THE BILDERBERG GROUP

FOUNDED: 1954

STATUS: Meets once a year.

EXCLUSIVITY FACTOR: Very, very, very high — only oligarchs, heads of state, and other ultra-powerful people are allowed access.

SECRECY FACTOR: The discussion at their meetings is strictly off the record.

THREAT FACTOR: High — it’s said that this group is a “shadow government” that runs the world.

QUIRK FACTOR: Bilderberg is a magnet for tinfoil hat level conspiracy theorists, who can be found vigorously protesting outside of the conference.

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

We peons often feel like we aren’t getting straight talk from the honchos in charge—but there is at least one place where those fat cats can speak frankly about issues that have worldwide repercussions. Bilderberg is an annual conference for about one hundred and forty of the world’s most powerful people. The group first met in 1954, with the purpose of shoring up US-European relations and preventing another world war. Now the aim of their annual get-together is to provide a venue for global elites to share ideas about the future of the world. What makes it a little sketchy is that the Bilderbergers don’t share the content of their discussions with the people who are affected by their outcomes. What happens at Bilderberg stays at Bilderberg.

So, who are the high rollers in the Bilderberg Group? It’s an international crew of royals, presidents, prime ministers, parliamentarians, cabinet members, media magnates, and CEOs of many banks and massive corporations. And while Bilderbergers say that these off-the-record rap sessions simply allow them to deliberate openly on matters of importance, some outsiders suspect that the members are part of something much more sinister than the world’s most exclusive debate club.

Conspiracy theorists believe the group is a threat to democracy, bent on organizing an international government—a New World Order. They accuse Bilderbergers of everything from engineering the credit crunch to planning to kill 80 percent of the world population. Conspiracy theorists also think that Bilderbergers representing corporate interests rubbing shoulders with politicians at the conference reeks of lobbying. Members insist that what happens at Bilderberg doesn’t affect policy, but we may never know the truth.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

You have to be pretty darn influential to be asked to join the Bilderberg Group. If you aren’t an aristocrat, a powerful politician, the CEO of a major corporation, or some other global leader, you’ve got no chance of getting in. The gathering is invite-only, and the guest list changes from year to year. Past attendees include former US president Bill Clinton, founder and CEO of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos, and ex-CIA director David Petraeus.

INSIDE THE BILDERBERG GROUP

The group’s first meeting took place at the Hotel de Bilderberg, located in Oosterbeek in the Netherlands. Since then, the annual gathering has been held at luxury hotels all over the world. The conference lasts four days, and attendees are required to stay for the entire duration. As they arrive in their private helicopters and chauffeured limos, they are greeted by protesters bearing signs that say things like: “STOP NEW WORLD ORDER” and “OLIGARCHS, THE SPAWN OF SATAN.” The location, guest list, and agenda for the meeting used to be totally classified. That information is released to the public now, but it’s still a far cry from transparency. Inside their highly secured location, Bilderbergers discuss topics such as nuclear power, cyber warfare, job creation, and the US presidency (which they’ve been accused of fixing). The minutes of the meeting are never released. After the secret summit, the Bilderbergers return to their lairs, leaving the rest of us to wonder how the decisions made at Bilderberg might affect our world.

ELITE RETREATS

Despite the cushy accommodations, Bilderberg doesn’t seem like much of a vacation. So where do the fat cats go for fun? These are a few of the most exclusive spots.

BOHEMIAN GROVE

If a Rockefeller pees in the woods and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? You can only find out in the wilds of Bohemian Grove, a campground in the midst of a California redwood forest where some of the most powerful men in the world gather every summer for a three-week retreat.

The Grove is property of a San Francisco-based men’s club established in 1782. Some “Boho” hopefuls may have been on the absurdly long waiting list since that time. But those lucky enough to score an invite to the camp might bunk with politicians, CEOs, military contractors, and other influential men. Richard Nixon—along with many other US presidents—has visited the woods, as has newscaster Walter Cronkite, and even singer Jimmy Buffett. (And yes, they actually do stay in bunks.)

Just like at any other sleep-away camp, the campers form strong bonds over activities such as bird watching, dominoes, and campfire sing-alongs (hopefully not to Jimmy Buffett songs). Unlike a camp for kids though, all festivities at the Grove are fueled by large amounts of alcohol, which is mandatory to consume. But the “Grovers” do indulge in some rather childish hijinks during their stay, including the aforementioned public urination, and hamming it up in the Grove’s annual musical comedy. Whether or not they make lanyards is unknown.

Smokey the Bear and the California Forest Service probably wouldn’t appreciate all the cigar smoking that goes on among the old growth redwood trees, but there’s another Grove tradition that could easily cause a forest fire: The Cremation of Care. This opening ceremony entails the crypt of “Mr. Dull Care” being torched and set adrift on a lake, followed by fireworks. This ritual is meant to symbolize letting go of outside cares and worries, which is the purpose of a stay at Bohemian Grove.

CAMP DAVID

Being rulers of the free world has its perks. One of them is access to Camp David, the country home of the President of the United States. Every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has made use of the place, located about sixty miles outside of Washington, DC, in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland. Formally known as Naval Support Facility Thurmont, military personnel provide staffing and security and take good care keeping intruders away from the very private property.

The retreat was established in 1942, when FDR was in need of a place to escape the oppressively muggy DC summers. With its cool mountain air, beautiful grounds, and close proximity to the capitol, this secluded spot fit the bill. FDR called it “Shangri-La” after the idyllic mountain kingdom in James Hilton’s book Lost Horizon. In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower renamed it “Camp David” in honor of his grandson. Little David and plenty of other presidential family members after him have enjoyed the camp’s many amenities, including a pool, putting green, driving range, tennis courts, and gym.

In addition to recreation, Camp David has also been the site of many historic meetings. The presidents have hosted a number of foreign dignitaries there over the years. In the informal setting, FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill planned the Allies’ invasion of Europe during WWII. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter held top-secret negotiations with Middle Eastern leaders there, resulting in the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt known as the Camp David Accords. More recently, President Barack Obama chose the site to host the 2012 G8 Summit.

Running the country is surely a stressful job, but when the president needs a break from the White House, the tranquility of Camp David is only a half-hour helicopter ride away.

AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB

It’s another boys’ club—well, an old men’s club, really. The average age of the members at this most rarified of country clubs located in Augusta, Georgia, is over seventy. That probably explains why these stodgy, stuck-in-their-ways oldsters refused to admit women to their club until 2012, when they reluctantly opened the doors to just two ladies, one of them being former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And they didn’t admit black members until 1990. One of the founders had once haughtily declared, “As long as I’m alive, all the golfers will be white and all the caddies will be black.”

So why would anybody feel honored to be part of such a racist, sexist institution? Because when it comes to golf, Augusta National is the gold standard. Founded in 1933 on the site of an old indigo plantation, the club hosts the Masters tournament and is considered the best course in America. Augusta National’s once-confidential membership list —first revealed to the public in 2004—is packed with statesmen, politicians, and major corporate leaders. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and T. Boone Pickens are just a few of the high rollers on the roster. Golf has always been about wheeling and dealing with cronies on the course just as much as actually playing the game, so these honchos are able to form some high-level alliances out on the links.

Every one of the three hundred or so members gets a green jacket upon joining up, but those blazers don’t come cheap. Membership fees are about $10,000 per year. However, simply being willing to cough up lots of cash doesn’t get one the privilege of kicking back in this clubhouse. You can’t apply to join Augusta National—it’s invite-only. Over-eager hopefuls who make it known they want in are shunned. As a sport, golf may be becoming more diverse and inclusive, but the Augusta National Golf Club remains a highly elite institution frozen in time.