#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