In May 1932 more than 20,000 desperate World War I veterans descended upon Washington D.C. During the next two months as many as 20,000 more, along with their families, joined them. Destitute victims of the Great Depression, they established an encampment across the Anacostia River in view of the Capitol. There they built a complex of shanty towns, sometimes called Hoovervilles, in pursuit of the early release of promised bonus payments for wartime service.
The Bonus Tradition
Since the American Revolution it was common for war veterans to receive a bonus for their service. Initially the bonuses came in the form of land grants but over time the bonuses became one-time cash payments. After World War I veterans were issued service bonus certificates that could be redeemed after 1945. In the early 1930s, amidst the Depression, jobless vets unable to pay their debts and provide for their families, sought to have their bonuses paid early. While a few Congressmen agreed, most as well as President Hoover opposed the request.
The Anacostia Encampment
Throughout the summer tensions between the ever growing number of veterans and the government grew. As it did, officials warned that the expanding number of protesters included ex-convicts and hoodlums. They also contended that the dissenters were being led by communists. After several vacant buildings along Pennsylvania Avenue were taken over by the vets, authorities claimed that the protestors had begun to threaten the general public. Meanwhile, several newspaper reports from inside the encampments described very different conditions. Protestors were characterized as well organized, orderly, and peaceful.
The Bonus Battle
The clash came to a head on July 28, 1932, when DC police were ordered to remove about 50 protestors from government property. A confrontation followed in which two protestors were shot and killed. A riot ensued. General Douglas MacArthur was then ordered to use his calvary and Major George Patton’s tank forces to remove the veterans from the Anacostia encampment. Carrying fixed bayonets and using tear gas, MacArthur’s men marched through the encampment setting shelters on fire and brutally scattering protesters. By dawn the next morning the Bonus Expositional Forces as they became known had been almost completely dispersed.
Reaction
Throughout the nation the reaction to the conflict was mixed. Some Americans denounced the protestors and applauded the government’s actions. However, many Americans were appalled by what they considered an assault on the veterans. The Washington Daily News lamented “If the Army must be called out to make war on unarmed citizens, this is no longer America.” For President Hoover, the Bonus Army episode was another in a growing list of failures that doomed his reelection efforts in 1932.
In The Many Adventures of Donnie Malone, author Paul E. Doutrich describes Donnie’s visit to fellow veterans the day after the attack on their Anacondia encampment. An active veteran himself, Donnie was distressed by what he saw that day in Washington. It was an experience that helped shape his personal philosophy for the rest of his life.