ALLEGED FASCIST PLOT

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19421, 22 November 1934, Page 7

ALLEGED FASCIST PLOT

GENERAL’S DISCLOSURES. ALLEGATIONS DENIED. ■INVESTIGATION TO BE HELD. United • Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright. NEW YORK, Nov. 20. General Smedley Butler, retired, in giving evidence before the Committee of Congress which is investigating “unAmerican activities,” to-day created a sensation comparable to that caused by Professor Wirt’s “Brain Trust” charges last April. This time, however, it was a threatened 'Fascist coup instead of a Communist movement. General Butler, whose somewhat flamboyant manner of speech got him into many scrapes during his military career, told the oommittee that a representative of a powerful group of Wall Street brokers offered to finance him to the extent of 3,000,000 dollars to recruit 500,000 men from the American Legion and other veterans’ organisations to march to Washington and force President Roosevelt to abdicate.

After that a dictatorship was to be established as the only possible means of saving capitalism from the radical tendencies of the Administration. General Butler said he considered the offer treasonable, but be listened to the plan in order to trap the plotters. All the persons named by General Butler flatly denied his aoousations, most of them saying they were too laughable to comment upon. On the other hand, Mr Samuel Dickstein, chairman of the committee, s'aid tlie charges had been partially checked and would be further Investigated. General Butler caused a sensation some time ago by declaring that Signor Mussolini’s car had knocked down a man and that the Duoe had proceeded on his way with the remark: " What is one life in the affairs of State?” The remark led to an international incident. America made a •formal apology to the Italian Ambassador and General Butler expressed regret. __________