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ance of the Jesuit order manifested itself. He spent a great deal of | discussed. Furthermore, if any leaks occurred, the journalists his time fulfilling these ambitions. He suggested to Premier would be discouraged from writing about it. Georges Clemenceau a plan to unite Eastern Europe—involving Prince Bernhard fully supported Retinger's proposal for an inter- the merging of Austria, Hungary and Poland as a tripartite monar- _ national meeting. Consequently, they formed a committee to chy under the guidance of the Jesuit order. Clemenceau, doubtful organise a plan. In 1952, Bernhard approached the Truman of the Vatican-inspired plan, rejected Retinger's proposal outright. | administration and briefed them about the meeting. Despite a pos- This plan labelled Retinger, thereafter, as a Vatican agent. itive reception, it was not until the Eisenhower administration Retinger's activities were not limited to uniting Europe. when the first American counterpart group was formed. The two Through his séveral trips to Mexico he played a key role in the __ key role-players in the US group were General Walter Bedell creation of a trade union movement in the 1920s. Due to his Smith (Director of the CIA) and C. D. Jackson. Both (European- unprecedented success, and by gaining the Mexican Government's American) groups working interactively set out to fulfil Retinger's trust, Retinger convinced them to nationalise the US oil interest in _ initial plan. From the outset, the American group was heavily Mexico, In the process, Retinger conducted the secret negotia- influenced by the Rockefeller family, the owners of Standard + tions with Washington for the Mexican Government. Oil—competitors of Bemhard's Royal Dutch Petroleum. From Retinger also had an active war career. He was the political then on, the Bilderberg business reflected the concems of the oil aide to General Sikorski, and served for the London-based Polish _industry in its meetings. Government-in-exile. In addition, at the age is z of 58, he, parachuted into German-occupied territory outside Warsaw for some sabotage missions. Due to his high-profile career, in the 1950s he was able to create contacts with numerous high-ranking military officials and political leaders. His main aim was to unite the world in peace. His peace dividend was to be under the control of supernational, powerful organisations. He believed that such organisations would be immune from short-term ideological conflicts erupting between governments. To Retinger, it was insignificant what dominated the economic ideology of a country. He believed these differences could be brought into line by powerful multinational organisations dic- tating and applying powerful economic and military policies, thereby creating a union and a bond between the nations. Retinger's perscnal ‘left-wing’ views from his heady days convinced him that many leaders of newly born socialist and communist nations would be prepared to talk to him. Additionally, his Church background gave him an arena for dia- logue with people from the middle- ground connections in international rela- The first meeting witnessed the gather- tions, ing of ideologies, poles apart. The issue Nevertheless, Retinger knew that control of the world affairs | of McCarthyism was reaching its peak in the United States. cannot be achieved without US participation. In pursuit of this | European participants, exasperated with the McCarthy prapagan-. ideology, he began a campaign for the creation of an Atlantic da, saw in their American counterparts a clear political shift Community. This would make the development of Europe an towards an ultra-right-wing fascist state. Memories of World War important political aim for the American politicians, thereby pre- _II still fresh in their minds, the Europeans found the concept rather According to Bilderberg's draft document of 1989: Bilderberg takes its name from the Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeek, Holland, where the first meeting took place in May | 1954. That pioneering meeting grew out of | the concern expressed by many leading citi- zens on both sides of the Atlantic that Western Europe and North America were not working together as closely as they | should on matters of critical importance. It was felt that regular, off-the-record discus- sions would help create a better understand- ing of the complex forces and major trends: affecting Western nations in the difficult postwar period.’ Retinger's main aim in creating Bilderberg had other more important, inherent aspects than an informal gather- ing of a group of the world's élite. It-has been suggested that Bilderberg meetings ultimately would have implemented group dynamics techniques in the shape : from writing about i it of a low-key international thinking group sett with the purpose of sensitising the less enlightened of its membership towards the new transitional diplomacy of the Cold War. venting their retreat into political isolation. repulsive. Retinger, with this in mind, set out his carefully calculated C. D. Jackson (a member of the CFR), in an attempt to regain move by involving one of his close and powerful friends, Prince _ the international delegates’ confidence, stated: Bemhard of the Netherlands. Prince Bernhard, at the time, was an Whether McCarthy dies by an assassin's bullet or is eliminated important figure in the oil industry and held a major position in in the normal American way of getting rid of boils on body poli- Royal Dutch Petroleum (Shell Oil) as well as Société Générale de _tics, 1 prophesy that by the time we hold our next meeting he will Belgique—powerful global corporations. be gone from the American scene.‘ In 1952 Retinger approached Bernhard with a proposal for a Nevertheless, McCarthyism proved to be a source of embarrass- secret conference to involve the NATO leaders in an open and __ ment for the US delegate. frank discussion on international affairs behind closed doors. The meeting would allow each participant to speak his mind freely OTHER GROUPS because no media representative would be permitted inside; nor ‘The concept of Bilderberg was not new. Although similar would there be any news bulletin about the meeting or the topics groups were already in existence at the time, none attracted and OTHER GROUPS ‘The concept of Bilderberg was not new. Although similar groups were already in existence at the time, none attracted and 12 * NEXUS DECEMBER 1995 - JANUARY 1996