The Bilderbergers
and the Myth of Global Domination
"Critics
have denounced the Bilderberg meetings for decades, conjuring up fanciful
images of profit-hungry capitalists who, holed-up in five star hotels, plot
their next global moves. Conspiracy theorists call them 'kings of the night' and
a 'shadow government' that secretly rules the world. … Others speak of
networking at the highest level."
Bilderberg conferences are
legendary. Under normal circumstances, the public only learns after the fact of
the secret annual conference of the world's most influential politicians, senior
military officers, industrialists and bankers - meetings that have been held
since 1954, and always at a different venue. Every year, the "Globocrats"
(as the Economist calls them) take three days out of their busy
schedules to chat about current global issues with other power brokers.
Ninety-five-year-old world
banker and billionaire David Rockefeller will make it to Switzerland in his
wheelchair for this year's meeting at the Suvretta House Hotel in St. Moritz, the
58th Bilderberg conference. Graubünden authorities have confirmed that the meeting
will go ahead between the 9th and 12th of June.
Kings of the Night
Critics have denounced the Bilderberg
meetings for decades, conjuring up fanciful images of profit-hungry capitalists
who, holed-up in five star hotels, plot their next global moves. Conspiracy
theorists call them "kings of the night" and a "shadow
government" that secretly rules the world. The Bilderbergers have been
credited with just about everything: the founding of the European Union, the
introduction of the euro and the invasion of Iraq. The Internet is littered
with plenty of absurd allegations: The Bilderbergers have connections with al-Qaeda,
were hiding a cure for cancer or want the U.S. to merge with Mexico.
Journalistic contributions
have so far come exclusively from two investigative reporters who, based on
hearsay, have written speculative books about this elite circle: Jim Tucker and Daniel Estulin. Although
today, it is no longer necessary to rely on speculation in regard to what is discussed
at these meetings. The official minutes of Bilderberg meetings are subject to a
50-year secrecy period, so are currently available only up until 1961. Neither
are audio recordings of the meetings publicly available.
But numerous reports from
regular participants as well as their handwritten notes can be reviewed in
private archives in the U.S. and Europe. Even the archives of the Ford
Foundation in New York are a gold mine for Bilderberg historians. In addition, last
December, WikiLeaks
made available for download minutes of meetings from 1955 through to 1962
as well as from 1980.
Handwritten Notes
Based on these new sources, historian
Thomas Gijswijtw wrote an eminently readable dissertation on the Bilderbergers
in 2007, which analyzes this transatlantic elite network [Beyond NATO: Transatlantic
Elite Networks and the Atlantic Alliance]. "Based on the available
notes from the archives, I was able to gain a good overview of who said what
and when," says Gijswijt. Thanks to the handwritten notes of individual
participants, the Dutch historian was able to reconstruct in great detail the
Bilderberg discussions for the years 1954 through 1966, although the official
conference reports identify only the nationalities of the otherwise anonymous
participants. Gijswijtw's detective work has once and for all removed the source
of speculation for conspiracy theorists.
This elite club was founded
in 1952 at the height of the Cold War, in order to strengthen relations between
the U.S. and Western Europe. In essence, after World War II through the
Marshall Plan and NATO, the meetings centered on America's role in Europe as the U.S. effectively evolved into a "European
Power." Bilderberg was an exclusively European initiative, at first funded
exclusively by Europeans. Its spiritual father was Pole Józef Retinger, a close
friend of Winston Churchill. In May 1954, under the aegis of Prince
Bernhard of Holland, the very first meeting was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg
in Oosterbeek. The principle of confidentiality has since helped create the "Bilderberger"
myth, which greatly exaggerates the true meaning of the annual event.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Nevertheless, during the Cold
War, the Bilderbergers did succeed in synchronizing the views of U.S. and West European
elites. The three-day dialogue on the most important global issues and close personal
contacts strengthened the unity of the West.
Transatlantic Policies Influenced
In his 344-page book, Gijswijt
quotes numerous examples of how the Bilderberg debates influenced transatlantic
policies. The Bilderbergers called for a strong NATO and large defense budgets.
In the 1960s, they isolated the Gaullists in France and strengthened relations
between the U.S. and Germany, in order to keep Germany firmly anchored within
NATO and prevent an anti-American Berlin-Paris-axis from being formed. They
managed to turn West German Social Democrats into fans of the United States.
Who is permitted to attend is
decided by a 32-member steering committee under the direction of Belgian Étienne Davignon. Amongst
others, elder statesmen Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright and Joschka Fischer are
expected in St. Moritz. There are strict rules: The handpicked guests must
attend on their own, without partners. None of the participants, including many
editors-in-chief, may write about the discussions. Nothing said during any of
the Bilderberg meetings can be cited or published. This allows for open, honest
discussions.
Networking at the Highest Level
Past participants rave about
the effectiveness of the meetings, spared as they are of unnecessary
bureaucratic detours. Several years ago, Die Zeit's Matthias Nass said, "You
learn a lot and hone your discretionary skills. This is like a crash course in global
politics." Others speak of networking at the highest level.
