“Truth has anciently been called the first casualty of war. Money may, in fact, have priority.”

—  John Kenneth Galbraith

Source: Money: Whence It Came, Where It Went (1975), Chapter VIII, The Great Compromise, p. 92

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Truth has anciently been called the first casualty of war. Money may, in fact, have priority." by John Kenneth Galbraith?
John Kenneth Galbraith photo
John Kenneth Galbraith 207
American economist and diplomat 1908–2006

Related quotes

Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden photo

“Truth," it has been said, "is the first casualty of war.”

Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden (1864–1937) British politician

Introduction to Truth and the War, by E. D. Morel. London, July 1916. p. ix books.google http://books.google.de/books?id=gQFIAAAAIAAJ&q=casualty. p. xiii in the 3rd edition 1918 archive.org http://www.archive.org/stream/truthwar00more#page/n17/mode/2up (cf. Aeschylus#Misattributed)
Hiram Johnson is often credited with this statement, or something similar. However, Snowden's use appears to have predated those of Johnson while being more consistent with the now-common, "Truth is the first casualty of war."

“It's often been observed that the first casualty of war is the truth. But that's a lie, too, in its way. The reality is that, for most wars to begin, the truth has to have been sacrificed a long time in advance.”

L. Neil Smith (1946) American writer

"Empire of Lies" Presented to the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 15 June 2003 http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2003/libe228-20030622-01.html.

Theodore Dalrymple photo

“Truth is not the first casualty of war alone: it is the first casualty of populism.”

Theodore Dalrymple (1949) English doctor and writer

It is the inescapable duty of every decent citizen to express no interest in or enthusiasm for football and the World Cup http://www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/archives/000966.php (June 7, 2006).
The Social Affairs Unit (2006 - 2008)

Aeschylus photo

“In war, truth is the first casualty.”

Aeschylus (-525–-456 BC) ancient Athenian playwright

This is often attributed to U.S. Senator Hiram Johnson, but does not appear anywhere in his speeches. Arthur Ponsonby#Falsehood in Wartime (1928) quoted: "When war is declared, Truth is the first casualty", but the first recorded use seems to be by Philip Snowden in his introduction to Truth and the War, by E. D. Morel. London, July 1916: "'Truth,' it has been said, 'is the first casualty of war.'" Samuel Johnson#The Idler (1758–1760) expressed a similar idea: "Among the calamities of war may be justly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages."
Misattributed

Hiram Johnson photo

“The first casualty when war comes is truth.”

Hiram Johnson (1866–1945) Governor of California

Widely attributed to Johnson, but without any confirmed citations of original source: "The first casualty when war comes is truth," remarked Hiram Johnson, "and whenever an individual nation seeks to coerce by force of arms another, it always acts, and insists that it acts in self-defense" (Locomotive Engineers Journal, February 1929, p. 109). Arthur Ponsonby earlier said: "When war is declared, Truth is the first casualty", but the first recorded use seems to be by Philip Snowden in his introduction to Truth and the War, by E. D. Morel. London, July 1916: "'Truth,' it has been said, 'is the first casualty of war.'" Samuel Johnson expressed a similar idea: "Among the calamities of war may be jointly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages." Cf. Aeschylus#Misattributed.
Attributed

Arthur Ponsonby photo

“When war is declared, Truth is the first casualty.”

Arthur Ponsonby (1871–1946) British Liberal and later Labour politician and pacifist

http://books.google.de/books?id=T2OsAAAAMAAJ&q=%22declared,+truth+is+the+first%22&dq=%22declared,+truth+is+the+first%22&hl=de&sa=X&ei=NNNeT5XTNoSi4gTpuOnRBw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAQ books.google
This famous quotation is similar to the one Philip Snowden used in his introduction to Truth and the War, by E. D. Morel. London, July 1916: "'Truth,' it has been said, 'is the first casualty of war.'" Samuel Johnson#The Idler (1758-1760) expressed a similar idea: "Among the calamities of war may be justly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages." Cf. Aeschylus#Misattributed.
Falsehood in Wartime (1928)

“Truth is the first casualty in war, but communications is the second.”

Steve Perry (1947) American writer

Source: The Ramal Extraction (2012), Chapter 12

“The war method includes falsehood as an integral part. Truth is indeed a casualty of war.”

Kirby Page (1890–1957) American clergyman

Must We Go to War? (1937)

Related topics