#481 – Norman Ohler: Hitler, Nazis, Drugs, WW2, Blitzkrieg, LSD, MKUltra & CIA
September 19, 2025 · 4 h 31 min
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Show notes
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:
() – Introduction
() – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
() – Drugs in post-WWI Germany
() – Nazi rise to power
() – Hitler’s drug use
() – Response to historian criticism
() – Pervitin
() – Blitzkrieg and meth
() – Erwin Rommel (Crystal Fox)
() – Dunkirk
() – Hitler’s drug addiction
() – Methamphetamine
() – Invasion of Soviet Union
() – Cocaine
() – Hitler’s last days
() – German resistance against Nazis
() – Totalitarianism
() – Stoned Sapiens – Drugs in human history
() – Religion
() – LSD, CIA, and MKUltra
() – Writing on drugs
(4:08: