What is the Trillateral Commission?
14/10/2010 23:01Established
Speaking at the Chase Manhattan International Financial Forums in London, Brussels, Montreal, and Paris, Rockefeller proposed the creation of an International Commission of Peace and Prosperity in early 1972 (which would later become the Trilateral Commission). At the 1972 Bilderberg meeting, the idea was widely accepted, but elsewhere, it got a cold reception. According to Rockefeller, the organization could "be of help to government by providing measured judgment."
Zbigniew Brzezinski,[2] a professor at Columbia University and a Rockefeller advisor who was a specialist on international affairs, left his post to organize the group along with:
- Henry D. Owen (a Foreign Policy Studies Director with the Brookings Institution)
- George S. Franklin
- Robert R. Bowie (of the Foreign Policy Association and Director of the Harvard Center for International Affairs)
- Gerard C. Smith (Salt I negotiator, Rockefeller in-law, and its first North American Chairman)
- Marshall Hornblower (former partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering)
- William Scranton (former Governor of Pennsylvania)
- Edwin Reischauer (a professor at Harvard)
- Max Kohnstamm (European Policy Centre)
Other founding members included Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker, both eventually heads of the Federal Reserve system.
Funding for the group came from David Rockefeller, the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.
[edit] Activity history
In July 1972, Rockefeller called his first meeting, which was held at Rockefeller's Pocantico compound in New York's Hudson Valley. It was attended by about 250 individuals who were carefully selected and screened by Rockefeller and represented the very elite of finance and industry.
Its first executive committee meeting was held in Tokyo in October 1973. The Trilateral Commission was officially initiated, holding biannual meetings.
A Trilateral Commission Task Force Report, presented at the 1975 meeting in Kyoto, Japan, called An Outline for Remaking World Trade and Finance, said: "Close Trilateral cooperation in keeping the peace, in managing the world economy, and in fostering economic development and in alleviating world poverty, will improve the chances of a smooth and peaceful evolution of the global system." Another Commission document read:
"The overriding goal is to make the world safe for interdependence by protecting the benefits which it provides for each country against external and internal threats which will constantly emerge from those willing to pay a price for more national autonomy. This may sometimes require slowing the pace at which interdependence proceeds, and checking some aspects of it. More frequently however, it will call for checking the intrusion of national government into the international exchange of both economic and non-economic goods."
In May 1976, the first plenary meeting of all of the Commission's regional groups took place in Kyoto, attended by Jimmy Carter.[3] Today it consists of approximately 300–350 private citizens from Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and North America, and exists to promote closer political and economic cooperation between these areas, which are the primary industrial regions in the world.[3] Its official journal from its founding is a magazine called Trialogue.
Membership is divided into numbers proportionate to each of its three regional areas. These members include corporate CEOs, politicians of all major parties, distinguished academics, university presidents, labor union leaders and not-for-profits involved in overseas philanthropy. Members who gain a position in their respective country's government must resign from the Commission. The North American continent is represented by 107 members (15 Canadian, seven Mexican and 85 U.S. citizens). The European group has reached its limit of 150 members, including citizens from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
At first, Asia and Oceania were represented only by Japan. However, in 2000 the Japanese group of 85 members expanded itself, becoming the Pacific Asia group, composed of 117 members: 75 Japanese, 11 South Koreans, seven Australian and New Zealand citizens, and 15 members from the ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand). The Pacific Asia group also includes nine members from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
[edit] US Administration ties
In his book Radical Priorities, Noam Chomsky said this:
“ | Perhaps the most striking feature of the new Administration is the role played in it by the Trilateral Commission. The mass media had little to say about this matter during the Presidential campaign -- in fact, the connection of the Carter group to the Commission was recently selected as "the best censored news story of 1976" -- and it has not received the attention that it might have since the Administration took office. All of the top positions in the government -- the office of President, Vice-President, Secretary of State, Defense and Treasury -- are held by members of the Trilateral Commission, and the National Security Advisor was its director. Many lesser officials also came from this group. It is rare for such an easily identified private group to play such a prominent role in an American Administration. | ” |
—The Carter Administration: Myth and Reality, Excerpted from Radical Priorities, 1981 Noam Chomsky[4] |
[edit] Criticisms
The John Birch Society believes that the Trilateral Commission is dedicated to the formation of one world government.[5] Conservative Democratic congressman from Georgia and second head of the John Birch Society, Larry McDonald, introduced American Legion National Convention Resolution 773 to the House of Representatives calling for a congressional investigation into the Trilateral Commission.
Certain critics, such as Alex Jones, an American paleoconservative of "The Obama Deception" documentary, claim the "Commission constitutes a conspiracy seeking to gain control of the U.S. Government to create a new world order." Mike Thompson, Chairman of the Florida Conservative Union, said: "It puts emphasis on interdependence, which is a nice euphemism for one-world government."
Senator Barry Goldwater wrote in his book With No Apologies: "In my view, the Trilateral Commission represents a skillful, coordinated effort to seize control and consolidate the four centers of power: political, monetary, intellectual, and ecclesiastical. All this is to be done in the interest of creating a more peaceful, more productive world community. What the Trilateralists truly intend is the creation of a worldwide economic power superior to the political governments of the nation-states involved. They believe the abundant materialism they propose to create will overwhelm existing differences. As managers and creators of the system they will rule the future."
In his 2008 book "Making Government Work," former South Carolina Senator Ernest Hollings cited the Trilateral Commission as a negative influence on President Carter in his pro free trade and U.S. textile policies.
[edit] Membership
Trilateral Commission statutes exclude persons holding public office from membership. [3]
"Several of whom had been involved with the Trilateral Commission, but then that's almost everybody at one time or another."[6] This comment was made during an exit interview by the White House Adviser on Domestic and Foreign Policy, Hedley Donovan, under President Jimmy Carter, in reference to when he was gathering a group of foreign policy figures to convene during the Soviet brigade in Cuba. [4] [5] Although initially opposed to Trilateral, “President Reagan ultimately came to understand Trilateral’s value and invited the entire membership to a reception at the White House in April 1984”, noted David Rockefeller in his memoirs.[7]
[edit] Current Chairmen
- North America: Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor and former Dean, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; former Chair, National Intelligence Council and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.[8]
- Europe: Peter Sutherland, Irish businessman and former politician associated with the Fine Gael party; former Attorney General of Ireland and European Commissioner in the first Delors Commission; former Director General of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the precursor to the World Trade Organization; Chairman of BP and Goldman Sachs International.[9]
- Pacific Asia: Yotaro Kobayashi, Chief Corporate Adviser, Fuji Xerox Company, Ltd.;[10] Board member of Callaway Golf Company, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), Sony Corporation, and American Productivity & Quality Center; life-time trustee of Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives); Chairman of the Aspen Institute, Japan.[11][12]
[edit] Current Deputy Chairmen
North America:
- Allan Gotlieb, Senior Adviser, Bennett Jones LLP, Toronto, ON; Chairman, Sotheby's, Canada; former Canadian Ambassador to the United States[13]
- Lorenzo Zambrano, Chairman and CEO, Cemex SAB de CV, Monterrey, Mexico (since 1985); board member at IBM and Citigroup[14]
Europe:
- Herve de Carmoy, Chairman, Almatis, Frankfurt-am-Main; former Partner, Rhône Group, New York & Paris; Honorary Chairman, Banque Industrielle et Mobilière Privée, Paris; former Chief Executive, Société Générale de Belgique[15]
- Andrzej Olechowski, Founder, Civic Platform; former Chairman, Bank Handlowy; former Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Finance, Warsaw[16]
Pacific Asia:
- Han Sung-Joo, President, Korea University [6], Seoul; former Korean Minister for Foreign Affairs; former Korean Ambassador to the United States[17]
- Shijuro Ogata, Former Deputy Governor, Japan Development Bank; former Deputy Governor for International Relations, Bank of Japan[7][18]
[edit] Current directors
- North America: Michael J. O'Neil[19]
- Europe: Paul Révay[19]
- Pacific Asia: Tadashi Yamaoto[19]
[edit] Former Chairmen
North America:
- Thomas S. Foley (2001–2008)[20]
- Paul A. Volcker (1991–2001) Honorary and former North American Chairman;[21] Chairman of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board;[22] former Chairman, Board of Governors, U.S. Federal Reserve System [8] from 1979 to 1987; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Group of Thirty; former Chairman, Wolfensohn & Co., Inc., New York; Frederick H. Schultz Professor Emeritus, International Economic Policy, Princeton University;
- David Rockefeller (1977–91) Founder of the Trilateral Commission and Honorary North American Chairman; Chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank board from 1969 to 1981; Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1970 to 1985, now honorary Chairman; a life member of the Bilderberg Group.[23]
- Gerard C. Smith (1973–77)[19]
Europe:
- Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1992–2001) Honorary European Chairman[24]
- Georges Berthoin (1976–92) Honorary European Chairman[25]
- Max Kohnstamm (1973–76)[19]
Pacific Asia:
- Kiichi Miyazawa, Acting Chairman (1993–97)[26]
- Akio Morita (1992–93)[19]
- Isamu Yamashita (1985–92)[19]
- Takeshi Watanabe (1973–85)[19]
[edit] Former directors
North America:
- Zbigniew Brzezinski (1973–1976), U.S. National Security Advisor to U.S. President Jimmy Carter (1977–1981); Counselor, Center for Strategic and International Studies[9], Washington DC; Robert Osgood Professor of American Foreign Affairs, Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University; former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs; Policy Planning Council of the Department of State (1966–1968).[19][27]
Europe:
Pacific Asia:
[edit] Executive Committee
- Erik Belfrage, Senior Vice President, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken; Director, Investor AB, Stockholm[19]
- C. Fred Bergsten, Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Washington DC; former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs[19]
- Georges Berthoin, International Honorary Chairman, European Movement [10]; Honorary Chairman, The Jean Monnet Association; Honorary European Chairman, The Trilateral Commission[19]
- Jorge Braga de Macedo, President, Tropical Research Institute, Lisbon; Professor of Economics, Nova University at Lisbon [11]; Chairman, Forum Portugal Global; former Minister of Finance[19]
- François Bujon de l'Estang, Ambassadeur de France; Chairman, Citigroup France, Paris; former Ambassador to the United States[19]
- Richard Conroy, Chairman, Conroy Diamonds & Gold [12], Dublin; Member of Senate, Republic of Ireland[19]
- Vladimir Dlouhy, Senior Advisor, ABB Group[13]; International Advisor, Goldman Sachs; former Czechoslovak Minister of Economy; former Czech Minister of Industry & Trade, Prague[19]
- Bill Emmott, former Editor, The Economist, London[19]
- Nemesio Fernandez-Cuesta, Executive Director of Upstream, Repsol-YPF; former Chairman, Prensa Española, Madrid[19]
- Michael Fuchs, Member of the German Bundestag; former President, National Federation of German Wholesale & Foreign Trade, Berlin[19]
- Antonio Garrigues Walker, Chairman, Garrigues Abogados y Asesores Tributarios [14], Madrid
- Toyoo Gyohten, President, The Institute for International Monetary Affairs [15]; Senior Advisor, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, UFJ, Ltd., Tokyo[19]
- Stuart Harris, Professor of International Relations, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies [16], Australian National University; former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canberra[19]
- Carla A. Hills, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hills & Company [17], Washington, DC; board member, Time Warner Inc. with Ted Turner[28]; former U.S. Trade Representative[18] (1989–1993); former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development [19]; former United States Assistant Attorney General; chair, The Inter American Dialogue and of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, co-chair, The International Advisory Board of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, member, The Executive Committee[29] of the Peterson Institute for International Economics[19][30]
- Karen Elliott House, Writer, Princeton, NJ; Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs [20], John F. Kennedy School of Government [21], Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; former Senior Vice President, Dow Jones & Company, and Publisher, The Wall Street Journal[19]
- Mugur Isărescu, Governor, National Bank of Romania [22], Bucharest; former Prime Minister of Romania[19]
- Baron Daniel Janssen, Honorary Chairman, Solvay, Brussels[19]
- Béla Kadar, Member of the Hungarian Academy [23], Budapest; Member of the Monetary Council of the National Bank [24]; President of the Hungarian Economic Association; former Ambassador of Hungary to the O.E.C.D., Paris; former Hungarian Minister of International Economic Relations and Member of Parliament[19]
- The Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Non-Executive Director of Royal Dutch Shell; Member of the House of Lords [25]; Director of Rio Tinto, the Scottish American Investment Trust, London; former Secretary General, European Convention [26], Brussels; former Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of the Diplomatic Service, Foreign & Commonwealth Office[27], London; former British Ambassador to the United States[19]
- Sixten Korkman, Managing Director, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy [28] (ETLA) and Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA), Helsinki[19]
- Otto Graf Lambsdorff, Partner, Wessing Lawyers, Düsseldorf; Chairman, Friedrich Naumann Foundation [29], Berlin; former Member of German Bundestag; Honorary Chairman, Free Democratic Party; former Federal Minister of Economy; former President of the Liberal International; Honorary European Chairman, The Trilateral Commission, Paris[19]
- Lee Hong-Koo, Chairman, Seoul Forum for International Affairs; former Prime Minister of Korea; former Korean Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the United States[19]
- Marianne Lie, Director General, Norwegian Shipowners Association, Oslo[19]
- Cees Maas, Honorary Vice Chairman of the ING Group and former Chief Financial Officer, Amsterdam; former Treasurer of the Dutch Government[19]
- Roy MacLaren, former Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom; former Canadian Minister of International Trade[30]; Toronto, ON[19]
- Minoru Makihara, Senior Corporate Advisor, Mitsubishi Corporation, Tokyo[19]
- Sir Deryck C. Maughan, Managing Director and Chairman, KKR Asia, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., New York, NY; former Vice Chairman, Citigroup[19]
- Minoru Murofushi, Counselor, ITOCHU Corporation, Tokyo[19]
- Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, NY[19]
- Yoshio Okawara, President, Institute for International Policy Studies, Tokyo; former Japanese Ambassador to the United States[19]
- Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in the Obama administration; Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies and Global Economy and Development Programs, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC; former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council; foreign policy advisor to President Barack Obama.[19][31]
- Luis Rubio, President, Center of Research for Development (CIDAC), Mexico City, DF[19]
- Silvio Scaglia, Founder, Chairman and Financial Backer of Babelgum, London; Chairman, S.M.S. Finance S.A., Luxembourg[19]
- Guido Schmidt-Chiari, Chairman, Supervisory Board, Constantia Group; former Chairman, Creditanstalt Bankverein, Vienna[19]
- Carlo Secchi, Professor of European Economic Policy and former Rector, Bocconi University; Vice President, ISPI, Milan; former Member of the Italian Senate and of the European Parliament [31][19]
- Tøger Seidenfaden, Editor-in-Chief, Politiken, Copenhagen[19]
- Petar Stoyanov, former President of the Republic of Bulgaria; Member of the Bulgarian Parliament; Chairman, Parliamentary Group of United Democratic Forces; Chairman, Union of the Democratic Forces (Bulgaria); Sofia