Podcast Summary: The Butterfly King - Episode 3: Snake in the Grass

Podcast: Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise
Host: Becky Milligan
Date: March 28, 2024

Overview

In this gripping episode, host Becky Milligan delves deep into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of King Boris III of Bulgaria in 1943. Drawing on personal interviews, archival research, and expert analysis, Milligan explores prevailing theories of assassination—specifically, whether Boris was poisoned by Nazi doctors using exotic snake venom, and the broader political, moral, and personal implications of his rule during WWII. The episode examines conflicting narratives about Boris as both a national unifier and a controversial figure in Bulgaria’s involvement in the Holocaust, ultimately raising the possibility that British intelligence, rather than the Nazis, might have played a role in his death.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Grief at the Royal Funeral & Early Suspicions (01:36–06:02)

• Funeral Atmosphere: The episode opens with powerful first-hand accounts from Boris’s children, Princess Maria Luisa and King Simeon II, during their father's state funeral. Both recall the trauma and shock of kissing their father’s cold forehead as children.
  • “You kiss your father’s forehead and it’s cold… It wasn’t easy.” – Maria Luisa (03:10)
• Family Suspicion: Even as they mourned, the royal family harbored suspicions about the King’s cause of death. Princess Eudoxia and Queen Giovanna suspected possible poisoning, especially by a German doctor, Seitz, who had been close to the family.
  • “The Queen already suspects her husband didn’t die a natural death… Eudoxia is convinced the Nazis poisoned him.” – Becky Milligan (05:20)

2. Investigating Nazi Involvement & The Snake Venom Theory (06:02–18:13)

• German Archives & Goebbels' Diary: Forensic historian Professor Vladimir Zlatarsky shares findings from the diaries of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, suggesting Hitler was told Boris was poisoned—with the doctors naming an "Asiatic poison," possibly snake venom.
  • “After the death of the King… Hitler said to Goebbels, ‘it is quite sure that the King was poisoned.’” – Professor Zlatarsky (11:17)
  • “It was some kind of poison from India, probably snake poison.” – Professor Zlatarsky (11:52)
• Herpetologist’s Input: Reptile expert Dr. Marco Shea debunks the idea that a live snake could have been used as a murder weapon but confirms that injected venom is potentially lethal and difficult to trace.
  • “If you put a snake in a room and expect it to kill somebody, you better have a lot of time to wait. … Killing people with snakes is not, it’s not guaranteed, it’s not efficient.” – Marco Shea (16:19)
  • “If you’re going to administer venom, the only way you’re going to be able to do that is by injection.” – Marco Shea (18:07)
• Doctors in the Sickroom: Three German doctors attended the King; Seitz, who had longstanding royal ties, Eppinger (an internal medicine specialist who drew attention to suspicious symptoms), and Decrinis (a neurologist and high-ranking SS officer).

3. Doctor’s Motives, Allegiances & Aftermath (19:01–28:42)

• Suspicious Symptoms: All three German doctors were linked to Hitler. Eppinger pointed out "brown spots," potentially indicating poisoning, but also drew similar conclusions about another Balkan leader’s sudden death (Greek Premier Metaxas in 1941).
• Family Loyalty: Despite family suspicions and evasiveness by Dr. Seitz years after the king’s death, both Simeon and Maria Luisa express doubt that he betrayed his royal patients.
  • “He was always so attached to us… to be the, I mean, arch villain, is something that I just can’t—it doesn’t sort of fit in my mind.” – Simeon (25:14)
• Elusive Evidence: Despite rumors, no definitive evidence points to a Nazi order for Boris’s elimination; German archives reviewed during the Nuremberg trials contained no such proof.
  • “Nothing was ever found in the German archives… I’m convinced it wasn’t the Germans.” – Maria Luisa (28:42)

4. Bulgaria, Jews, and the King’s Complicated Legacy (29:00–48:36)

• Hero or Criminal: The episode explores Boris’s dual legacy—hailed by some as the savior of Bulgaria’s 50,000 Jews, vilified by others for his complicity in the deportation of 11,000 Jews from newly occupied Macedonian and Thrace territories.
• First-person Testimony: Survivor Aaron Solomon Barley, who lost 34 relatives, asserts Boris made a “deal with the devil”—land for Jewish lives—and holds him responsible for their deaths despite public myths.
  • “If he had survived, he would be in the Nuremberg process… For me, he’s a criminal.” – Aaron Solomon Barley (34:09)
• Power Limitations: Some historians and Simeon himself argue Boris was limited in power over these territories, with Nazi military direct control, complicating blame.
  • “Command and everything else was in the Nazis. This wasn't directly under us.” – Simeon (35:47)
• Conflicting Realities: Testimonies from families who survived because of Boris contrast sharply with accounts of suffering in so-called “road building camps” and property confiscation.
  • “What did the King do? Nothing. Nothing.” – Aaron Solomon Barley (43:33)
• Church and Parliament’s Role: Significant credit is given to the Orthodox Church and individuals in parliament who pressured Boris to resist Nazi demands for deportations.
  • “He played an important part. … He is a moderate man in an immoderate world, which is either fascist or communist, and he walks the tightrope.” – Tessa Dunlop, historian (47:07)

5. Pivoting the Investigation: Motive Shift (48:36–51:16)

• Ruling Out the Nazis: Evidence of ongoing working relationships and lack of clear Nazi motive leads Milligan to refocus suspicion away from Hitler.
  • “I am going to take Hitler out of the frame at this point.” – Becky Milligan (48:53)
• British Motives: The British, and specifically Winston Churchill, become new suspects. Boris was seen as a "snake in the grass" and enemy by the Allies.
  • “Could the cigar chomping British Prime Minister have signed the order to assassinate Boris?” – Becky Milligan (50:31)
  • “You can see it in the different writings and things of Churchill that he was no fan of my father's.” – Simeon (51:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Personal Trauma at the Funeral:

  • “That was my father. So we just kissed him and…for a 10 year old, you know, you kiss your father's forehead and it's cold…To this very day, don’t like to talk about it.”
    – Maria Luisa (03:10)

• Snake Venom as a Murder Weapon:

  • “If you want to kill somebody, they're gonna say, can you guarantee this is gonna work? Well, sorry, no...Killing people with snakes is not...efficient and it's fraught with problems.”
    – Marco Shea (15:20, 16:39)

• On Dr. Seitz’s Loyalty:

  • “He was always so attached to us...that this man should have been the, I mean, arch villain is something that I just can’t...fit in my mind.”
    – Simeon (25:14)

• On King Boris’s Legacy:

  • “If he had survived, he would be in the Nuremberg process.”
    – Aaron Solomon Barley (34:09)
  • “He played an important part. The thing is, it might be far easier to exonerate Boris if only he’d been a little more overt…But historian Tessa Dunlop thinks that’s naive. The King was flitting and darting in and out of allegiances like a butterfly, and that's a life saving skill.”
    – Becky Milligan/Tessa Dunlop (46:46–47:07)

• Pivotal Shift in Suspect:

  • “I am going to take Hitler out of the frame at this point.”
    – Becky Milligan (48:53)

Key Timestamps

• 01:36 – Funeral of King Boris & family’s grief
• 05:20 – Early suspicion of foul play amongst royals
• 11:17–11:52 – Goebbels’ diary: Nazi doctors claim the King was poisoned (snake venom)
• 15:20–16:39 – Dr. Marco Shea deconstructs the feasibility of snakes as murder weapons
• 19:01–20:26 – Doctors’ backgrounds and suspicious symptoms
• 25:43–26:29 – Confrontation with Dr. Seitz about Boris’s death
• 29:00–32:01 – The story shifts to Boris’s WWII legacy and Bulgaria’s Jews
• 34:09–34:15 – Survivor accuses Boris of being a war criminal
• 35:47 – Simeon argues Nazi control limited Boris’s power
• 41:27–46:46 – Diverging Jewish accounts; debate over Boris’s role and culpability
• 48:53 – Milligan rules out Nazi orchestration, pivots to British motives
• 51:01–51:16 – Simeon comments on Churchill’s animosity toward Boris
• 52:08–52:14 – Teaser for next episode: British bombing of Bulgarian royals and a new clue discovered in the archives

Conclusion

This complex episode interrogates the assumed narratives of history, exposing the ambiguous legacy of Boris III. It challenges listeners to consider the interplay of power, morality, and survival amidst war while refusing to provide easy answers about guilt or innocence. Moving adeptly between personal testimony and scholarly insight, Milligan leaves the audience contemplating the unresolved mystery—and unexpectedly opens a new chapter implicating the British, promising further revelations in the next episode.

End of Summary