In the Second World War, the intelligence services of all combatants hatched many an odd scheme to damage the enemy. One of the most bizarre was an American plan to feminize the Fuhrer and make him as womanly as possible. Below are some fascinating facts about that odd scheme.
Feminizing the Fuhrer
War pushes people to the brink in many ways. Sometimes it pushes them beyond the brink when it comes to creative and diabolical ideas to do in the enemy. An example was the World War II plan to transform Hitler into a woman. There was method to the madness. American intelligence hoped that feminizing Hitler would make him less aggressive. Or at least cost him the respect and adoration of his macho followers, who might be turned off by an effeminate Fuhrer.
How were they to pull it off? By tampering with the Fuhrer’s food. Hitler was a vegetarian, and he was a huge fan of carrots. So a scheme was concocted to slip estrogen-laced carrots into his diet. It began with a study by Stanley Lovell, director of research and development for the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS – the CIA’s predecessor), on where Hitler fit along the gender spectrum. Lovell concluded that Hitler was right at the middle of the male-female line.
A More Womanly Hitler?
A scheme was concocted to nudge the German dictator over the line between male and female, and make him as effeminate as possible. The OSS might have reasoned that a more womanly Fuhrer might become less aggressive. Or perhaps it figured that Hitler with boobs and without facial hair would look ridiculous, lose his confidence and the respect of his followers, and thus become a less effective leader. To get the estrogen into his system, OSS agents planned to bribe the Fuhrer’s gardener to inject the hormone into his carrots.
The idea to just poison Hitler was considered, but discarded. Many thought that Hitler’s ineptness actually hurt Germany, and that Allied victory would be harder if he was replaced by a more capable leader. Also, the Fuhrer had food tasters. So whatever was added to his carrots had to be something that was not fatal, and whose results were not immediate. Estrogen fit the bill because it was tasteless and slow-acting. Over time, it was hoped that it would gradually “feminize” Hitler. The plan went awry, however, either because somebody suspected the carrots, or because the gardener simply pocketed the bribe money, and did nothing.
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Some Sources & Further Reading
Ford, Brian J. – Secret Weapons: Technology, Science and the Race to Win World War II (2013)
Mental Floss – The Time the Allies Tried to Disarm Hitler With Female Sex Hormones
