Nexus - 0301 - New Times Magazine-pages

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provoked global myths the way Bilderberg has. . CHAIRMANSHIP Groups such as Bohemian Grove, established in 1872 by San The first [Bilderberg] meeting was convened under the chair- Franciscans, played an equally significant role in shaping postwar manship.of H. R. H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, who politics in the US. served as chairman for twenty-two years. He was succeeded by It was at the Grove, it is said, that the Manhattan Project was Lord Home of the Hirsel, former Prime Minister for the United set up and that Eisenhower was selected as the Republicans' can- Kingdom, who chaired the meetings for four years. At the 1980 didate for 1952.’ meeting, Lord Home turned over the chairmanship to Walter The Ditchley Park Foundation was established in 1953 in Scheel, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany. In Britain with the same aim.* 1985, Mr Scheel resigned, and was succeeded by Lord Roll of Two years earlier, in 1952, Britain's Field Marshal Bernard —Ipsden, President of S. G. Warburg Group plc. At 1989 meeting, Montgomery had suggested the idea of a Lord Roll turned over the chairmanship to NATO command-post exercise (a paper Lord Carrington,” who still chairs the meet- drill; no movement of forces) to train army ings. divisional commanders. General Eisenhower, who was then NATO's European Commander, accepted it. As a result, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe Exercise—SHAPEX— was created, Ever since, an annual meeting has been held in SHAPE headquarters near Mons, Belgium, and the subject has been broadened to incorporate a wide array of top- ics. The historical review of these groups reflects a sudden flourishing trend, and the realisation by the world's leaders of the need CHARACTER OF BILDERBERG MEET- INGS What is unique about Bilderberg as a forum is (1) the broad cross-section of lead- ing citizens, in and out of government, that are assembled for nearly three days of infor- mal discussion about topics of current con- cern especially in the fields of foreign affairs and the international economy; (2) the strong feeling among participants that, in view of the differing attitudes and experi- ences of the Western nations, there is a clear for creation of, at times, such overt concepts. need to develop an understanding in which The idea of establishing such élite groups did Lx sna these concerns can be accommodated; and not die with the birth of Bilderberg. (3) the privacy of these meetings, which has no purpose other than In 1957, the first of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and _to allow leading citizens to speak their minds openly and freely. World Affairs took place.’ Pandit Nehru offered to host the first In short, Bilderberg is a recognised, flexible and informal inter- meeting. The founder members were personalities such as _ national leadership forum in which different viewpoints can be Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein. Scientists from the United expressed and mutual understanding enhanced." States and Soviet Union were regular participants in this East- In further recognition of this aspect, Paddy Ashdown, the West gathering of élites. Britain is known for its active participa- Leader of the Liberal Party and a participant in the 1989 tion and role in this group. Bilderberg meeting, wrote to me: The best feature of Pugwash is that it brings together people In view of the recent events right across Europe, this has turned from East, West and non-aligned countries.° out to have been an exceptionally useful opportunity to meet and Pugwash proved particularly valuable at the time when the rela- _ discuss with many of the most expert people in the world on inter- tion between East and West was at a stalemate. Many significant national relations. 1 found it a very stimulating and informative topics were discussed in this forum. Ways of monitoring arms gathering.” control agreements, nuclear disarmament, and reduction of East-West tensions were always on the top of the agenda. In the 1970s Pugwash embraced a range of issues including biological, chemical and conventional arms control, environment and devel- opment problems as well as conflicts around the world. One of the latest groups is the Williamsburg, bet- ter known as the Asian Window. Its first meeting was financed by the late John D. Rockefeller in 1971, and continues to date. It brings together the Asian leaders and the Americans. Williamsburg has been particularly effective for discussing Vietnam, or ‘the Indonesian corruption, or supposedly non- existent Japanese exchange controls. Different experiences of trade with China and Russia, or how Singapore has a lower infant mortality than America, have been some of the topics in the Williamsburg forum. Nonetheless, none of these groups-—including the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilaterals— commands the influence the Bilderberg has obtained in shaping and dictating global policies. F—-—_—_—_ ae NEXUS « 13 DECEMBER 1995:- JANUARY 1996