From Bilderberg to Interview: How Peter Thiel’s ‘Secret Society’ Reveals the New Elite

Nothing seems to attract those in power like secret societies. Nothing seems to reward corruption more than secret societies. And nothing seems to capture the public’s attention like secret societies. That’s why the leak of Peter Thiel’s “secret society” is confirmation that there is a new layer at the highest levels of the system. Not because a “secret society” exists, but because it was “leaked” that it exists.

There is a tradition in Western elite circles—although I am not very familiar with other political cultures, such as China or India—to form secret societies. They are not really hidden, like trying to be completely anonymous to the public, but they maintain a strict secret. Attendees and topics are off the record, but they aim to influence public decision-making.

The authoritative study of these communities was first laid out by Carroll Quigley in his often cited book. Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Times. In it, the author—a historian and professor at Georgetown University—documented the existence and evolution of an elite and influential network.

In 1891, statesman Cecil Rhodes, along with journalist William T. Stead, Lord Esher, and Alfred Milner, founded the “Circle of Initiates” There are differences regarding the existence of this group, as it intended to function as a secret society. Circle of Initiates it was an inner group, and around it a Society of Helpers was formed.

The main task was to create a secret pressure group capable of uniting the English-speaking world and bringing all habitable parts of the world under the influence of the British elite. It seeks to promote British culture, law, and economic dominance in order to bring about global stability, viewing the British Empire as a way to preserve global civilization.

However, when Alfred Milner took over as leader of the group, the community took a more public approach with the Round Table movement in 1909. Through what became known as the “Milner School”—a group of young men enrolled at Oxford—they assumed influential positions in communications, academia, and government. The group acted as a coordinated vehicle and set up Round Table groups in the British Dominions.

Their task was to act as high-level negotiations and lobbying networks to encourage closer political and economic integration between the United States and the British Empire, gradually preparing the countries for a post-national world order.

There are two important aspects that are often overlooked in this otherwise known history. The first, is that it is modeled on the way the Jesuits have been working for centuries, it shows the continuity of this program even though there are different actors. Second, that “Milner’s Kindergarten” was put together to help rebuild South Africa after the Boer War.

The Boer War could be read as a turning point in political history that closed the 19th century and heralded future wars in the 20th. The British Empire’s war against the Boers was driven by the interests of a new group, an oligarchy of private international bankers and resource-rich masters—especially those who controlled South Africa’s gold and diamonds. Through war, a global power structure separated from elected governments or traditional rulers asserted its dominance. The purpose of “Milner’s kindergarten” was to rebuild South Africa according to their needs.

In 1919, at the Paris Peace Conference, these British and American intellectuals decided to create permanent, permanent bodies to work together. In the UK, this was the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House); in the US, it became the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which in the early decades worked largely in line with the interests of JP Morgan and Company.

Later organizations, such as the Bilderberg Group, the Club of Rome, or the Trilateral Commission, followed this successful approach. Although Milner’s Group wanted to unite the English-speaking world under the British Empire, it tried to unite Western Europe with the Anglo-American Empire to confront the Soviet Union. As written, the European Union was born, or at least conceived, within these groups.

The World Economic Forum can be read as a public, less transparent, but similar organization with the goal of financially and digitally integrating other areas under Western influence. All private meetings held at Davos or the organizations listed above, especially the Bilderberg Group, operate under the Chatham House Rule. Participants are free and encouraged to use the information and ideas they hear, but are strictly prohibited from revealing the identity or organization of the speakers or any other participant.

The Bilderberg group, founded in 1954, remained outside public scrutiny for decades. It was at the beginning of this century—thanks to the work of journalist Jim Tucker, who had been following the annual meetings for many years, and Daniel Estulin, who claims to have worked for the KGB in its final years and who published this book. The True Story of the Bilderberg Group in 2005—that more information about them is known.

It could be argued that it took the public nearly 50 years to begin to crack the inner workings of the Bilderberg Group. However, it has only taken about 20 years, since it was founded in 2006 by Peter Thiel and Auren Hoffman, for the public to join Dialog, its secret society.

I highly doubt the supposed leaks. According to Wired, which confirmed and published it, “the reference was embedded in the dialog.org code, a blank page, and served to any visitor who viewed the page’s source.” Thiel, who co-founded PayPal and Palantir and may be the best data hider in the world, has left the “secret community” directory unmonitored by almost anyone.

I find it very plausible that this, like most leaks, was a well-organized event to inform the public about this “secret society.” Because such societies are a symbol of power, they show that those behind them have their own agendas. It is also possible that data is left open due to incompetence or neglect. However, even so, it doesn’t change the basic idea that they didn’t care enough to hide it. And the result is the same.

Wired says “the website names Trump administration officials, two US presidents, six members of the PayPal Mafia, a former Middle East intelligence chief, and an ambassador to the United States, as well as the founders and directors of several national surveillance, data-broker, and advertising data companies.”

Publications talk about sometimes off the record, operating under the Chatham House Act, and ranging from “How’s Your Sex Life” (notably, the organization also hosts a matching app for participants) to “Return Nuclear,” “Navigating WWIII,” “Battlefield Technologies,” or “How to Build.” It also says that “what unites the list more than any title or office is a shared focus on artificial intelligence, longevity, and the near future”.

The purpose of these organizations is to build consensus among a group of influential people in various fields, from the media to business, academia, and government. This consensus is then reflected in the law, the educational articles that give you a foundation, the media that promotes it, and the businesses that profit from it. The model is not new.

And that’s a telling sign. I have argued that many of the events we see taking place, from geopolitical movements to financial decisions, are directed to protect and promote the interests of a new class that has reached the highest positions of systemic power. They reorganized finance, military, surveillance, industry, entertainment, academia, and Government. The combined value of the US stock market remains between 75 and 80 billion dollars. The ten largest US companies are all technology companies and represent about a third of the total US market value, or 28 billion dollars. For reference, that is more than the GDP of China, the EU or Russia.

And I have argued that this tightly knit oligarchy knows each other, talks to each other, and fights or helps each other. The fact that the Dialog has been made public is an indication that they are already sitting comfortably in their seats and that, far from fearing public scrutiny, they are eager for it.