The Business Plot Conspiracy Theory Essay

It happened in 1933 when a number of American businessmen joined hands to plan to offset Franklin Roosevelt and replace him with a retired marine corps general called Butler. He was not a fan of fascism, but a patriot and a vocal supporter (Jenkins, 2011). They wanted Butler to overshadow the president and render him powerless. Their main idea was to gather all veterans since they had the financial ability, assemble them, march with them to Washington where the president resided and force him to appoint Butler to some cabinet position. After Butler occupying this position for a considerable time, he was to pass the cabal's orders which would render the president Roosevelt powerless. The main players for this conspiracy were the businessmen who included the heads of chase bank, Senator Prescott Bush, Standard oil, Gm, Goodyear, the DuPont family and the marine corps major General Butler. These group wanted to be led by a fascist dictator which President Roosevelt was not, as such Butler was to finally replace him (Jenkins, 2011). The financial ability of these group of people and their political awareness put them in a better position to work against the president. It was easy for them to have a mass support since that time the country was in an economic crisis. A small positive change of the economic position of the citizens would have a great impact on the influence they create.

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Although they had chosen major General Butler they were not aware that during 1932 campaigns he had changed his focus and was more so supporting President Roosevelt. Those who plotted this conspiracy only knew Butler as a solid-gold and a Great War veteran who would stand everything and would make a good representative. In 1932 during the political campaigned he changed his mind from supporting Hoover to Roosevelt. He actively involved in Roosevelt politics and was ready to pay the cost for Roosevelt to win. This escaped the opposition without them noticing. The political battle at that time was real and the exact position one held had its own consequences and impacts thus everyone had to make solid decisions. The masterminds' criminals were so much focused on winning that they paid less attention to details.

In 1934, Butler approached the FBI and shared with them about the plot. All the masterminds and the businessmen who had all along planned this denied having anything to do with the conspiracy. Coups are some of the major offends that the justice department cannot withstand as such they had to investigate accordingly to avoid such coups or plans in future. Since Butler had been a solid-gold he accepted to be the government informant about all the activities and plans. The investigation remained low as they were nobody that was apprehended. Since most of the masterminds were businessmen they maintained a tie with Germany's. These ties were used during the World War two as the entry points. The USA did not end up a dictator country as planned but it maintained its initial status. Hoover had his disagreements especially after Roosevelt won during the elections but he had never been a fascist of coups. He wanted a better America but peace was one of his spearheading objectives. The protest eventually led to consecutive hearings but there was no one arrested or charged. It profited the plotters as it opened business channels to Italy and Germany.

Although Butler made all the claims there was no evidence found to support this, at times it is assumed that the coup was a joke but at times there was a level of truth and seriousness to the matter. There was no evidence because Butler blew the whistle before they acted. According to the committee, they were no factual evidence but there were some facts that Butler was approached but they are not sure about what exactly they met. Additionally, a coup is a long shout and must include a number of people other than the masterminds, there must be the smaller scale group. There was no evidence that these group too existence. The congressional report shows no conclusive report of whether Butler was right or the businessmen. It is also possible that the congressional committee was also compromised and that resulted in a faulty report. It is believed that the committee investigated all the corners of the coup except the most important which were related to the plot. The investigation was the only periphery. The core structure was not touched.

Gerald MacGuire who spearheaded the investigation did not approach Butler on his own (Galka, 2017). This is usually not the case especially when the matter is as serious as a coup. According to his previous intel, he had the capacity to get even the slightest evidence for the case which would have resulted in a better case. The case has remained open as to whether a group of people planned it or not.

Most of the participants of this conspiracy were kept wrapped and there was no criminal record under their names this was according to the congressional committee (Jolley & Douglas, 2014). Although some names leaked to the general public like the grandfather of George Bush the one's president of the United States, there were no charges made to them. They were treated differently than the normal criminals yet there were one. Allegations even if no facts were evident there should have faced some criminal charges or their businesses to be frozen for some time until evidence is acquired so as such plans could not exist.

According to me, I believe in the theory and that there was a coup that was planned. The businessmen cannot have met to discuss other matter and for it to raise questions. I believe that they had met several other times to discuss business and there was no other time the nation or other people had asked a question. Secondly, there was no financial gain that Butler had been promised by the FBI or any other justice department that would make him compromise his standard. He had been known well to stand for what he believed in, as such they was no need to lie (Farkas, 2015). Thirdly, after major General Butler blew the whistle, he put his life in a compromised state and was ready to pay the consequences of his actions. In most cases, the masterminds would eventually reach to him for conspiring against them and maybe kill him but he understood all these thus he had stood (Uscinski & Parent, 2014). It is obvious that there is no gain whatsoever that Butler would gain thus the more reasons to trust him. Additionally, the political difference is known to cause many negative impacts and since all the masterminds supported Hoover then, they would have plotted anything just to overpower Roosevelt.

There is rational evidence on the coup thus the above belief. Together with some emotional intelligence. The country at that time was in a bad political and economic position that made it more vulnerable to predators. Also, the powers held by a president currently are not the same held at that time no wonder the businessmen wanted a dictator ruler ship of the president they chose for their own benefits. Every case should be argued emotionally and with rational evidence which is well done to give that conclusion. Even though the coup did not happen but there was the potential of it happening just that one of them was courageous enough.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is evident that political, social and economic instability of a country can put it in a dire position which some can take advantage to benefit from. The president and other sober bodies must stand for what is right at all cost and also be able to challenge even those who are contributing to economic stability for their own gain. Allegations to some point should be treated carefully as it can result in more evidence of a case.

References

Farkas, A. (2015). Busy Professors in the Barroom: Reading Marianna Gula Re-Reading Joyce. HJEAS: Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies, 21(1), 211.

Galka, B. (2017). The Business Plot in the American Press (Doctoral dissertation, Kansas State University).

Jenkins, B. (2011). Plots and Rumors: Conspiracy Theories and the Six Fevrier 1934. French Historical Studies, 34(4), 649-678.

Jolley, D., & Douglas, K. M. (2014). The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases intentions to engage in politics and to reduce one's carbon footprint. British Journal of Psychology, 105(1), 35-56.

Uscinski, J. E., & Parent, J. M. (2014). American conspiracy theories. Oxford University Press.