In this powerful and provocative book, Major General Smedley D Butler pulls back the curtain on the true nature of war and the military-industrial complex that fuels it. Drawing on his experience as a highly decorated veteran of the US Marine Corps, Butler exposes the ugly truth about war as a profit-making enterprise for a small group of wealthy elites.

With passion and conviction, Butler argues that war is not waged for noble causes or to defend democracy but rather to enrich a small group of arms manufacturers, bankers, and politicians. He traces the history of US military interventionism and exposes the corrupt practices that have allowed a handful of men to profit from the bloodshed and sacrifice of countless others.