# Smedley Butler **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 1, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471 "2012-05-01T01:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BedleySmutler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@BedleySmutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BedleySmutler)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/1 "2012-05-01T01:33:39Z")
In 1934, Butler testified to the Special Committee on Un-American Activities Congressional committee (the “McCormack-Dickstein Committee”) on these claims.[1] In the opinion of the committee, these allegations were credible.[2] No one was prosecuted. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/2 "2012-05-01T01:42:45Z")
Thanks for letting us know! I was always wondering! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/3 "2012-05-01T01:48:45Z")
And we got it straight from the morse’s houth. Anyway, [here’s](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2624/oh-smedley) the column in question. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/4 "2012-05-01T11:43:33Z")
Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Boards, **BedleySmutler** and thanks for the comments. I’m a little concerned, though: from the footnote indicators in your post, namely [1] and [2] , I infer that you’ve copied the text from somewhere without attribution. It’s fairly short text, so no big deal, but in future it would be better for you to provide the cites. Just so you know. And also know that copying large text is not permitted here. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/5 "2012-05-01T12:22:56Z")
The quote is from Wikipedia; specifically the [lede paragraph on the “Business Plot” article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot), so copying a large portion of the text wouldn’t have been a big deal (although attribution would have been nice). In any case, the quote essentially agrees with Cecil’s column; Cecil says that “The committee issued a report saying Butler’s story checked out, but few paid much attention.” The footnotes in the article are referenced to pages 83 and 85 of [_The Politics of Upheaval: 1935-1936, The Age of Roosevelt_](http://books.google.com/books?id=vC5HJloBWugC) by Arthur Meier Schlesinger, which is viewable through Google Books, should one care to look. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/6 "2012-05-02T12:40:40Z")
Thanks, **zut** , for searching for it. I just wanted to make the point (for a new poster) that when one does copy-and-paste from a text, it’s nice to provide attribution so that others can (a) read the entire article, and (b) not think this was something that the poster created/invented on her/his own. 😉 Anyhow, I appreciate that you found it for us. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/7 "2012-05-02T17:08:23Z")
> [@](#): > > it’s nice to provide attribution\* \ ***C K Dexter Haven** , _The Straight Dope Message Board_, May 2, 2012. See [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15024608&postcount=6) for full context. Not applicable in states where attribution is not permitted by law. _The Straight Dope Message Board_ is owned by _The Chicago Reader_. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/8 "2012-05-02T19:50:58Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > \ ***C K Dexter Haven** , _The Straight Dope Message Board_, May 2, 2012. See [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15024608&postcount=6) for full context. Not applicable in states where attribution is not permitted by law. _The Straight Dope Message Board_ is owned by _The Chicago Reader_. But do the views expressed in the above-mentioned thread reflect the views of the Chicago Reader, its owners, subsidiaries, and shareholders? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/9 "2012-05-02T19:58:44Z")
> [@](#): > > a I copied that from a copyrighted article, without attribution. Sue me. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471/10 "2012-05-02T20:28:25Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > I copied that from a copyrighted article, without attribution. Sue me. Unless it was my article (a pun, I presume), I can’t. And even so, it’s too short to be copyrightable. Powers &8^]