What if the U.S. government secretly experimented on unsuspecting Americans – pregnant women, children, and hospital patients – using radioactive materials?
In this episode of The Truth of the Matter, Natasha Zouves continues her conversation with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Eileen Welsome, author of The Plutonium Files. Her groundbreaking reporting helped crack open a series of Cold War–era human radiation experiments—including:
- Pregnant women given radioactive “cocktails”
- Orphan boys at a Massachusetts school fed radioactive oatmeal
- Cincinnati cancer patients subjected to whole-body radiation, many dying within weeks
Welsome explains how these experiments came to light following her investigation into the 18 Americans injected with plutonium, what the tests reveal about government secrecy, and why this history remains a cautionary tale for us all.
The Truth of the Matter with Natasha Zouves isn’t just another podcast — it’s a fight to uncover what powerful institutions want hidden. From secret human experiments the government carried out on unsuspecting citizens to toxic cover-ups poisoning communities, Emmy and Murrow Award-winning journalist Natasha Zouves brings you the stories people in power don’t want told.
Each week, we expose evidence buried in archives, amplify the voices of those who’ve been silenced, and hold the powerful accountable. From radioactive “oatmeal experiments” on children, to cancer causing chemicals destroying farms, to veterans erased from history — these are the stories that matter.
This is journalism that refuses to look away. The Truth of the Matter is about transparency, and justice for the people left behind.
Connect with host Natasha Zouves
WATCH the St. Louis investigation part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7_-G_q3wEc&t=1s
WATCH the St. Louis investigation part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upYvUe6hWEk&t=817s
READ the full St. Louis investigation: https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/military/did-government-poison-st-louis/
You can find “The Truth of the Matter” wherever you listen to your podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-of-the-matter-with-natasha-zouves/id1804707066
https://open.spotify.com/show/2iQ85VHlMmBfLBaTtSp8tF
This podcast is put together by:
Ryan Kerr
Mia Balbin-Cuesta
Allie Purser
Natasha Zouves
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