Programmed to Chill

Today's all about the Nuremberg trials - Krupp evading the first tier of them, then getting their own trials a year later. We talk about their crimes, the weirdness of the trial, especially the curious handling of it by US forces. At the trial, Krupp executives revealed that they were, in fact, guilty of treason, which is pretty funny. Then we talk about the Korean War, and Alfried Krupp's pardon at the hands of an appeals board appointed by John J. McCloy. McCloy's career is examined, and we discuss why Krupp was pardoned. 

Today's about the rest of WWII - we talk about Allied bombing campaigns targeting civilians over factories, Krupp's Batcave-like bunker, the documents Krupp burned before the Allies showed up, the loyalty oaths and the Lex Krupp, the crimes Krupp was guilty of, and we talk about the Night and Fog decree. To wrap it up, I compare and contrast the experiences of two different Catholic priests in Essen during the war - Father Alphonso Come and his excellency Cardinal Hengsbach. To wrap up, I talk about Nazi snuff films.

Today's a rough episode. We talk about slave labor in concentration camps, and in Essen, and in Krupp factories. We talk about Krupp doctors studying inmate health, and Ewald Oskar Ludwig Löser, one of Krupp's executives, who communicated with Allen Dulles and whose ring attempted to assassinate Hitler. We talk about how Slavs were explicitly singled out to be slaves, the language around slavery, and then we talk about Buschmannshof, which was Krupp's child death camp. It's very bleak. Then we talk about the Lex Krupp again, to walk back from the edge.

Today we talk about the Krupp Steel empire during WWII, with both Gustav and his son Alfried Krupp. To start, we talk about Hjalmar Schacht's financial trickery to keep rearmament off Germany's books after the Nazis took power. Then we talk about Alfried Krupp, his interests and career up to that point, and how deranged his family was. We talk about Krupp's weapons during the Spanish Civil War, the case of Robert Rothschild, Gustav Krupp's senility, and the story of Artur Rümann, an art dealer who witnessed Alfried Krupp salivating and drooling over maps of soon-to-be expropriated factories across Europe. Then we introduce the topic of slave labor under Nazi Germany, including the theft of the Ukraine, culminating with the Battle of Kursk. w/ Katyusha by the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army

Today's all about Gustav Krupp - his dementia, his views on German nationalism and Hitler, and especially the secret rearmament program after WWI. We're talking about tricking journalists, and how blindingly obvious it should have been to know they were rearming if you could, idk, read a balance sheet. Then we talk about exactly how Krupp Steel hid their weapons manufacturing and designers, like, black production, and how it intersected with Gustav's politics. Then, I discuss an important meeting of German industrialists with Hitler where some very curious things get brought up, then we talk about the terror elections, the immediate steps the Nazis actually took, and when Hitler declared Gustav Krupp to be the Führer of the Economy, and how Hitler was actually at Villa Hügel when he launched the Night of the Long Knives. w/ Krupp und Krause theme song

Today we're talking about WWI, including Big Bertha, the giant artillery gun, and German U-boats, both of which were developed by Krupp Steel. Then we discuss war profiteering, specifically the fact that, due to patents, the British firm Vickers technically owed about 60 marks for every dead German soldier. Then we discuss the Kaiser visiting the Krupp steelworks, a very interesting moment in history. After that, we discuss the German revolutions and political assassinations again, especially the communist takeover of the Krupp works, and the German army's massacre of these workers. Then, the French invaded, and Krupp committed more crimes, and we discuss how Krupp stayed afloat during this period. Hint: it's through outright subsidies from the government and financial crimes. w/ Krupp und Krause theme song

Today Marga Krupp takes the helm of the Krupp firm, at least for a while, and the German state finds Bertha Krupp a reliable husband. The reliable man is Gustav Krupp, an interesting little homunculus. Then we discuss the extent of the Krupp empire at this point, and talk about their shitty renaissance fair antics, and then the run-up to WWI. Finally, we talk about the Brandt Trial, which ought to be called the Krupp trial, the SPD's role in the affair, and why Krupp was allowed to walk out unscathed. w/ Krupp und Krause theme song

Today's all about Fritz Krupp, though we spend some time talking about Alfred, his crumbling marriage, Fritz' insane wedding, Fritz' place in the Krupp concern as chief of intelligence, comparing and contrasting Alfred's and Fritz' different approaches to management, new developments in steel and weapons production, and then a very, very interesting topic: older generations of international arms dealers. Specifically the British and Vickers man, Sir Basil Zaharoff vs. the German and Krupp man, Friedrich Wilhelm von Bülow (yes, that Bülow family), covering a detour through their accomplishments and battles with each other. They Fritz Krupp gets canceled for holding banquets with minstrel shows, and then we talk about how he's the the Jeffrey Epstein of the Second Reich. Trust me, this one's worth listening to. w/ Krupp und Krause theme song

Today I'm joined by Dr. Pig Bodine (@pussy___teeth) to discuss all things Alan Moore (mostly everything except Watchmen and V for Vendetta), and especially From Hell. We bounce all over the place, as you might imagine, but that's in the spirit of Alan Moore. We ask if Moore is Princess Dianapilled, LaRouchepilled, and zero in on Moore's obsession with intelligence agencies and magick. We talk "op or not" and tried to come to a greater understanding of why we practice art and history. w/ Saucy Jack by Spinal Tap

This week, I start by comparing and contrasting Krupp's labor practices to Amazon's, and then I discuss bronze vs. steel cannons. From there, we get to talk about Alfred's unhappy marriage, truly bad but somehow not the worst marriage in this family. Also, a discussion of Krupp's houses, from the Garden House to Villa Hügel, which is such an insane building. I talk about the arms trade in the 19th century, and the Franco-Prussian war. There's some delightful hypochondria, and Krupp's relationship to US railroads and US Steel. w/ Krupp und Krause theme song