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Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age
The author of the New York Times bestseller Blitzed returns with a provocative new history of drugs and postwar America, examining the untold story of how Nazi experiments into psychedelics covertly influenced CIA research and secretly shaped the War on Drugs.
Berlin 1945. Following the fall of the Third Reich, drug use—long kept under control by the Nazis’ strict anti-drug laws—is rampant throughout the city. Split into four sectors, Berlin's drug policies are being enforced under the individual jurisdictions of each allied power—the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and the US. In the American zone, Arthur J. Giuliani of the nascent Federal Bureau of Narcotics is tasked with learning about the Nazis’ anti-drug laws and bringing home anything that might prove “useful” to the United States.
Five years later, Harvard professor Dr. Henry Beecher began work with the US government to uncover the research behind the Nazis psychedelics program. Begun as an attempt to find a “truth serum” and experiment with mind control, the Nazi study initially involved mescaline, but quickly expanded to include LSD. Originally created for medical purposes by Swiss pharmaceutical Sandoz, the Nazis coopted the drug for their mind control military research—research that, following the war, the US was desperate to acquire. This research birthed MKUltra, the CIA's notorious brainwashing and psychological torture program during the 1950s and 1960s, and ultimately shaped US drug policy regarding psychedelics for over half a century.
Based on extensive archival research on both sides of the Atlantic, Tripped is a wild, unconventional postwar history, a spiritual sequel to Norman Ohler’s New York Times bestseller Blitzed. Revealing the close relationship and hidden connections between the Nazis and the early days of drugs in America, Ohler shares how this secret history held back therapeutic research of psychedelic drugs for decades and eventually became part of the foundation of America’s War on Drugs.
Berlin 1945. Following the fall of the Third Reich, drug use—long kept under control by the Nazis’ strict anti-drug laws—is rampant throughout the city. Split into four sectors, Berlin's drug policies are being enforced under the individual jurisdictions of each allied power—the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and the US. In the American zone, Arthur J. Giuliani of the nascent Federal Bureau of Narcotics is tasked with learning about the Nazis’ anti-drug laws and bringing home anything that might prove “useful” to the United States.
Five years later, Harvard professor Dr. Henry Beecher began work with the US government to uncover the research behind the Nazis psychedelics program. Begun as an attempt to find a “truth serum” and experiment with mind control, the Nazi study initially involved mescaline, but quickly expanded to include LSD. Originally created for medical purposes by Swiss pharmaceutical Sandoz, the Nazis coopted the drug for their mind control military research—research that, following the war, the US was desperate to acquire. This research birthed MKUltra, the CIA's notorious brainwashing and psychological torture program during the 1950s and 1960s, and ultimately shaped US drug policy regarding psychedelics for over half a century.
Based on extensive archival research on both sides of the Atlantic, Tripped is a wild, unconventional postwar history, a spiritual sequel to Norman Ohler’s New York Times bestseller Blitzed. Revealing the close relationship and hidden connections between the Nazis and the early days of drugs in America, Ohler shares how this secret history held back therapeutic research of psychedelic drugs for decades and eventually became part of the foundation of America’s War on Drugs.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2023
292 people are currently reading
6463 people want to read
About the author
Norman Ohler
14 books305 followersNorman Ohler is a German author and screenwriter.
He is the son of Wolfgang Ohler.
He is the son of Wolfgang Ohler.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
August 9, 2024
Will do LSD now, thanks
December 6, 2023
English: Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age (to be published in 2024)
In the new book by the author of Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, Ohler tells the story of LSD: How it was first researched as a medication, then perceived as a promising substance by the the Nazis and the CIA to manipulate the minds of enemies, then as a means to free the mind by the hippies, and how it is now a stigmatized illegal drug. This guy just knows how to write a captivating non-fiction book, so it even becomes thrilling to hang out with him in the archives of a pharma company, plus there are some fun cameos by the likes of Elvis Presley, Aldous Huxley, William S. Burroughs, and, of course Timothy Leary. Parts made me think of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia.
An interesting book about the societal and historical forces that impact the destiny of drug research. You can hear us discuss the book (in German) on the podcast: https://papierstaupodcast.de/allgemei...
In the new book by the author of Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, Ohler tells the story of LSD: How it was first researched as a medication, then perceived as a promising substance by the the Nazis and the CIA to manipulate the minds of enemies, then as a means to free the mind by the hippies, and how it is now a stigmatized illegal drug. This guy just knows how to write a captivating non-fiction book, so it even becomes thrilling to hang out with him in the archives of a pharma company, plus there are some fun cameos by the likes of Elvis Presley, Aldous Huxley, William S. Burroughs, and, of course Timothy Leary. Parts made me think of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia.
An interesting book about the societal and historical forces that impact the destiny of drug research. You can hear us discuss the book (in German) on the podcast: https://papierstaupodcast.de/allgemei...
July 2, 2024
Enjoyed this look at the origins of LSD25 through its development and the aftermath of CIA involvement and stigma of the mind bending drug and its original plan of helping dementia and other conditions
May 11, 2024
"IN THE LATE 1990S, INSIDE A FORMER NUCLEAR MISSILE silo in Kansas, Leonard Pickard set up what was probably the biggest LSD lab of all time. The choice of this site for such a large-scale operation seems symbolic, given that the history of the powerful substance is tightly interwoven with that of the Cold War and its arms race. On twenty-eight acres of land, behind electronically controlled gates and a hundred-ton steel door that could withstand even a nuclear attack, Pickard was alleged to have produced a kilogram of the drug per month—due to its potency, an unimaginably large amount. With it, the graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government was said to have provided 95 percent of the world’s supply of LSD..."
Tripped is my second from the author, after his 2015 book: Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, which I really enjoyed. So, I admittedly went into this one with high expectations. Unfortunately, I did not find the writing here to be quite on par with the writing in Blitzed.
Author Norman Ohler is a German New York Times bestselling author, novelist and screenwriter, best known for this book, which has been published in over 30 languages.
Norman Ohler:
The writing here opens with a bang, as Ohler delivers a high-energy intro where he drops the quote above. He writes in a matter-of-fact, straight-forward manner here that shouldn't struggle to hold the finicky reader's attention.
Ohler describes the aim of the book in this short quote:
As the book's subtitle implies, the author takes the reader through the history of psychedelic drug use in the West, and America; more specifically. The book also covers the roots of the modern Western drug prohibition movement, and the history of the "War on Drugs." The West adopted the Nazi's temperance movement, which was ultimately blowback from the decadent and degenerate culture that emerged in Weimar Germany post WW1.
The author continues, telling the reader about the discovery of early psychedelics and the synthesis of LSD. Although not mentioned here, the Americans became paranoid that the Russians had developed a mind control agent, after freed POWs from the Korean War were returning to America seemingly brainwashed. This had the Americans up in arms, and drove later efforts by CIA scientists to produce a mind-control agent of their own. This project became known as Project MKUltra.
MKUltra was preceded by two drug-related experiments, Project Bluebird and Project Artichoke. It began in 1953, was reduced in scope in 1964 and 1967, and was halted in 1973. It was organized through the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence and coordinated with the United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories. The program engaged in illegal activities, including the use of U.S. and Canadian citizens as unwitting test subjects. MKUltra's scope was broad, with activities carried out under the guise of research at more than 80 institutions, including colleges and universities, hospitals, prisons, and pharmaceutical companies. The CIA operated using front organizations, although some top officials at these institutions were aware of the CIA's involvement.
Some more of what is covered in here includes:
• LSD in America
• The Case of Frank Olson
• Mösch-Rümms
• LSD JFK
• "The Revolt of the Guinea Pigs"
• "The Bear"
• Elvis Meets Nixon
• The author microdosing his mother to treat her Alzheimer's. (Some great info here)
******************
Tripped was a decent read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the author's first book in the series. I also felt that John D. Marks book: The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA & Mind Control already covered this topic in a more effective and engaging manner.
The book was still a decent read if you don't know this history.
3.5 stars.
Tripped is my second from the author, after his 2015 book: Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, which I really enjoyed. So, I admittedly went into this one with high expectations. Unfortunately, I did not find the writing here to be quite on par with the writing in Blitzed.
Author Norman Ohler is a German New York Times bestselling author, novelist and screenwriter, best known for this book, which has been published in over 30 languages.
Norman Ohler:
The writing here opens with a bang, as Ohler delivers a high-energy intro where he drops the quote above. He writes in a matter-of-fact, straight-forward manner here that shouldn't struggle to hold the finicky reader's attention.
Ohler describes the aim of the book in this short quote:
"...I myself became curious about the drug when my father, a retired judge, started to consider giving microdoses of LSD to my mother to treat her Alzheimer’s disease. He had asked me why, if the drug was actually supposed to help, he couldn’t just get it at the pharmacy. This launched me on my research.
The more I dug into the history, the more fascinated I became. I began to see how much of the early history of LSD was shaped by the shadow that lies over the molecule, a result of the personal connection between a Swiss pharmaceutical CEO named Arthur Stoll, a kind of unwilling forefather of psychedelics, and Richard Kuhn, the leading biochemist for the Third Reich. This relationship aided the National Socialists, who were beginning to study the use of psychedelics as potential “truth drugs”—questionable research, which, after the war, sparked the interest of the US military and its intelligence agencies in these substances.
This book is what emerged from my curiosity. In this moment when, after many decades, we are finally reconsidering the nature of our laws surrounding psychedelics, it feels more important than ever to look backward and understand how we arrived at those regulations in the first place."
As the book's subtitle implies, the author takes the reader through the history of psychedelic drug use in the West, and America; more specifically. The book also covers the roots of the modern Western drug prohibition movement, and the history of the "War on Drugs." The West adopted the Nazi's temperance movement, which was ultimately blowback from the decadent and degenerate culture that emerged in Weimar Germany post WW1.
The author continues, telling the reader about the discovery of early psychedelics and the synthesis of LSD. Although not mentioned here, the Americans became paranoid that the Russians had developed a mind control agent, after freed POWs from the Korean War were returning to America seemingly brainwashed. This had the Americans up in arms, and drove later efforts by CIA scientists to produce a mind-control agent of their own. This project became known as Project MKUltra.
MKUltra was preceded by two drug-related experiments, Project Bluebird and Project Artichoke. It began in 1953, was reduced in scope in 1964 and 1967, and was halted in 1973. It was organized through the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence and coordinated with the United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories. The program engaged in illegal activities, including the use of U.S. and Canadian citizens as unwitting test subjects. MKUltra's scope was broad, with activities carried out under the guise of research at more than 80 institutions, including colleges and universities, hospitals, prisons, and pharmaceutical companies. The CIA operated using front organizations, although some top officials at these institutions were aware of the CIA's involvement.
Some more of what is covered in here includes:
• LSD in America
• The Case of Frank Olson
• Mösch-Rümms
• LSD JFK
• "The Revolt of the Guinea Pigs"
• "The Bear"
• Elvis Meets Nixon
• The author microdosing his mother to treat her Alzheimer's. (Some great info here)
******************
Tripped was a decent read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the author's first book in the series. I also felt that John D. Marks book: The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: The CIA & Mind Control already covered this topic in a more effective and engaging manner.
The book was still a decent read if you don't know this history.
3.5 stars.
July 15, 2024
Hmmm... while it was interesting to read about the history and development of LSD with a focus on Sandoz rather than the typical CIA/Haight Asbury focus, this story really didn't include anything about Nazi Germany? I don't really understand why that was included in the title of the book because Germany is only mentioned very briefly while the CIA gets much more coverage.
Not a bad book, actually a pretty good quick intro into the history of LSD, but not at all what the title and cover promised.
Not a bad book, actually a pretty good quick intro into the history of LSD, but not at all what the title and cover promised.
April 21, 2024
I am a big fan of Ohler’s work with his examination of the use of meth in the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War in his book ‘Blitzed’ being a favourite of mine.
In ‘Tripped’, a sequel of sorts, he traces the origins and development of LSD in the decades after World War Two. Like with Operation Paperclip and the capture of Nazi physicists, the US were quick to seize Nazi biochemical scientists in a bid to create their own nefarious drugs experimentations; looking at how best to use them to manipulate potential enemy spies in a time of crippling anti-communist paranoia and how to possibly create what we would now deem a ‘Manchurian Candidate’ via Project MKULTRA.
The book is the result of Ohler’s personal interest in psychedelia, due in large part to his mother’s dementia and his efforts to investigate ways in which to combat this terrible condition. Tinged with emotion on those parts in which he discusses his mother’s condition, hope is visible … whilst we are perhaps still decades away from medicinal legalisation the signs are there that this mind bending drug could be a greater key then we perhaps had previously thought.
An interesting read here for sure!
In ‘Tripped’, a sequel of sorts, he traces the origins and development of LSD in the decades after World War Two. Like with Operation Paperclip and the capture of Nazi physicists, the US were quick to seize Nazi biochemical scientists in a bid to create their own nefarious drugs experimentations; looking at how best to use them to manipulate potential enemy spies in a time of crippling anti-communist paranoia and how to possibly create what we would now deem a ‘Manchurian Candidate’ via Project MKULTRA.
The book is the result of Ohler’s personal interest in psychedelia, due in large part to his mother’s dementia and his efforts to investigate ways in which to combat this terrible condition. Tinged with emotion on those parts in which he discusses his mother’s condition, hope is visible … whilst we are perhaps still decades away from medicinal legalisation the signs are there that this mind bending drug could be a greater key then we perhaps had previously thought.
An interesting read here for sure!
April 12, 2024
http://www.hyperebaaktiivne.ee/2024/0...
Norman Ohler "Kõige võimsam aine" käib autori kannul, kui too uurib psühhedeelsete ainete ajalugu, keskendudes lüsergiinhappe dietüülamiidile ehk LSD-le. Selle raamatuga on põnev lugu - nimelt sain kaasa lüüa sisu toimetamises keemia alal! Varem olen lugenud ja kiitnud sama autori raamatut "Patsient A", mis kõneleb Hitlerist ja tema lemmikutest uimastitest - metamfetamiin, opioidid, kokaiin.
1918-2022, Saksamaa, Šveits & USA. LSD juured ulatuvad Šveitsi, Sandoze värvivabrikusse, kus haisteti, et ravimiturul liiguvad suured rahad ning laiendati oma tootmist. Uute potentsiaalsete ainete otsing meenutab võidurelvastumist, kus osalevad nii looduse saladuste uurijad kui ka sünteetilisele keemiale tuginevad firmad. Sandozes oli valdkonna eestvedaja huviorbiidis tungaltera, teraviljadel parasiteeriv seen. Tal õnnestus selle toimeaine eraldada ning teedrajava ravimiga ettevõte võidukäigule viia. Kui konkurendid kümme aastat hiljem järele jõudsid, uuringud ühendiga jätkusid ning siis sünteesitigi lüsergiinhappe dietüülamiid, mille võimas toime avastati takka juhuslikult. Pea sada aastat hiljem asub Norman Ohler arhiivides tuulama, et saada selgust, miks LSD, mis taas potentsiaalse ravimina pead tõstab, kunagi turule ei jõudnud, vaid ära keelati. Vihje: siinkohal on tegu juba tõelise võidurelvastumisega.
"Kõige võimsam aine" haarab kaasa esimesest peatükist, kus lugu juhatatakse sisse II maailmasõjajärgse kaosega Berliinis, rääkides lähemalt uimastite lokkamisest ning ühtse keelupoliitika luhtumisest. Edasi läheb aina põnevamaks. Raamat näitab suurepäraselt, miks üldse erinevaid molekule uuritakse. Esimese motiivina ilmneb kasumiiha, aga kaugel pole ka soov inimesi uuenduslike ravimitega aidata. Siinkohal tulevad mängu pahaaimamatutele katsejänestele tundmatute ainete sissesöötmine ja valitsuste salaoperatsioonid. Ma isegi ei oska kommenteerida, milline osa raamatust kõige paeluvam oli, sest ühe aine ümber käis säärane trall.
Ohleri teeb huvitavaks veel see, kuidas ta keskendub ebatavalisele narratiivile. "Patsient A" vaatas Kolmandat Reichi läbi narkootikumide prisma, tekitades huvi ja jälestust. "Kõige võimsam aine" seevastu üllatab tõstes LSD pjedestaalile kui imeravimi, mida nõmedate seadustega luku taga hoitakse. Kirjanik annab seda motiivide ja põrkuvate huvide tihedat lugu väga ladusalt ning muhedalt edasi. Mulle meeldis tohutult tema isiklik mõõde. Nimelt kirjeldab mees minevikus toimunuga paralleelselt, kuhu uurimistöö teda kannab, nii et LSD-ni jõudmise kõrvale saab lugeda, kuidas kirjanik aine ajalugu avastab. Mis te arvate, kas lisaks teooriale jõuab ta ka praktiliste katseteni?
Kui sisutoimetamise kogemus lühidalt kokku võtta, siis pidin tublisti kammitsema oma lugemistempot, sest tavaliselt kipun loo sisse minema, nii et ei märkagi, mismoodi see kirja on pandud, kui just väga kriipiv tekst pole. Pilguheit kirjastamise telgitagustesse ning toimetamata raamatu lugemine oli igatahes äärmiselt põnev ettevõtmine. Erialaspetsiifiliste lausete lahti muukimiseks lihtsalt tõlke muutmisest kohati ei piisanud, vaid pidin paaris kohas saksakeelse algteksti kallale minema. Kõige raskem oli tegelikult hoopis see, et pakatasin peale lugemist faktidest ja mõtetest, mida tahtsin jagada ja arutada, aga polnud seda kellegagi teha. Jään põnevusega ootama, mille Norman Ohler järgmiseks luubi alla võtab!
Aitäh, Helios, raamatu ja ägeda võimaluse eest!
Norman Ohler "Kõige võimsam aine" käib autori kannul, kui too uurib psühhedeelsete ainete ajalugu, keskendudes lüsergiinhappe dietüülamiidile ehk LSD-le. Selle raamatuga on põnev lugu - nimelt sain kaasa lüüa sisu toimetamises keemia alal! Varem olen lugenud ja kiitnud sama autori raamatut "Patsient A", mis kõneleb Hitlerist ja tema lemmikutest uimastitest - metamfetamiin, opioidid, kokaiin.
1918-2022, Saksamaa, Šveits & USA. LSD juured ulatuvad Šveitsi, Sandoze värvivabrikusse, kus haisteti, et ravimiturul liiguvad suured rahad ning laiendati oma tootmist. Uute potentsiaalsete ainete otsing meenutab võidurelvastumist, kus osalevad nii looduse saladuste uurijad kui ka sünteetilisele keemiale tuginevad firmad. Sandozes oli valdkonna eestvedaja huviorbiidis tungaltera, teraviljadel parasiteeriv seen. Tal õnnestus selle toimeaine eraldada ning teedrajava ravimiga ettevõte võidukäigule viia. Kui konkurendid kümme aastat hiljem järele jõudsid, uuringud ühendiga jätkusid ning siis sünteesitigi lüsergiinhappe dietüülamiid, mille võimas toime avastati takka juhuslikult. Pea sada aastat hiljem asub Norman Ohler arhiivides tuulama, et saada selgust, miks LSD, mis taas potentsiaalse ravimina pead tõstab, kunagi turule ei jõudnud, vaid ära keelati. Vihje: siinkohal on tegu juba tõelise võidurelvastumisega.
"Kõige võimsam aine" haarab kaasa esimesest peatükist, kus lugu juhatatakse sisse II maailmasõjajärgse kaosega Berliinis, rääkides lähemalt uimastite lokkamisest ning ühtse keelupoliitika luhtumisest. Edasi läheb aina põnevamaks. Raamat näitab suurepäraselt, miks üldse erinevaid molekule uuritakse. Esimese motiivina ilmneb kasumiiha, aga kaugel pole ka soov inimesi uuenduslike ravimitega aidata. Siinkohal tulevad mängu pahaaimamatutele katsejänestele tundmatute ainete sissesöötmine ja valitsuste salaoperatsioonid. Ma isegi ei oska kommenteerida, milline osa raamatust kõige paeluvam oli, sest ühe aine ümber käis säärane trall.
Ohleri teeb huvitavaks veel see, kuidas ta keskendub ebatavalisele narratiivile. "Patsient A" vaatas Kolmandat Reichi läbi narkootikumide prisma, tekitades huvi ja jälestust. "Kõige võimsam aine" seevastu üllatab tõstes LSD pjedestaalile kui imeravimi, mida nõmedate seadustega luku taga hoitakse. Kirjanik annab seda motiivide ja põrkuvate huvide tihedat lugu väga ladusalt ning muhedalt edasi. Mulle meeldis tohutult tema isiklik mõõde. Nimelt kirjeldab mees minevikus toimunuga paralleelselt, kuhu uurimistöö teda kannab, nii et LSD-ni jõudmise kõrvale saab lugeda, kuidas kirjanik aine ajalugu avastab. Mis te arvate, kas lisaks teooriale jõuab ta ka praktiliste katseteni?
Kui sisutoimetamise kogemus lühidalt kokku võtta, siis pidin tublisti kammitsema oma lugemistempot, sest tavaliselt kipun loo sisse minema, nii et ei märkagi, mismoodi see kirja on pandud, kui just väga kriipiv tekst pole. Pilguheit kirjastamise telgitagustesse ning toimetamata raamatu lugemine oli igatahes äärmiselt põnev ettevõtmine. Erialaspetsiifiliste lausete lahti muukimiseks lihtsalt tõlke muutmisest kohati ei piisanud, vaid pidin paaris kohas saksakeelse algteksti kallale minema. Kõige raskem oli tegelikult hoopis see, et pakatasin peale lugemist faktidest ja mõtetest, mida tahtsin jagada ja arutada, aga polnud seda kellegagi teha. Jään põnevusega ootama, mille Norman Ohler järgmiseks luubi alla võtab!
Aitäh, Helios, raamatu ja ägeda võimaluse eest!
December 31, 2024
I think this is the fourth book that I read on the topic of psychedelics this year. The interesting thing about these books is that they’re all about a personal journey. Pollan was curious, Grisel had a history, Muraresku wanted to prove something about religion and Ohler here does history.
In fact, in this book he doesn’t only do history, although there’s a lot of that, going to Sandoz to see the original documents, meeting with other people who worked in the field, tracking the rise of Psychedelics in the USA and the reason for their international status as maximum risk drugs. So he does history, he also gives policy recommendations, but he also has a personal goal: using microdosing to help his mother alleviate her Alzheimer symptoms.
The ending talks about the long road that these drugs need to take in order to get to market, but also tells a short and candid story about their success in the case of his mother.
In fact, in this book he doesn’t only do history, although there’s a lot of that, going to Sandoz to see the original documents, meeting with other people who worked in the field, tracking the rise of Psychedelics in the USA and the reason for their international status as maximum risk drugs. So he does history, he also gives policy recommendations, but he also has a personal goal: using microdosing to help his mother alleviate her Alzheimer symptoms.
The ending talks about the long road that these drugs need to take in order to get to market, but also tells a short and candid story about their success in the case of his mother.
December 1, 2025
This was so interesting! Easy read on audiobook, at least. (But I do have a habit of switching between books when I lose interest, though...) And interesting to think of all the possibilities for these drugs to help with current issues like depression and Alzheimer's, among others. (Hmmm, if it had been available when my mother may have benefitted, would she have taken it...? At least a possibility for my kids if it is passed to me!)
September 6, 2024
There’s really just not that much in here. Kind of strange. Was hoping for more of an MK ultra vibe. It just jumps all over the place. If you’ve done other reading there’s no new information here. Bit disappointed. 3 stars
February 22, 2025
Maybe not quite as enthralling as Hitler receiving bull-semen injections, but the one-two punch of Blitzed and Tripped certifies Norman Ohler as a fucking gangster. Would love to trip with him.
February 18, 2026
For those who think that the world as it stands today is weird, please consider the numerous ways in which it could have been even weirder!
For instance, as the pages of this work shows, we were at the precipice of having LSD as a full FDA approved commercially available prescription drug.
The author is interested in answering a simple question: why LSD, which according to current scientific knowledge is so promising, had never been successfully brought out onto the market? Why did it end up subject to state restrictions rather than being accessible as a therapeutic?
Our author attempts to answer this by a deep dive into the history of its origins and what motives were at play behind the drive to criminalize it and other psychedelics.
The author's findings can be summed up as follows,
The progress towards the ban came essentially in two phases:
FIRST: in the 50s, due to a tenuous LSD and Nazi connection (as the author shows in a not so decisive and highly suggestive manner: the Nazis may or may not have applied it as a "truth drug") The CIA came to see it as possibly useful in terms of extracting information during interrogations and partly as the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb in a mental/mind control arms race with the communists. This made it an object of interest for MKUltra and its head, the CIA's poisoner in chief, Sidney Gottlieb. under the auspices of MKUltra, the agency stockpiled LSD and tried to effectively monopolize it by striking an exclusive deal with the company that made it, lest it end up in Soviet hands. Though by then there was no ban, as Sandoz (the Swiss company behind LSD) continued to distribute it within the limits of experimental and clinical research to psychiatrists and researchers in the U.S., a ban would gain appeal and become fully realized later on.
SECOND: during the late 60s and early 70s, it became first criminalized in the U.S. and then banned globally via international treaty. The origins of this, the author says, are its association with the counterculture movement and the anti establishment zeitgeist of the era. This made it expedient to use its legal status as a vehicle for control and suppressing minorities and the politically unreliable.
I found the author's investigation insightful, enjoyable, and not to mention thought provoking (Apparently LSD and other psychedelics have immense therapeutic potential, from PTSD and depression to neurodegenerative disease). It is also of interest how the German post war east/west division also played out in the theater of drug prohibition.
Works I'd recommend alongside the present one :
*'Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA' by John Lisle.
*'Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media' by Joel E. Dimsdale.
The Three complete each other perfectly.
Rating: 4/5.
For instance, as the pages of this work shows, we were at the precipice of having LSD as a full FDA approved commercially available prescription drug.
The author is interested in answering a simple question: why LSD, which according to current scientific knowledge is so promising, had never been successfully brought out onto the market? Why did it end up subject to state restrictions rather than being accessible as a therapeutic?
Our author attempts to answer this by a deep dive into the history of its origins and what motives were at play behind the drive to criminalize it and other psychedelics.
The author's findings can be summed up as follows,
The progress towards the ban came essentially in two phases:
FIRST: in the 50s, due to a tenuous LSD and Nazi connection (as the author shows in a not so decisive and highly suggestive manner: the Nazis may or may not have applied it as a "truth drug") The CIA came to see it as possibly useful in terms of extracting information during interrogations and partly as the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb in a mental/mind control arms race with the communists. This made it an object of interest for MKUltra and its head, the CIA's poisoner in chief, Sidney Gottlieb. under the auspices of MKUltra, the agency stockpiled LSD and tried to effectively monopolize it by striking an exclusive deal with the company that made it, lest it end up in Soviet hands. Though by then there was no ban, as Sandoz (the Swiss company behind LSD) continued to distribute it within the limits of experimental and clinical research to psychiatrists and researchers in the U.S., a ban would gain appeal and become fully realized later on.
SECOND: during the late 60s and early 70s, it became first criminalized in the U.S. and then banned globally via international treaty. The origins of this, the author says, are its association with the counterculture movement and the anti establishment zeitgeist of the era. This made it expedient to use its legal status as a vehicle for control and suppressing minorities and the politically unreliable.
I found the author's investigation insightful, enjoyable, and not to mention thought provoking (Apparently LSD and other psychedelics have immense therapeutic potential, from PTSD and depression to neurodegenerative disease). It is also of interest how the German post war east/west division also played out in the theater of drug prohibition.
Works I'd recommend alongside the present one :
*'Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA' by John Lisle.
*'Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov to Social Media' by Joel E. Dimsdale.
The Three complete each other perfectly.
Rating: 4/5.
September 11, 2024
Norman Ohler pleacă în acest volum de non-ficțiune de la o premisă interesantă și din ce în ce mai dezbătută în rândul oamenilor de știință: substanțele psihedelice și în special LSD-ul au numeroase efecte pozitive și au fost trecute pe nedrept în cadrul drogurilor și substanțelor interzise.
Așa că ne prezintă istoria lor, plecând de la corporația farmaceutică Sandoz, din Elveția, unde s-au pus bazele prelucrării LSD-ului, care are la bază o ciupercă parazită, ergotul, care crește din belșug pe cereale. Dincolo de Elveția neutră, ramificațiile merg în toată lumea, dar în special în Germania nazistă (care încerca să găsească un drog al adevărului pentru prizonierii săi sau pentru cei din lagărele de concentrare) și în SUA de după război, unde Agenția AntiDrog a dobândit puteri discreționare, astfel încât a început să interzică pe rând substanțe (chiar naturale precum cele provenite din cânepă sau din ergot) nu neapărat pentru efectele lor asupra populației indigene, ci din cauza temerilor că acestea ar fi putut fi folosite de dușmanii din spatele Cortinei de Fier, din China, Cuba sau Vietnam. Așa că cercetările pur științifice asupra efectelor benefice s-au sistat din lipsă de fonduri și de susținere guvernamentală, iar LSD-ul a rămas interzis, chiar dacă în ultimii ani s-a constatat că are efecte pozitive suprinzătoare asupra depresiei, de exemplu, sau asupra Alzheimer. Vom vedea ce aduce viitorul, dar volumul este suficient de interesant și actual pentru a atrage atenția celor interesați.
Așa că ne prezintă istoria lor, plecând de la corporația farmaceutică Sandoz, din Elveția, unde s-au pus bazele prelucrării LSD-ului, care are la bază o ciupercă parazită, ergotul, care crește din belșug pe cereale. Dincolo de Elveția neutră, ramificațiile merg în toată lumea, dar în special în Germania nazistă (care încerca să găsească un drog al adevărului pentru prizonierii săi sau pentru cei din lagărele de concentrare) și în SUA de după război, unde Agenția AntiDrog a dobândit puteri discreționare, astfel încât a început să interzică pe rând substanțe (chiar naturale precum cele provenite din cânepă sau din ergot) nu neapărat pentru efectele lor asupra populației indigene, ci din cauza temerilor că acestea ar fi putut fi folosite de dușmanii din spatele Cortinei de Fier, din China, Cuba sau Vietnam. Așa că cercetările pur științifice asupra efectelor benefice s-au sistat din lipsă de fonduri și de susținere guvernamentală, iar LSD-ul a rămas interzis, chiar dacă în ultimii ani s-a constatat că are efecte pozitive suprinzătoare asupra depresiei, de exemplu, sau asupra Alzheimer. Vom vedea ce aduce viitorul, dar volumul este suficient de interesant și actual pentru a atrage atenția celor interesați.
December 2, 2023
Dieses Buch erzählt u.a. davon, wie psychische Drogen schon früh als Waffe und Folterinstrument eingesetzt wurden - und warum die Nazis mit daran Schuld sind, dass die medizinische Karriere von LSD und Co. (als Hilfe z.B. bei psychischen Erkrankungen) in so schlechtem Licht gesehen wird. Wissenschaft gemischt mit Politik, das Ganze packend erzählt, ein echter Diskussionsstarter!
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #286
Mehr zum Buch in unserer ausführlichen Besprechung @ Papierstau Podcast: #286
August 10, 2024
Some interesting history, but overall not too captivating in its storytelling. Perhaps a translator issue, but I found some of the sentence structures to be quite odd. Also, very little to do with Nazi Germany other than LSD being discovered in Germany in the early 1940s, so I felt that part of the title is a bit misleading.
January 10, 2025
This one definitely comes in around a 3.5. Plenty bits of interest but I think I will be more interested in the author's other book "Blitzed" this one was just available to me so I gave it a shot. I found the personal anecdotes at the end to be quite interesting however and I agree with the general conclusion that a change of course with respect to psychedelics is due, and should there be benefits (i.e with Alzheimer's) then decriminalization and legalisation ought to be explored in the near future.
May 10, 2025
Ohler’s TRIPPED is a short read, but genuinely fascinating. Clearly I’ve erroneously pigeon-holed LSD and it’s psychedelic cousins as drugs coveted nearly exclusively by the generation that spawned hippies and beat poets, but it’s origins and varied uses - some nefarious, and some that claim to show actual medical promise - are quite interesting. Excellent book.
August 15, 2025
Super interesting read. Would've loved if it was a little longer and went into more detail in certain areas.
January 18, 2025
Has inspired me to start taking LSD with my Weet-Bix every morning.
February 3, 2025
"El autor alemán Norman Ohler, conocido por su trabajo tanto en ficción como en no ficción, afirma en su nueva obra que se dedicó a estudiar la historia del ácido lisérgico cuando su padre comenzó a suministrar a la madre de Ohler pequeñas dosis para ayudarla a aliviar su enfermedad de Alzheimer. Ohler, que cosechó un rotundo éxito con su obra anterior El gran delirio, vuelve a sumergirnos en una narrativa histórica llena de matices y controversia con Un viaje alucinógeno. Los nazis, la CIA y las drogas psicodélicas".
RESEÑA COMPLETA: https://atrapadaenunashojasdepapel.bl...
RESEÑA COMPLETA: https://atrapadaenunashojasdepapel.bl...
January 9, 2024
Norman Ohler's "Tripped" is a continuation of the work he started in Blitzed, following the history of drugs stemming from the actions of the Third Reich. This time, the drug in question is LSD and the country of origin is Switzerland. Ohler tracks the history of the drug, its uses by American intelligence, why its illegal today (hint - see the statement in the previous comma), and the benefits that could be right there, especially for the growing Alzheimer's population.
My thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy.
My thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy.
February 18, 2026
I am not usually interested in nonfiction as I use reading to explore new worlds. I like getting lost in characters and plot. However, the narrative elements of this text and the topic made it very easy to delve into. I especially enjoyed author’s exploration of the line between criminal drug usage and distribution vs medicinal usage and distribution. The personal anecdotes alongside the historical figures bridged the past and present. If you are interested in psychology, medicine, or history, I’d highly recommend this book. It was a quick read and the audiobook is only about 6 hours.
January 8, 2026
The title is misleading as Nazi Germany is barely mentioned with a tenuous link to LSD. The storyline is unfocused and providing very little depth into most topics. The author adds present-day, filler chapters that don’t enhance the story.
October 8, 2024
This probably should have been a feature article and the Nazi/CIA stuff is more branding than substance. That out of the way, this was a nice microhistory of LSD.
April 19, 2025
Uhm. Fine. There was a lot of cool stuff in here. You really gotta fish through all the nothingness though.
March 3, 2025
Really fascinating read on the historical context behind the creation study and implementation of LSD — and how the political world, the CIA, and the Nazi party were so influential in its research.
Interesting to see the ties between WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam War and the Korean War with later the “War on Drugs”— perspectives not so often talked about. Loved it!
Interesting to see the ties between WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam War and the Korean War with later the “War on Drugs”— perspectives not so often talked about. Loved it!
August 10, 2025
3,5 stars
March 28, 2025
Had a nice ending but more of a summary of the history and nothing ground breaking. If you want a wild ride, read “Chaos” by Tom O’Neill instead
February 19, 2025
“The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the anti-war left and Black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
July 2, 2024
Before reading this book I knew shamefully little about the evolution of psychedelics. Looking back on it, I have no idea why I wasn’t curious about them from the start. The correlation between our history and drugs is shocking. From stars like John Lennon and Elvis Presley and their endeavors toward an “open mind” (some which were involuntary), to missteps in the CIA and their experiments on each other. This story is one every person needs to know, because our world would not be the same without it.
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