas MacArthur!) He blew so many whistles and did so with such enormous credibility and evidence that the entire plot had to be abandoned.

Not to say the idea went away. We've seen that in our own time.

After reading this book, your illusions about this unique moment in history being absolutely the awfulest, most scum-ridden, darkest passage in the US will perforce vanish. But you'll also, I hope, read it and think, "this isn't the first time?! Holy maloley, we'd better pay attention!" Because I'm entirely sure that was the aim of Jules Archer's project in writing many explanatory books about history over many decades.

***There are links to resources for further background on many topics in this review on my blog as well as a non-affiliate link to the Kindle edition of the book for $1.99 (as of 21 May).

[Lee Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking around, you have to ask if the plot was actually stopped or just delayed.

[Lawrence A · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1860, leaders in many of the southern United States were faced with the election of President whom they feared would limit the geographic extension of slavery, as a precursor to the ultimate abolition of the "peculiar institution." Despite the fact that, for 56 of the 60 years prior to the momentous election of Abraham Lincoln, the presidency had been occupied either by southern slaveholders or their northern sympathizers, many southern grandees, led by South Carolina "fire eaters," pushed the South to secede from the Union. The lesson sought to be given to those remaining in the Union was that representative democracy, and the indirect election of a President--even with a method skewed to the benefit of small states and slaveholding states--was only legitimate if one's own candidate or ideology prevailed at the polls. If another candidate prevailed who was opposed to your ideology, then it was OK to stop the game in the middle, take your ball, and go home [and seize, by force of arms, the property and facilities of your "playmate" that happened to be located in your state:].

Now, it so happens that I'm too young to remember the 1930s, since I wasn't born until the 1950s. So it's hard for me to say whether the vitriol directed at Franklin D. Roosevelt by his opponents upon his ascendancy to the highest office in the land matches the vitriol we are now hearing from many of the "ultras" opposed to President Obama. My educated guess is that hatred spewed at FDR in the 30s was much worse than some of the name-calling going on today, and I pray that I'm correct. Given that we live in a democratic republic, in which opposition should not be conflated with disloyalty, and the robust expression of opinion is the nourishment on which we thrive, I'll give the majority of Obama's critics the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being, that they have one or more legitimate or serious criticisms of his policy choices. Heaven knows, even a very liberal Democrat like myself has differences with him. And yet....

And yet many of those opposing Obama today are doing so with a tinge of violence in their voices, in their demeanor, and in their conduct that makes me fear that there is more than just a "whiff of Fascism" in the air. Which brings me to Archer's book.

Written in 1971, this work brought to light the little-known history of what has since been dubbed "the business plot" to overthrow FDR and replace him with a quasi-Fascist corporatist regime, thus undoing the results of the 1932 election. The plan involved leaving FDR in office as a mere figurehead, with dictatorial power wielded by an "assistant president" who would be given some innocuous cabinet-style title. By the early 1930s, there were already successful Fascist movements that had seized power [in Italy and Germany/Austria:] or had seized the imagination of large segments of the populace [England, France, Belgium:]. Fascist movements had also apparently seized the imagination of several leading US bankers, brokers, and industrialists, including those who ran J.P. Morgan and DuPont. They reasoned that, with enough money distributed to various people, including the leadership of the American Legion, all they needed was a popular military figure who could rouse tens of thousands of veterans, who would march on Washington, compel FDR to capitulate under threat of violence, and reinstitute conservative measures like a return to the gold standard, while repealing most or all of the early New Deal legislation that was enacted in 1933. Talk about sore losers!!!

The long and short of the story is that "it could happen here," and might have happened here, had the conspirators not approached one Marine Corps Major General--Smedley D. Butler--and asked him to be their man on the white horse who would lead the coup. Butler, an oft-decorated Marine, who saw action in China during the Boxer Rebellion, Cuba during the Spanish-American War, Mexico during the Huertas-Carranza dispute, Central America during the era of Wilson's gunboat diplomacy, and in France during WWI [as an administrator there, rather than in combat:], and again in China during the battles between northern warlords and Chiang-Kai-Shek, was committed to democracy, however, and blew the whistle on the conspirators before they could successfully organize themselves. Butler was the chief witness at a Congressional hearing chaired by [future speaker of the House:] John McCormack and Morris Dickstein, which determined that Butler's testimony was indeed credible, and that a well-organized plot, although in the early stages, was being organized by conservative businessmen to overthrow FDR and elective democracy in the US, solely to protect [or so they thought:] their investments and wealth.

Archer, relying heavily on transcripts of the hearing, the public report issued by the Congressional committee in 1934, portions of the transcript that had been omitted from the public report that had been unearthed by investigative reporters, and a 1971 interview with Congressman McCormack, does an able job piecing together what was publicly known about the conspiracy. His writing is sharp.

Nonetheless, I hesitate to rate this book much higher than 3 stars. The last several chapters describe, in detail, the contours of the plot, but repeat, verbatim, much of the text from the first several chapters. Additionally, the middle third of the book is more precisely a biography of Gen. Butler than an inquiry into the conspiracy, and seems to be included solely to flesh Butler out as completely incorruptible, so that the reader will have no choice to believe every word of his testimony. Although I certainly do accept what Butler said at face value, much of the book seems simply to gild the lily with respect to Butler's honesty, impartiality, commitment to democracy, etc.

That said, much of the description of how right-wing businessmen mobilized an "Astroturf" movement [paying tens of thousands of dollars to send thousands of fake telegrams to an American Legion convention so that it would resolve that the Legion was in favor of the gold standard:], used name-calling and red-baiting [dubbing FDR and the New Deal as "socialist," "Communist," and "un-American," and describing FDR as a "traitor to his class" and "that cripple in the White House":], mobilized military vets as strike-breakers, dipped into the combined holdings of DuPont and Remington Arms to provide gunpowder and weapons with which to arm its minions when the time was ripe, should set off alarms in 2009.

Ridicule and outrageousness is the lifeblood of politics and satire; threats of violence are, unfortunately, the lifeblood of many who vie for ultimate power, including those who finally lose an election after decades of success. Since Nixon left the White House in 1974--35 years ago--Democrats have controlled the White House for only 13 years. Yet, during that time, when Republicans prevailed in elections, I never heard of liberal, left, or progressive groups being organized for the purpose of threatening secession or violence. They've organized to register voters, get out the vote, recruit good candidates, and get their ideas into the media, believing that their candidates and ideas will ultimately prevail. There have been plenty of instances of heckling conservative candidates and politicians, but I've heard of none that threatened to spiral into physical conflict [except perhaps when local police forces are directed by local authorities to spirit away nonviolent protesters and potential protesters, as in NYC in 2004:]

It wasn't a Senator in the minority who told Dick Cheney to "go f**k himself," it was a sitting Vice-President who told a Senator in the minority to do so.

When Bush pushed through his wars, his tax cuts, his Patriot Act, his anti-environmental policies, and his deregulation, and mismanaged diplomacy, administration of domestic agencies, and the economy, Democrats in Congress did not shout out "you lie!" even though many probably thought that he did.

When protesters as much as wore an anti-Bush t-shirt to a Bush rally, they were hustled out of the arena, and charged with various crimes
But now it's OK to strap on your piece at an Obama speech without any fear that law enforcement might stop you from doing your worst.

If you were a Democrat who opposed any of Bush's policies, you were a traitor, committing treason, un-American, "against us" [because you weren't with us:], supporting the terrorists---there was a war [or two going on:] and "you had to watch what you said [and read:]"; but if you're a Republican Governor of a state who seriously muses about secession, you're a patriot; if you're an allegedly "outraged" citizen spouting lies, falsehoods, and untruths about healthcare reform, you're a patriot; if you stock up on guns and ammo in order to prevent an imaginary federal constabulary from disarming you, compelling you to abort your fetus, and converting you to Islam, you're a patriot.

In the 1930s, it took a stroke of good luck and the efforts of a true nonpartisan patriot to thwart what might have been a successful quasi-Fascist coup. Because of that luck and that man, the racist and antisemitic rantings of Father Coughlin, Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, the Liberty League, the America Firsters, and many lesser-known but more violent rightwing organizations funded by them, never became the policy of our nation, and those promoting those claims were ultimately subjected to the ridicule they deserved. Let's hope we have the intestinal fortitude to reject, as a nation, those fomenting hate and violence, and that any debate over the merits of various policies are truly on the merits of those policies. If Obama-style government activism is unsuccessful in restoring employment, prosperity, and economic security, the punishment comes at the polls. If it is ultimately successful, as I think it will be, the losers of the election should not be permitted to win, through force of arms or threats of violence, that which their votes could not.

[P N · Rating 3 out of 5]

The topic is extremely important. The writing, itself, isn't perfect. This "lost" history is shocking and should become part of our public's school history studies.

[MaryCatherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

“War is a racket,” claimed US Marine Retired Major General Smedley Butler: “‘Largely a matter of money,’ he told the veterans who had gathered to hear him. ‘Bankers lend money to foreign countries and when they cannot repay the President sends Marines to get it. I know—I’ve been in eleven of these expeditions.’”

I had never heard of Major General Smedley Butler before reading this book. He was the kind of military man who made headlines for heroism, dedicated his life to his country, and, in the highly credible thesis of this book, saved our country from becoming a military dictatorship in a Fascist plot to replace FDR in 1934. He was a Quaker who volunteered as a Marine during the Spanish American war, and served in every major conflict through World War I. A recipient of two Congressional Medals of Honor, He was a hero to the veterans of the Great War, for his unyielding integrity, military valor and competence, and outspoken support of the veterans’ promised bonus that was refused by the Hoover administration. A lifelong Republican, he switched parties to campaign for FDR. In 1934, he was approached by “veterans” who offered him lots of money for speeches at veterans’ events that would oppose FDR’s plan to leave the gold standard. He refused, for any price, but strung them along to discover what they were up to, eventually learning of a plot to overturn FDR’s second term and replace the President with a military dictator. Butler called an investigative journalist to help him ferret out the strange story, and eventually gave the information to Congressional authorities. Because FDR was very unpopular with wealthy and influential people, the news that these same moneyed titans ( Morgan, DuPont, Rockefeller, etc.) were involved in the plot was denied and the press gleefully attacked the messenger. The retired Major General’s testimony was altered, omitting much supporting detail, as well as other evidence, while Butler’s anti-war and anti-fascist comments were both popular and very unpopular, depending on the audience. He claimed that “Soldiers never leave the country except to protect moneyed interests.” In the press, he was vilified, but his honor and reputation held firm with the veterans and those who favored FDR’s New Deal and efforts to keep the US out of another foreign war.

Butler’s anti-war sentiments became very unpopular after his death in June, 1940, before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After that attack on our country, most objections to war dissolved when it became clear that we were involved, however much we had tried to avoid another war. The author quite logically felt that Butler was unfairly judged for views he held in common with the majority of U. S. citizens, until Pearl Harbor changed their perspective.

The book suffers from it’s determined mission to rescue a truly interesting person from historic oblivion. Half biography, followed by transcripts of the hearing about the conspiracy Butler uncovered, the remainder of the book states the author’s view that Butler was a man of courage and integrity who changed the course of history, and deserved a better historical legacy. Sometimes the author lapses into near hagiography, but he makes many important observations, especially about the fact that before and after WWII, anti-fascists were often dismissed and deemed to be Communists or Communist sympathizers, by wealthy industrialists and other pro-war, moneyed and influential powers. Pacifists were confused with the pro-fascists who wished to stop American intervention in Europe as the war started, so this story was not one that would be fairly told for many years. The author notes that, without any mention of Butler, a highly-acclaimed popular post-war fictional book and film, Seven Days in May, was probably based on this actual conspiracy.

I enjoyed the biography of Butler’s remarkable life and service, as well as the mysterious conspiracy, but the book is too much the servant of the author’s desire to right history’s slight to a man who deserves honor. In making his case, the writing suffers from the author’s need to right a wrong, rather than to produce a strong narrative. The transcripts are important primary sources, but the author’s storytelling, with transcripts as an addendum to the narration, would have improved the reading experience.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 1930s a group of wealthy Americans were manipulating the American Legion to maintain their personal wealth and status. Retired Marine General Smedley Butler was approached to be the figurehead in a coup d'etat against President Franklin D. Roosevelt so they could set up a fascist government. This is the story of Butler's resistance to and expose of the plot. A good telling of an oft neglected incident in American history.

[Monika Schrock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Then as now it becomes important for Veterans to defend those who need help against those who only want to enrich themselves. GEN Butler was a hero already before he chose to expose corrupt and selfish people at the highest levels of business and politics. This is a must read story for every American!

[Marna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful tribute to General Smedley D. Butler, who was a career Marine. An extremely patriotic man, loved and respected by his men.
During his service he concluded that the wars engaged in by the United States, benefitted Wall Street, Bankers, Munitions factories, and other wealthy powerful people who had interests/investments internationally. His men were killed, wounded severely, jobs lost, families destroyed, and the disabled weren't cared for adequately. All his attempts at obtaining a Bonus pay for these soldiers failed to pass in Congress.
Gen. Butler was approached to organize his veterans and apply pressure in Washington to return to the Gold Standard, which had recently been
eliminated. He also became aware of several powerful, wealthy individuals planning to seize control of the White House, diminishing President Franklin Roosevelt's power so many of the New Deal advances would not occur, thus protecting their wealth.
Gen. Butler testified in a Special Governmental Committee with mixed success. The seizing of the White House did not occur, but no one was charged with any crimes; this also received no publicity.
In his retirement, Gen. Butler became an active pacifist, stating the United States should have a strong defense but only to defend our country, not private businesses, or foreign political leaders of interest to US business &/or government.

[Mike Haxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A TRUE Patriot

I was aware of much of the plot to unseat FDR, because I am awake and know my history. But I did not realize how critical that Butler was to it’s exposure. The United States owes him a huge debt. The best way to pay that debt is to get money out of politics.
Anyone who thinks that there cannot be another attempt to form a fascist regime in America simply hasn’t been paying attention. Buy the book. Share it with your conservative friends. Share it with your progressive friends.
There is more information about the behind the scenes conspirators now.
I urge you to educate yourself about this beyond this book.

[Deb Moehrke · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you don’t know that there was a plot to make FDR a puppet President and to put in its place a fascist government in the mid-1930’s, you aren’t alone. Apparently it was the brainchild of wealthy Americans who hated the New Deal measures and who believed the move away from the gold standard would rob them if their fortunes. The author lays out the evidence of the plot as it was detailed in congressional hearings of the day. Interesting reading.

[Michael Sakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of dirty politics

What a great read about how our military and veterans have been misused by our government and industrial interests under the guise of national security. Then as now, our elected officials were/are nothing puppets of/for the industrialist interests that lobby them and support there campaigns. It was dirty then and even dirtier today.

[Steven Howes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book that details an event, and an American hero, that most people know little about or have never heard of. I found there to be many things described in this work that have some similar disturbing parallels in today's United States. Smedley D. Butler was a Marine Corps General who had served in combat missions around the world including Nicaragua, Panama, China, the Phillipines, and Europe. During his career, he became disillusioned with America's gunboat diplomacy and sending young soldiers to foreign shores to die protecting American business interests.

Following retirement, he became an outspoken critic of US government policies and an advocate of veteran's rights. A group of prominent businessmen and politicians opposed to FDR's New Deal tried to get General Butler to lead a group of veterans in an attempt to take over the government and install a fascist regime. He played along for awhile but eventually blew the whistle on the coup.

During the follow-up to the coup attempt, Congressional and journalistic investigations were carried out with some of the key players identified. However, witnesses that should have been questioned were not. The credibility and patriotism of General Butler and those trying to expose the plot was questioned by the news media and political elite. Sounds vaguely familiar to me.

The book and movie "Seven Days in May" was loosely based on this event.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book I came to realize that there have been at least three coup d'états attempted in the US. In 1861 when states refused the results of the election and decided to create their own Confederation with their own President, in 1933 the so-called ``Business Plot ``described by author Jules Archer and in 2021 with the January 6 Trump plot to overturn the results of the elections. So this great democracy might be more fragile than one would think. A common thread: rich individuals decide that a democratic result is unacceptable and the results of the election should therefore be overturned. The South wanted to ensure the continuity of its economic model based on slavery where black people are not human beings but a business commodity. The book by author Archer narrates the story of a Marine general who thwarts a plot to replace recently elected FDR by a fascist structure with a puppet dictator working for a group of ultra rich americans including the well known Morgan and Du Pont families. A good part of the book is a biography of General Butler, a true american hero, a man of principles and integrity who came to despise war because he saw conflicts as the usage of the military to defend american business interest abroad. In his assesment the lives of young american boys was sacrificed for the benefit of the wealthy. An interesting book, the only one written about this plot which has been mostly forgotten. That is unfortunate as history seems to repeat itself.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was interesting for me. Gen. Butler is a man worthy of a folk hero status. This book pieces together not only the plot that he was integral in foiling but serves to tell us just *why* he made the decisions that he did by examining his entire life.

At times, the book can be a bit dry, somehow, even as I could not wait to hear more of it. A juxtaposition that I can't quite put my finger on the reason behind.

This is an important book in our current times especially. I hope more people come to read it.

[Ronald J Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need to understand the frailty of our civilization from reading our deeper history. Reading this before our own time's attempted coup on Jan. 6 gave me the willies. Our democracy is a work in progress, evolving from a slave holding society to an ever more inclusive one and it is ever in danger from corruption from within.

[Bill Winett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not hyperbole - truly is shocking. It's also interesting to read about how completely ethical beliefs and action can service selfish and wrongheaded purposes.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really intriguing and frightening information, I had never heard of this plot!
I am not surprised by wealthy characters and politicians plotting and covering up, as usual. It is important for the general public to understand who really makes the choices in USA. It makes me very scared for us at this time in history.
The book format wasn't ideal, Archer told the story, then reiterated everything for the trial but it was important that we understand how much is missing from the trial transcript.
Please at least google this plot to understand the enormity of what passed in history AND what can happen....

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a history buff, but the book's title caught my attention. There was indeed a plot by bankers and industrialists to reinstate the gold standard and, while they were at it, make America another fascist state. The book is well-written, very readable, and totally fascinating. And you learn all about Marine general Butler, an honorable and patriotic man who had a long and distinguished military career, and how his love of country and sense of duty sounded an alarm that saved American democracy.

[Dennis Pucci]

Shades of today

Historical revealings of unknown events of The 1930's.... Interesting parallels to current "fake news" and biased reporting against sitting President..... Becomes a bit redundant .... Did not need to be so long to accomplish it's purposes...

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but no footnotes!

[Kevin Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

An event and a man that more Americans should know about.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty amazing to me. I had never heard of this, and no one wanted to dig too far into it, but it obviously happened

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading "The Plot to Seize the White House", Jules Archer's investigation of what's popularly known as the "Business Plot." Not that this is a well known event by any means, but basically it was a conspiracy to remove FDR from power and overturn the New Deal. Among the alleged conspirators were J.P. Morgan, the Du Pont family, and Prescott Bush (Bush wasn't named in the book, but recent evidence points to his involvement). The Plot was foiled before it ever really got off the ground by the man that was picked to lead it: General Smedley Butler.

Butler at the time was a former Marine and a very popular figure amongst veterans for his colorful candor and support for the common soldier. This book is really 2/3 Business Plot investigation and 1/3 Butler biography. Butler really was a fascinating figure. Despite being raised by patrician Quakers he joined the Marines as a teenager and spent the majority of his life in service to his country. But by the end of his career he realized he actually was serving the interests of American capitalists by protecting private property and overthrowing unfriendly governments all throughout the world. By the end of his life he was an outspoken opponent of military intervention and what we now refer to as the "Military-Industrial Complex." During the Great Depression he became an advocate of impoverished veterans, supporting the Bonus Bill that would give relief to WWI soldiers.

Using an intermediary named Jerry MacGuire, Butler was asked to help recruit and lead an army of veterans-modeled after the Croix de Feu in France, Brown Shirts in Germany, and Black Shirts in Italy-to pressure President Roosevelt into reverting the US back to the Gold Standard and ending New Deal policies. Butler was essentially to be the head of a fascist putsch that would be funded by the American ruling class. Unfortunately for the conspirators, Butler was as patriotic as he was distrustful of Wall Street, which was very, so instead of going along with the plot he gathered evidence and later testified before Congress.

I mostly enjoyed this book, but I did find it deficient in a few ways. Firstly, the lack of any kind of source notes is a big disappointment. Most of the book seems to be based on Butler's testimony before the McCormack-Dickstein Committee (A proto-HUAC that investigated Nazism/Fascism in America), which Archer takes at face value. Because the majority of the conspirators were never brought before the Committee there's a real dearth of evidence. Archer's portrayal of Butler is a bit much. I do find Butler to be admirable in some ways, but this book borders on hero worship. Lastly, I don't think this book goes far enough in its exploration of capitalism and the "Deep State." Archer just kind of skirts around the issue. I think someone like Russ Baker really ought to do a deep dive into the subject. But until then this is really the only full length treatment on the subject and it's worth a read.

[DanielL · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the1930’s, the very rich, famous, and powerful (including most major news media outlets) considered FDR a radical socialist/communist with his massive spending on New Deal programs and his abolishment of the gold standard. No matter how much it would cost them financially, they wanted FDR out as POTUS; and they identified only one man who could rally 500,000+ veterans to take up arms, march and overthrow FDR. That man was retired USMC Major General Smedley Butler (who was also a Republican).

During active duty and in retirement, General Butler was the ultimate “enlisted man’s general”. He would never ask anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do or hadn’t done. General Butler was not afraid of riling up his superiors to protect and service his men. In retirement, he worked tirelessly for veterans’ benefits. He was beloved by members of all branches of the military.

The conspirators offered General Butler wealth, fame, and power (dictator of the USA) to overthrow FDR. Instead, General Butler rooted out and publicly identified the conspirators. US Congressional hearings were held to investigate the conspiracy.

In “The Plot to Seize the White House” by Jules Archer, the author extensively covered General Butler’s Quaker upbringing and his military career, e.g.. his heroism (two Medal of Honors), his integrity, his leadership. The author needed to establish General Butler’s credibility since he was accusing the very rich, famous, and powerful of treason. He did NOT do it for money since he died leaving an estate that total $2,000.

“The Plot to Seize the White House” by Jules Archer and the Trump insurrection on January 6, 2021, had me feeling “it's like deja-vu all over again”. To protect the conspirators, the plots were suppressed and ridiculed by the news media and those in power. Both US Congressional committees “allowed the big ones to escape” testifying under oath.

I think the plot to forcefully oust a democratically elected President was more probable in the 1930’s compared to what happened on January 6, 2021. For this, we should be forever grateful to General Butler. He almost single handedly saved American democracy and the rule of law.

USMC Major General Smedley Butler is now one of my all-time great American heroes.

[Frode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is a piece of history the school books conveniently overlook. It was interesting although a bit repetitive in my estimation. The book is in four parts. The chapters are titled, The Plot, The Indispensable Man, The Conspiracy Explodes, and Fallout. The first chapter describes the meetings between Smedley Butler and mostly MacGuire, the front man for the conspiracy. Chapter two is a biography of Butler mostly during his 32 yeas of service in the Marines. The third chapter is primarily a rehash of the first chapter but done with commentary and some proceedings of the McCormack-Dickstein Committee which the House of Representatives set up to investigate the matter. The final chapter tells what happened as a result of the investigation, which was simply that the plot was foiled, but the conspirators were never charged.

The kept press, same as in our day, handled the story by suppression, distortion and omission. Butler was ridiculed for daring to expose such a thing. He was the target, not the conspirators. It was a good example of the golden rule, "He who has the gold, rules." The big shots and money men behind the plot were never even subpoenaed. Sort of reminds us of the Clintons maybe?

Butler railed against dollar diplomacy, US troops being used to support moneyed interests in foreign lands. He was fervently American but against the wrong use of troops. He was a very outspoken man and extremely popular with the men he served with and ultimately most veterans. The American Legion at the time was run by money men and used as a political tool. Butler favored the V.F.W. as it had the interests of the veterans at heart. In the end, Butler was an isolationist and made multiple speeches against involvement in the coming war, WWII.

Smedley Darlington Butler was a rare man, a real patriot, and willing to stand and take the shots for being outspoken. The conspirators erred badly when they tried to recruit Butler to be their front man in the fascist takeover. He would not be bought. As Douglas MacArthur said later, "There's only one Butler. He was one of the really great generals in American history."

[RN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes place during the Hoover FDR era, the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Major General Smedley D Butler drops out of highschool and joins the Marines at the age of 16 in 1898. He worked his way up the ranks by being a dutiful soldier and a true American. When he becomes an officer, he treats his men how he wants to be treated and never asks them to do what he wouldn't do himself. He works right beside them earning respect with them all. After he retires, he helps to get Franklin D Roosevelt elected. He spends his time going around the Country talking to veterans, always looking out for their best interests, lobbying Congress for increase in salary due the enlisted, the retired and injured veterans. A man comes to him wanting him to be in charge of a group to overthrow the government. Butler, still the all American, listens to him, getting as much information as possible, stringing him along, but saying no. This guy throws money around trying to buy him to do this. After he has sufficient evidence, he goes to the FDR administration to tell them the plot and testifies to Congress. They wonder if he's for real, but throughout his career, he made important friends who verify him. Some try to smear his name for ratting him out, but it doesn't stop him. He's successful in stopping the scam.
It's a wonderful book. Some reviews say that it's more of an autobiography of him, but his history needs told so you can understand that he's completely loyal to his Country and is honest and true.
I highly recommend it if you love true history.

[Sami Eerola · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is amazing and true, but there is not much to tell about it, only one source that is a investigation by the House of Un American activities in the 30´s, so the rest of the book is the biography of its main source: general Smedley Butler that was directly asked to be part of the fascist plot. So if you are not interested in the life of Butler, like me, this was very irritating. Butler lived a colourful life and in his retirement was a staunch anti-war activist, but i did not took this book to read about him, but about the fascists!

The worst part in this book is that it has only three sources and only one about the actual fascist conspiracy. The other two are secondary sources about general Butler´s life. So there is no new primary research done by the author and that is very bad. Trusting only one source is not exactly the best way to write history.

For example the conspiracy was proven to be a capitalist plot, but the fascistic element of it is only present in that one of the plotters researches Europe´s fascist movements to model the seizure of power by a army of veterans. So "fascism" in this book is not so much ideological conviction and more like the style of coup. The author does not axemen´s this critically. It would be better to say that the plot was a anticommunist corporativist plot and not and ideological fascist plot about race and "resurgent of a new nation".

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

General Smedley Butler is someone who should be better known in the United States. As it is, this work is largely fine, but it does seem to edge too close to something like hero worship, making it out as if Butler did no wrong ever in his entire life. Additionally, the evidence of the plot seemed a little weak to me. While I am very inclined to think it actually happened, there is a part of me that thinks there should be more evidence to prove it. A little cursory research tells me that historians basically agree that Butler wasn't lying about the plot, but there is some question about whether or not the man acting as a go-between for Butler and supposed masters actually was that and not just a so-so confidence man playing both sides to his own benefit. Since the investigation never quite got any further than a few interviews by a Congressional committee in private, with only select portions given to the press, well, we'll never really know then.

Still, Americans should know more about Smedley Butler.

[Bob Schiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the story is important and needs to be known by every American, this book could have used some serious editing. It is basically 4 parts: the recruitment of Gen. Butler, a bio of Butler, the Congressional hearing into the conspiracy, and the aftermath. Unfortunately, parts 1 and 3 are almost identical - much of part 1 was lifted almost verbatim from the Congressional hearing (in a much more readable format) and is unnecessarily repeated in part 3. The only really important point made in part 3 is how much testimony was left out of the final report.

The author does not speculate too much as to why the conspirators were never arrested and tried. I read elsewhere that FDR may have made a deal where the Wall Street money men would escape prosecution in exchange for belatedly backing the New Deal.

My biggest takeaway was the realization that nothing has changed in the past 85-90 years - the Big Business-backed Republicans are still calling Democrats "Socialists," and the press is no less unbiased now as then (or ever - the press in this country has NEVER been neutral).

[Arlene Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very relevant to our current state of our democratic system. Sadly, the same bad actors of the wealthy industrialists, mega-corporations, inheritors of huge trusts, and the economic royalists are still present, still spending billions to lie to the American people and turn our nation into a fascist dictatorship where they rule, and their interests are served, and the rest of the millions' lives don't matter to these people at all. They are still the same bad actors; newer faces, but the same. And the fact that the military is used by the business class to serve their interests and the blood of our sons and daughters are spilled is all in a day's profit for them. The military as an institution needs to be revamped to actually serve the interests of the people, rather than the high lords of business. The fact that a faction tried to replace FDR with a dictator that would represent the interests of the elite should be taught to us as our American history, but it is not.