Why the mysterious Bilderberg meetings have spawned countless conspiracy theories about a global elite secretly controlling the world

Attendees at the behind-closed-doors gatherings, which have taken place since 1954, include bank bosses, political figures, CEOs and scientists

Erica Doyle Higgins

Published: 13:06, 7 Jun 2018
Updated: 10:19, 20 Jul 2018

THE secrecy surrounding the Bilderberg meetings between some of the most powerful people in the world have spawned countless conspiracy theories since its inception in 1954.

Held behind closed doors, the global elite discuss world affairs - but some claim the conferences are attempting to create a New World Order and control global politics.

A woman protests at the 2015 Bilderberg meeting in AustriaCredit: AFP - Getty

Ahead of this year's meeting, starting today in Turin, we take a look at the controversial gathering and find out who's invited and what they'll be discussing.

What are the Bilderberg meetings?

Bilderberg meetings are invitation-only annual forums for "informal discussions" between industry leaders from Europe and North America on "megatrends" and major world issues.

Participants are invited if they can "bring an interesting perspective to discussions and can offer a different point of view".

Every year, between 120-150 political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media flock to the meeting.

A secretive think tank, the gathering are held under the Chatham House Rule - meaning attendees are free to use the information they receive at the meetings, but cannot identify the speakers or any other participants.

There is no detailed agenda, no resolutions, no votes and no policy statements are issued at the meetings and they're also closed to reporting journalists - "to encourage the highest level of openness and dialogue", the Bilderberg Group says.

This year's meeting kicks off in TurinCredit: Alamy

What are the conspiracy theories surrounding the Bilderberg meetings?

The secrecy around the meetings has resulted in accusations and conspiracy theories that the group is attempting to found a New World Order made up of bank bosses, big corporations and political leaders - and even that the group controls global politics.

In 2000, British politician Denis Healey - who had been involved in Bilderberg for decades - told the Guardian: "To say we were striving for a one-world government is exaggerated, but not wholly unfair.

"Those of us in Bilderberg felt we couldn’t go on forever fighting one another for nothing and killing people and rendering millions homeless. So we felt that a single community throughout the world would be a good thing."

Theorists also claim the inclusion of Bill Clinton at the meetings in 1991 - before he became US President - and Tony Blair’s attendance in 1993 - before he became PM - are examples of the group’s power.

Denis Healey, above, said: 'To say we were striving for a one-world government is exaggerated, but not wholly unfair'Credit: Getty - Contributor

Bilderberg attendees have denied controlling global politics but one member told the Guardian that some meetings had influenced international affairs.

The man said: "During the Falklands war, the British government's request for international sanctions against Argentina fell on stony ground. But at a Bilderberg meeting in, I think, Denmark, David Owen stood up and gave the most fiery speech in favour of imposing them.

"Well, the speech changed a lot of minds. I'm sure that various foreign ministers went back to their respective countries and told their leaders what David Owen had said. And you know what? Sanctions were imposed."

Fidel Castro blasted the Bilderberg meetings as 'manipulating the public to install a world government that knows no borders and is not accountable to anyone but its own self'Credit: AFP - Getty

In her book A Choice, Not an Echo, political activist Phyllis Schlafly suggested that the US Republican Party is controlled by the Bilderberg group and claimed the party was being manipulated by Bilderberg, paving the way for world communism.

In 2010, former Cuban president Fidel Castro wrote an article for the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma in which he cited a book on the meetings, describing the "sinister cliques and the Bilderberg lobbyists" manipulating the public "to install a world government that knows no borders and is not accountable to anyone but its own self".

It has also been claimed that one Bilderberg founder, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, was a member of the Nazis - which he denied in one of the last interviews he gave before his death in 2004, saying: "I can swear this with my hand on the Bible: I was never a Nazi."

Former President of the European Commission and current Chairman of Goldman Sachs International José Manuel Barroso will attend the conference this yearCredit: PA:Press Association

Who's set to attend this year's Bilderberg Meeting?

This year's meeting will be chaired by Henri de Castries, the Chairman of the Institut Mantaigne - a nonprofit, trans-partisan think tank based in Paris, France.

Participants this year include bank bosses, security experts, academics, political figures, columnists, CEOs, construction industry experts, aviation experts and scientists.

Amongst the attendees this year are:

José Manuel Barroso - the former president of the European Commission and current chairman of Goldman Sachs International