Of
all the New World Order conspiracy theories, this one sounds the most
plausible. They are a real organization that meets once or, at most,
twice a year, renting out entire floors of remote and expensive hotels.
No one knows who the members are, except other members, of which there
may be 20, or several hundred.
They are thought to be powerful financiers, businessmen, politicians,
and generals, whose sole intent is to control the world’s economies,
wars, politics, anything that helps them make money.
Henry Kissinger is known to have been a member at one time. Tony Blair
is rumored to be one. Both Bushes are rumored to be members, as is
Vladimir Putin.
The original conference was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg, near Arnhem
in the Netherlands, from 29 to 31 May 1954. It was initiated by several
people, including Polish politicians Józef Retinger and Andrew Nielsen,
concerned about the growth of anti-Americanism in Western Europe, who
proposed an international
conference at which leaders from European countries and the United
States would be brought together with the aim of promoting Atlanticism –
better understanding between the cultures of the United States and
Western Europe to foster cooperation on political, economic, and defense
issues. Retinger approached Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands who
agreed to promote the idea, together with former Belgian Prime Minister Paul Van
Zeeland, and the head of Unilever at that time, Dutchman Paul Rijkens.
Bernhard in turn contacted Walter Bedell Smith, then head of the CIA,
who asked Eisenhower adviser Charles Douglas Jackson to deal with the
suggestion. The guest list was to be drawn up by inviting two attendees
from each nation, one of each to represent conservative and liberal
points of view. Fifty delegates from 11 countries in Western Europe
attended the first conference, along with 11 Americans.
http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/bilderberg-group.html
Masonic conspiracy theories are conspiracy theories involving Freemasonry; hundreds of such conspiracy theories have been described since the late 18th century. Generally, these theories fall into three distinct categories: political (usually involving allegations of control of government, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom), religious (usually involving allegations of anti-Christian or Satanic beliefs or practices), and cultural (usually involving popular entertainment). Many conspiracy theory writers have connected Freemasons (and the Knights Templar) with worship of the devil; these ideas are based on misinterpretations of the doctrines of those organizations.
Of the claims that Freemasonry exerts control over politics, perhaps the best-known example is the New World Order theory, but there are others. These mainly involve aspects and agencies of the United States government, but actual events outside the US (such as the Propaganda Due scandal in Italy) are often used to lend credence to claims.
Another set of theories has to do with Freemasonry and religion, particularly that Freemasonry deals with "the occult". These theories have their beginnings in the Taxil hoax.[9][10] In addition to these, there are various theories that focus on the embedding of symbols in otherwise ordinary items, such as street patterns, national seals, etc.
There are Masonic conspiracy theories dealing with every aspect of society. The majority of these theories are based on one or more of the following assumptions:
* That Freemasonry is its own religion, requires belief in a unique Masonic "god", and that belief in this Masonic "god" is contrary to the teachings of various mainstream religions (although usually noted in terms of being specifically contrary to Christian belief.)
* That the 33rd degree of the Scottish Rite is more than an honorary degree, coupled with the belief that most Freemasons are unaware of hidden or secretive ruling bodies within their organization that govern them, conduct occult ritual, or control various positions of governmental power.
* That there is a centralized worldwide body that controls all Masonic Grand Lodges, and thus, all of Freemasonry worldwide acts in a unified manner.
More at Freemasons Secrets and FreeMason Conspiracy
