Business Plot: Encyclopedia II - Business Plot - McCormack-Dickstein Committee

Business Plot - McCormack-Dickstein Committee

The events testified in the McCormack-Dickstein Committee happened between July and November 1933. The Committee began examining the Business Plot on November 20, 1934. On November 24 the committee released a statement detailing the testimony it had heard about the Business Plot and its preliminary findings. On February 15, 1935, the committee submitted to the House of Represenatives its final report.^[4] The McCormack-Dickstein Committee was the first House Committee On Un-American Activities (HUAC).

During the McCormack-Dickstein Committee hearings, Marine Corps General Smedley Butler testified that through Gerald MacGuire and Bill Doyle, who was then the department commander of the American Legion in Massachusetts.[5] The conspirators attempted to recruit him to lead a coup, promising him an army of 500,000 men for a march on Washington, D.C., unlimited financial backing, and generous media spin control. Despite Butler's support for Roosevelt in the election^[6], and his reputation as a strong critic of capitalism, the plotters felt his good reputation and popularity were vital in attracting support amongst the general public, and saw him as easier to manipulate than others.

Butler was approached by Gerald MacGuire. MacGuire was a bond salesman for Robert Clark, an heir to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, an art collector who lived mostly in Paris, and one of Wall Street's richest investors. One of Wall Street's richest bankers and stockbrokers, Gerald MacGuire was a former commander of the Connecticut American Legion and had been an activist for the gold currency movement that Clark sponsored. [7]

In attempting to recruit Butler, MacGuire is said to have played on the general's passionate loyalty toward his fellow veterans and soldiers. Knowing of an upcoming bonus in 1945 for World War I veterans, Butler said MacGuire told him, "We want to see the soldiers' bonus paid in gold. We do not want the soldier to have rubber money or paper money." Although such names as Al Smith, Roosevelt's political foe and former governor of New York, and Irene DuPont, a chemical industrialist were said to be the financial and organizational backbone of the plot, hard evidence has never surfaced.^[8] Butler stated that once the conspirators were in power, they would protect Roosevelt from other plotters.^[9]

Given a successful coup, Butler would have held near-absolute power in the newly created position of "Secretary of General Affairs," while Roosevelt would have assumed a figurehead role. Butler would then have implemented fascist measures to combat the Depression, as some conservatives at the time felt that such steps were necessary to ward off communist influence while preventing drastic changes in the economic structure.

Reaction to Butler's testimony by the media and business elite was lukewarm, even hostile. The majority of media outlets, including The New York Times, Philadelphia Record, and Time Magazine ridiculed or downplayed his claims, saying they lacked evidence. After the committee concluded the New York Times and Time Magazine downplayed the conclusions of the committee.^[10]

The House Un-American Activities Committee deleted extensive excerpts from the report relating to Wall Street financiers including J.P. Morgan, the Du Pont interests, Remington Arms, and others allegedly involved in the plot attempt. As of 1975, a full transcript of the hearings had yet to be traced.^[11]

Those accused of the plotting by Butler all professed innocence. MacGuire was the only figure identified by Butler who testified before the committee. Others involved were actually called to appear to testify, though never were forced to testify.

Portions of Butler's story were corroborated by:

• Veterans of Foreign Wars commander James Van Zandt, who told reporters that he had been approached to lead the 500,000-man march on Washington.[12]^[13]
• Captain Samuel Glazier—testifying under oath about plans of a plot to install a dictatorship in the United States. [14]^[15]
• Reporter Paul Comly French, reporter for the Philadelphia Record and the New York Evening Post.[16]

Business Plot - Members of the McCormack-Dickstein Committee

• John W. McCormack, Massachusetts, Chairman. McCormack served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1961 until 1971.
• Samuel Dickstein New York, Vice Chairman.
• Carl May Weideman, Michigan. Democratic Congressman from March 4, 1933-January 3, 1935.[17]
• Charles Kramer, California. Democratic Congressman from March 4, 1933-January 3, 1943.[18]
• Thomas A Jenkins, Ohio. Republican Congressman from March 4, 1925-January 3, 1959.[19]
• James Willis Taylor, Tennessee. Republican Congressman from March 4, 1919-November 14, 1939. [20]
• Ulysses Samuel Guyer, Kansas. Republican Congressman from March 4, 1927-June 5, 1943.[21]
• Thomas W. Hardwick, Counsel.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "McCormack-Dickstein Committee", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki