#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