A Conspiracy That Almost Brought Down The United States Government

Everyone loves a good conspiracy. The Kennedy Assassination, 9/11, the moon landing are just a few historical events that have been conversation topics in bars and around American dinner tables for years.

One interesting thing about conspiracies is that unless someone involved spills the beans it’s really hard to garner proof that a conspiracy even exists. There are some historical conspiracies that have not only been planned, but also in some cases, actually carried out. One such case that was planned and almost carried out was a conspiracy to overthrow the US Government.

FDR Coup

After the 1933 election not everyone was particularly onboard with FDR’s proposed policies.  The heads of banks such as Chase Bank, major corporations like Goodyear, Standard Oil and the DuPont Family decided that a military coup would be the only possible way to oust FDR and replace him with the fascist dictatorship they favored.

Alleged co-conspirator Senator Prescott Bush, father of Bush 41 and grandfather of Bush 43, went to Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler to do the deed. The main reason this coup failed is due to a, “failure to communicate.”

It seems that not only was Smedley not a supporter of fascism, he had actively campaigned for FDR during his presidential run. Smedley blew the whistle to congress and it was off to the races.

Although the McCormack-Dickestien Committee did determine that an actual conspiracy probably existed, no one was arrested or brought up on any charges. Most all of them simply went back to doing business with Nazi German up through, and in some cases after, the American entry into World War II.

Some Final Thoughts

Conspiracy theories are great radio fodder for talk show hosts. Just take the opposing side, and the phones ring off the hook. But I still have to wonder. Are there true conspiracies out there like the FDR documentation above?

So I guess today’s question might be this, “Are there so many conspiracy theories out  there that it would be hard for a real one to actually be brought into the light?” I think back to the Watergate era.

That conspiracy actually existed, but most people discounted it until the evidence was so overwhelming that we had no choice but acceptance. It’s obvious that we should not paint all conspiracy theories with too broad a brush and cover them up.

I suppose that if you want something to be true you can find a way to make whatever evidence is available work. After all, the most noted scientific minds in the world still contend that it’s not physically possible for a bumblebee to fly with their small wings. But fly they do — and quite well thank you.

Will we ever truly know if Oswald shot Kennedy, or that American’s landed on the moon, or whether 9/11 was an inside job? Will Jimmie Hoffa ever be found? Probably not. But it sure is entertaining to listen, wonder and speculate.

What’s your opinion? Are conspiracy theories real or folklore?