Pont-Saint-Esprit Mass Poisoning
Why did an entire French town descend into madness in 1951?
4.1 (34)
75 mins
Explore the 1951 Pont-Saint-Esprit mystery, when a French town descended into madness after a deadly mass poisoning. Uncover the chilling theories from contaminated grain to secret Cold War experiments that remain unresolved.
Ep 1:
The Bread That Broke a Town
In 1951, a sleepy French town descended into mass hallucination and violence after eating bread from a trusted local bakery—leaving seven dead and a mystery that endures.
Ep 2:
Cursed Bread, Contested Science
Investigators zero in on contaminated flour, but conflicting theories—ergot fungus, mercury pesticide, and a banned bleaching agent—leave the true cause of Pont-Saint-Esprit's horror unresolved.
Ep 3:
America's Secret War on the Mind
Cold War America ran secret programs dosing unwitting citizens with LSD and germs, recruiting Nazi scientists, and pursuing mind control at any human cost.
Ep 4:
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Bacteriologist Frank Olson witnessed CIA horrors abroad, grew disillusioned, and was secretly drugged at a retreat—then died in a fall officials called suicide.
Ep 5:
The Document They Tried to Bury
Decades later, a journalist claims to have found CIA files linking Frank Olson directly to Pont-Saint-Esprit—and orders to bury the evidence forever.
Ep 6:
A Verdict That Never Came
Experts dismantle the LSD theory point by point, while French silence and missing records raise haunting questions the official story still can't answer.
Discussions (3)
Waylon
Level 4 · 5 mo agoGives a whole new meaning to getting baked.
Elizabeth
Level 8 · 5 mo agoYeah because nothing says 'food poisoning' like the CIA buying the world supply of LSD. Pretty sure ergot doesn’t make you think you’re a plane taxiing on broken legs.
Elena
Level 8 · 5 mo agoThat baker got fucked over.
