Say the word conspiracy,you have those who will profit!

[Myra Bronstein]

And, look what happened to Flynt. You could've at least gotten the spelling of his name right. He became a paraplegic for making that offer. Shot at, and paralyzed from the waist down. And, don't try and hand me any of your hairbrained explanations on that one because I've got it on firsthand authority, you fool.

Speaking of the great Larry Flynt, his site has the best description of the 1933 coup attempt that I've seen:

http://www.larryflynt.com/notebook.php?id=196

"Coup D'Etat In America

How the ruling class plotted to overthrow FDR.

By Monique Raphel High

Some people say that President George W. Bush is obviously the Big Business President; that Bush is little more than Vice President Dick Cheney’s sock puppet; that every time Bush makes a policy statement, it’s actually Cheney, with his hand shoulder-deep up Bush’s ass, doing the talking; that Cheney is the real Evil Emperor of the U.S., quietly taking care of business for big oil (Halliburton, his old employer), big construction (Kellogg Brown and Root, the outfit that’s mostly rebuilding Iraq, owned by Halliburton) and big everything else. Ridiculous? Paranoid? Couldn’t happen here? In fact, it almost did.

In 1934 the United States was struggling through the depths of the Great Depression like a stumbling, outclassed heavyweight in the late rounds of a losing fight. Fifteen million people were out of work. The national income was less than half what it had been before the Depression. Five thousand banks had failed, taking 9 million savings accounts with them. Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur and his subordinates—Majors George S. Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower—had routed the Bonus Army out of Washington. Newsreel-watchers were treated to the detestable spectacle of U.S. troops turning their weapons on American veterans.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal had made some progress in alleviating the nation’s suffering, but the Democrat’s daring programs were beginning to stall. Many people were searching for more radical solutions to America’s economic problems. Some thought that the Soviet Union had the right idea; Communist Party membership in the U.S. was at an all-time high. Others wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Communists or their fellow travelers. These included some of the country’s richest and most powerful citizens, who began looking toward Europe, where Hitler was putting the Germans back to work (building tanks and dive-bombers, it turned out), and Mussolini was making Italy’s trains run on time. Anybody who could convince the Italians to stop arguing and work together efficiently had to have something on the ball, right?

The rich were particularly dissatisfied with President Roosevelt. Many viewed him as a “traitor to his class”—the inherited-wealth class. They felt especially threatened by three of FDR’s reforms. First, the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934 had set controls on such time-honored activities as insider trading and stock manipulation. As his first SEC chairman, FDR picked Joseph P. Kennedy, father of future President John F. Kennedy. “I’ll set a thief to catch a thief,” the President joked. It was no joke to wealthy banking families like the Morgans, whose brokerage interests were now being regulated.

Second, there were rumors that the Senate was going to investigate arms manufacturers and their role in inducing the country to enter World War I. This was unwelcome news to Delaware’s Du Pont family, at the time the world’s leading makers of armaments. Third, almost immediately on taking office in 1933, Roosevelt had removed the U.S. from the gold standard. “Hard” (that is, gold-backed) money was what all right-thinking people wanted us to have. The moneyed interests feared that “soft” money would lead to rampant inflation. Inflation is a good thing if you owe money to a bank, but a bad thing if you own one.

In 1933 a number of wealthy anti-New Dealers decided that it would be a good idea if a paramilitary force of disgruntled vets and jobless men could either force the President out of office or compel him to accept certain fundamental changes in government. In other words, they began plotting a coup against FDR. Of course, any paramilitary force has to have a leader, and the plotters had one in mind.

Retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler was an oddball in many respects. He was a Quaker—an unusual religious affiliation for a general. Instead of attending a service academy, he’d come up from the enlisted ranks. He’d won the Medal of Honor twice. He was a vocal supporter of the Bonus Army. He’d commanded Marines in Haiti, China, Nicaragua and Cuba. In 1935 he would write a book titled War Is a Racket. That same year, he was to say in an interview with the Socialist newspaper Common Sense: “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. … In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested. … Looking back on it, I felt I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents.”

But in 1933 Butler hadn’t yet written his book or publicly expressed these opinions. He was beloved of his troops and one of the few career officers to openly champion the Bonus Army. He was just the sort of leader whom men would follow into battle. The plotters hoped that they’d follow him into insurrection.

Two members of the American Legion—Gerald C. MacGuire and Bill Doyle—paid a visit to Butler. MacGuire, a bond salesman for a Morgan firm, invited the general to address a Legion convention. They hoped that the members would rally to Butler and help them oust the veterans group’s current slate of leaders. Butler declined, but the pair returned. This time they brought a bank book showing over $100,000 in deposits (an astronomical sum in 1933) and a prepared speech they wanted him to give. Said to have been written by former Presidential candidate John W. Davis, the speech called for the convention to pass a resolution demanding America’s return to the gold standard.

Butler declined again, but his suspicions were aroused. He kept MacGuire coming back by asking him questions. Who was he really working for? Who was financing his group? Butler might consider throwing in with them, but only if he could meet the head man directly.

After a period of hemming and hawing, MacGuire admitted that two of his organization’s top men were Singer sewing machine heir Robert Sterling Clark (also affiliated with Sun Oil) and brokerage house owner Grayson M.P. Murphy, a director of Guaranty Trust (a bank owned by Morgan), who also had interests in Goodyear, Bethlehem Steel and Anaconda Copper. Clark visited Butler and hinted that his organization just might be persuaded to pay off Butler’s mortgage. At another meeting, MacGuire whipped out his wallet, pulled out 18 thousand-dollar bills and told the general that he wanted to pay for his help.

Finally, MacGuire told Butler what was really on his group’s mind. It wanted Butler to lead an insurrectionist army of 500,000 veterans in a march on Washington. President Roosevelt would be forced to resign, or perhaps just be kept on as a figurehead. FDR would have to appoint a “Secretary of General Affairs,” with broad general authority, who would (of course) run things on behalf of the interests who bankrolled the coup. The Vice President and the Secretary of State (at that time the third person in the Presidential succession) would resign, leaving the Secretary of General Affairs in charge should anything, ah, happen to the President.

Butler at first didn’t believe that the plot was serious, but MacGuire impressed him with some accurate predictions about White House personnel changes. He also predicted the public announcement of a new group that would support the coup by issuing anti-FDR propaganda. A few weeks later Butler read of the formation of the American Liberty League, the most vocal and best-financed of the anti-New Deal groups. The League was backed by the Du Ponts and headed by John J. Raskob (of General Motors), but it also attracted former Democratic Presidential candidates John W. Davis (1924) and Al Smith (1928) and onetime Democratic National Committee Chairman Jouett Shouse.

At this point Butler proved just how badly MacGuire and his friends had misjudged their man. Perhaps they’d forgotten that the Marine Corps’ motto, Semper Fidelis, means “always faithful” and not “Where’s mine?” Butler went to some friends in Congress and the media, most prominently reporter Paul Comly French of the Philadelphia Record, and denounced the plot. Soon, the House Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities agreed to give him a hearing.

During the hearing Butler testified that Robert Sterling Clark had told him that “the organization” considered him “too radical” to lead the coup and that it preferred two other candidates—one of whom was Douglas MacArthur. Reporter French testified that MacGuire had told him that the plotters could raise a million dollars from Morgan or the National City Bank and that arms could be obtained from the Remington Arms Company, largely owned by the Du Ponts. According to French, MacGuire had told him not to worry, that “the poor suckers will go for it.”

MacGuire testified that there was no plot, that he was merely a member of a bring-back-the-gold-standard lobbying group called the Committee for Sound Dollar and Sound Currency Inc. He could not, however, explain away the large sums of money deposited in several of his accounts. Clark had sent MacGuire on a tour of France, Germany and Italy to study economic conditions, said MacGuire. But evidence showed that while abroad, he had met in all three countries with veterans who belonged to paramilitary fascist groups, such as Italy’s Blackshirts and France’s Croix de Feu (“Cross of Fire”).

An independent witness, Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander James Van Zandt, corroborated Butler’s story and said that he, too, had been approached to lead an insurrectionist army.

Surprisingly, the House committee did not call such alleged coconspirators as Morgan banker and Liberty League treasurer Grayson Murphy, General Hugh Johnson (the head of the National Recovery Administration), former New York Governor Al Smith of the Liberty League and General MacArthur. The committee’s final report read: “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.”

The committee had concluded that Smedley Butler was right, that there was indeed a Big Business, fascist-style putsch planned for the United States. The truly astonishing part of the story is what happened next. Nothing.

The New York Times ran two paragraphs on page five. Time’s story was titled “Plot Without Plotters.” The Justice Department prosecuted no one at all, not even MacGuire, who had obviously perjured himself. When reporters asked, “Why?” the Justice Department said only that it had no plans to bring any prosecutions “at the moment.” Less than a month after the report’s release, “the moment” stretched out to forever when Gerald MacGuire, the only man who could testify about the plotters’ instructions to him to recruit Butler, died at 37 from complications of pneumonia. Banker Grayson Murphy, the Liberty League treasurer, died soon after. The plot against FDR started as a minor story, then became a footnote to history, and has by now all but disappeared.

Why wasn’t this story the Watergate of 1934? No one had an adequate explanation then. Roosevelt aide Harold Ickes thought the answer might be found in the near-monopoly concentration of newspaper ownership among major chains—sort of the opposite of today’s “liberal media conspiracy” argument. Seventy years later the issue is even murkier.

What seems certain is that there was a plot to replace a popularly elected President with a sock puppet controlled by the hand of Big Business, and that it was exposed by a patriotic Marine general who believed that duty called him to protect the Constitution, not to subvert it. You might choose to read this story as having a moral to be applied to current politics—except that today, we can’t seem to find a Smedley D. Butler."

[Terry Mauro]

Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it? Oswald would be proud of his name in the history books. That's all he ever wanted! Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong.

Sir...your accusation that I have profited is ridiculous.

I have never "profited" from the assassination, unless

you count an "expenses paid" trip to London by Central

Television to help with a documentary, which picked

up my airfare and hotel costs. There was no "pay"

involved. As you say...PROVE THAT I PROFITED.

I risked more than $20,000 to produce several

videos. Fortunately, sales helped me recover most

of the cost. The videos are now available FREE on

the internet. PROVE THAT I PROFITED OR RETRACT

YOUR SCURRILOUS ACCUSATION!

Jack

Mr. White,I said that you and Herschal Womack said that LHO was not the man in the backyard photo.PLEASE re-read it. I did not say that you profited.......

Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it? Oswald would be proud of his name in the history books. That's all he ever wanted! Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong.

**************************************************

"Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong."

And, look what happened to Flynt. You could've at least gotten the spelling of his name right. He became a paraplegic for making that offer. Shot at, and paralyzed from the waist down. And, don't try and hand me any of your hairbrained explanations on that one because I've got it on firsthand authority, you fool.

Your right where you should be............California!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*******************************************************

"Your right where you should be............California!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A retort that could only be forthcoming from a dumbass, such as yourself. I'm a NYC transplant, you jerk!

"Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it?"

"Mr. White,I said that you and Herschal Womack said that LHO was not the man in the backyard photo.PLEASE re-read it. I did not say that you profited......."

Maybe you didn't write the words saying that Herschal Womack and Jack White profitted, but you sure in hell IMPLIED that they did, in the context of how you worded your statement. Quit trying to cover up for your idiotic gaffs because you're already busted, numbnuts!

Edited December 7, 2006 by Terry Mauro

[John Simkin]

Maybe you didn't write the words saying that Herschal Womack and Jack White profitted, but you sure in hell IMPLIED that they did, in the context of how you worded your statement. Quit trying to cover up for your idiotic gaffs because you're already busted, numbnuts!

It is also made clear in the title of the thread.

[William O'Neil]

Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it? Oswald would be proud of his name in the history books. That's all he ever wanted! Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong.

Sir...your accusation that I have profited is ridiculous.

I have never "profited" from the assassination, unless

you count an "expenses paid" trip to London by Central

Television to help with a documentary, which picked

up my airfare and hotel costs. There was no "pay"

involved. As you say...PROVE THAT I PROFITED.

I risked more than $20,000 to produce several

videos. Fortunately, sales helped me recover most

of the cost. The videos are now available FREE on

the internet. PROVE THAT I PROFITED OR RETRACT

YOUR SCURRILOUS ACCUSATION!

Jack

Mr. White,I said that you and Herschal Womack said that LHO was not the man in the backyard photo.PLEASE re-read it. I did not say that you profited.......

Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it? Oswald would be proud of his name in the history books. That's all he ever wanted! Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong.

**************************************************

"Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong."

And, look what happened to Flynt. You could've at least gotten the spelling of his name right. He became a paraplegic for making that offer. Shot at, and paralyzed from the waist down. And, don't try and hand me any of your hairbrained explanations on that one because I've got it on firsthand authority, you fool.

Your right where you should be............California!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OOOOOHH, REGIONAL SMACK!

[Terry Mauro]

Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it? Oswald would be proud of his name in the history books. That's all he ever wanted! Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong.

Sir...your accusation that I have profited is ridiculous.

I have never "profited" from the assassination, unless

you count an "expenses paid" trip to London by Central

Television to help with a documentary, which picked

up my airfare and hotel costs. There was no "pay"

involved. As you say...PROVE THAT I PROFITED.

I risked more than $20,000 to produce several

videos. Fortunately, sales helped me recover most

of the cost. The videos are now available FREE on

the internet. PROVE THAT I PROFITED OR RETRACT

YOUR SCURRILOUS ACCUSATION!

Jack

Mr. White,I said that you and Herschal Womack said that LHO was not the man in the backyard photo.PLEASE re-read it. I did not say that you profited.......

Since 1963 ,books,television programs.etc. Something for these conspiracy buffs to profit off of the death of late President. Men like Herschal Womack and Jack White tell you it wasn't Oswald in the back yard photos! Who the hell was it? Oswald would be proud of his name in the history books. That's all he ever wanted! Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong.

**************************************************

"Larry Flint's offer still stands. Solve the JFK assassination and he will pay you $1,000,000 . As for me,yes I wish there was a conspiracy. There is no forensic evidence to prove otherwise! Prove me wrong."

And, look what happened to Flynt. You could've at least gotten the spelling of his name right. He became a paraplegic for making that offer. Shot at, and paralyzed from the waist down. And, don't try and hand me any of your hairbrained explanations on that one because I've got it on firsthand authority, you fool.

Your right where you should be............California!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OOOOOHH, REGIONAL SMACK!

*************************************************

"OOOOOHH, REGIONAL SMACK!"

Oh, really? WELL, WHO ASKED YOU?