War Is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

by Smedley D. Butler

Beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die. This was the “war to end wars.” This was the “war to make the world safe for democracy.” No one told them that dollars and cents were the real reason.

There are only two reasons why you should ever be asked to give your youngsters. One is the defense of our homes. The other is the defense of the Bill of Rights and particularly the right to worship God as we see fit. Every other reason advanced for the murder of young men is a racket, pure and simple.

those who derive the most from the benefits we enjoy, under our form of government, should contribute the most toward its maintenance.

Therefore, I believe that each should bear his proportionate share of the cost, based on his ability to pay and the size of his purse.

War is a cancerous infection. Like cancer it can be stamped out if treatment is timely. The doctor who wants to stamp out an infection will first seek the cause of irritation. When the irritation is stopped, the infection itself ceases to spread.