In this election year, we're getting a little worried about the person who might be in control of the United States for the next four years. However, is the president really in charge? Popular conspiracy theorists think that he or she is just a puppet, doing the bidding of a secret group behind the scenes. Most people consider that idea nonsense, but guess what? Some of these secret societies might actually have something to them. In this article, we'll shine the light of truth on 10 mysterious organizations that could really be pulling the strings behind the curtain.
Bohemian Club
Every year, some of the most powerful men in the world congregate in Monte Rio, California, for the meeting at Bohemian Grove. Dick Cheney, Henry Kissinger and Theodore Roosevelt are just a few of the known Bohemians, but the secret list is much longer. The
ostensible purpose of the club is to let members blow off steam while hidden from the outside world with smoking, drinking and shenanigans. Many observers believe that high-level backroom deals happen behind closed doors. That theory is bolstered by the fact that in 1942 a meeting at the Grove laid the foundations for the Manhattan Project that led to the development of the atomic bomb.
Freemasons
One of the oldest secret societies in the world, the first Masonic Lodge was opened in London in 1717. You can find lodges in just about every major city, and it's fair to say that world-changing decisions probably aren't happening in most of them. However, rumors of the group's
secret rituals and mysterious connections have dogged them for centuries. There's no denying that many of history's most important men have been Masons -- George Washington, Winston Churchill and Harry Houdini, just to name a few. Theorists allege that their influence in placing Masonic symbols like the eye on the pyramid is part of a long-term plan to control the world.
Committee of 300
Allegedly founded by British royals in 1827, the
Committee of 300 is a lesser-known secret society that some believe is still pulling the strings today. Consisting of high-ranking captains of industry, the 300 were first outed by German foreign minister Walther Rathenau in a 1909 article. When Rathenau was assassinated some years later, one of the killers confessed that he did the deed because he believed Rathenau was one of the 300. Current membership is believed to include the royal families of Europe, the heads of some of America's biggest companies...and obscure British politician Ed Balls. Their activities allegedly prop up the international financial system and work toward a "one world government" where drugs and pornography are legal.
Trilateral Commission
Founded by sultan of industry David Rockefeller in 1973, the
Trilateral Commission is a frequent target of conspiracy theories. The group was ostensibly founded to improve relations between the United States, Japan and Europe, but their methods aren't known to the public. With a roster of names that includes former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan, there's obviously a lot of power going into these meetings. The commission is often implicated in accusations of plotting a "one world government" where national and racial boundaries are eliminated, and one theory is the group was responsible for elevating Jimmy Carter to the presidency.
Illuminati
Conspiracy theorists have been speculating about the
Illuminati for centuries. The original "Bavarian Illuminati" was a group founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1776 to promote reason and science over superstition, but their secretive ways made them a potent blueprint for future organizations. The modern usage of "illuminati" refers to a cabal of powerful people in business and media who allegedly orchestrate both Satanic rituals and major world events. Current alleged members include rapper Jay-Z, former president George W. Bush and Bill Gates. Many rappers have started including traditional Illuminati symbolism in album covers and videos, just fanning the flames of suspicion.
The 1001 Club
On the surface,
the 1001 Club looks as innocent as can be -- it's a financial trust set up by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands to fund operations of the World Wildlife Fund. You know, the beloved nonprofit that saves panda bears from extinction. But some believe that the secretive organization -- its member list has never been released to the public -- might be up to something a little more suspicious. Some alleged members include African dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, Osama Bin Laden's older brother Salem and movie mogul Lew Wasserman. Members meet in varying locations around the globe once a year, and what they discuss is top secret. It's not hard to speculate that they could be doing all kinds of deals behind closed doors.
Council on Foreign Relations
The
Council on Foreign Relations is a fascinating group. On one hand, their positions are very public -- they release reports and press releases about world events. On the other, there's tons of speculation that a hyper-secret inner circle is plotting massive economic and political shifts on the world stage to destabilize governments and reduce individual liberties. The CFR was founded in post-World War II Europe to attempt to normalize relations between formerly hostile nations. It was financed by some of the world's richest bankers, including J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller. Publicly known members include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Coke chairman Muhtar Kent. Whether the council is truly working nefariously behind the scenes to shape the world is still unknown.
Skull and Bones
College is an exceptional recruiting area for secret societies, and it should come as no surprise that the Ivy Leagues have several. One of the most notorious is
Skull and Bones, founded in 1832 at Yale University. The society meets on Mondays and Thursdays in the "Tomb," a massive stone building that contains a number of artifacts including a set of silverware that belonged to Adolf Hitler. Conspiracy theorists hold that the group is a grooming society for future world leaders, and the fact that former President George W. Bush, Secretary of State John Kerry and many other luminaries from politics and industry are among its members is a pretty strong argument.
Cicada 3301
The development of the Internet has changed the way secret societies operate -- now that it's so easy to share information, they have to lock things down even harder. It has also helped them recruit, though, as
Cicada 3301 illustrates. Starting in 2012, the mysterious organization has posted a series of insanely difficult cryptography and logic puzzles on the Internet with the advertised intent of finding "highly intelligent individuals." What exactly they're assembling this brain trust for is anybody's guess, and solvers aren't talking. These puzzles have included physical clues placed all over the world, so the Cicada group obviously has a lot of resources at their disposal.
Bilderberg Group
Every year, the
Bilderberg Group brings together 120-150 of the most powerful men and women in the world to a private conference in which they allegedly plot the future of human events. Attendees are pulled from both government and industry, nominated by a secretive inner council. Unlike some of the other groups on this list, the Bilderbergers are fairly transparent in their goals: to spread Western capitalism around the globe. They have attracted harsh critics on both the left and the right. However, since their decisions and strategies are never exposed to the public, we have no idea what they're actually doing. They could be fixing prices, ordering assassinations or anything in between.