| Abstract |
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the Presidency in 1932, many Americans looked to his bold New Deal plans as the way out of the dark days of the Depression. But a powerful group of financiers and industrialists saw his economic policies as a threat. The Plot to Overthrow FDR reveals how, inspired by political trends in Germany and Italy, this group conceived of a plan to either overthrow the newly-elected president or force him to take orders from them. They envisioned a paramilitary organization of disgruntled WWI veterans as the force to intimidate the government. The man they chose to inspire and lead this veteran's army was retired Marine General Smedley D. Butler, a colorful and outspoken champion of veteran's rights. But Butler was their undoing. After discovering the details of the conspiracy, the horrified general blew the whistle and subjected the outrageous plot to the scrutiny of a Congressional investigation. |
