Skull and Bones: Yale's Secret Society and Its Legends
Skull and Bones is a secret senior society at Yale University whose members have included a U.S. president. Rumors link it to the Illuminati, the CIA and the theft of Apache leader Geronimo's skull. Its membership is real and well connected. The grander claims are unproven.
Verdict: Unproven. The sources below do not establish this claim. That is not the same as proving it false. How we rate stories
The Story
On High Street in New Haven stands a windowless building that Yale students call the Tomb. It belongs to Skull and Bones, a senior society founded in 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft, the father of future President William Howard Taft. Its rituals are meant to stay secret.
What is not secret is how well connected its members have been. CNN reported that they include former President George W. Bush and his grandfather, Prescott Bush. That kind of membership has fed theories that the society is an arm of the Illuminati or effectively runs the CIA. No documents support those claims.
A 1918 letter claimed members took Geronimo's skull. A court dismissed the descendants' lawsuit in 2010.
The most specific legend involves Geronimo, the Apache leader buried at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In 2006, writer Marc Wortman reported finding a 1918 letter from society member Winter Mead saying that the society had Geronimo's bones, dug up by other members at Fort Sill. In 2009, Geronimo's descendants sued, CNN reported. Yale said it did not have the remains. The case was dismissed in 2010, and the letter's claim has never been confirmed.
Skull and Bones is a real and unusually well-connected club with a taste for macabre theater. Whether anything more lies behind the Tomb's walls is unknown.
Origins
According to the Yale Alumni Magazine, the society was founded in 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft. Its windowless 'Tomb' on High Street dates from 1856.
The Claims
- Skull and Bones is a branch of the Illuminati.
- The society controls or supplies the CIA.
- Members stole Geronimo's skull from his grave in 1918.
Key Evidence
- Members have included President George W. Bush and his grandfather, Prescott Bush, CNN reported. The Yale Alumni Magazine notes that co-founder Alphonso Taft was the father of President William Howard Taft.
- CNN reported in 2009 that Geronimo's descendants sued, citing a 1918 letter written by society member Winter Mead and found in 2006. The letter said the society had Geronimo's bones, dug up by other members at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The Evidence Against
- CNN reported that Yale said it does not have Geronimo's remains and does not speak for Skull and Bones; no one at the society returned CNN's calls. According to court records published by Justia, the descendants' federal lawsuit was dismissed in 2010.
- Claims that the society is part of the Illuminati or controls the CIA have no documentary support in the sources reviewed for this entry.
Documents & Sources
- NewsThe origins of the Tomb (Yale Alumni Magazine) yalealumnimagazine.org ↗
- NewsGeronimo's descendants sue to recover his remains (CNN, 26 February 2009) cnn.com ↗
- Official RecordGeronimo v. Obama, U.S. District Court for D.C., dismissal (Justia, 2010) law.justia.com ↗
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