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

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.

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Transcript:

https://lexfridman.com/norman-ohler-transcript

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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

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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