U.S. Generals of Past Quoted

In view of the apparent popularity of “standing tall”--whatever that actually means--and the current jingoism toward our Central American neighbors, the words of several American military leaders might be recalled with profit. Note that none of them can be classified as a “bleeding-heart” liberal.

From Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1956): “The true security problem of the day . . . is man against war. . . . When both sides know that in any outbreak of general hostilities . . . destruction will be both reciprocal and complete, possibly we will . . . meet at the conference table with the understanding that the era of armaments had ended and the human race must conform to this truth or die.”

From Gen. Douglas MacArthur (1961): “Global war has become a Frankenstein. . . . No longer is it a weapon of adventure--the shortcut to international power. If you lose you are annihilated. If you win, you stand only to lose.. . .”

From Adm. Hyman Rickover (1982): “I’m not proud of the part I’ve played in it (the development of nuclear power). That’s why I’m such a strong proponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. . . . We must expect that if another war--a serious war--breaks out, we will use nuclear energy. . . .”

And finally and most appropriately with respect to our current adventures in Central America, a quote from Gen. Smedley Butler (1935): “I spent 33 years and 4 months . . . in the Marine Corps. And during that period I spent most of my time (as) a muscle man . . . for Wall Street and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. . . .

“Thus I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record is long. I helped purify Nicaragaua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909/12. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

”. . . I was rewarded with honors, medals and promotions. Looking back on it, I feel that I might have given Al Capone a few hints.”

Need I add words of my own? I remain an American liberal--a withering minority, totally unpersuaded by reactionary Reaganism. I wait with bated breath the next adventure of this “standing tall” saber-rattler who boasts, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” I have a shovel, but no swimming pool.

C. H. FRERES San Diego