The Bilderberg Group is a group of influential people,
mostly politicians, media moguls and business moguls. The group meets annually at five-star
resorts throughout the world, normally in Europe, although sometimes in America
or Canada. It has an office in Leiden, South Holland.
The group's existence and activities are private. The
original intention of the Bilderberg group was to further the understanding
between Western Europe and North America through informal meetings between
powerful individuals. Each year, a
"steering committee" devises a selected invitation list with a maximum of 100
names; invitations are only extended to residents of Europe and North America.
The location of their annual meeting is not secret, and the agenda and list of
participants are openly available to the public, but the topics of the meetings
are kept secret: they are not published, and attendees pledge not to divulge
what was discussed.
The official stance of the Bilderberg Group is that their
secrecy prevents these individuals' discussions from being manipulated by the
media and it enables people to speak freely. However, as many of the attendees have
gained their power through the democratic process, it is debatable if it is
morally desirable for them to exercise their power off the record. Some consider social class-related and
western exclusivity is the primary motive to the elite and secretive nature of the
meetings. Security is managed by military intelligence.
The Bilderberg Group has been described as:
Written by: Albert Talker www.new-angle.org
Council on Foreign
Relations
(From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
The
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an influential and independent,
nonpartisan foreign policy think tank and membership organization based at 58
East 68th Street (corner Park Avenue) in New York City, with an additional
office in Washington, D.C..
It
describes its mission as promoting understanding of foreign policy and America's
role in the world. It does this by convening meetings at which government
officials, global leaders, and leading members debate major foreign-policy
issues; by operating a think tank that employs the world's prominent scholars in
international affairs; and by sponsoring Task Forces and commissioning books and
reports. It also publishes the respected bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs and has an extensive website. The
Council's internal "think tank" is the "The David Rockefeller Studies
Program", which grants fellowships and whose extensive world-class
programs are described as being integral to the goal of contributing to the
ongoing debate on foreign policy. Fellows in the Studies Program achieve this by
researching and writing on the most important challenges facing the United
States and the world.
Even from its inception, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
was a regular benefactor, donating annual contributions, as well as a large gift
of money towards its first headquarters on East 65th Street, along with
corporate donors. In 1944, the widow of the Standard Oil executive Harold I.
Pratt donated the family's four-story mansion on the corner of 68th Street and
Park Avenue for council use and this became the CFR's new headquarters, known as
The Harold Pratt House, where it remains today.
From
the beginning the Council was non-partisan, welcoming members of both Democrat
and Republican parties. It also welcomed Jews and African-Americans, with only
women initially barred from membership. Its proceedings were almost universally
private and confidential. It has exerted influence on US foreign policy from the
beginning, due to its roster of State Department and other government officials
as members; as such, it has been the focus of many conspiracy theories.
Chatham House
(Royal Institute of International Affairs)
(From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia)
Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based
in London whose mission is to analyze and promote the understanding of major
international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's
leading organizations in this area. It takes its name from its premises, an 18th
century house in St. James's Square designed in part by Henry Flitcroft and once
occupied by the British Prime Minister William Pitt, 1st Earl of
Chatham.
Chatham House conducts original research
into a variety of regional and global issues, and describes itself as
follows:
... a melting pot that brings together people and
organisations with an interest in international affairs. We provide an
independent forum in which academia, business, diplomats, the media, NGOs,
politicians, policy makers and researchers can interact in an open and impartial
environment. The widespread recognition of the
Chatham House Rule as a byword for free and frank debate is a reflection of our
unique and non-aligned perspective.
Chatham House is routinely used as a
source of information for media organizations seeking background or experts upon
matters involving major international issues.
Although it has been alleged that Chatham House
reflects a pro-establishment view of the world (due to donations from large
corporations, governments and other organizations), Chatham House is
nevertheless membership-based and anyone may join. The relatively high annual
membership fee tends to put access to Chatham House out of reach of many
ordinary people.
Free
Masons
(From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia)
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization whose membership has
shared moral and metaphysical ideals and in most of its branches requires a
constitutional declaration of belief in a Supreme Being. The fraternity uses the
metaphor of operative stonemasons' tools and implements, against the allegorical
backdrop of the building of King Solomon's Temple, to convey what is most
generally defined as "a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated
by symbols.
While
it has often been called a "secret society", it is more correct to say that it
is an esoteric society, in that certain aspects are private. From many quarters,
Freemasons have stated that Freemasonry has, in the 21st century, become less a
secret society and more of a "society with secrets." Most modern Freemasons regard the
traditional concern over secrecy as a demonstration of their ability to keep a
promise and a concern over the privacy of their own affairs. Lodge meetings,
like meetings of many other social and professional associations, are private
occasions open only to members. The private aspects of modern Freemasonry are
the modes of recognition amongst members and particular elements within the
ritual.
While
there have been many disclosures and exposés dating as far back as the
eighteenth century, Freemasons caution that these often lack the proper context
for true understanding, may be outdated for various reasons, or could be
outright hoaxes on the part of the author. Moreover, many Masonic groups offer
spokesmen, briefings for the media, and provide talks to interested groups upon
request.
Conspiracy theorists have long associated
Freemasonry with the New World Order and the Illuminati, and state that
Freemasonry as an organization is either bent on world domination or already
secretly in control of world politics. Historically, Freemasonry has attracted
criticism - and suppression - from both the politically extreme left and right
groups.
Even
in modern democracies, Freemasonry is still sometimes accused of being a network
where individuals engage in cronyism, using their Masonic connections for
political influence and shady business dealings. This is officially and
explicitly deplored in Freemasonry.
Throughout history many prominent people were members of the fraternity and have made no secret of their involvement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Freemasons
Composed from sources in Wikipedia: Albert Talker www.new-angle.org
Adapted to web-site by: Albert Talker