The Bilderberg Meetings: Off-the-Record Talks Among the Powerful

The Story

In late May 1954, representatives from economic, social, political and cultural fields in Western Europe and North America met at the Hotel de Bilderberg in Oosterbeek, in the Netherlands. According to the organization, the goal was to improve cooperation across the Atlantic in 'the difficult post-war period.' The annual conference still carries the hotel's name.

The format is what draws suspicion. Discussions are held under the Chatham House Rule: participants may discuss what was said in general terms but agree not to quote each other. The meeting is closed to reporting journalists, and the organization says an annual press conference held for decades was stopped in the 1990s. For many theorists, this looks like a shadow government at work.

According to the organization, no resolutions are proposed and no votes are taken.

Claims range from the group picking presidents to planning a 'New World Order.' None of them has documentary support. The organization says there is no desired outcome, no closing statement, and no resolutions or votes. It now publishes the participant list, topics and location shortly before each meeting.

Bilderberg is a real, elite and deliberately private meeting. That secrecy raises fair questions about accountability. It does not prove that the meeting controls anything.