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    Categories>Politics>War Is a Racket: Smedley Butler’s Explosive Whistleblow

    War Is a Racket: Smedley Butler’s Explosive Whistleblow

    33 min
    |
    |
    Mar 6, 2026
    PoliticsHistorySociety

    Explore the shocking transformation of Major General Smedley Butler from decorated war hero to anti-war whistleblower as he exposes how corporate greed and industrial profits drive global conflict.

    War Is a Racket: Smedley Butler’s Explosive Whistleblow

    Best quote from War Is a Racket: Smedley Butler’s Explosive Whistleblow

    “

    War is a racket. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses are reckoned in lives, conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the very many.

    ”

    This audio lesson was created by a BeFreed community member

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    War is a racket book

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    Key Takeaways

    1

    The General Who Exposed the Racket

    0:00
    0:10
    0:20
    0:34
    0:51
    2

    The Inside Track on a Global Scheme

    1:03
    1:36
    2:06
    2:45
    3:11
    3:44
    4:14
    4:51
    3

    The Sky Is the Limit for Blood Gains

    5:16
    5:48
    6:18
    6:42
    7:09
    7:39
    8:04
    8:29
    8:52
    4

    Buckboards and Wooden Ships

    9:15
    9:37
    10:04
    10:32
    11:03
    11:29
    11:50
    12:18
    12:39
    5

    The Human Accounting of the Dead

    13:07
    13:37
    14:07
    14:40
    15:04
    15:35
    16:01
    16:34
    16:56
    6

    Taking the Profit Out of the Racket

    17:22
    17:44
    18:11
    18:40
    19:07
    19:32
    19:59
    20:26
    20:51
    7

    The Money Behind the Changing Mind

    21:13
    21:37
    21:59
    22:23
    22:47
    23:14
    23:40
    24:07
    8

    A Defense No Rat Could Creep Through

    24:29
    25:01
    25:25
    25:50
    26:09
    26:38
    27:02
    27:27
    9

    The Mothers and the Bedside Test

    27:47
    28:08
    28:34
    29:02
    29:32
    29:55
    30:22
    30:49
    10

    A Legacy of Integrity and Whistleblowing

    31:05
    31:30
    31:58
    32:22
    32:43
    33:09
    2:06
    33:40

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