The sudden death of powerful individuals has often been accompanied by charges of poisoning. In the past, when toxins were not detectable, anyone with a motive was considered a potential assassin. In more modern times, anyone dying under suspicious circumstances without an autopsy can be the rumored (or perhaps real) victim of poison. Augustus Caesar. Suetonius claims that Augustus, already in his eighties, was done in by Augusta who smeared poison on the pears on a tree the Princeps was particularly fond of. Socrates. Found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens, he was forced to drink hemlock. Claudius Caesar. Suetonius claims he succumbed to poisoned mushrooms served by his wife to make room for her son Nero. Zachary Taylor. Rumors abounded for several years that this American President was done in by pro-slavery forces with either strychnine or arsenic. Recent forensic evidence suggests he was poisoned — but by the Salmonella he picked up from the potato salad served at the dedication of the Washington Monument. John Paul I (Albino Luciani). His death in 1978 as the shortest reigning pope in four centuries, the youngest pope at the time death in three and a half and the first pope to die unattended since 1600 caused a great deal of speculation. At least one author has woven a complicated conspiracy theory involving the Vatican Bank, Jesuits, a Free-Mason group called P-2, and Opus Dei. Pius XI (Achille Ratti) Another 20th century papal death. This pope was rumored to be on the verge of condemning fascism in 1939 when he died suddenly. Poisoning theorists point out that his physician was a relative of the Italian Foreign Minister. Alexander VI (Borgia). This Renaissance pope was the father of Lucretia Borgia — one of history's most infamous poisoners. Alexander VI was reputed to become pope by literally poisoning the opposition. At his funeral rumors abounded that he had accidentally poisoned himself by drinking a doctored glass of wine intended for an opponent at a dinner party on a country estate. Napoleon Bonaparte. His early death has led least one author to suggest that Napoleon's death was the result of deliberate arsenic poisoning on the part of Monolothon. Warren Harding. The President, who was on a cross-country tour, had told his wife of the Teapot Dome scandal about to erupt. Conspiracy theorist say Mrs. Harding decided to do him in to save him the pain of the scandal. while other say it was due to his serial adultery. The doctors present agreed he died of a stroke. Rasputin. The "Mad Monk" actually died from repeated gunshot wounds and being dumped in the frozen River Neva on December 29, 1916. But Prince Felix Yussopov and other conspirators had tried to poison him first with massive doses of cyanide. Rasputin's inhuman resistance was most likely due to a common practice in the Russian courts of taking progressively larger doses of popular poisons to acclimate his system and build up resistance. Erwin Rommel. Implicated in the July 20th plot to assassinate Hitler, the Fuhrer gave him a choice. Either Rommel would be subjected to a court-martial, found guilty and sentenced to death and his family would suffer, or he could select death by poison and his family would be untouched and his reputation unmarred. Rommel selected the latter means. Adolf Hitler. There is still some controversy over the method of Hitler's death though nearly all the eyewitnesses agree he shot himself, possibly biting on a cyanide capsule at the same time for insurance. But Hitler was reputedly the target of at least two aborted poisoning attempts by his Minister of Armaments and War Production, Albert Speer. Speer claimed that he had soaked a cigar in water with the intent of using the powerful alkaloids released by the nicotine to kill Hitler by serving it in his tea. Speer also said that he had secured a toxic agent he intended to introduce into the ventilation system of the Fuhrerbunker. Saddam Hussein. There is no evidence that anyone has ever actually attempted to poison the Iraqi strong man. But the "Butcher of Baghdad" is taking no chances. He has returned to the tradition of having a food taster. For several years this post was held by the son of Saddam's chef, a particularly Machiavellian way of assuring the chef's loyalty. The position became vacant when Udai, Saddam's son, killed the food taster in an argument. Who has the post now is not certain, though it is not likely to be a high demand job. Eye of Newt, Toe of Frog : Biotoxins and Warfare Back to Cry Havoc #20 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by David W. Tschanz. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com