Last Podcast On The Left

Episode 653: The Du Pont Foxcatcher Murder Part II - The House of the Butterflies

Release Date: February 20, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Ed Larson

Overview

This episode continues LPOTL’s deep dive into the history, influence, and horrors wrought by the Du Pont family—a dynasty described by Marcus as “quite possibly the most evil family in American history” (07:00). Picking up in the post-WWI era, the hosts dissect how Du Pont shifted from “merchants of death” to architects of American consumer society, all while fueling war machines, polluting the planet, and knowingly poisoning generations. The tone vacillates between acerbic comedy and outrage as the hosts unpack the family’s direct role in war crimes, creation of “forever chemicals,” and their political manipulations at home and abroad.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Post-WWI Du Ponts

[07:00] Marcus Parks:

• After WWI, the Du Ponts earned the "merchants of death" title for war profiteering.
• Expanded influence into cultural manipulation (Boy Scouts), governmental meddling, and responding to Bolshevik Russia by defending their business interests.

Quote:
"There's going to be a lot of death in this episode, and the DuPonts are at the center of it all." – Marcus (08:13)

2. 1920s Expansion: Building Consumer America

[09:43] Marcus Parks:

• The Du Ponts steered the rise of mass consumerism by creating products first, then manufacturing a demand for them: cellophane, rayon, shatterproof glass.
• "Cellophane had no practical use...They created a use for it." – Marcus (13:08)
• Their chemicals and synthetic materials fundamentally changed modern life (and waste).

Comedy Breaks:

• Conversation about pantyhose, consumer fetishism, and various ways the Du Ponts’ products integrate into daily (and absurd) life ([16:00]–[18:00]).

3. Leaded Gasoline: “The House of the Butterflies”

[23:06] Marcus Parks:

• The horrifying origin of tetraethyl lead in gasoline, created by Du Pont-controlled General Motors.
• Workers at the Deepwater, NJ plant became deranged and died from lead exposure, the factory earning the nickname “House of the Butterflies” because of toxic hallucinations ([25:13]).

Quote:
"Workers affected by the tetraethyl fumes would try to snatch invisible butterflies out of the air and many drew butterflies on the brick walls of the factory. The fumes...It's fucking insane." – Marcus (26:10)

• Leaded gasoline’s ubiquity (1923–1986) is strongly linked to violent crime waves, widespread developmental issues, and brain damage. The Du Ponts covered up the dangers from day one.

4. Reinventing Greed: Economic Power & Manipulation

[36:41] Marcus Parks:

• Du Ponts, through financial exec John Raskob, maximized profit by slashing labor costs and manipulating the stock market, contributing directly to the 1929 crash and ensuing Great Depression.
• Discussion on whether the Du Ponts “caused the Holocaust” by laying groundwork for unstable Germany.

Quote:
"Did the duponts cause the Holocaust? I'd say kinda." – Marcus (36:55)

• The hosts note the perverse trickle-down of trauma, greed, and political upheavals (with comedic asides on cousin-marrying politicians FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt).

5. Political Meddling and the “Business Plot”

[44:46] Marcus Parks:

• In response to FDR’s New Deal and higher taxes for the rich, the Du Ponts and allies plotted an outright coup (the “Business Plot”) to overthrow him—foiled only by General Smedley Butler’s integrity.

Quote:
"The plan was to overthrow FDR and install a military dictatorship...All the plotters had to say was, 'Nah, I didn’t do that.' And not a single one...faced consequences." – Marcus (47:15)

6. War Profiteering: WWII and Beyond

[52:40] Marcus Parks:

• Du Ponts produced 70% of US explosives in WWII, and their innovations (cellophane, nylon) permeated everything from parachutes to rations.
• The Manhattan Project: Du Pont ran Oak Ridge and Hanford, mishandled uranium waste, and manufactured the radioactive fuel for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Quote:
"They should just change their name to the Vatican...responsible for so many deaths." – Ed (61:51)

7. Napalm and Anti-Humanitarian Inventions

[64:57] Marcus Parks:

• Du Pont helped develop napalm (with Standard Oil and Harvard’s Dr. Louis Fieser), allowing it to be cheaply mass-produced and used primarily against civilian populations in Japan and later in Vietnam.
• Casual reflection on the moral reckoning (and lack thereof) in American warfare.

Quote:
"A quarter of Tokyo was simply erased off the Earth by DuPont products." – Marcus (68:00)

8. Corporate Colonialism: United Fruit and Banana Republics

[70:13] Marcus Parks:

• Du Pont controlled the United Fruit Company, directly responsible for the “banana massacre” in Colombia and US-backed coups (notably Guatemala), setting up decades of dictatorship and atrocity.
• Dulles brothers’ deep involvement as Secretary of State (John) and CIA Director (Allen).

9. Birth of the “Forever Chemicals” (Teflon/C8)

[79:11] Marcus Parks:

• Du Pont’s invention of Teflon (C8), a “forever chemical” now found in 99% of human blood.
• Knowing C8’s dangers since the 1960s (tumors in rats, monkeys, and gene mutations), Du Pont continued production, lobbying, and environmental contamination—particularly in poor communities dependent on Du Pont jobs.

Quote:
"It is referred to as the devil’s piss. And I should know because I drink piss." – Henry (81:41)

10. Legal Reckoning and Lack of Accountability

[90:10] Marcus Parks:

• 2000s: Class action suit exposed Du Pont's knowledge and concealment of C8’s risks.
• Du Pont paid a $347 million settlement (peanuts for them), and continued using a new, equally untested chemical (GenX) to replace C8.

Quote:
"These are the people in charge of our lives and have been for some time...Betting on collapse and misery more than ever." – Marcus (94:22)

11. Final Thoughts: Why Do This Series?

[96:09] Henry Zebrowski:

• The hosts express their anger and moral disgust, emphasizing the importance of exposing systems of power and the real horror behind sanitized corporate legacies.
• A promise: next week, the series culminates in the infamous Foxcatcher murder (the crime and madness of John du Pont).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The darkness of this world was shaped to an outsized degree by the decisions made by the Du Pont family.” – Marcus (08:20)
• “As long as the promise [of being rich] is there, people will keep voting against their own interests.” – Marcus (10:46)
• “If you ever bought a pack of smokes, you’ve given money to Du Pont.” – Marcus (13:08)
• “The duponts knew exactly what tetraethyl lead did from the very beginning. And they did everything in their power to cover it up so they could keep making as much money as possible.” – Marcus (30:08)
• “After World War I, many Duponts became the new American multimillionaires. Before long, the Duponts had broken the record for most yachts owned by a single American family.” – Marcus (35:06)
• “Colon cancer, by the way, is killing our generation en masse as we speak...We got to start a new campaign to screen millennials and Generation Xers for colon cancer.” – Marcus (92:31)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:02–07:00: Banter, intro, overview of Du Pont post-WWI
• 09:43–18:00: Consumer society, synthetic product inventions
• 23:06–34:00: Leaded gasoline (“loony gas”), House of the Butterflies, cover-ups
• 36:41–44:46: Economic manipulations, Great Depression, political influence
• 44:46–48:50: The Business Plot/coup attempt, FDR as "class traitor", Roosevelt family digressions
• 52:40–69:11: WWII, Manhattan Project, napalm, war profiteering, atomic legacy
• 70:13–76:12: United Fruit, banana republics, CIA coups in Latin America
• 79:11–89:59: Forever chemicals, Teflon (C8), environmental and bodily contamination, PR cover-ups
• 90:10–95:19: Class action lawsuit, “Gen X” chemical, moral call to action
• 95:43–97:20: Preview of Foxcatcher finale & hosts’ impassioned motivations

Tone, Style, and Notable Humor

• Sarcastic, rage-fueled humor about capitalism, corporate evil, and true crime podcasting tropes.
• Absurd asides (pantyhose fetishes, “wells,” cousin marriage jokes, etc.)
• Genuine pathos over environmental and human destruction, especially regarding cancer clusters (Ohio River Valley, “Bucky Bailey”).
• Continual reminders that their mission is to “talk about things that interest us in this world. And I think it’s important to know.” (96:33)

Final Takeaways

• The Du Pont family has impacted nearly every aspect of modern life—war, environment, consumerism, politics—with few, if any, meaningful consequences.
• The hosts’ horror at Du Pont’s history is laced with dark humor, but rooted in urgent calls for awareness and action.
• Next episode: The Foxcatcher murder and the “wild, toxic legacy” when a Du Pont heir is left to his own devices.

For Listeners Skipping the Episode

This episode delivers a thorough, hilarious, and infuriating account of the Du Pont dynasty’s century of greed, violence, and chemical pollution—from gasoline poisonings to plasticized consumer culture, atomic bombs, napalm, CIA coups, and the molecules now embedded in your bloodstream. With comic relief, rage, and staggering fact, they demonstrate that horror isn’t always supernatural: it can be family business.

Listen to the next episode for the thrilling, murderous conclusion: John du Pont and Foxcatcher.