Every time the secretive Bilderberg Group has met at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, Virginia, U.S. policy has been at the forefront of discussions between the government and corporate gurus who gather behind tight security. In 2002, the hotel hosted the Bilderbergs as President George W. Bush was leading the United States into a war with Iraq. And in 2008 and 2012, the major items for discussion at the Chantilly venue were the U.S. presidential elections, both of which saw wins for Barack Obama.
This year, the Bilderbergers are discussing in Chantilly the ramifications of the Donald Trump presidency on the “international order.” Also on the agenda are the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum to quit the European Union; information warfare and the dissemination of “fake news;” the threat of “populism” as seen around the world, especially in France, the Philippines, Turkey, the Netherlands, Austria, and most of all, the United States; and how populism is threatening globalist institutions like the EU, NATO, and the United Nations.
The attendance list of those gathered in Chantilly from June 1–4 represents the usual collection of the elite of government, business, and the media. Turkey is represented by a large number of diplomats, journalists, and business leaders, which is likely an indication of the concerns the Bilderbergers have about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s transformation of Turkey into a Eurasian Islamist power not linked to the European Union.
Former CIA Director John Brennan is present at the conference representing Kissinger and Associates, his new employer. As is the case with almost every Bilderberg Conference in the last 50 years, Brennan’s nonagenarian boss, Henry Kissinger, is also present at the confab. The CIA is well-represented at this year’s Bilderberg meeting, with former CIA Director David Petraeus and Deputy Director David Cohen also in attendance. The Trump administration is represented by National Security Adviser General H. R. McMaster, his assistant Nancy Schadlow, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Peter Thiel, Trump’s friend and president of Thiel Capital, is also at Bilderberg. The presence of any Trump administration official at Bilderberg will not be appreciated by Trump’s anti-globalist base, which is well-represented by vocal protesters gathered outside the security perimeter of the Marriott.
The official list of attendees issued in recent years by the Bilderberg Group is believed by many observers of the gathering not to represent the actual participants. In 2008 and 2012, it is believed that presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Mitt Romney all secretly appeared at the Chantilly meeting. As president, Trump has spent a fair amount of time at the Trump National Golf Club in nearby Sterling, Virginia. With all of the limousines and black SUVs entering and exiting the Westfields Marriott, a covert appearance by Trump at the meeting cannot be completely ruled out. And with the White House Press Corps being frozen out of many presidential events, a cameo appearance by Trump or Vice President Mike Pence at Bilderberg could easily be pulled off without the media’s knowledge. Media execs attending Bilderberg are forbidden to discuss what occurs behind the closed doors of the four-day meeting.
The following is the official Bilderberg 2017 participants list issued by the Bilderberg Group:
CHAIRMAN
Castries, Henri de (FRA), Former Chairman and CEO, AXA; President of Institut Montaigne
PARTICIPANTS
Achleitner, Paul M. (DEU), Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG
Adonis, Andrew (GBR), Chair, National Infrastructure Commission
Agius, Marcus (GBR), Chairman, PA Consulting Group
Akyol, Mustafa (TUR), Senior Visiting Fellow, Freedom Project at Wellesley College
Alstadheim, Kjetil B. (NOR), Political Editor, Dagens Næringsliv
Altman, Roger C. (USA), Founder and Senior Chairman, Evercore
Arnaut, José Luis (PRT), Managing Partner, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut
Barroso, José M. Durão (PRT), Chairman, Goldman Sachs International
Bäte, Oliver (DEU), CEO, Allianz SE
Baumann, Werner (DEU), Chairman, Bayer AG
Baverez, Nicolas (FRA), Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Benko, René (AUT), Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board, SIGNA Holding GmbH
Berner, Anne-Catherine (FIN), Minister of Transport and Communications
Botín, Ana P. (ESP), Executive Chairman, Banco Santander
Brandtzæg, Svein Richard (NOR), President and CEO, Norsk Hydro ASA
Brennan, John O. (USA), Senior Advisor, Kissinger Associates Inc.
Bsirske, Frank (DEU), Chairman, United Services Union
Buberl, Thomas (FRA), CEO, AXA
Bunn, M. Elaine (USA), Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Burns, William J. (USA), President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Çakiroglu, Levent (TUR), CEO, Koç Holding A.S.
Çamlibel, Cansu (TUR), Washington DC Bureau Chief, Hürriyet Newspaper
Cebrián, Juan Luis (ESP), Executive Chairman, PRISA and El País
Clemet, Kristin (NOR), CEO, Civita
Cohen, David S. (USA), Former Deputy Director, CIA
Collison, Patrick (USA), CEO, Stripe
Cotton, Tom (USA), Senator
Cui, Tiankai (CHN), Ambassador to the US
Döpfner, Mathias (DEU), CEO, Axel Springer SE
Elkann, John (ITA), Chairman, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Enders, Thomas (DEU), CEO, Airbus SE
Federspiel, Ulrik (DNK), Group Executive, Haldor Topsøe Holding A/S
Ferguson, Jr., Roger W. (USA), President and CEO, TIAA
Ferguson, Niall (USA), Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Gianotti, Fabiola (ITA), Director General, CERN
Gozi, Sandro (ITA), State Secretary for European Affairs
Graham, Lindsey (USA), Senator
Greenberg, Evan G. (USA), Chairman and CEO, Chubb Group
Griffin, Kenneth (USA), Founder and CEO, Citadel Investment Group, LLC
Gruber, Lilli (ITA), Editor-in-Chief and Anchor “Otto e mezzo,” La7 TV
Guindos, Luis de (ESP), Minister of Economy, Industry and Competiveness
Haines, Avril D. (USA), Former Deputy National Security Advisor
Halberstadt, Victor (NLD), Professor of Economics, Leiden University
Hamers, Ralph (NLD), Chairman, ING Group
Hedegaard, Connie (DNK), Chair, KR Foundation
Hennis-Plasschaert, Jeanine (NLD), Minister of Defence, The Netherlands
Hobson, Mellody (USA), President, Ariel Investments LLC
Hoffman, Reid (USA), Co-Founder, LinkedIn and Partner, Greylock
Houghton, Nicholas (GBR), Former Chief of Defence
Ischinger, Wolfgang (INT), Chairman, Munich Security Conference
Jacobs, Kenneth M. (USA), Chairman and CEO, Lazard
Johnson, James A. (USA), Chairman, Johnson Capital Partners
Jordan, Jr., Vernon E. (USA), Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
Karp, Alex (USA), CEO, Palantir Technologies
Kengeter, Carsten (DEU), CEO, Deutsche Börse AG
Kissinger, Henry A. (USA), Chairman, Kissinger Associates Inc.
Klatten, Susanne (DEU), Managing Director, SKion GmbH
Kleinfeld, Klaus (USA), Former Chairman and CEO, Arconic
Knot, Klaas H.W. (NLD), President, De Nederlandsche Bank
Koç, Ömer M. (TUR), Chairman, Koç Holding A.S.
Kotkin, Stephen (USA), Professor in History and International Affairs, Princeton University
Kravis, Henry R. (USA), Co-Chairman and Co-CEO, KKR
Kravis, Marie-Josée (USA), Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Kudelski, André (CHE), Chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group
Lagarde, Christine (INT), Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Lenglet, François (FRA), Chief Economics Commentator, France 2
Leysen, Thomas (BEL), Chairman, KBC Group
Liddell, Christopher (USA), Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Initiatives
Lööf, Annie (SWE), Party Leader, Centre Party
Mathews, Jessica T. (USA), Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
McAuliffe, Terence (USA), Governor of Virginia
McKay, David I. (CAN), President and CEO, Royal Bank of Canada
McMaster, H.R. (USA), National Security Advisor
Mexia, António Luís Guerra Nunes (PRT), President, Eurelectric and CEO, EDP Energias de Portugal
Micklethwait, John (INT), Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg LP
Minton Beddoes, Zanny (INT), Editor-in-Chief, The Economist
Molinari, Maurizio (ITA), Editor-in-Chief, La Stampa
Monaco, Lisa (USA), Former Homeland Security Officer
Morneau, Bill (CAN), Minister of Finance
Mundie, Craig J. (USA), President, Mundie & Associates
Murtagh, Gene M. (IRL), CEO, Kingspan Group plc
Netherlands, H.M. the King of the (NLD)
Noonan, Peggy (USA), Author and Columnist, The Wall Street Journal
O’Leary, Michael (IRL), CEO, Ryanair D.A.C.
Osborne, George (GBR), Editor, London Evening Standard
Papahelas, Alexis (GRC), Executive Editor, Kathimerini Newspaper
Papalexopoulos, Dimitri (GRC), CEO, Titan Cement Co.
Petraeus, David H. (USA), Chairman, KKR Global Institute
Pind, Søren (DNK), Minister for Higher Education and Science
Puga, Benoît (FRA), Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor and Chancellor of the National Order of Merit
Rachman, Gideon (GBR), Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, The Financial Times
Reisman, Heather M. (CAN), Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.
Rivera Díaz, Albert (ESP), President, Ciudadanos Party
Rosén, Johanna (SWE), Professor in Materials Physics, Linköping University
Ross, Wilbur L. (USA), Secretary of Commerce
Rubenstein, David M. (USA), Co-Founder and Co-CEO, The Carlyle Group
Rubin, Robert E. (USA), Co-Chair, Council on Foreign Relations and Former Treasury Secretary
Ruoff, Susanne (CHE), CEO, Swiss Post
Rutten, Gwendolyn (BEL), Chair, Open VLD
Sabia, Michael (CAN), CEO, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Sawers, John (GBR), Chairman and Partner, Macro Advisory Partners
Schadlow, Nadia (USA), Deputy Assistant to the President, National Security Council
Schmidt, Eric E. (USA), Executive Chairman, Alphabet Inc.
Schneider-Ammann, Johann N. (CHE), Federal Councillor, Swiss Confederation
Scholten, Rudolf (AUT), President, Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue
Severgnini, Beppe (ITA), Editor-in-Chief, 7-Corriere della Sera
Sikorski, Radoslaw (POL), Senior Fellow, Harvard University
Slat, Boyan (NLD), CEO and Founder, The Ocean Cleanup
Spahn, Jens (DEU), Parliamentary State Secretary and Federal Ministry of Finance
Stephenson, Randall L. (USA), Chairman and CEO, AT&T
Stern, Andrew (USA), President Emeritus, SEIU and Senior Fellow, Economic Security Project
Stoltenberg, Jens (INT), Secretary General, NATO
Summers, Lawrence H. (USA), Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University
Tertrais, Bruno (FRA), Deputy Director, Fondation pour la recherche stratégique
Thiel, Peter (USA), President, Thiel Capital
Topsøe, Jakob Haldor (DNK), Chairman, Haldor Topsøe Holding A/S
Ülgen, Sinan (TUR), Founding and Partner, Istanbul Economics
Vance, J.D. (USA), Author and Partner, Mithril
Wahlroos, Björn (FIN), Chairman, Sampo Group, Nordea Bank, UPM-Kymmene Corporation
Wallenberg, Marcus (SWE), Chairman, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB
Walter, Amy (USA), Editor, The Cook Political Report
Weston, Galen G. (CAN), CEO and Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Ltd and George Weston Companies
White, Sharon (GBR), Chief Executive, Ofcom
Wieseltier, Leon (USA), Isaiah Berlin Senior Fellow in Culture and Policy, The Brookings Institution
Wolf, Martin H. (INT), Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
Wolfensohn, James D. (USA), Chairman and CEO, Wolfensohn & Company
Wunsch, Pierre (BEL), Vice-Governor, National Bank of Belgium
Zeiler, Gerhard (AUT), President, Turner International
Zients, Jeffrey D. (USA), Former Director, National Economic Council
Zoellick, Robert B. (USA), Non-Executive Chairman, AllianceBernstein L.P.
Previously published in the Wayne Madsen Report.
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Wayne Madsen is a Washington, DC-based investigative journalist and nationally-distributed columnist. He is the editor and publisher of the Wayne Madsen Report (subscription required).
