Radio War Nerd EP #359 — Smedley Butler & American Empire, feat. Jonathan M. Katz
Guest: Jonathan Katz, author & journalist
Recorded: December 15, 2022
We talk to Jonathan Katz about US Marines Gen. Smedley Butler's journey from the US Empire's lead "racketeer" in small wars and coups from China to the Caribbean, to anti-militarist hero and whistleblower who took down the crypto-fascist Business Plot to overthrow FDR.
Buy Jonathan M. Katz's book Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, The Marines, and the Making and Breaking of the American Empire.
Subscribe to Jonathan's newsletter The Racket.
Total time: 1:33:05
Comments (8)
yeah rich and poor end up mirroring each other in ways they might not even realize. Poor people drink dirty water from neglected water pipes owned by the slum lord, rich people drink "raw water". Poor people live in shanties, rich people have Tinyhomes. Poor people walk around in sweatpants, mark zuckerberg walks around in sweatpants.
Great episode and book. Katz's book serves as a kind of prequel to Vincent Bevin's also excellent "Jakarta Method". There are points of evolution and discontinuity, but both are useful for understanding the evolution of the American empire.
Another great episode. I'll certainly buy the book.
I’ve listened to a lot of episodes both old and new, but I’ve never discovered why John is alway traveling the globe. Is it a calling? Does he have another job/project he travels for?
it's a visa/immigration problem, they basically can't land two permanent residency for John and Katherine in a desirable country
“The consensus among scholars is that there was no concerted or unified design to seize power and that the leagues lacked the coherence, unity, or leadership to accomplish such an end” about 6 fevrier 1934 Also sounds familiar Wish they would push back against this lib bullshit around “fascism” and the “coup” re trump and Jan 6
The clownish buffoonery of barely consumerist/social media-"organized" slobs, fronted by a dimwitted tool and mostly friendless coward like Trump... and the cynical depravity of Democrats and never-Trump Republicans... and the obvious Capitol Police et al staging and enabling... makes it difficult to take Jan 6 seriously as a coup attempt. But it's always shocking to learn how big events start out as a little joke passed around among larpers and their deep state operator-handlers and a few other actual powerful people, let go for a while "just to see where it goes, who it attracts," and then, hey look at what we just got away with!
I keep waiting for the part where Smedley Butler goes to Wawa.