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The [[Bilderberg]] meetings are a series of elite, off-the-record, European-American conferences named after the Bilderberg Hotel in the Netherlands, which hosted the first meeting in 1954.<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/index.html Home], Bilderberg Meetings, 17 June 2010.</ref>
 
The [[Bilderberg]] meetings are a series of elite, off-the-record, European-American conferences named after the Bilderberg Hotel in the Netherlands, which hosted the first meeting in 1954.<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/index.html Home], Bilderberg Meetings, 17 June 2010.</ref>
  
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In a report on the 2003 meeting, the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby described Bilderberg as "an extremely influential lobbying group with a good deal of political clout on both sides of the Atlantic", noting that "meetings are cloaked in secrecy and participants rarely reveal their attendance." According to [[Will Hutton]], &#39;the consensus established is the backdrop against which policy is made worldwide&#39;.<ref>Will Hutton, Kinder Capitalists in Armani Specs, The Observer, 1 February, 1998.</ref>
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In a report on the 2003 meeting, the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby described Bilderberg as "an extremely influential lobbying group with a good deal of political clout on both sides of the Atlantic", noting that "meetings are cloaked in secrecy and participants rarely reveal their attendance". According to [[Will Hutton]], &#39;the consensus established is the backdrop against which policy is made worldwide&#39;.<ref>Will Hutton, Kinder Capitalists in Armani Specs, ''The Observer'', 1 February, 1998.</ref> In recent years the conference has begun to publish its attendees and agenda, but remains steadfastly silent on the proceedings and its outcomes.
  
 
==Origins==
 
==Origins==
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Following conversations with his friend [[Paul Rykens]], Retinger approached [[Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands]] with a proposal. A group of eminent Europeans would assemble a report on the causes of European anti-Americanism, to be submitted to a counterpart group of Americans. who would respond at a private meeting. This, it was hoped, would inaugurate a dialogue that would lead to a new level of transatlantic understanding.<ref>Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, p.242.</ref> [[Paul Van Zeeland]] was also involved in the initial conversations, according to Retinger:
 
Following conversations with his friend [[Paul Rykens]], Retinger approached [[Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands]] with a proposal. A group of eminent Europeans would assemble a report on the causes of European anti-Americanism, to be submitted to a counterpart group of Americans. who would respond at a private meeting. This, it was hoped, would inaugurate a dialogue that would lead to a new level of transatlantic understanding.<ref>Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, p.242.</ref> [[Paul Van Zeeland]] was also involved in the initial conversations, according to Retinger:
  
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::Acting on the advice of my three friends, I approached about a dozen other people, viz.: Mr. [[Hugh Gaitskell]], Major General Sir [[Colin Gubbins]], Mr. [[Ole Bjorn Kraft]], M. [[Guy Mollet]], Dr. [[Rudolf Mueller]], M. [[Antoine Pinay]], M.[[P. Pipinelis]], M. [[Max Brauer]], Marshal of the R.A.F. [[Lord Portal of Hungerford]], Ambassador Quaroni, and [[Alcide de Gasperi|Signor de Gasperi]].<ref>Dr. J.H. Retinger, [http://home.teleport.com/~flyheart/bilderberg-group.htm THE BILDERBERG GROUP], August 1956, archived at the website of [http://home.teleport.com/~flyheart/jancelt.htm Jan Chciuk-Celt].</ref>
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::Acting on the advice of my three friends, I approached about a dozen other people, viz.: Mr. [[Hugh Gaitskell]], Major General Sir [[Colin Gubbins]], Mr. [[Ole Bjorn Kraft]], M. [[Guy Mollet]], Dr. [[Rudolf Mueller]], M. [[Antoine Pinay]], M. [[Panagiotis Pipinelis|P. Pipinelis]], M. [[Max Brauer]], Marshal of the R.A.F. [[Lord Portal of Hungerford]], Ambassador Quaroni, and [[Alcide de Gasperi|Signor de Gasperi]].<ref>Dr. J.H. Retinger, [http://home.teleport.com/~flyheart/bilderberg-group.htm THE BILDERBERG GROUP], August 1956, archived at the website of [http://home.teleport.com/~flyheart/jancelt.htm Jan Chciuk-Celt].</ref>
  
 
On the basis of reports from these figures, Retinger produced a paper summarising European objections to American policy, which was discussed at a meeting at the home of Baron [[Francois De Nervo]].<ref>Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, p.243.</ref> Retinger described the event as follows:
 
On the basis of reports from these figures, Retinger produced a paper summarising European objections to American policy, which was discussed at a meeting at the home of Baron [[Francois De Nervo]].<ref>Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, p.243.</ref> Retinger described the event as follows:
 
:: A first meeting was held in Paris on 25 September 1952 and was attended by all the original members of the group:  Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, Sir Colin Gubbins, M. Guy Mollet, Dr. Rudolf Mueller, M. Antoine Pinay, M.P. Pipinelis, Dr. J.H. Retinger, Mr. Paul Rykens, and M. Paul van Zeeland.  The only two who could not attend were Lord Portal and Signor de Gasperi.  At this meeting we discussed what could be done to improve American-European relations and on the initiative or M. van Zeeland we decided to set up a corresponding group in the United States.<ref>Dr. J.H. Retinger, [http://home.teleport.com/~flyheart/bilderberg-group.htm THE BILDERBERG GROUP], August 1956.</ref>
 
:: A first meeting was held in Paris on 25 September 1952 and was attended by all the original members of the group:  Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, Sir Colin Gubbins, M. Guy Mollet, Dr. Rudolf Mueller, M. Antoine Pinay, M.P. Pipinelis, Dr. J.H. Retinger, Mr. Paul Rykens, and M. Paul van Zeeland.  The only two who could not attend were Lord Portal and Signor de Gasperi.  At this meeting we discussed what could be done to improve American-European relations and on the initiative or M. van Zeeland we decided to set up a corresponding group in the United States.<ref>Dr. J.H. Retinger, [http://home.teleport.com/~flyheart/bilderberg-group.htm THE BILDERBERG GROUP], August 1956.</ref>
  
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Bernhard contacted [[Walter Bedell Smith]], then head of the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], who asked [[Dwight Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] adviser [[Charles Douglas Jackson]] to deal with the suggestion.<ref name="Aubourg">{{cite book | title = Organizing Atlanticism: the Bilderberg Group and the Atlantic Institute 1952–63 | author = Valerie Aubourg | month = June | year = 2003}}</ref>
  
 
==Organisation==
 
==Organisation==
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The group meets annually bringing together "some of the West's chief political movers, business leaders, bankers, industrialists and strategic thinkers to talk about global issues".<ref>Jonathon Duffy, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3773019.stm Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory], BBC News Online Magazine, 3 June, 2004.</ref>
 
The group meets annually bringing together "some of the West's chief political movers, business leaders, bankers, industrialists and strategic thinkers to talk about global issues".<ref>Jonathon Duffy, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3773019.stm Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory], BBC News Online Magazine, 3 June, 2004.</ref>
  
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The group does not have formal membership; instead a secret steering committee extends invitations to powerful figures in the fields of business and politics.<ref>Emma Jane Kirby, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3031717.stm Elite power brokers meet in secret], BBC News, 15 May, 2003.</ref> The conferences are shrouded in utmost secrecy and participants rarely reveal that they are attending. Their security is managed by military intelligence<ref>The Masters of the Universe, Asia Times, May 22, 2003.</ref> and  When members of the European Commission go to a Bilderberg, their travel expenses and their daily allowance is provided by the commission. This certainly disqualifies Bilderberg's self-presentation as a "private club".
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The group does not have formal membership; instead a secret steering committee extends invitations to powerful figures in the fields of business and politics.<ref>Emma Jane Kirby, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3031717.stm Elite power brokers meet in secret], BBC News, 15 May, 2003.</ref>  
  
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The steering committee includes two members from each of approximately 18 nations.<ref name="bbc05">{{cite web | author = | title = Inside the secretive Bilderberg Group | date = 29 September 2005 | work = [[BBC News]]| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4290944.stm | accessdate = 5 August 2008}}</ref> Official posts, in addition to a chairman, include an Honorary Secretary General.<ref name="prweb97">{{cite web | url = http://www.prnewswire.de/cgi/release?id=42594 | title = Bilderberg Meeting of 1997 Assembles | date = 13 June 1997 | publisher = [[PR Newswire]]}}</ref> There is no such category in the group's rules as a "member of the group". The only category that exists is "member of the Steering Committee".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=P-2003-1370&language=EN | title = Parliamentary questions: Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission | date = 15 May 2003 | publisher =[[European Parliament]]}}</ref> In addition to the committee, there also exists a separate advisory group, though membership overlaps.<ref name="iww">Entry for [[Conrad Black]], {{cite book | title = The International Who's Who | year = 2000 | publisher = Europa Publications}}</ref>
  
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==Connections==
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Dutch economist [[Ernst van der Beugel]] became permanent secretary in 1960, upon Retinger's death. Prince Bernhard continued to serve as the meeting's chairman until 1976, the year of his involvement in the [[Lockheed bribery scandals|Lockheed affair]]. The position of Honorary American Secretary General has been held successively by [[Joseph E. Johnson]] of the [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|Carnegie Endowment]], [[William Bundy]] of Princeton, [[Theodore L. Eliot, Jr.]], former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Casimir A. Yost of Georgetown's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.dod.gov/pubs/foi/reading_room/824.pdf | title = Bilderberg: List of Invitees | date = 31 January 1996 | publisher = United States Department of Defense | accessdate = 6 June 2009}}</ref>
  
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According to the ''Asia Times'':  
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A 2008 press release from the American Friends of Bilderberg stated that "Bilderberg's only activity is its annual Conference. At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued" and noted that the names of attendees were available to the press.<ref name="bwire">
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{{cite web
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| year = 2008
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| title = Bilderberg Announces 2008 Conference
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| work = businesswire.com
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| publisher = BusinessWire
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| url = http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080605006246&newsLang=en
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| accessdate = 7 June 2008
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}}
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</ref> The Bilderberg group's unofficial headquarters is the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62737 | title = Bilderberg meetings remain a mystery | author = Marcus Klöckner | date = 17 May 2009 | work = Stars and Stripes}}</ref>
  
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:Some of the Western world's leading financiers and foreign policy strategists attend Bilderberg, in their view, to polish and reinforce a virtual consensus, an illusion that globalization, defined under their terms - what's good for banking and big business is good for everybody else - is inevitable and for the greater good of mankind. If they have a hidden agenda, it is the fact that their fabulous concentration of wealth and power is completely dissociated from the explanation to their guests of how globalization benefits 6.2 billion people. Some of the club's earlier guests went on to become crucial players. Bill Clinton in 1991 and Tony Blair in 1993 were invited and duly "approved" by the Bilderberg before they took office.
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According to the American Friends of Bilderberg, the 2008 agenda dealt "mainly with a nuclear free world, cyber terrorism, Africa, Russia, finance, protectionism, US-EU relations, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islam and Iran".<ref name="bwire" />
  
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:There are innumerable shady, still unexplained connections between the early Bilderberg club and the Nazis, via [[Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands]], the father of Queen Beatrix, who founded the club in Bilderberg in 1954 (the name is taken from a Dutch hotel), aiming to "increase understanding between Europe and North America". Bernhard was a member of Adolf Hitler's SS. One of the founding members of the Bilderberg is Otto Wolff von Amerongen - who actively improved business links between Germany and the Soviet bloc and served on 26 boards of directors, including Deutsche Bank. Few people know him - and perhaps for some good reason: he has been linked to the Nazi's theft of Jewish holdings before and during World War II.<ref>Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The Masters of the Universe], ''Asia Times'', May 22, 2003.</ref>
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=== Chairmen of the Steering Committee ===
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* [[Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands]] (1954–1975)<ref name="ADH">{{cite book|publisher=Facts on File World News Digest|date=14 May 1977 | title = Twenty-fifth Bilderberg meeting held in St joseph MO}}</ref>
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* [[Walter Scheel]] (1975–1977)
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* [[Alec Douglas-Home]] (1977–1980)<ref name="ADH" />
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* [[Eric Roll, Baron Roll of Ipsden|Eric Roll]] (1986–1989)<ref name="whoswho99">{{cite book | title = [[Who's Who (UK)|Who's Who]] | year = 1999}}</ref>
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* [[Peter Carrington|Peter Carrington, 6th Baron Carrington]] (1990–1998)
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* [[Étienne Davignon]] (since 1998)<ref name="bbc05" />
  
 
==Actions==
 
==Actions==
  
 
Proponents argue that it was formed in the &#39;spirit of post-war trans-Atlantic co-operation&#39; to prevent future wars by &#39;bringing power-brokers together in an informal setting away from prying eyes&#39; with &#39;the confidentiality enabl[ing] people to speak honestly without fear of repercussions&#39;. They further argue "It's not an executive body; no decisions are taken there."<ref>Emma Jane Kirby, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3031717.stm Elite power brokers meet in secret], BBC News, 15 May, 2003.</ref>
 
Proponents argue that it was formed in the &#39;spirit of post-war trans-Atlantic co-operation&#39; to prevent future wars by &#39;bringing power-brokers together in an informal setting away from prying eyes&#39; with &#39;the confidentiality enabl[ing] people to speak honestly without fear of repercussions&#39;. They further argue "It's not an executive body; no decisions are taken there."<ref>Emma Jane Kirby, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3031717.stm Elite power brokers meet in secret], BBC News, 15 May, 2003.</ref>
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No matter what, for innumerable, serious critics in Europe as well as the US, Bilderberg is everything from a Zionist plot to a megalomaniac secret cult. Serbs, not without some reason, blamed Bilderberg for the 1999 Balkan war and the fall of Slobodan Milosevic: after all, the US needed to control vital, Balkan pipeline routes. Bilderberg 2002 - although not without controversy - is thought to have cemented the invasion and conquest of Iraq. In his seminal A Century of War: Anglo-American oil politics and the New World War, F William Engdahl details what happened at Bilderberg 1973 in Sweden. An American outlined a scenario for an imminent 400% hike in the oil prices of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Bilderberg did not prevent the oil shock; instead it planned how to manage with mega-profits - what Kissinger described as "recycling the petrodollar flows". Everyone that mattered was present at this Bilderberg: oil majors and major banks.<ref>Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The Masters of the Universe], ''Asia Times'', May 22, 2003.</ref>
 
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[[Alden Hatch]], Prince Bernhard&#39;s biographer has credited Bilderberg with the idea of a European Union, and has described its ultimate goal as &#39;a one-world government&#39;.<ref>Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The Masters of the Universe], ''Asia Times'', May 22, 2003.</ref>
 
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Issues that would logically have interested Bilderberg 2005 include:
 
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:::The role of NATO and the necessary approval in 2005 of the European constitution by all 25 members of the EU - the consequences of a French "no" in the upcoming May 29 referendum to approve the constitution need to be consideredthe father of the European constitution is none other than Bilderberger [[Valery Giscard d'Estaing]], who happens to be very close to Kissinger.
 
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:::The containment of Russia was likely top of the agenda for Bilderberg. Russia is very much worried about its "near abroad" and sees no reason to remove its army from bases in Georgia or its navy from Sebastopol, in Ukrainian Crimea - no matter how many color-coded revolutions happen at its doorstep.
 
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:::Another contentious issue that must have occupied the minds of those at Bilderberg 2005 is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon - this is just a detail: the point is how to prevent Iran from becoming a first-rate Eurasian power. Some in Brussels do not discount the possibility of a scenario of massive propaganda buildup to try to convince American and European public opinion of the necessity of a strike against Iran. How to force Beijing to appreciate the yuan must also have been a topic.
 
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===Beyond Accountability===
 
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The highly undemocratic nature of these conferences are a cause of great alarm, as they take the decision making process into a wholly arcane dimension. The few breaches in its characteristic secrecy have done little to allay the fears of concerned observers. The anti-Democratic nature of the group was evident in the following remarks by prominent Bilderberger, David Rockefeller in 1991:
 
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:::It would have been quite impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in past centuries.<ref>Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The Masters of the Universe], ''Asia Times'', May 22, 2003.</ref>
 
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While the high-and-mighty attend these conferences in their individual capacities, there still needs to be some accountability given that their decisions have a bearing on policies that affect constituencies that have no representation in their deliberations. The group is composed entirely of Western elites, and no Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American or African individual has ever been invited.<ref>Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The Masters of the Universe], ''Asia Times'', May 22, 2003.</ref>
 
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==Shroud of Secrecy==
 
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Staff at the hotel are photographed and put through special clearance. From porters to senior managers, the employees are warned (under the threat of never working in the country again) about the consequences of revealing any details of the guests to the press.
 
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:Trianon Palace Hotel in Versailles was closed to the public and all non-Bilderberg guests had to check out. Part-time employees were sent home. The ones who remained were told that they would be fired if caught revealing anything about the meeting. They couldn't speak to any Bilderberger unless spoken to. They couldn't look anybody in the eye. Armed guards completely isolated and cordoned off the hotel. <ref>Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The Masters of the Universe], ''Asia Times'', May 22, 2003.</ref>
 
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==Media Blackout==
 
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When it comes to Bilderberg, the otherwise inquisitive mainstream news organizations, always boastful about their no-holds barred investigative exploits, have been strangely reluctant to lift the blackout curtain.  The New York Times, CBS, ABC, NBC, the Financial Times have all been represented at Bilderberg conferences; however they are constrained by an oath of secrecy. According to the Asia Times, at the Bilderberg 2003 in Versailles:
 
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:Some members of the American corporate press were there - but the public will never know about it: Bilderberg news is not fit to print - or broadcast. No journalists from any media controlled by Bilderberg multinational tycoons such as [[Rupert Murdoch]] were or will be allowed to report it, even if they somehow managed to crash the party. There's no business like (private) elite business.<ref>The Masters of the Universe, Asia Times, May 22, 2003.</ref>
 
  
 
==Analyses of Bilderberg==
 
==Analyses of Bilderberg==
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*21-23 April 1961 St. Castin, Canada
 
*21-23 April 1961 St. Castin, Canada
 
*18-20 May 1962 Saltsjöbaden, Sweden
 
*18-20 May 1962 Saltsjöbaden, Sweden
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*29-31 May 1963 Cannes, France
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*[[Bilderberg 1963 Cannes|29-31 May 1963 Cannes, France]]
 
*20-22 March 1964 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.
 
*20-22 March 1964 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.
 
*2-4 April 1965 Villa D'Este, Italy
 
*2-4 April 1965 Villa D'Este, Italy
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*3-5 June 1988 Telfs-Buchen, Austria
 
*3-5 June 1988 Telfs-Buchen, Austria
 
*12-14 May 1989 La Toja, Spain<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/conferences-80s.html Conferences 2009-1954 - 80's], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>  
 
*12-14 May 1989 La Toja, Spain<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/conferences-80s.html Conferences 2009-1954 - 80's], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>  
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*11-13 May 1990 Glen Cove, New York, U.S.A.
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*[[Bilderberg 1990 Glen Cove|11-13 May 1990 Glen Cove, New York, U.S.A.]]
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*6-9 June 1991 Baden-Baden, Germany
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*[[Bilderberg 1991 Baden-Baden|6-9 June 1991 Baden-Baden, Germany]]
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*21-24 May 1992 Evian-Les-Bains, France
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*[[Bilderberg 1992 Evian-Les-Bains|21-24 May 1992 Evian-Les-Bains, France]]
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*22-25 April 1993 Vouliagmeni, Greece
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*[[Bilderberg 1993 Vouliagmeni|22-25 April 1993 Vouliagmeni, Greece]]
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*2-5 June 1994 Helsinki, Finland
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*[[Bilderberg 1994 Helsinki|2-5 June 1994 Helsinki, Finland]]
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*8-11 June 1995 Bürgenstock, Switzerland
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*[[Bilderberg 1995 Bürgenstock|8-11 June 1995 Bürgenstock, Switzerland]]
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*30 May - 2 June 1996 Toronto, Canada
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*[[Bilderberg 1996 Toronto|30 May - 2 June 1996 Toronto, Canada]]
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*12-15 June 1997 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
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*[[Bilderberg 1997 Atlanta|12-15 June 1997 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.]]
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*14-17 May 1998 Turnberry, Scotland
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*[[Bilderberg 1998 Turnberry|14-17 May 1998 Turnberry, Scotland]]
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*3-6 June 1999 Sintra, Portugal<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/conferences-90s.html Conferences 2009-1954 - 90's], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>  
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*[[Bilderberg 1999 Sintra|3-6 June 1999 Sintra, Portugal]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/conferences-90s.html Conferences 2009-1954 - 90's], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>  
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*1-3 June 2000 Brussels, Belgium
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*[[Bilderberg 2000 Brussels|1-3 June 2000 Brussels, Belgium]]
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*24-27 May 2001 Stenungsund, Sweden
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*[[Bilderberg 2001 Sternungsund|24-27 May 2001 Stenungsund, Sweden]]
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*30 May-2 June 2002 Chantilly, Virginia, U.S.A.
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*[[Bilderberg 2002 Chantilly|30 May-2 June 2002 Chantilly, Virginia, USA]]
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*15-18 May 2003 Versailles, France
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*[[Bildergberg 2003 Versailles|15-18 May 2003 Versailles, France]]
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*3-6 June 2004 Stresa, Italy
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*[[Bilderberg 2004 Stresa|3-6 June 2004 Stresa, Italy]]
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*5-8 May 2005 Rottach-Egern, Germany
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*[[Bilderberg 2005 Rottach-Egern|5-8 May 2005 Rottach-Egern, Germany]]
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*8-11 June 2006 Ottawa, Canada
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*[[Bilderberg 2006 Ottawa|8-11 June 2006 Ottawa, Canada]]
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*31 May-3 June 2007 Istanbul, Turkey
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*[[Bilderberg 2007 Istanbul|31 May-3 June 2007 Istanbul, Turkey]]
 
*[[Bilderberg 2008 Chantilly|5-8 June 2008 Chantilly, Virginia, U.S.A.]]
 
*[[Bilderberg 2008 Chantilly|5-8 June 2008 Chantilly, Virginia, U.S.A.]]
 
*[[Bilderberg 2009 Vouliagmeni|14-17 May 2009 Vouliagmeni, Greece]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/conferences.html Conferences 2009-1954 - 00's], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>  
 
*[[Bilderberg 2009 Vouliagmeni|14-17 May 2009 Vouliagmeni, Greece]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/conferences.html Conferences 2009-1954 - 00's], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>  
 
*[[Bilderberg 2010 Sitges|3-6 June 2010 Sitges, Spain]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meeting_2010.html Bildergerg Metings], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>
 
*[[Bilderberg 2010 Sitges|3-6 June 2010 Sitges, Spain]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meeting_2010.html Bildergerg Metings], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.</ref>
 +
*[[Bilderberg 2011 St Moritz|St. Moritz, Switzerland 9-12 June 2011]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants_2011.html Bilderberg Meetings St. Moritz, Switzerland 9-12 June 2011], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 15 June 2011.</ref>
 +
*[[Bilderberg 2012 Chantilly| 31 May-3 June 2012 Chantilly, Virginia, USA,]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants2012.html Bilderberg Meetings
 +
Chantilly, Virginia, USA, 31 May-3 June 2012], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 2 June 2012.</ref>
 +
*[[Bilderberg 2013 Watford|6-9 June 2013, Watford, Hertfordshire, UK]].<ref>Rowena Mason, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10089131/British-taxpayers-to-pay-millions-towards-secretive-Bilderberg-meeting-security.html British taxpayers to pay 'millions' towards secretive Bilderberg meeting security], telegraph.co.uk, 30 May 2013.</ref>
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*[[Bilderberg 2014 Copenhagen|29 May-1 June 2014, Copenhagen, Denmark]]<ref>[http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/press-release.html 62nd Bilderberg conference to take place from 29 May - 1 June 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark]. bilderbergmeetings, accessed 2 June 104.</ref>
  
 
==People==
 
==People==
 
===2010 Steering Committee===
 
===2010 Steering Committee===
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*Chairman [[Etienne Davignon]], Former Vice Chairman of [[EU Commission]], Minister of State
+
*Chairman [[Etienne Davignon]], Former Vice Chairman of [[European Commission|EU Commission]], Minister of State
 
*[[Josef Ackermann]], Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive, [[Deutsche Bank]] AG
 
*[[Josef Ackermann]], Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive, [[Deutsche Bank]] AG
 
*[[Roger C. Altman]], Chairman, [[Evercore Partners]] Inc.
 
*[[Roger C. Altman]], Chairman, [[Evercore Partners]] Inc.
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*[[Franco Bernabè]], CEO, [[Telecom Italia]] S.p.A.
 
*[[Franco Bernabè]], CEO, [[Telecom Italia]] S.p.A.
 
*[[Henri de Castries]], Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, [[AXA]]
 
*[[Henri de Castries]], Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, [[AXA]]
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*[[Juaan Luis Cebrián]] CEO, [[PRISA]]
+
*[[Juan Luis Cebrián]] CEO, [[PRISA]]
 
*[[Edmund Clark]], President and CEO, [[TD Bank Financial Group]]
 
*[[Edmund Clark]], President and CEO, [[TD Bank Financial Group]]
 
*[[Kenneth Clarke]], Member of Parliament
 
*[[Kenneth Clarke]], Member of Parliament
Line 154: Line 145:
 
*[[Victor Halberstadt]], Professor of Public Economics, Leiden University
 
*[[Victor Halberstadt]], Professor of Public Economics, Leiden University
 
*[[James A. Johnson]], Vice Chairman, [[Perseus, LLC]]
 
*[[James A. Johnson]], Vice Chairman, [[Perseus, LLC]]
−
*[[Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.]], Senior Managing Director, [[Lazard Frères & Co]]. LLC
+
*[[Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.]], Senior Managing Director, [[Lazard Frères & Co. LLC]]
−
*[[John Kerr]], Deputy Chairman, [[Royal Dutch Shell]] plc; Member of the House of Lords
+
*[[Lord Kerr of Kinlochard|John Kerr]], Deputy Chairman, [[Royal Dutch Shell]] plc; Member of the House of Lords
 
*[[Henry A. Kissinger]], Chairman, [[Kissinger Associates]], Inc.
 
*[[Henry A. Kissinger]], Chairman, [[Kissinger Associates]], Inc.
 
*[[Mustafa V. Koç]], Chairman, [[Koç Holding A.S.]]
 
*[[Mustafa V. Koç]], Chairman, [[Koç Holding A.S.]]
Line 161: Line 152:
 
*[[Jessica Mathews]], President, [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]
 
*[[Jessica Mathews]], President, [[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]]
 
*[[Thierry de Montbrial]], President, [[French Institute for International Relations]] (IFRI)
 
*[[Thierry de Montbrial]], President, [[French Institute for International Relations]] (IFRI)
−
*[[Mario Monti]], President, [[Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi]]
+
*[[Mario Monti]], Presidente del Consiglio della Repubblica Italiana (Italian Prime Minister), President, [[Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi]]
 
*[[Egil Myklebust]], Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, [[SAS Group|SAS]]
 
*[[Egil Myklebust]], Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, [[SAS Group|SAS]]
 
*[[Matthias Nass]], Deputy Editor, [[Die Zeit]]
 
*[[Matthias Nass]], Deputy Editor, [[Die Zeit]]
Line 182: Line 173:
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
*Guardian, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/bilderberg Bilderberg]
+
*''Guardian'', [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/bilderberg Bilderberg]
 +
*Rowena Mason, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10089131/British-taxpayers-to-pay-millions-towards-secretive-Bilderberg-meeting-security.html British taxpayers to pay 'millions' towards secretive Bilderberg meeting security], ''The Telegraph'', 30 May 2013
 +
*Ian Richardson, [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ian-richardson/bilderberg-elite-membersh_b_894025.html Bilderberg, Elite Consensus and the Media], ''Huffington Post UK'', 13 July 2011.
 
*Jon Ronson '[http://www.coldtype.net/Assets.05/Essays/01.Ronson.pdf The Secret Rulers of the World]' Extract from ''Them, Adventures with Extremists'', London: Picador, 2002.
 
*Jon Ronson '[http://www.coldtype.net/Assets.05/Essays/01.Ronson.pdf The Secret Rulers of the World]' Extract from ''Them, Adventures with Extremists'', London: Picador, 2002.
−
*Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html The masters of the universe], Asia Times, 22 May 2003.
 
−
*Pepe Escobar, [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GE10Aa02.html Bilderberg strikes again], Asia Times, 10 May 2005.
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
 +
 +
[[Category:Conferences]]

Latest revision as of 23:07, 2 June 2014

The Bilderberg meetings are a series of elite, off-the-record, European-American conferences named after the Bilderberg Hotel in the Netherlands, which hosted the first meeting in 1954.[1]

In a report on the 2003 meeting, the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby described Bilderberg as "an extremely influential lobbying group with a good deal of political clout on both sides of the Atlantic", noting that "meetings are cloaked in secrecy and participants rarely reveal their attendance". According to Will Hutton, 'the consensus established is the backdrop against which policy is made worldwide'.[2] In recent years the conference has begun to publish its attendees and agenda, but remains steadfastly silent on the proceedings and its outcomes.

Origins

According to Richard Aldrich, "the same small band of senior officials, many of them from the Western intelligence community, were central in supporting the three most important 'insider groups' emerging in the 1950s: the European Movement, the Bilderberg Group and Jean Monnet's Action Committee for a United States of Europe."[3] Many of these relationships had roots in World War Two special operations and resistance networks.[4]

Among those who had previously been involved in the European Movement was the prime mover in the creation of the Bilderberg Group, Joseph Retinger. By 1952, Retinger's focus had moved from European unity to the Atlantic alliance and the growing mutual distrust between the United States and Europe.[5]

Following conversations with his friend Paul Rykens, Retinger approached Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands with a proposal. A group of eminent Europeans would assemble a report on the causes of European anti-Americanism, to be submitted to a counterpart group of Americans. who would respond at a private meeting. This, it was hoped, would inaugurate a dialogue that would lead to a new level of transatlantic understanding.[6] Paul Van Zeeland was also involved in the initial conversations, according to Retinger:

Acting on the advice of my three friends, I approached about a dozen other people, viz.: Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, Major General Sir Colin Gubbins, Mr. Ole Bjorn Kraft, M. Guy Mollet, Dr. Rudolf Mueller, M. Antoine Pinay, M. P. Pipinelis, M. Max Brauer, Marshal of the R.A.F. Lord Portal of Hungerford, Ambassador Quaroni, and Signor de Gasperi.[7]

On the basis of reports from these figures, Retinger produced a paper summarising European objections to American policy, which was discussed at a meeting at the home of Baron Francois De Nervo.[8] Retinger described the event as follows:

A first meeting was held in Paris on 25 September 1952 and was attended by all the original members of the group: Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Mr. Hugh Gaitskell, Sir Colin Gubbins, M. Guy Mollet, Dr. Rudolf Mueller, M. Antoine Pinay, M.P. Pipinelis, Dr. J.H. Retinger, Mr. Paul Rykens, and M. Paul van Zeeland. The only two who could not attend were Lord Portal and Signor de Gasperi. At this meeting we discussed what could be done to improve American-European relations and on the initiative or M. van Zeeland we decided to set up a corresponding group in the United States.[9]

Bernhard contacted Walter Bedell Smith, then head of the CIA, who asked Eisenhower adviser Charles Douglas Jackson to deal with the suggestion.[10]

Organisation

The group meets annually bringing together "some of the West's chief political movers, business leaders, bankers, industrialists and strategic thinkers to talk about global issues".[11]

The group does not have formal membership; instead a secret steering committee extends invitations to powerful figures in the fields of business and politics.[12]

The steering committee includes two members from each of approximately 18 nations.[13] Official posts, in addition to a chairman, include an Honorary Secretary General.[14] There is no such category in the group's rules as a "member of the group". The only category that exists is "member of the Steering Committee".[15] In addition to the committee, there also exists a separate advisory group, though membership overlaps.[16]

Dutch economist Ernst van der Beugel became permanent secretary in 1960, upon Retinger's death. Prince Bernhard continued to serve as the meeting's chairman until 1976, the year of his involvement in the Lockheed affair. The position of Honorary American Secretary General has been held successively by Joseph E. Johnson of the Carnegie Endowment, William Bundy of Princeton, Theodore L. Eliot, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, and Casimir A. Yost of Georgetown's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.[17]

A 2008 press release from the American Friends of Bilderberg stated that "Bilderberg's only activity is its annual Conference. At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued" and noted that the names of attendees were available to the press.[18] The Bilderberg group's unofficial headquarters is the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.[19]

According to the American Friends of Bilderberg, the 2008 agenda dealt "mainly with a nuclear free world, cyber terrorism, Africa, Russia, finance, protectionism, US-EU relations, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islam and Iran".[18]

Chairmen of the Steering Committee

Actions

Proponents argue that it was formed in the 'spirit of post-war trans-Atlantic co-operation' to prevent future wars by 'bringing power-brokers together in an informal setting away from prying eyes' with 'the confidentiality enabl[ing] people to speak honestly without fear of repercussions'. They further argue "It's not an executive body; no decisions are taken there."[22]

Analyses of Bilderberg

Richard Aldrich says of the group:

Although Bilderberg and ACUE-European Movement shared broadly the same founders, members and objectives, arguably Bilderberg constituted the more effective mechanism of transatlantic dialogue, developing into what some have regarded as the most significant of the discreet fora for Western elites.[23]

Kees van der Pjil writes of networks like Bilderberg:

They function not as single-minded conspiracies, but as flexible, open structures in which the conflicting lines of development can be identified and synthesised. Ruling class strategists rely on these networks to elaborate a hegemonic strategy aimed at winning over intermediate strata; they can thus establish a bloc of forces committed to a comprehensive, broadly accepted concept of control. This presumes a keen appreciation of the real balance of forces, both in the geopolitical arena and in class terms. Disagreement and discussion are therefore ultimately as vital as a measure of compromise and consensus.[24]

Hugh Wilford agrees with Van der Pjil that Bilderberg emerged as a fundamentally transnational phenomenon:

One does not have to accept all the Marxist assumptions inherent in the Dutch scholar's analysis to agree that there were striking correspondences between the Group and earlier attempts to construct a bourgeois transnational network or 'imagined community' through such élitist, secretive, male-only organisations as the Freemasons or the Rhodes/Milner 'Round Table'. That said, there is considerable explanatory force in his argument that the early Cold War witnessed the emergence of a new 'Atlantic ruling class' whose power was based on the liberal corporate order of New Deal America but which also incorporated fractions of European élites who shared its modernising internationalist outlook.[25]

List of Bilderberg conferences

People

2010 Steering Committee

Member Advisory Group

Contact

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Home, Bilderberg Meetings, 17 June 2010.
  2. ↑ Will Hutton, Kinder Capitalists in Armani Specs, The Observer, 1 February, 1998.
  3. ↑ Richard J. Aldrich, The Hidden Hand: Britain, America and Cold War Secret Intelligence, Overlook Press, 2002, p.344.
  4. ↑ Richard J. Aldrich, The Hidden Hand: Britain, America and Cold War Secret Intelligence, Overlook Press, 2002, p.369.
  5. ↑ Hugh Wilford, The Mighty Wulitzer: How the CIA played America, Harvard, 2008, p.242.
  6. ↑ Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, p.242.
  7. ↑ Dr. J.H. Retinger, THE BILDERBERG GROUP, August 1956, archived at the website of Jan Chciuk-Celt.
  8. ↑ Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, p.243.
  9. ↑ Dr. J.H. Retinger, THE BILDERBERG GROUP, August 1956.
  10. ↑ Valerie Aubourg Organizing Atlanticism: the Bilderberg Group and the Atlantic Institute 1952–63.  
  11. ↑ Jonathon Duffy, Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory, BBC News Online Magazine, 3 June, 2004.
  12. ↑ Emma Jane Kirby, Elite power brokers meet in secret, BBC News, 15 May, 2003.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Inside the secretive Bilderberg Group.  BBC News.  Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  14. ↑ Bilderberg Meeting of 1997 Assembles.  PR Newswire.
  15. ↑ Parliamentary questions: Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission.  European Parliament.
  16. ↑ Entry for Conrad Black, The International Who's Who.  Europa Publications
  17. ↑ Bilderberg: List of Invitees.  United States Department of Defense.  Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Bilderberg Announces 2008 Conference.  businesswire.com. BusinessWire.  Retrieved 7 June 2008.
  19. ↑ Bilderberg meetings remain a mystery.  Stars and Stripes.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Twenty-fifth Bilderberg meeting held in St joseph MO. 14 May 1977.  Facts on File World News Digest
  21. ↑ Who's Who.
  22. ↑ Emma Jane Kirby, Elite power brokers meet in secret, BBC News, 15 May, 2003.
  23. ↑ Richard J. Aldrich, The Hidden Hand: Britain, America and Cold War Secret Intelligence, Overlook Press, 2002, p.369.
  24. ↑ Kees van der Pjil, Global Rivalries from the Cold War to Iraq, Pluto Press, 2006, pp.68-69.
  25. ↑ Hugh Wilford, The CIA, the British Left and the Cold War: Calling the Tune? Frank Cass, 2003, pp.254-255.
  26. ↑ Conferences 2009-1954 - 50's, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  27. ↑ Conferences 2009-1954 - 60's, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  28. ↑ Conferences 2009-1954 - 70's, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  29. ↑ Conferences 2009-1954 - 80's, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  30. ↑ Conferences 2009-1954 - 90's, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  31. ↑ Conferences 2009-1954 - 00's, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  32. ↑ Bildergerg Metings, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 6 July 2010.
  33. ↑ Bilderberg Meetings St. Moritz, Switzerland 9-12 June 2011, bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 15 June 2011.
  34. ↑ [http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/participants2012.html Bilderberg Meetings Chantilly, Virginia, USA, 31 May-3 June 2012], bilderbergmeetings.org, accessed 2 June 2012.
  35. ↑ Rowena Mason, British taxpayers to pay 'millions' towards secretive Bilderberg meeting security, telegraph.co.uk, 30 May 2013.
  36. ↑ 62nd Bilderberg conference to take place from 29 May - 1 June 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. bilderbergmeetings, accessed 2 June 104.
  37. ↑ Governance, Bilderberg Meetings, 18 June 2010.
  38. ↑ Governance, Bilderberg Meetings, 18 June 2010.
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