The Bilderberg Conference

In 1964, the “Bilderberg Group” meets from March 20 through March 22 in Williamsburg, Virginia. This conference marked the tenth anniversary of the group’s first meeting in 1954. According to the frontmatter of the report (available here):

There were ninety-four participants representing the United States, Canada, and eleven West European countries as well as various international organizations, and drawn from leaders in the field of politics (governments and parliaments), business, journalism, public service (national and international), the liberal professions and professional associations.

These participants, indexed here, represent some of the most powerful people in the world. They include:

Notes from the 1964 Bilderberg Conference reflect a unified agenda pursued by the elites of Europe and the United States.

The main topics are the NATO military organization and the progress of trade liberalization among the participating nations. Although participants do not always agree, they always presume a common set of goals.

In one exemplary passage, a participant from France explains the apparent divergence from NATO consensus under De Gaulle:

Another passage from the meeting notes is surprisingly frank about the role of nuclear weapons in world politics:

A discussion of US wheat sales to the USSR illustrates the priorities and concerns of the group:

In other words, there is no problem with supplying wheat to Russia; but this Norwegian delegate objects to the apparent prioritization of labor interests above geopolitics—even when the geopolitical issues are illusory and shipping wheat to Russia thus constitutes no threat. The concern is maintaining a Cold War narrative while continuing to advance the interests of multinational corporations.

At the end of the conference, notes reflect a short discussion of the ‘development’ of the 'third world’. The policy described, if understated, in these notes, foreshadows decades of subsequent practice:

The Conference is covered by the New York Times and Washington Post, if not by smaller outlets. Little is revealed about the nature of the meeting or the content of the discussions.