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#481 – Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA

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#481 – Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA

Lex Fridman Podcast

Sep 19
Lex Fridman Podcast

Lex Fridman Podcast

Sep 19
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Norman Ohler is a historian and author of "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," a book that investigates the role of psychoactive drugs, particularly stimulants such as methamphetamine, in the military history of World War II. It is a book that two legendary historians Ian Kershaw and Antony Beevor give very high praise for its depth of research. Norman also wrote "Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age", and he is working on a new book "Stoned Sapiens" looking at the history of human civilization through the lens of drugs. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep481-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/norman-ohler-transcript CONTACT LEX: Feedback - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey AMA - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama Hiring - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring Other - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact EPISODE LINKS: Stoned Sapiens Substack: https://substack.com/@stonedsapiens Norman's X: https://x.com/normanohler Norman's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normanohler Norman's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Norman-Ohler Norman's Website: https://www.normanohler.de Norman's books: https://amzn.to/46uNS18 Blitzed: https://amzn.to/4mmY2XC The Bohemians: https://amzn.to/3KubPhK Tripped: https://amzn.to/4nEy7eX SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://upliftdesk.com/lex Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to https://fin.ai/lex Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://drinkLMNT.com/lex Hampton: Community for high-growth founders and CEOs. Go to https://joinhampton.com/lex OUTLINE: (00:00) - Introduction (01:09) - Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (09:00) - Drugs in post-WWI Germany (19:18) - Nazi rise to power (23:45) - Hitler's drug use (29:37) - Response to historian criticism (46:16) - Pervitin (1:00:15) - Blitzkrieg and meth (1:18:52) - Erwin Rommel (Crystal Fox) (1:23:02) - Dunkirk (1:31:06) - Hitler's drug addiction (1:47:03) - Methamphetamine (1:48:57) - Invasion of Soviet Union (2:07:54) - Cocaine (2:16:49) - Hitler's last days (2:36:48) - German resistance against Nazis (2:58:59) - Totalitarianism (3:04:09) - Stoned Sapiens - Drugs in human history (3:19:20) - Religion (3:30:09) - LSD, CIA, and MKUltra (3:55:39) - Writing on drugs (4:08:40) - Berlin night clubs (4:19:14) - Greatest book ever written

Highlights

In this compelling discussion, historian Norman Ohler delves into the hidden pharmacological undercurrents that shaped one of history’s most infamous regimes. Far from a marginal footnote, drug use emerges as a central force influencing military strategy, leadership behavior, and even the psychological fabric of Nazi Germany.
17:36
Tresor club was located in a former East German bank vault
22:12
Hitler's drug use, initially dismissed as trivial, provides critical insight into Nazi leadership behavior.
27:18
Hitler's drug use explains his erratic behavior and decline as a leader.
38:27
Pervitin tablets found in a Berlin apartment were still potent decades later
58:41
Pervitin was considered a 'fighting drug' that enhanced soldier performance
1:05:50
Meth created a fight or flight mode that made soldiers more willing to fight.
1:18:52
Rommel's troops received the most methamphetamine, leading to his nickname 'Crystal Fox'
1:23:03
Göring warned Hitler that army success at Dunkirk would weaken his control over military decisions.
1:42:10
Hitler was so impressed with Mutaflor that he appointed Morell as his personal physician.
1:47:03
Methamphetamine was not available in 1936, making claims of Hitler's use implausible.
1:48:58
Hitler received an intravenous opioid injection that influenced a major military decision.
2:10:46
Hitler experienced a rush of superiority from cocaine after the 1944 bombing[02:10:46]
2:25:54
Hitler threatened Morell with a gun over opioid addiction
2:58:06
Libertas is deceived by a Gestapo secretary posing as a friend, leading to the group's collapse
3:02:36
Good literature can change a reader's perception and bring freedom.
3:16:21
Viewing Homo sapiens as 'Stoned Sapiens' explains our cognitive edge over Neanderthals.
3:19:20
Moses' encounter with the burning bush may have been a DMT trip from acacia.
3:45:06
Bribed archivist with LSD to access Stoll-Kuhn correspondence revealing Nazi links
4:04:16
LSD docks onto more brain receptors than psilocybin, making it more potent and longer-lasting.
4:11:10
Life is a form of research; experiencing drugs was necessary to write about them.
4:24:40
The meaning of life is an experience beyond words, glimpsed through altered states and deep reflection.

Chapters

Introduction
00:00
Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
01:09
Drugs in post-WWI Germany
09:00
Nazi rise to power
19:18
Hitler's drug use
23:45
Response to historian criticism
29:37
Pervitin
46:16
Blitzkrieg and meth
1:00:15
Erwin Rommel (Crystal Fox)
1:18:52
Dunkirk
1:23:02
Hitler's drug addiction
1:31:06
Methamphetamine
1:47:03
Invasion of Soviet Union
1:48:57
Cocaine
2:07:54
Hitler's last days
2:16:49
German resistance against Nazis
2:36:48
Totalitarianism
2:58:59
Stoned Sapiens - Drugs in human history
3:04:09
Religion
3:19:20
LSD, CIA, and MKUltra
3:30:09
Writing on drugs
3:55:39
Berlin night clubs
4:08:40
Greatest book ever written
4:19:14

Transcript

Lex Fridman: The following is a conversation with Norman Ohler, author of Blitzed, Drugs in the Third Reich, a book that investigates what role psychoactive drugs, particularly stimulants, such as methamphetamine, played in the military history of World Wa...