GENERAL SMEDLEY DARLINGTON BUTLER:
THE LETTERS OF A LEATHERNECK,
1891-1931

Anne Cipriano Venzon, (ed)

Praeger, 1992. NEW copy. Hardcover issued without dust jacket. Photographs, extensive notes & commentary, bibliography, index, 357 pages. From the Introduction: "Smedley Butler's astonishing career evoked either passionate support or deep disdain throughout the American military and civilian populations. Since his death, the articles and books written about him have followed in that pattern Many have been laudatory, others damming. Well ballanced accounts of the man's life and career are few. This compilation of personal letters is not a critical edition meant to take sides in the controversy. Rather, it is an attempt to let Butler speak for himself. The letters are fraught with contradictions, as was the man. He was sentimental and devoted to his family. He bolonged to the Hicksite branch of the Society of Friends (Quakers). Yet he was unquestionably one of the toughest Marines of his generation. Hot-headed and impetuous, Butler was proud of his unintellectual ~ almost anti-intellectual ~ approach toward warfare, and was contemputous of the study of military theory. but he was keenly interested in the development of new military hardware and techniques, from specially designed gun saddles and field kitchens to the use of armored vehicles and aircraft. Detractors accuse Butler of ambition and use of his father, Congressman Thomas S. Butler's, influence. The charges are true in some cases. Yet the goal of his ambition was rarely, if ever, self-aggrandizement. He was invariably motivated by a desire to promote the Corps or to ensure his family's welfare. To those ends he might use his political 'pull' and/or his considerable skills as a showman. He was a most demanding commander. Butler insisted on strict compliance with codes of conduct and dress and tolerated nothing less than outstanding perfomances, first from himself, and then from his men. Yet he was no martinet. Men don't follow martinets the way he followed Butler. His concern for his troops' welfare went far beyond matters of food, clothing and shelter. An important theme running throughout these letters is his profound commitment to protecting the life of each of his men. From the early days of his career he privately professed near-heresy when he condemned the government's employment to protect what he viewed as opportunistic investments and shady dealings by American entrepreneurs in the Caribbean Basin. Using a vocabulary that makes us cringe today, he suggested that the United States should withdraw its troops and let the local population settle their differences among themselves, rather than waste even one Marine's life for what Butler believed to be a frivolous cause. The security of his country and the safety of its citizens were worth fighting and dying for; Brown Brothers and the United Fruit Company were not ...." Currently in Print at $110.

$110.00