https://irving.video/videos/watch/2759d728-9f2d-4bcf-9331-91423c4e15e6 OverviewIrving delivers a lecture on the medical history of Adolf Hitler and other World War II leaders, examining the role of personal physicians and their influence on political decision-making. He emphasizes his archival research methodology, distinguishing his approach from secondary-source scholarship, and addresses the proliferation of unreliable sources and propaganda that have distorted historical understanding of Hitler's health. Topics coveredThe influence of personal physicians on major world leaders and the relationship between Winston Churchill and his doctor Lord Moran 00:05:00, Physical ailments of wartime leaders, including Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta and Churchill's illnesses during the Second World War 00:05:00, Irving's ten-year biographical research on Hitler and his methodology for primary source investigation 00:06:08, Wartime propaganda and disinformation campaigns used to blacken enemy leaders' health and credibility 00:08:03, Critique of William Langer's OSS psychological evaluation of Hitler as unreliable secondary-source work 00:09:03, Dr. Theodor Morell as Hitler's principal physician from 1937 onward and the libel controversies surrounding his medical practices 00:11:03, The unreliability of Felix Kersten's published diaries as historical sources 00:14:01, Medications allegedly administered to Hitler, including strychnine and atropine, and their possible role in Parkinsonian symptoms 00:13:02, Key momentsIrving argues that historians propagate flawed secondary sources rather than pursuing primary archival evidence: "historians do have a habit to go to the nearest library and take a book out of the bookshelf and read that rather than try and find the archives and talk to people concerned" 00:10:01, Irving describes how wartime psychological warfare extended to health claims: "Hitler was prone to describe President Roosevelt as being a paralytic, and imputing to him all sorts of intellectual debilities that would go with paralysis. We ourselves attributed all sorts of physical failings, not only to Hitler, but all his henchmen" 00:08:03, Irving notes that Morell's widow pursued libel actions against authors who portrayed the doctor as incompetent or treacherous, with some even suggesting he was working for the Allies 00:12:06, SourceRecorded at the University of Kansas City campus during Irving's American lecture tour in 1986, part of a Spotlight lecture series. The event was introduced by a university chairman and attended by a student and faculty audience. Original publisher or broadcaster information is not identified in the available metadata. About this archive: irving.video preserves the lectures, interviews, and TV appearances of historian David Irving. All videos are captioned, every transcript is searchable. Books at irvingbooks.com. Sat, 20 Jun 2026 02:11:53 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://irving.video https://irving.video/lazy-static/avatars/217f0272-12b9-4650-9c50-a2b60755061b.jpg https://irving.video/videos/watch/2759d728-9f2d-4bcf-9331-91423c4e15e6 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://irving.video/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.