Bohemian Grove: Summer hideout for America's Republican establishment

Contents

Intro

July 23, 1950, Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover, Edward Teller, and Ernest Lawrence at the Bohemian Grove.

The Bohemian Grove is one of the more important places in the United States where businessmen, politicians, army officers, and scientists can sit around with each other and talk about anything they're interested in. Although networking officially is not allowed, going on summer camp together clearly aids in the "bonding process" - a concept everyone is familiar with from school or work. It's no surprise then that the expression "makes it easier to pick up the phone" has been mentioned more than once. In contrast to business, politics can be discussed openly in the Grove and it seems that whether or not a particular candidate is liked by the Bohemians can make or break his career. Going through membership lists, the vast majority of members belong the Republican Party.

If the reader is interested in my thoughts on the symbolism surrounding the Cremation of Care and the Bohemian Grove, take a look here. It might be better not to discuss any of that material here in this article.

On this page the reader can find a short historical timeline of the Bohemian Grove, a list of some of the relatively recent visitors of camp Mandalay, an analysis of the handful of British visitors, and the layout and location of the Bohemian Grove itself. The membership list included with this article consists of more than 550 names, all of them with biographies, some more extensive than others. There's a separate list of the 104 Bohemian Grove camps. At the bottom of this article the reader can find many cached references in which a lot of the names in the membership list can be found.

1970s or 1980s, dinner in the forest. About 85% of the Bohemian Grove members hail from California.

The material in this article deals with topics I generally missed in all the other articles about the Bohemian Grove, so I guess most of you will find it a useful expansion.

Brief timeline of the Bohemian Club and the Bohemian Grove.

1872 The Bohemian Club is organized in San Francisco as a gathering place for men who like the arts and literature. The clubhouse is located in the Astor Hotel on Sacramento Street and the owl is picked as the club's symbol. 1874 The Club has 182 members. 1875 The Bohemian Club's motto, "Weaving spiders, come not here", first appears on a Club announcement. It was taken from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. 1877 The Club has outgrown the Astor Hotel and moves to 430 Pine Street in San Francisco. 1878 Several dozen Bohemians hold a Jinks in the forest in Sonoma County near what is now known as Camp Taylor (California Historical Society, Bohemian Club 1947). This will be the start of a long Bohemian tradition of trekking to the Sonoma County redwoods during July and August of each year for camping and entertainment. 1882 The Club's patron saint becomes John of Nepomuk. Legend has it that St. John was killed in 1393 at the orders of Wenceslaus IV, King of the Bohemians & King of the Holy Roman Empire, because he didn't want to disclose the confessional secrets of Queen Johanna of Bohemia. Today, St. John symbolizes the right to privacy of the Bohemians. 1885 The extremely successful Joseph D. Redding is elected president of the Bohemian Club. He will devise the Cremation of Care in 1893. Where he got his inspiration for the ceremony isn't clear. Redding is a very successful attorney for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, owned by the Rockefeller-connected Pilgrims Society families of Harriman & Harkness. Redding is considered a musical genius. 1887 The Club has 561 members, which are a combination of literary figures and San Francisco businessmen. Among them are 4 members of the Crocker banking family, 3 Spreckles, William Randolph Hearst, Bay Area shipbuilder Arthur W. Moore, columnist and writer Ambrose Bierce, writer Henry George, and 14 officers from the Army and Navy. Other Bohemian Club writers are Charles K. Field, Ina Coolbrith, Bret Harte, Daniel O'Connell, and Mark Twain. 1892 The 70 ft. high Buddha statue is built within the Sequoia Valley, now known as the Bohemian Grove. It is modeled after the Daibutsu of Kamakura, the Great Buddha from Japan. The statue used to be part of the Cremation of Care. 1893 Joseph D. Redding creates the Cremation of Care and serves as High Priest of Bohemia during this ceremony. Within a couple of years he will move his business to New York where he also becomes part of high society.



The Bohemian Club starts renting a piece of land in the Sequoia Valley from the Sonoma Lumber Company. They will do this until 1899 when they make their first land purchase. 1899 The Bohemian Club buys a 160 acre piece of land in the Sequoia Valley, today known as the Bohemian Grove. The Club will make twenty-eight purchases of land over a 67 year period. Today it owns 2,712 acres. The New York Times writes two articles about the Cremation of Care and how impressive it is. 1905 The Washington Post reads: "The Taft party to-day visited the Bohemian grove of redwoods...", which is the first reference I have seen to presidents visiting the Bohemian Grove. 1913 The Cremation of Care ceremony is moved to the first weekend of the encampment. 1914 The Bohemian Club has 1259 members, of which 787 resident members, 241 non-resident members, 19 Navy officers, 49 Army officers, 29 faculty members, 114 associate members, and 20 honorary members. mid 1920s The Lake is built. It is about 100 feet wide and 400 feet long. Or for everybody outside of the United States: 30 meters wide and 124 meters long. 1929 The concrete owl is build. There are 169 different camps in the Bohemian Grove at this point. summer 1933 The Club takes up residence at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel when the dismantling of the old clubhouse begins. The club has grown to about 2000 members. A large new Club House is opened the following year. 1941 Membership drops to 1643 due to World War II. 1950 Big names as Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover and Edward Teller are visiting the Grove. 1977 Big names as Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, John McCone, Gerald Ford, the Kaisers and Bechtels are present at the prestigious Mandalay Camp at the Bohemian Grove. 1981 The Lake is relined with earth and concrete. It has an artificial waterfall tumbling into it, and water lilies are kept in natural-looking patterns by water jets embedded in the lake bottom. The only natural aspect to the lake is the early morning mist rising off it every morning. 1994 There are 124 camps in the Bohemian Grove.

Camp Mandalay

Many camps in the Bohemian Grove house very prestigious visitors. You have camps like Cave Man, Hideaway, Hill Billies, Hillside, Isle of Aves, Lost Angels, Mandalay, Midway, Owl's Nest, Sempervirens, Silverado Squatters, and Stowaway. Mandalay seems to be the camp for international relations and consists of more than a few members officially or otherwise connected to foreign policy and the CIA. Mandalay is the only camp the average visitor cannot just walk into; an appointment or formal invitation is necessary. If you're cleared for access, you are taken up the hill with a Bechtel-designed electric pulley. Many members of camps like Hill Billies or Stowaway (Rockefellers and Morgans) in particular have previously been invited to Mandalay.

Mandalay visitors Source(s) and main interests Armacost, Samuel H. Sources:1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'; June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Bank of America; Merrill Lynch; Weiss, Peck & Greer L.L.C.; Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International; Chevron; CFR. Atwater, H. Brewster, Jr. Sources: July 24, 2004, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 'Eclectic Crowd for Annual Bohemian Grove Gathering-Powell, Rumsfeld, Grateful Dead top Guest List'



General Mills. Bailey, Ralph E. Sources: Sonoma County Free Press, 'Bohemian Grove Fact Sheet'



J.P. Morgan; Morgan Guarantee Trust; Du Pont; Continental Oil Co.; Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc.; Fuel Tech. Bechtels (three family members) Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club' (Bechtel designed part of Mandalay); July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'; June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'; June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Bechtel Company; Trilateral Commission; Heritage Foundation (primary funder); directors Chase Manhattan; CFR; 1001 Club; CIA (unofficial). Brady, Nicholas F. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'; June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'; June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Dillon Read & Co.; Rockefeller University; SMOM; CFR. Brandi, Frederic H. Sources: 2005 email exchange between me and G. William Domhoff



Dillon, Read & Co.; Father German Steel Trust; Pilgrims Society. Brandi, James H. Sources: 2005 email exchange between me and G. William Domhoff



UBS Warburg; ThyssenKrupp. Bush, George H.W. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club'



CIA; U.S. president; Trilateral Commission; CFR; Atlantic Council of the United States; Father was SMOM. Casey, William J. Sources: 1993, Robert Parry, 'Trick or Treason - The October Surprise Mystery'; Sonoma County Free Press, 'Bohemian Grove Fact Sheet'



SEC; CIA; Wackenhut; Export-Import Bank; Iran-Contra; CFR; Le Cercle; Atlantic Council of the United States; SMOM; Associate of Armand Hammer. Cooley, Richard P. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Wells Fargo; Seafirst Bank; Smithsonian; RAND; CFR. Ducommun, Charles E. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Stanford psychology and education; Ducommun Inc. (formerly Ducommun Metals & Supply Co.); Lockheed Leadership Fund Ehrlichman, John D. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Hullin, Ehrlichman, Roberts & Hodge, Seattle; Top adviser to Nixon. Convicted for Watergate. Firestone, Leonard K. Source: July 17, 1975, G. William Domhoff, 'Is there a ruling class?'; 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'; July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'; June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'



Firestone empire; World Affairs Council of L.A. Flanigan, Peter M. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C' ; June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'; 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove';



Assistant to Nixon; Dillon, Read, & Co.; UBS Warburg; Anheuser-Busch; SMOM; CFR. Flanigan, John Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix I'



Relative of Peter. Ford, Gerald R. Sources: July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'



United States president 1974-1977; Citigroup; CFR; Bilderberg Ford, Henry Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club'



Ford. Built everything for the the nazis and bolsheviks. antisemite. Gates, Thomas S., Jr. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Drexel & Co.; Morgan Guaranty Trust Company; Smith, Kline & French Laboratories; CFR; Pilgrims Society Hawley, Phillip M. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'; Sonoma County Free Press, 'Bohemian Grove Fact Sheet'



Carter Hawley Hale Stores; Trilateral Commission; Business Roundtable. Horton, James K. 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Shell; Standard Oil; Pacific Gas & Electric; Southern California Edison Co.; First Interstate Bank of California; Pacific Mutual Life Insurance; Lockheed Houghton, Amory, Jr. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Corning Glass Works; Congressman; CFR; Business Council; Pilgrims Society. Johnson, Charles B. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Franklin Resources. Kaisers (3) Sources: July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'; June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'; 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'; July 24, 2004, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 'Eclectic Crowd for Annual Bohemian Grove Gathering-Powell, Rumsfeld, Grateful Dead top Guest List'



ICF Kaiser Consulting Group, Kaiser Foundation; CFR. Kearns, Henry Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Bechtel; Export-Import Bank. Kennedy, David M. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Continental Illinois Bank; Trust Company; CFR; Mormon bishop. Kissinger, Henry Sources: November 1989, Spy Magazine, 'Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove'; 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club'; July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'; June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Rockefeller and Fritz Kraemer protege; Le Cercle; Pilgrims; Bilderberg; CFR; Trilateral Commission; Atlantic Council of the United States; Open Russia Foundation; Forty Committee; J.P. Morgan; Kissinger Associates; Hollinger International; AIG. Knight, Andrew S. B. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix F' June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'



UK; The Economist; Rothschild & Murdoch interests; Reuters; Ditchley; Bilderberg; RIIA; Stanford Hoover Institution. Lewis, Drew L. Sources: June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Union Pacific Corp.; CFR. Littlefield, Edmund W. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C' ; July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'



General Electric; Bechtel Investment Co.; Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International. Marting, Walter A. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Hanna Mining Company. McCone, John Alex Sources: 1993, Robert Parry, 'Trick or Treason - The October Surprise Mystery'; July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'



Atomic Energy commission; Bechtel; CIA; SMOM. McLean, John G. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Continental Oil Company; CFR. Mettler, Ruben F. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Hughes Aircraft Co.; consultant DoD; Ramo-Wooldridge Corp.; TRW Inc.; Space Technology Laboratories (STL); Goodyear Tire; Merck & Co.; CFR; Trilateral Commission; Japan Society; Japan-U.S. Economic Relations; Defense Industry Advisory Council; President's Task Force on Scientific Policy; Business Roundtable; Business Council Morrow, Richard M. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Amoco Corporation; National Acadamy of Engineering; Commercial Club; close to the Bechtels. Nixon, Richard M. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club'



CFR; United States president 1969-1974; Le Cercle; Pilgrims Society. O´Reilly, David Sources: July 24, 2004, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 'Eclectic Crowd for Annual Bohemian Grove Gathering-Powell, Rumsfeld, Grateful Dead top Guest List'



ChevronTexaco; J.P. Morgan; Business Roundtable; Business Council; Trilateral Commission; National Petroleum Council; DAVOS. Peterson, Rudolph A. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C'



Bank of Hawaii; Bank of America; Gianninni Foundation; CFR; Bilderberg; Asia Foundation. Powell, Colin Luther Sources: June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Four-Star General; Joint Chiefs of Staff; US Secretary of State; Pilgrims Society; Trilateral Commission; CFR. Reed, Philip D. 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix C



NY Fed; American Express; Bankers Trust; International Executive Service Corps; Winston Churchill Foundation of the US; Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; CFR; Pilgrims Society Reichardt, Carl E. Sources: June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'



Wells Fargo; Ford Motor Company. Rocard, Michel Source: November 1989, Spy Magazine, 'Masters of the Universe Go to Camp: Inside the Bohemian Grove'



French socialist prime minister. Sage, Andrew G. C. Sources: 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Lehman Brothers; Sage Capital Corporation; Robertson Ceco Corporation; American Superconductor Corp. Shultz, George P. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club'; July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'; June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'; Sources: June 18, 2003, SF Weekly, 'The World According to Bechtel'; July 24, 2004, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 'Eclectic Crowd for Annual Bohemian Grove Gathering-Powell, Rumsfeld, Grateful Dead top Guest List'



Bechtel; J.P. Morgan Chase; Washington Institute for Near East Policy; Pilgrims Society; Trilateral Commission; CFR. Smith, William French Sources: July 2000, Don Eichelberger, 'Bohemian Club and the Power "Crisis"'; 2005, G. William Domhoff, 'Social Cohesion & the Bohemian Grove'



Attorney general under Reagan; President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board; General Electric. Trent, Darrell M. Sources: 1993, Robert Parry, 'Trick or Treason - The October Surprise Mystery'



Rollins Environmental Services, Inc.; National Security Council; NATO; Twice a deputy campaign manager for Reagan; President’s Office of Emergency Preparedness; hosted CIA director William Casey in 1980. Volcker, Paul A. Sources: Alex Jones



Chase Manhattan; FED; CFR; Bilderberg; Group of Thirty; Trilateral Commission; RAND; Le Cercle; Pilgrims Society; Japan Society; Ditchley; J. Rothschild Wolfensohn & Co.; Power Corporation; Hollinger International. Watson, Thomas J., Jr. Sources: Sonoma County Free Press, 'Bohemian Grove Fact Sheet'



IBM; Pilgrims Society; 1001 Club; CFR. Weinberger, Caspar W. Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club'



Federal Trade Commission; Bechtel; Iran-Contra Affair; Forbes magazine; Ditchley; CFR; Trilateral Commission; Pilgrims Society; Chatham House Foundation; Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

The 48 gathered members of camp Mandalay represent the following organizations:

CFR 24 Pilgrims Society 11 Trilateral Commission 10 Bechtel (added only 1 for the 3 Bechtel family members) 8 Morgan banking interests 5 Knights of Malta (SMOM) 5 Le Cercle 4 Atlantic Council of the U.S. 3 CIA directors 3 Ditchley 3 1001 Club (Bechtels stand out) 2 RAND 2 SRI International chairmen 2

Pictures taken in 2004/2005. The lake, camp Hillbillies, and the owl shrine

British visitors

Historically British Bohemian Grove visitors appear to have been closely connected to the British royal family and the major banks in London. In later years we also see a variety of intellectuals appear. The individuals below are the only ones that I've been able to find so far.

Prince Philip Sources: 1972, Norman Loyall McLaren, "Prince Philip in the Grove (p. 456; page includes picture of Prince Philip at the Grove)"



Made an off-season visit to the Bohemian Grove in November 1962. Queen Elizabeth Reports exist that the Queen visited the Bohemian Grove in 1983. This would be interesting to confirm or disprove, especially because ordinarily women aren't allowed in the Bohemian Grove. Andrew Knight Sources: 1994, Peter Martin Phillips, 'A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club, Appendix F' June 19, 2001, Counterpunch, 'Meet the Secret Rulers of the World'



Relatively recent visitor of camp Mandalay. Governor of the Ditchley Foundations since 1981. Editor of The Economist and expanded its offices to Brussels. Director of Rothschild Investment Trust since 1997. Important functions at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and BskyB. Director of Reuters. Governor of the Atlantic Institute for International Affairs. Governing council of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Member of the steering committee of Bilderberg. John Major Sources: July 12-18, 2001 issue of the Northern California Bohemian



Recent visitor who gave at least one speech at the Bohemian Grove. Prime Minister of the U.K. 1990-1997. Chairman of Carlyle Europe since 2001. Chairman of the Ditchley Foundation since 2005 and a member of the Queen's Privy Council. Robert Cecil, a Recent visitor who gave at least one speech at the Bohemian Grove. Prime Minister of the U.K. 1990-1997. Chairman of Carlyle Europe since 2001. Chairman of the Ditchley Foundation since 2005 and a member of the Queen's Privy Council. Robert Cecil, a Cercle member of one of the oldest aristocratic families in Great Britain, and former Rothschild employee and Cercle chairman Lord Norman Lamont were running his election campaigns. Lord Christopher F. Patten Sources: date unknown, Mary Moore, Sonoma County Free Press



Held at least one speech at the Bohemian Grove in 1998. Member of the Privy Council since 1989. As the last Governor of Hong Kong, he left the state on July 1, 1997, together with The Prince of Wales, on board of the HM Yacht Britannia. As a solid member of the superclass, involved in the Tory Reform Group, the Global Leadership Foundation (GLF), The Hague Institute for Global Justice, the European Movement, Europaeum, George Soros' European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and other NGOs. Lord Peter Levine Sources: August 5, 1999, Mary Moore, Sonoma County Free Press, 'Bohemian Grove - Lakeside talks & other mischief'



Former advisor to Margaret Thatcher. Became Lord Mayor of London in 1998. Gave a speech at the Bohemian Grove in 1999 called We Reinvented Government Before You Did. Chairman of Lloyd’s of London in 2004. Patron of the Lloyd's Yacht Club. Sir John Keegan Sources: August 12, 1929, Time Magazine, 'Revived Rails'



An English military historian specializing in 20th-century wars. Lectured for 26 years at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Defence Correspondent. Knighted in 2000. Sir Hubert Brand Sources: August 12, 1929, Time Magazine, 'Revived Rails'



Rear-Admiral in the British navy, extra equerry to the King (1922), principal naval aide to the King (1931-1932), and a visitor of the Bohemian Grove in the early part of the 20th century (at least in 1929). Known to have visited the Rear-Admiral in the British navy, extra equerry to the King (1922), principal naval aide to the King (1931-1932), and a visitor of the Bohemian Grove in the early part of the 20th century (at least in 1929). Known to have visited the Pilgrims Society in 1929. One of his brothers, Lord Robert Brand, was a major player in Milner's Round Table, according to Carroll Quigley.

Layout and location

Don't forget the membership list, the camps list, or the article on the symbolism of the Bohemian Grove.

References