Bilderberg 2013: Secret meeting opens press office for 1st time

World’s rich and powerful met in UK for the secretive Bilderberg conclave

By Jill Lawless, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press

More than 100 of the world’s most powerful people met at a former manor house near London for a secretive annual gathering known as the Bilderberg meeting. It has attained legendary status in the eyes of anti-capitalist protesters and conspiracy theorists.

The guest list for the Bilderberg meeting includes Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Bilderberg Group was set up in 1954 to support military and economic co-operation between Europe and North America during the Cold War.

Named for the site of its first meeting — the Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeek, Holland — the forum for prominent politicians, thinkers and business leaders has been held annually at a series of secluded venues in Europe and North America.

What happens at Bilderberg, stays at Bilderberg. There is no media access and the public is kept away by a large security operation. The group says that “there is no detailed agenda, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued.”

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Bilderberg 2013: Secret meeting opens press office for 1st time
Ken Clarke has dismissed claims that the Bilderberg Group of politicians, business leaders and academics influences the coalition as “nonsense”.
Kenneth Harry Clarke, PC, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently the Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe in the United Kingdom.

By Justin Parkinson
BBC News

The organization held a meeting in Hertfordshire last week, attended by the prime minister and chancellor.

But, Mr Clarke, a minister, told MPs the Bilderberg Group could not arrange a conspiracy, as its members could “never agree” on any subject.

Labour’s Michael Meacher argued the meeting had not been a “cosy chat”.

The MP for Oldham raised an urgent House of Commons question on the Bilderberg Group, which has met since 1954 and whose proceedings are not reported on, under what are known as “Chatham House rules”.

‘No transparency’
It describes itself as a forum for “informal, off-the-record discussions about megatrends and the major issues facing the world”.

Mr Meacher had wanted Chancellor George Osborne to answer his question, but he was not available and Mr Clarke, minister without portfolio, filled in.

During a serious of humorous exchanges, he said: “This is a first occasion, as I’ve never previously fielded a question in the House of Commons on behalf of a private organization for which the government has no responsibility.”

Mr Clarke, who has been a member of the Bilderberg Group’s steering committee for a decade, said discussions reflected a “wide range of opinion”, adding: “I always find it greatly adds to the depth of my understanding of what’s being contemplated in the States and in Europe as well.”

Mr Meacher, a minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, said: “The Bilderberg Group comprises about 130 of the Western world’s biggest decision-makers.”

He added: “Of course it’s not a conspiracy but, at the same time, 130 of the world’s biggest decision-makers don’t travel thousands of miles simply for a cosy chat…

“Why is there no transparency about a meeting that could affect us all?”

Mr Clarke told Mr Meacher: “We go there for the chance of having an off-the-record, informal discussion with the range of people you described, who are indeed distinguished but who are not remotely interested in getting together to decide anything.”

‘You been, Dennis?’
He added: “With the greatest respect, this is total, utter nonsense, and I would not normally regard you as the sort of person who would be taken in by this sort of rubbish.”

Mr Clarke teased Mr Meacher that he was after an invitation for the next meeting, and he pledged to arrange one.

Labour’s shadow chancellor Ed Balls was one of the senior UK politicians who attended the Bilderberg meeting in Watford.

He joked about Mr Clarke filling in for the chancellor, saying: “If he was to stand in at the next Treasury questions, then we and all conspiracy theorists would be rightly concerned.”

Veteran Labour left-winger Dennis Skinner stood up to speak, only to be assailed with ironic cries of “Have you been, Dennis?”

Dead-pan, and to laughter, he growled: “I wouldn’t be seen dead with them. How come that when all those media moguls, bankers, politicians have been meeting since 1954, not one of them was able to spot the recession coming, or maybe they caused it?”

Among the other politicians attending was Labour’s former Business Secretary Lord Mandelson.

When Mr Clarke went against parliamentary protocol by referring to him as “Peter Mandelson”, Speaker John Bercow intervened to correct the errant minister.

Mr Clarke told the House the Bilderberg meetings were informal.

Ed Balls joked: “The idea of Lord Mandelson attending any meeting informally is not something I have ever experienced.”

After 25 not-very-serious minutes, the Speaker called a halt to proceedings.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22843943
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Video: UK MP Michael Meacher calls for transparancy of Bilderberg

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Video:Ken Clarke denies forming World Government at Bilderberg during Parliamentary questions

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Video: Bilderberg Ken Clarke Statement Parliament

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Video: British Member of Parliament Speaks Out Against Bilderberg

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Video: Bilderberg 2013: Secret meeting opens press office for 1st time

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Video: Bilderberg Group: The Secret Rulers of the World

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Source: Bilderberg Meetings

Founded in 1954, Bilderberg is an annual conference designed to foster dialogue between Europe and North America.

Every year, between 120-150 political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media are invited to take part in the conference. About two thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; one third from politics and government and the rest from other fields.

The conference is a forum for informal, off-the-record discussions about megatrends and the major issues facing the world.

Thanks to the private nature of the conference, the participants are not bound by the conventions of office or by pre-agreed positions. As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights.

There is no detailed agenda, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued.

The 61st Bilderberg meeting will take place at the beginning of June 2013 in the UK.

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Brief History
Bilderberg takes its name from the hotel in Holland, where the first meeting took place in May 1954. That pioneering meeting grew out of the concern expressed by leading citizens on both sides of the Atlantic that Western Europe and North America were not working together as closely as they should on common problems of critical importance. It was felt that regular, off-the-record discussions would help create a better understanding of the complex forces and major trends affecting Western nations in the difficult post-war period.

The Cold War has now ended. But in practically all respects there are more, not fewer, common problems – from trade to jobs, from monetary policy to investment, from ecological challenges to the task of promoting international security. It is hard to think of any major issue in either Europe or North America whose unilateral solution would not have repercussions for the other.

Thus the concept of a European-American forum has not been overtaken by time. The dialogue between these two regions is still – even increasingly – critical.

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Conferences

6-9 June 2013 Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

• Can the US and Europe grow faster and create jobs?
• Jobs, entitlement and debt
• How big data is changing almost everything
• Nationalism and populism
• US foreign policy
• Africa’s challenges
• Cyber warfare and the proliferation of asymmetric threats
• Major trends in medical research
• Online education: promise and impacts
• Politics of the European Union
• Developments in the Middle East
• Current affairs

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Participants
Bilderberg Meetings Hertfordshire, England 6-9 June 2013

Final list of Participants

Chairman

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31 May-3 June 2012 Chantilly, Virginia, USA

• The State of Trans-Atlantic Relations
• Is Vigorous Economic Growth Attainable?
• The Future of Democracy in the Developed World
• The US Political Landscape
• The European Political Landscape
• A Conversation on US Foreign Policy
• The Politics and Geo-Politics of Energy
• Stability and Instability in the Middle East
• Imbalances, Austerity and Growth
• Sustainability of the Euro and its Consequences
• What Does Putin 2.0 Mean?
• What Can the West Do about Iran?
• How Do Sovereign States Collaborate in Cyber Space?
• China’s Economic and Political Outlook

9-12 June 2011 St. Moritz, Switzerland

• The Middle East: What Does Democracy Mean?
• Emerging Economies: Roles and Responsibilities
• Economic and National Security in a Digital Age
• Technological Innovation in Western Economies: Stagnation or Promise?
• The Appetite for Reform: Can Governments Deliver?
• Switzerland: Can It Remain Successful in the Future?
• European Union’s Challenges
• A Sustainable Euro: Implications for European Economies
• China’s Domestic Challenges
• China’s Regional and Global Challenges
• Connectivity and the Diffusion of Power
• Current Conflict Areas
• Demographic Stresses

3-6 June 2010 Sitges, Spain

• Current Events: North Korea, Iran and Non-Proliferation
• Global Cooling: Implications of Slow Economic Growth
• The Growing Influence of Cyber Technology
• Is Financial Reform Progressing?
• US and European Fiscal and Financial Challenges
• The European Union and the Crisis of the Euro
• Promises of Medical Science
• Energy’s Promises and Challenges
• Security in a Proliferated World
• Social Networking: From the Obama Campaign to the Iranian Revolution
• Europe-US: A New Approach
• Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Region
• Can We Feed the World?

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14-17 May 2009 Vouliagmeni, Greece

• Governments and Markets
• After the G20: The Role of Institutions
• Protectionism: How Serious?
• Cyber-terrorism: Strategy and Policy
• Sustainability: Post-Kyoto Challenges
• Iraq: Role and Responsibilities in the Region
• Afghanistan and Pakistan
• A New Order: The United States and the World
• Lessons from a Crisis
• Challenge to Market Economies and Democracies
• Russia and China: New Imperialisms
• Current Affairs: How does Industry See the Future?

5-8 June 2008 Chantilly, Virginia, U.S.A.

• Cyber-terrorism
• A Nuclear-Free World
• Managing Financial Turbulence
• US Foreign Policy Without Change
• How Serious Are the Threats on Our Economies
• Islam in Europe
• Africa
• Afghanistan, Challenge for the West
• Iran-Pakistan
• A Look at the Future
• The Mounting Threat of Protectionism
• Russia
• After Bush: The Future of US-EU Relations
• Current Affairs: US Elections

31 May-3 June 2007 Istanbul, Turkey

• The New World Order: Uni-Polar or Non-Polar?
• Turkey and its Neighbours
• Europe and the US: Common and Conflicting Interests
• The Mood of the US
• Democracy and Populism
• Democracy in the Middle East
• Turkey’s Long-Term Development in Comparative Perspective
• Leadership Changes in Key European Countries [France-UK]
• Information Technology: Globalising or Tribalising Force?
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation
• The US: Cutting Issues in State-Federal Relations
• Climate Change
• Current Affairs: Capital Markets: Risks and Opportunities of Private Equity and Hedge Funds

8-11 June 2006 Ottawa, Canada

• American Power and the Battle for Arab Reform
• Terrorist Movements in the Middle East
• The Challenges of Immigration
• Israel-Palestine: One Year Later
• China – the Economic and Political Landscape
• New Alignments in Asia: the Changing Strategic Landscape
• Energy: What Are the Issues
• Energy: What Does Dependence Mean?
• Russia: Quo Vadis?
• Economic Patriotism: A Real Threat?
• Current Affairs: Italy
• The Challenges of Deterrence in a Proliferating World
• Iran
• New Security Challenges for NATO, the EU: Afghanistan, Africa, …

5-8 May 2005 Rottach-Egern, Germany

• What Do We Mean by Freedom?
• Development: Reflections and Perspectives
• How Can Europe and the US Work Together to Deal with Common Problems?
• Iraq
• Asia: the Geo-Strategic Challenges
• Where is Europe Going?
• Israel-Palestine
• Russia: Do the Transatlantic Partners have a Common Strategy?
• Failure of the Lisbon Agenda?
• The Non-Proliferation Treaty at Risk?
• Iran
• Current Affairs: Will the Fiscal Problems Facing Europe and the US Undermine Future Economic Performance?

3-6 June 2004 Stresa, Italy

• Energy: The Sustainability of Current Trends
• The Rules of the Game: Towards a 21st Century Concert?
• The Prospects for Iraq
• Afghanistan, Including the Implications for Future NATO Operations in the Area
• European Geopolitics
• Health and Development
• The US Political Landscape
• Is China Changing the World?
• Current Affairs: Russia
• The Middle East: Is Stability Within Reach?
• World Economic Outlook
• Corporate Fraud: How Lethal is the Cure?

15-18 May 2003 Versailles, France

• The Middle East II: Future
• The Middle East I: Overview
• Post-Iraq: The Future of Multilateral Organisations
• Re-Energising Germany
• Post-Mortem on Iraq: Diplomatic Failure and the Foreign Policy Consequences
• Non-Proliferation
• The European Convention
• The World’s Economic Problems
• Aspects of Terrorism
• Current Affairs

30 May-2 June 2002 Chantilly, Virginia, U.S.A.

• The Consequences of the War Against Terrorism
• Corporate Governance: Does Capitalism Need fixing?
• The Changing Nature of the EU Within the Western Alliance
• Have Civil Liberties Been Unnecessarily Eroded?
• The Influence of the Extreme Right
• The Middle East
• Post-Crisis Reconstruction/Nation Rebuilding
• Prospects for the World Economy
• Trade: The China Effect
• The Influence of Domestic Issues on American Foreign Policy
• Current Affairs

24-27 May 2001 Stenungsund, Sweden

• European Security Defence Identity and Transatlantic Security – I
• Consequences of the Italian Elections
• What Does EU Enlargement Mean for the EU and the Rest of the World?
• Productivity in Europe and the United States – Is the Gap Widening?
• Putin’s Russia
• What Can the World Do About the Middle East?
• The New US Administration
• European Security Defence Identity and Transatlantic Security – II
• The Rise of China: Its Impact on Asia and the World
• Policies for Trade Development and Economic Growth
• What Should Governments Do About Food Quality?
• Current Affairs

1-3 June 2000 Brussels, Belgium

• The New Economy and its Effects on Society
• Globalisation under Threat: the Way forward for the WTO
• US Elections: State of Play and Foreign Policy Consequences
• Cleaning up the Balkans
• EU Enlargement and its Implications for Geo-Political Balance
• The European Far Right – Is there a Threat?
• Current Affairs

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3-6 June 1999 Sintra, Portugal

• Kosovo
• The US Political Scene
• Current Controversies: Genetics and the Life Sciences
• Redesigning the International Financial Architecture
• The Social and Political Impacts on Emerging Markets of Recent Economic Events
• NATO’s future
• The Relationship between Information Technology and Economic Policy
• Current Events
• Russia’s Foreign Policy
• How Durable is the Current Rosy Complexion of European Politics

14-17 May 1998 Turnberry, Scotland

• Current Events
• What Will be the Consequences of EMU?
• Is there Room for one Transatlantic Market Place?
• Military Implications of the Growing Technological Disparity between the United States and Europe
• To what Extent Will Enlargement Redefine NATO’s Relationship with Russia?
• Is Europe’s Social Model Dead?
• A Review of the Crisis in Kosovo and Albania: the Role of the UN
• In the Light of the Asian Crisis should the World’s Financial System be Reformed?
• The Implications of the New India Nuclear Weapon Program
• Turkey’s Role in the Western Alliance

12-15 June 1997 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.

• Will NATO’s Enlargement Affect the Transatlantic Alliance?
• Do the World’s Energy Needs Prevent Sustainable Development?
• Growth through Productivity Improvement: a Threat to Western Social Cohesion?
• Peacekeeping: Assessments and Prospects-Bosnia, Albania, Cyprus
• Status Report on American Foreign Policy
• How Should the West Look at China?
• Corporate Survival: Breaking with Tradition in Governance
• EMU’s Consequences Assuming it Goes Ahead
• The Return of the European Left: Sign of Innovation or Reaction?
• Relationship of the West to Islam
• World Bank Update

30 May-2 June 1996 Toronto, Canada

• Status Report on the Alliance
• Former Yugoslavia
• Russia: Political Forces and Economic Prospects
• Europe: the Politics of EU Enlargement
• Has Europe’s Economy Run out of Steam?
• Will the Enlarged Union Survive EMU’s Succes or Failure?
• The US Agenda
• The Israeli Election
• How and How Much can the Western World Grow Economically?
• WTO and World Bank: Briefing
• Where is China Going?

8-11 June 1995 Bürgenstock, Switzerland

• What is NATO Supposed to Do?
• Is There Work for All?
• Atomization of Society: Impact on Political Behaviour of New Technology
• Looking [Back] at Washington
• Current Events: Turkey and the Atlantic Alliance
• Is There Still a North Atlantic Community?
• Should the European Union Integrate Further, and Why?
• Our Agendas for WTO and World Bank
• Current Events: Former Yugoslavia
• Peacekeeping in an UNstable World
• Lessons of the New Currency Crises
• Practical Steps Towards Better Global Governance and Rules

2-5 June 1994 Helsinki, Finland

• Redefinition of the Atlantic Relationship in a Time of Change
• The Changing Face and Perspective of America
• Europe – Cohesion or Confusion
• Economic Instabilities Ahead
• Jobs, Where Are They and How Will The West Create Them
• The Political Challenges of Islamic Fundamentalism
• Russia – How Will Its Internal Evolution Affect Its External Behaviour
• GATT: Risks Ahead
• The Issue of Non-Proliferation: North Korea
• China – The Consequences of Convulsion or Stability

22-25 April 1993 Vouliagmeni, Greece

• What Kind of Europe Will the U.S. Have to Deal With?
• Current Events: Former Yugoslavia
• Restoring Confidence in Leadership and Institutions
• Prospects for Global Trade
• U.S. Domestic Policy Concerns
• The Outlook for Japan’s Economy
• Cost of Indifference Toward the Former Soviet Union
• Current Events: Italy
• Foreign Policy Concerns of the Clinton Administration
• Crisis Management

21-24 May 1992 Evian-Les-Bains, France

• Prospects for the former Soviet Republics
• What should be done for Eastern Europe
• Whither the United States?
• The World economy
• Wither Europe?
• Soviet Union: the view from Moscow
• The migration issue
• The evolving west/west relationship

6-9 June 1991 Baden-Baden, Germany

• Eastern Europe: economic prospects
• Developments in the Soviet Union: political and economic impact on the Alliance
• The Middle East: political fallout and future prospects
• Economic and financial threats to the Alliance
• The practical agenda for the Alliance
• Do we have the institutions to deal with the agenda?
• Recent developments in Yugoslavia
• The situation in South-Africa
• The Treuhand experience

11-13 May 1990 Glen Cove, New York, U.S.A.

• The new Soviet (Dis)Union
• Strategic issues
• Economic relations with Eastern Europe
• Can Western values be applied universally?
• Germany
• The future of NATO and the European Community
• Japan: political changes

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12-14 May 1989 La Toja, Spain

• Domestic developments in Eastern Europe: policy implications for the West
• Can the Alliance be sustained by military and arms control issues alone?
• The long-term economic design of the E.C.: European sovereignty?
• Current events: U.S.-Soviet relations
• Greater political and monetary union of Europe: European sovereignty?
• Global relationships: surpluses, deficits and protectionism
• Environmental constraints

3-5 June 1988 Telfs-Buchen, Austria

• What can be done with the world economy: alternative scenarios
• How to handle a world awash with public and private debt?
• The German question revisited
• The new information era
• Briefing on the Moscow summit
• The impact of glasnost
• Future strategy of the Alliance
• The Gulf and Afghanistan

24-26 April 1987 Villa d’Este, Italy

• Strategy toward the U.S.S.R.
• Policy toward trade and protectionism
• The public sector and economic growth
• Current events: China
• The arms control debate

25-27 April 1986 Gleneagles, Scotland

• The Soviet Union under Gorbachev: foreign policy implications
• The Western global response to the Soviet challenge
• The fragmentation of the world economy: debt, currency disorder, protectionism, uneven growth
• Current events: terrorism
• South Africa

10-12 May 1985 Rye Brook, New York, U.S.A.

• Divergent social and economic trends in the Atlantic World
• How should the West deal with the Soviet Bloc?
• S.D.I.
• How should the West deal with developing countries?
• Current events: the current status of the budget in Congress and the European perspective on that situation
• Operating the Alliance

11-13 May 1984 Saltsjöbaden, Sweden

• Western power and the Middle East: a case study in Atlantic relationships
• The state of arms control negotiations
• Future employment trends in the industrialized democracies
• Current events: continental drift: economic and political
• The Soviet Union, the West and the Third World; a case study: Central America

13-15 May 1983 Montebello, Canada

• East-West relations: containment, détente or confrontation
• Issues in medium-term prospects for growth in the world economy: – Protectionism and employment – Risks in banking and finance
• Current events: U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and Central America

14-16 May 1982 Sandefjord, Norway

• Divergent policies and attitudes in the North Atlantic Community
• What can arms control achieve?
• Middle East: issues at stake
• Economic issues: dogmas and realities
• Current events: – The Falkland Islands crisis – East-West relations: Poland, trade and finance

15-17 May 1981 Bürgenstock, Switzerland

• What should Western policy be toward the Soviet Union in the 1980s?
• Obstacles to effective coordination of Western policies
• How can the Western economies put their house in order?

18-20 April 1980 Aachen, F.R.G.

• America and Europe: Past, Present, Future

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27-29 April 1979 Baden, Austria

• The present international monetary situation and its consequences for World cooperation
• The implications of instability in the Middle East and Africa for the Western World

21-23 April 1978 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.A.

• Western defence with its political implications
• The changing structure of production and trade: consequences for the Western industrialized countries

22-24 April 1977 Torquay, England

North American and Western European attitudes towards

• The future of the mixed economies in the Western democracies
• The Third World’s demand for restructuring the world order and the political implications of those attitudes

In 1976 no conference was held

25-27 April 1975 Çesme, Turkey

• Inflation: its economic, social and political implications
• Recent international political developments: – The present status and prospects to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and the effect on relations among NATO members – Other recent developments affecting the relations among NATO countries

19-21 April 1974 Megève, France

• Prospects for the Atlantic world

11-13 May 1973 Saltsjöbaden, Sweden

• The possibilities of the development of a European energy policy and the consequences of European-North American relations
• Conflicting expectations concerning the European Security Conference

21-23 April 1972 Knokke, Belgium

• The state of the Western community in the light of changing relationships among the non-communist industrialized countries and the impact of changing power relationships in the Far East on Western security

23-25 April 1971 Woodstock, Vermont, U.S.A.

• The contribution of business in dealing with current problems of social instability
• The possibility of a change of the American role in the world and its consequences

17-19 April 1970 Bad Ragaz, Switzerland

• Future function of the university in our society
• Priorities in foreign policy

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9-11 May 1969 Marienlyst, Denmark

• Elements of instability in Western society
• Conflicting attitudes within the Western world towards relations with the U.S.S.R. and the other Communist states of Eastern Europe in the light of recent events

26-28 April 1968 Mont Tremblant, Canada

• The relations between the West and the Communist countries
• Internationalization of business

31 March-2 April 1967 Cambridge, England

• Do the basic concepts of Atlantic cooperation remain valid for the evolving world situation? If not, what concepts could take their place?
• The technological gap between America and Europe with special reference to American investments in Europe

25-27 March 1966 Wiesbaden, F.R.G.

• Should NATO be reorganized and if so how?
• The future of world economic relations especially between industrial and developing countries

2-4 April 1965 Villa d’Este, Italy

• Monetary cooperation in the Western world
• The state of the Atlantic Alliance

20-22 March 1964 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S.A.

The consequences for the Atlantic Alliance of:

• Apparent changes in the communist world – Soviet internal development – The Communist Bloc
• Possible changes in the attitude of the U.S.S.R. to the West
• Recent developments within the Western world – political – military – economic

29-31 May 1963 Cannes, France

• The balance of power in the light of recent international development
• Trade relations between the U.S.A. and Europe in the light of the negotiations for Britain’s entry into the Common Market
• Trade relations between the Western world and the developing countries

18-20 May 1962 Saltsjöbaden, Sweden

• The political implications for the Atlantic community of its members’ policies in the United Nations
• Implications for the Atlantic community of prospective developments

21-23 April 1961 St. Castin, Canada

• What initiatives are required to bring about a new sense of leadership and direction within the Western community?
• The implications for Western unity of changes in the relative economic strength of the United States and Western Europe

28-29 May 1960 Bürgenstock, Switzerland

• State of the world situation after the failure of the Summit Conference
• New political and economic developments in the Western world

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18-20 September 1959 Yesilkoy, Turkey

• Review of developments since the last Conference
• Unity and division in Western policy

13-15 September 1958 Buxton, England

• Survey of events since the last Conference
• The future of NATO defence
• Western economic cooperation
• The Western approach to Soviet Russia and communism

4-6 October 1957 Fiuggi, Italy

• Survey of developments since the last Conference
• Modern weapons and disarmament in relation to Western security
• Are existing political and economic mechanisms within the Western community adequate?

15-17 February 1957 St. Simons Island, Georgia, U.S.A.

• Review of events since the fourth Bilderberg meeting in May 1956
• Nationalism and neutralism as disruptive factors inside the Western Alliance
• The Middle East
• The European policy of the Alliance, with special reference to the problems of Eastern Europe, German reunification and military strategy

11-13 May 1956 Fredensborg, Denmark

• Review of developments since the last Conference
• The causes of the growth of anti-Western blocs, in particular in the United Nations
• The role played by anti-colonialism in relations between Asians and the West
• A common approach by the Western world towards China and the emergent nations of South and East Asia
• The communist campaign for political subversion or control of the newly emancipated countries of Asia
• How the West can best meet Asian requirements in the technical and economic fields

23-25 September 1955 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, F.R.G.

• Review of events since the Barbizon Conference
• Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• The political and strategic aspects of atomic energy
• The reunification of Germany
• European unity
• The industrial aspects of atomic energy
• Economic problems: – East-West trade – The political aspects of convertibility – Expansion of international trade

18-20 March 1955 Barbizon, France

• Survey of Western European-USA relations since the first Bilderberg Conference
• Communist infiltration in various Western countries
• The uncommitted people: – Political and ideological aspects – Economic aspects

29-31 May 1954 Oosterbeek, Netherlands

• The attitude towards communism and the Soviet Union
• The attitude towards dependent areas and peoples overseas
• The attitude towards economic policies and problems
• The attitude towards European integration and the European Defence Community