Dumm und Dümmer: Hitler Invades Florida
Summary
Tim Harford recounts Operation Pastorius, a failed 1942 Nazi sabotage mission where eight incompetent agents landed in the US. The episode highlights Joseph Schmidt, who faked a disease to escape the doomed team, while the others were captured and executed. Harford uses this story to illustrate social proof, showing how individuals often ignore obvious danger if others around them remain passive.
Topics discussed
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Joseph Schmidt's desperate escape from Operation Pastorius
George Dasch's clumsy landing and the Coast Guard encounter
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Herbie Haupt's journey and Dasch's betrayal of the mission
Sponsors: ChatGPT, Trelvi, and Prime Video
The FBI arrests, secret tribunal, and sentencing of the saboteurs
Lessons on conformity and Joseph Schmidt's disappearance
Credits, Patreon, and final sponsor messages
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