Charles Norris

You have the chief medical examiner of one of the most important American cities accusing the federal government of a planned program of extermination.

You have the chief medical examiner of one of the most important American cities accusing the federal government of a planned program of extermination.

The last thing you want is for your people to be called murdering chemists in a congressional hearing.

The last thing you want is for your people to be called murdering chemists in a congressional hearing.

You know, is he a trustworthy source? No, he's not a trustworthy source.

You know, is he a trustworthy source? No, he's not a trustworthy source.

He's clearly defending their policies and saying, no, this wasn't us. My reaction is that's exactly what I would say if I was James Duran, which is deny all responsibility and wash his hands.

He's clearly defending their policies and saying, no, this wasn't us. My reaction is that's exactly what I would say if I was James Duran, which is deny all responsibility and wash his hands.

I mean, this is not going to be a confessional moment.

I mean, this is not going to be a confessional moment.

The strategy at the federal government was that we're running out of chemical options, let's try everything.

The strategy at the federal government was that we're running out of chemical options, let's try everything.

Formula 59B. Okay, now we've tried 58, maybe there was a 58A, but there were dozens of these formulas, each with a different number, each with a different mix of things. This whole panorama of industrial chemistry gets thrown at the wall in this period. And then they kind of give up.

Formula 59B. Okay, now we've tried 58, maybe there was a 58A, but there were dozens of these formulas, each with a different number, each with a different mix of things. This whole panorama of industrial chemistry gets thrown at the wall in this period. And then they kind of give up.

I added up all the numbers to about 10,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate that I could come up with for every report I could find from that period in the 1920s. What the actual number is, I don't know. I think it's higher, but don't have that evidence, and I'm not sure anyone does.

I added up all the numbers to about 10,000 deaths. That number is the best estimate that I could come up with for every report I could find from that period in the 1920s. What the actual number is, I don't know. I think it's higher, but don't have that evidence, and I'm not sure anyone does.

Prohibition was a huge mistake in all kinds of ways. What I hope is that we actually learn from the mistake. I hope that understanding our history will add something to the idea that we're not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Prohibition was a huge mistake in all kinds of ways. What I hope is that we actually learn from the mistake. I hope that understanding our history will add something to the idea that we're not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Bellevue is close to the river. They would stack the bodies up on piers behind the hospital sometimes. When there was a catastrophe, some kind of multiple fatality thing, the bodies went to Bellevue. And there are actually newspaper reports of the time where bodies were really stacked up.

Bellevue is close to the river. They would stack the bodies up on piers behind the hospital sometimes. When there was a catastrophe, some kind of multiple fatality thing, the bodies went to Bellevue. And there are actually newspaper reports of the time where bodies were really stacked up.