The real business of the war is all theatre/theater

[Terrance]

Where did Pynchon get the idea that the real WAR (the War that never
ends) is "all theatre" or a great cabal of the cartels and technologies?
Some say 1984. Others say, Richard Sasuly. Still others have other
opinions. 

A reading from the book of Sasuly. Chapter 11, verse on, lines 1-2. 

"From its birth IG Farben had been at war with the rest of the word,
with the United States as a main target." 

Sasuly says, the easiest victories for the USA were won by the soldiers
for the U.S. Alien Property Custodian. Easy as pie in the sky. Right?
Well, not exactly. 

And I feeeeeeeeeeel like I've beeen here before and you know it makes me
wonder what's goin on ....

During W.W.I, the US APC went straight for the jugular, the patents.
More than 12,000 IG patents were seized. These were retained by the army
and navy or sold to US businesses.

But IG was so good at patents, it came up with thousands more (many were
old patents dressed up to look like new ones). More importantly, it got
all the old ones back by making deals, forming CARTELS,  with the USA
and its businesses. 

Even after W.W.II, IG remained a huge and powerful cartel. In the USA,
IG was making movies and stars and rockets.