(Newser)
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In one of the British forces' wackier schemes to rid the world of Adolph Hitler's violence, secret agents plotted to slip estrogen in the fuhrer's food in a bid to tame his aggression, according to a new book. The estrogen would be tasteless and the transformation gradual as Hitler changed from a "herr" to a "her," as the Daily Mail quips. It's not clear if the plot was launched, but it was seriously considered by the government, according to the book Secret Weapons: Technology, Science and the Race to Win World War II, written by Cardiff University Professor Brian Ford.
"Research had shown the importance of sex hormones; they were beginning to be used in sex therapy in London," says Ford. "The Allies hoped to smuggle estrogen into Hitler's food and change his sex so he would become more feminine and less aggressive. Hitler had testers who tasted his meals so there was not mileage in putting poison in his food because they would immediately fall victim to it. Sex hormones were a different matter." The Nazis had their own digestive plots. If they lost the war, they planned to leave poisoned sausages, chocolate, and Nescafe behind for the Allied troops to find, according to Ford.
