Episode overview

How Occultists and Bankers Manufactured WW2 Germany w/ Matthew Ehret

The Duran · 5 July 2026 · 1h 1m · 5 Egleze moments

What happened in this episode?

The Duran hosts Alexander Mercouris and a co-host interview historian Matthew Ehret about the rehabilitation of Nazi ideology in conspiracy-minded communities and the deep historical connections between occultism, intelligence agencies, and political power from the late 19th century through today. Ehret discusses his new documentary 'Black Sun Rising' and accompanying 200-page report examining how figures like Nick Fuentes and films like 'Europa' are reframing Hitler as heroic while portraying Stalin and Russia as villains. The conversation traces intellectual and occult movements from the 1870s onward, examining how Bismarck's rational, peace-oriented German leadership was displaced by mystical nationalist movements including Theosophy, New Templarism, and various occult orders. Ehret and Mercouris explore how British intelligence, particularly through figures like Aleister Crowley, weaponized occult networks for espionage and political manipulation, including alleged involvement in the Lusitania sinking. Mercouris reveals firsthand knowledge from his time at the Royal Courts of Justice about contemporary neo-Nazi occult groups operating in Britain with police awareness but without intervention, often led by former army officers. The discussion extends to post-Vietnam occult activity, connecting CIA Operation Phoenix commander Colonel Michael Aquino to both the Church of Satan and later US Army Intelligence programs that incorporated occult ideology into elite military training. Ehret raises concerns about Palantir's growing control over Western military AI and surveillance, noting CEO Alex Karp hired the grandson of British fascist leader Oswald Mosley after reciting a 1939 Mosley speech from memory. Throughout, both emphasize how trauma, elitism, and flights from reality enable occult ideologies to penetrate power structures, with direct continuities between early 20th century movements and contemporary tech and military leadership.

What are the key points?

Matthew Ehret warns that conspiracy communities are increasingly rehabilitating Hitler and Nazi ideology through content portraying him as heroic and Russia as the true villain of WWII.
Alexander Mercouris reveals from his Royal Courts experience that neo-Nazi occult groups led by former British army officers actively operate in Britain with police knowledge but without intervention.
Palantir UK CEO Louis Mosley, grandson of fascist leader Oswald Mosley, was hired after CEO Alex Karp recited a 1939 fascist speech from memory, raising concerns about ideology in surveillance tech leadership.
Historian claims Aleister Crowley was British intelligence operative who orchestrated Lusitania sinking as false flag to draw America into WWI by ensuring Germans learned ship carried weapons.
Colonel Michael Aquino, Church of Satan second-in-command who led CIA Operation Phoenix killing 40,000 Vietnamese civilians, later shaped US Army Intelligence occult training programs in the 1980s.
Both speakers trace continuity from late 19th century occult movements like Theosophy and New Templarism through intelligence agencies to contemporary power structures in military and technology sectors.
Bismarck's rational, peace-oriented leadership of Germany was displaced by mystical nationalist movements that helped create conditions for WWI, a pattern both see recurring today.

Which topics are covered?

Espionage History Crime & Justice Controversial AI & Tech

How is this page sourced?

Programme: The Duran
Published: 5 July 2026
Duration: 1h 1m
Original episode: Open the original source ↗

Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.

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5 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected

Espionage

British Intelligence Recruited Aleister Crowley Before He Joined Occult Order, Historian Claims

at 38:16 · Attributed speaker claim

There's this book by Richard Spence called Secret Agent 666 on Crowley and British intelligence, uh, which appears that there's there's some good evidence that he was recruited to British intelligence by Lord Glascoin Cecil in the 18 right before he became a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Um, and he was deployed first into Russia to set up networks there...then went went into to the United States...Crowley was largely the one responsible for the propag for the sinking of the Lucadia the actual like false flag where this passenger ship was laden with with weapons which would have broken America's neutrality in World War I.

Matthew Ehret cites historian Richard Spence's research claiming Aleister Crowley was recruited by British intelligence before joining the Golden Dawn occult order and deployed to establish intelligence networks in Russia and the United States. Most controversially, Ehret claims Crowley orchestrated the false flag sinking of the Lusitania by ensuring German intelligence learned the passenger ship carried weapons, creating the emotional trigger to draw America into WWI. Alexander Mercouris confirms Crowley's establishment connections and intelligence role.

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Crime & Justice

Former Royal Courts Official Reveals Active Neo-Nazi Occult Groups Still Operating in Britain

at 45:46 · Attributed speaker claim

When I was working at the royal courts of justice, um I was the person in the royal courts of justice who used to have to get the read the reports about various archal groups that still function in Britain. And I remember reading them all and I remember reading about the very strange things that some of these people got up to and being very surprised that the police who knew exactly who these people were. I mean literally knew exactly who these people were weren't interfering in any way with some of the things that they were doing which were clearly criminal activities just to say.

Alexander Mercouris reveals firsthand knowledge of contemporary neo-Nazi occult groups operating in Britain with apparent police protection. He states these groups, many led by former British army officers, fuse 1930s German ideology with occult practices and engage in known criminal activity without law enforcement intervention. This disclosure comes from his direct professional experience handling intelligence reports at the Royal Courts of Justice.

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Controversial

Historian Links Satanic Ritual Killings to Vietnam Veterans and CIA Operation Phoenix

at 50:24 · Attributed speaker claim

The tendency of army officers who have been through hell to become uh or to get recruited into the occult seems to be a phenomenon. We saw this after after the Vietnam war where there was a massive spike in satanic ritual killings and this is what led into the satanic panic. But the satanic panic in America was being done because there actually was this greater preponderance of actual satanic ritual activity all across America...And a lot of that seems to have been correlated to the return of broken men who had to do terrible things, you know, like Operation Phoenix which was overseen by who? Colonel Michael Aquino, the second in command of the Church of Satan.

Matthew Ehret connects the 1980s spike in satanic ritual killings to traumatized Vietnam veterans, specifically linking CIA Operation Phoenix to Colonel Michael Aquino, second-in-command of the Church of Satan. Ehret claims Aquino oversaw the Phoenix Program that tortured and killed at least 40,000 Vietnamese civilians, then returned to establish the Temple of Set and influence US military intelligence programs. He argues the 'Satanic Panic' was dismissed as hysteria when actual occult criminal activity had genuinely increased.

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Espionage

US Army Intelligence Deployed Occult Training Programs Based on Temple of Set Ideology

at 52:44 · Attributed speaker claim

Michael Aquino got the same idea that no it's going to be actually the age of set the age of chaos and lies that he has to usher in as the new prophet. But then he goes on and starts working for major major general Albert Stubblebean at the US military after setting this setting up the temple of set...He's employed by General Stubblebean who's like head of military army intelligence throughout the in the 1980s overseeing the revolution and military affairs to then write the from SCOP to mind wars uh program with Paul Valet...this training program seems crazy. that this actually is what is defining the actual programs like the the Jedi mind wars program.

Matthew Ehret claims Colonel Michael Aquino, founder of the occult Temple of Set, was employed by the head of US Army Intelligence in the 1980s to develop the 'Mind Wars' program incorporating ESP, occult training, psychedelics, and electromagnetic technology. He states these programs, including the 'Jedi' initiative portrayed in 'The Men Who Stare at Goats,' were real and that graduates became key operators in Desert Storm and post-9/11 operations, representing an 'uber-mensch' super-soldier ideology within US military culture.

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AI & Tech

Palantir UK CEO Hired After Alex Karp Recited Fascist Leader's Speech From Memory

at 56:39 · Attributed speaker claim

Louis Mosley who's you know talking about how he got the job with Alec Karp to become the CEO of Palunteer UK...as the official story goes told by these two guys he was afraid he wasn't going to get the gig cuz his grandfather was Oswwell Mosley whose second in command was uh JCR JFC Fuller...the head of the British Union of Fascists. He's the grandmaster of the Argentum Astron Crowley lodge from 1907 onward and he's doing back channels with the Nazi high command...Alec Karp goes and recites from memory a full speech by Oswald Mosley from 1939. And he's like, 'Wow, we're friends.' And he got the job.

Matthew Ehret reveals that Palantir UK CEO Louis Mosley, grandson of British fascist leader Oswald Mosley, was hired after Palantir CEO Alex Karp recited a 1939 speech by the fascist leader from memory during the interview. Palantir has since secured massive UK military and intelligence contracts worth hundreds of billions, gaining control over AI-driven military decisions and predictive policing systems across Britain. The connection raises questions about ideological continuity in tech leadership with access to state surveillance infrastructure.

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