Difference between revisions of "Le Cercle"

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===Secrecy===
 
===Secrecy===
Le Cercle has operated in almost complete anonymity since its creation with only a handful of articles having been written about it. The first media reference to the group was possibly ''[[Time Out]]'' magazine's 1975 leak of documents of the [[Institute for the Study of Conflict]] which referenced the "Pinay Committee", which was probably a reference to the group. No American {{ccm}} sources are known to have mentioned the group.<ref name=isgp>https://isgp-studies.com/Le_Cercle</ref> Le Cercle was mentioned in the early [[1980s]] by the German magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' (which also published the first article on the [[Bilderberg]] group) as a result of the controversy surrounding [[Franz Josef Strauss]], a regular attendant. In the late 1990s, Le Cercle received some more attention after a scandal broke out involving [[Jonathan Aitken]], who was then European chairman<ref name=ind1997>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/aitken-dropped-by-the-rights-secret-club-1258522.html Aitken dropped by the Right's secret club]</ref>. Members who were contacted by newspapers refused to answer any questions about the group. It has only been briefly mentioned in the {{ccm}} since then - [[internet]] [[researcher]]s have worked hard to raise the group's profile. The most comprehensive study so far has been done by [[ISGP]] researcher, [[Joël van der Reijden]]<ref name=isgp/>, whose work prompted [[David Teacher]] to pursue his study of the group and republish an updated edition of his work on the group ''[[Rogue Agents]]''. A couple of researchers ''have'' published Ph.D. theses on the group which deserve wider publication. As of July 2016, neither [[Spartacus]] nor [[History Commons]] had a page on this group.
+
Le Cercle has operated in almost complete anonymity since its creation with only a handful of articles having been written about it. The first media reference to the group was possibly ''[[Time Out]]'' magazine's 1975 leak of documents of the [[Institute for the Study of Conflict]] which referenced the "Pinay Committee", which was probably a reference to the group. No American {{ccm}} sources are known to have mentioned the group.<ref name=isgp>https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay</ref> Le Cercle was mentioned in the early [[1980s]] by the German magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' (which also published the first article on the [[Bilderberg]] group) as a result of the controversy surrounding [[Franz Josef Strauss]], a regular attendant. In the late 1990s, Le Cercle received some more attention after a scandal broke out involving [[Jonathan Aitken]], who was then European chairman<ref name=ind1997>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/aitken-dropped-by-the-rights-secret-club-1258522.html Aitken dropped by the Right's secret club]</ref>. Members who were contacted by newspapers refused to answer any questions about the group. It has only been briefly mentioned in the {{ccm}} since then - [[internet]] [[researcher]]s have worked hard to raise the group's profile. The most comprehensive study so far has been done by [[ISGP]] researcher, [[Joël van der Reijden]]<ref name=isgp/>, whose work prompted [[David Teacher]] to pursue his study of the group and republish an updated edition of his work on the group ''[[Rogue Agents]]''. A couple of researchers ''have'' published Ph.D. theses on the group which deserve wider publication. As of July 2016, neither [[Spartacus]] nor [[History Commons]] had a page on this group.
  
 
==Activities==
 
==Activities==
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==IGSP Articles==
 
==IGSP Articles==
* [https://isgp-studies.com/Le_Cercle '''Le Cercle and the Struggle for the European Continent''']. Subtitled "Private bridge between Vatican-Paneuropean and Anglo-American intelligence" - [[Joel Van der Reijden]] - Wikispooks [[ISGP Archive]]. Probably the most comprehensive study available on ''Le Cercle'']], which fills in many of the blanks surrounding the apparent dual loyalties of the UK viz-a-viz Europe and the US and how they were - and continue to be - addressed and more-or-less successfully resolved. UK readers will find the sections on the involvement of [[Brian Crozier]], [[Julian Amery]], [[Norman Lamont]] and [[Jonathan Aitken]] particularly illuminating.
+
* [https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay '''Le Cercle and the Struggle for the European Continent''']. Subtitled "Private bridge between Vatican-Paneuropean and Anglo-American intelligence" - [[Joel Van der Reijden]] - Wikispooks [[ISGP Archive]]. Probably the most comprehensive study available on ''Le Cercle'']], which fills in many of the blanks surrounding the apparent dual loyalties of the UK viz-a-viz Europe and the US and how they were - and continue to be - addressed and more-or-less successfully resolved. UK readers will find the sections on the involvement of [[Brian Crozier]], [[Julian Amery]], [[Norman Lamont]] and [[Jonathan Aitken]] particularly illuminating.
 
* [https://isgp-studies.com/2010_Le_Cercle_update '''Le Cercle and the Struggle for the Eurasian Continent''']. A June 2010 update of the above article subtitled: "New information: Notorious [[CIA]] ''ghost'' owned '''Atlantic Cercle, Inc.''' from 1994 to 2002" - Joel Van der Reijden - Wikispooks [[ISGP Archive]] -->
 
* [https://isgp-studies.com/2010_Le_Cercle_update '''Le Cercle and the Struggle for the Eurasian Continent''']. A June 2010 update of the above article subtitled: "New information: Notorious [[CIA]] ''ghost'' owned '''Atlantic Cercle, Inc.''' from 1994 to 2002" - Joel Van der Reijden - Wikispooks [[ISGP Archive]] -->

Revision as of 22:14, 8 October 2016

Group.png Le Cercle  
(Deep state milieuPowerbase SourcewatchRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png 5from 2 reviews
Le Cercle.png
Early Cercle members representing the Paneuropean Union, the European Coal and Steel Community, France, Germany, Italy & the CIA.
Formation1953
FounderJean Violet.jpg Jean Violet
LeaderLe Cercle/Chairman (Europe)‎
Type•  secret society
•  international
•  think tank
Interests“War on Terror”, “Terrorism”, National Security, Strategy of Tension, Deep politics
Interest ofPhilippe Brewaeys, Tony Gosling, Johannes Großmann, Adrian Hänni, Joël van der Reijden, David Teacher
Exposed byHans Langemann, Pierre Péan, Joël van der Reijden
SubpageLe Cercle/1958
Le Cercle/1968 (New York)
Le Cercle/1968 (Rome)
Le Cercle/1969 (Bavaria)
Le Cercle/1970 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1973 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1977 (South Africa)
Le Cercle/1977 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1978 (Tehran)
Le Cercle/1978 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1979 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1979 (Wildbad Kreuth)
Le Cercle/1980 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1980 (Zurich)
Le Cercle/1982 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1982 (Wildbad Kreuth)
Le Cercle/1983 (Bonn)
Le Cercle/1984 (Bonn)
Le Cercle/1984 (Capetown)
Le Cercle/1985 (Bonn)
Le Cercle/1985 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1986 (Nice)
Le Cercle/1986 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1987 (Washington)
Le Cercle/1988 (South Africa)
Le Cercle/1990 (Oman)
Le Cercle/1991 (South Africa)
Le Cercle/1996 (Amman)
Le Cercle/1997 (Berlin)
Le Cercle/1998 (Istanbul)
Le Cercle/1999 (London)
Le Cercle/1999 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2000 (Lisbon)
Le Cercle/2000 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2001 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2002 (Morocco)
Le Cercle/2002 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2003 (Salzburg)
Le Cercle/2004 (Belgrade)
Le Cercle/2004 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2005 (Paris)
Le Cercle/2006 (Delhi)
Le Cercle/2007 (Madrid)
Le Cercle/2007 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2008 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2009 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2011
Le Cercle/2012 (Morocco)
Le Cercle/2013 (London)
Le Cercle/2014 (London)
Le Cercle/2015 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2016 (London)
Le Cercle/2016 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2018 (Washington)
Le Cercle/2019 (Bahrain)
Le Cercle/Chairman (Europe)
Le Cercle/Chairman (US)
Le Cercle/Cover-up
Le Cercle/Exposure
Le Cercle/Guests
Le Cercle/Meeting
Le Cercle/UK secretary
Membership•  James Alan Abrahamson
• Konrad Adenauer.jpg Konrad Adenauer
• JonathanAitken.jpg Jonathan Aitken
• Albertini, Georges (Gassier).jpg Georges Albertini
• Alfredo Alcaino Barros.png Alfredo Alcaino
• Rupert Allason.jpg Rupert Allason
• Richard Allen.jpg Richard Allen
• Julian Amery.jpg Julian Amery
• HAmiradi.jpg Hooshang Amirahmadi
• Michael Ancram.jpg Michael Ancram
• Bruce Anderson.jpg Bruce Anderson
• Robert Anderson.jpg Robert Anderson
• Giulio Andreotti.jpg Giulio Andreotti
• Kaúlza de Arriaga.jpg Kaulza de Arriaga
• Auchi.jpg Nadhmi Auchi
• 40px Franz Josef Bach
•  Norman Bailey
•  Pat Balestreri
• John Barron.png John Barron
• Baroness Beckett.jpeg Margaret Beckett
• Alfredo Sánchez Bella.jpg Alfredo Sánchez Bella
• Erik Bennett.jpg Erik Bennett
• Jeff Bergner.jpg Jeff Bergner
• Wayne Berman 2003 (cropped).jpg Wayne Lee Berman
•  John Biggs-Davison
• Crispin Blunt.jpg Crispin Blunt
• Benoît de Bonvoisin.png Benoît de Bonvoisin
•  Cornelis Bossers
• No image available (photo).jpg Colonel Botta
•  Raymond Bourgine
• Maurice Brébart.png Maurice Brebart
• Paul Bremer.jpg Paul Bremer
• John Browne conservative politician.png John Browne
• Aristide brunelli.png Monsignor Brunello
• Zbigniew Brzezinski.jpg Zbigniew Brzezinski
• Francisco Bulnes Sanfuentes.jpg Francisco Bulnes
•  David Burnside
•  Mario Buschemi
• Ian Butterfield.jpg Ian Butterfield
• Peter van der Byl.jpg Peter van der Byl
• Umberto Cappuzzo.jpg Umberto Cappuzzo
• John E. Carbaugh Jr.jpg John Carbaugh
•  Margaret Carlisle
• William J. Casey.jpg William Casey
• Anthony Cavendish.jpg Anthony Cavendish
• Andrew Cavendish.jpg Andrew Cavendish
• Paul Channon.jpg Paul Channon
• Winston Churchill II.jpg Winston Churchill II
• James Cicconi.jpg James W. Cicconi
• Alan Clark.jpg Alan Clark
• William P. Clark, Jr.jpg William P. Clark Jr.
• Marcel Clement.jpg Marcel Clement
• Robert Close.jpg Robert Close
• William Colby.jpg William Colby
• Etienne Copel.jpg Etienne Copel
•  Miles Costick
•  Percy Cradock
• James H. Critchfield.png James Critchfield
• Brian Crozier.JPG Brian Crozier
• Alexandre Ribeiro da Cunha.jpg Alexandre Ribeiro da Cunha
• Florimond Damman.jpg Florimond Damman
•  Hans van Dalsen
• Armand de Decker.jpg Armand de Decker
• Jean-François Deniau.jpg Jean-François Deniau
• Paul Dietrich.jpg Paul Dietrich
• 40px Laura Jordan Dietrich
• Alan Duncan Official.jpg Alan Duncan
• Lee Edwards publicity shot.jpg Lee Edwards
• Iain Elliot.jpg Iain Elliott
• Nicholas Elliott.jpg Nicholas Elliot
•  Philipp Vander Elst
• Audna England.jpg Audna England
• Fritz Ermarth.jpg Fritz Ermarth
• Evo Fernandes.jpg Evo Fernandes
• Edwin J. Feulner.jpg Edwin J. Feulner
•  Charles Fincham
• Brand Fourie.png Brand Fourie
•  William François
• Charles Alan 'Pop' Fraser.jpg Charles Alan 'Pop' Fraser
• Charles Freeman.jpg Charles Freeman
• Pierre Gallois.jpg Pierre Marie Gallois
• Monique Garnier-Lançon.png Monique Garnier-Lancon
• Political Assembly, Marseille (6869078283) (cropped).jpg Jean-Claude Gaudin
•  Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
•  Rolf Gärtner
•  Jeffrey B. Gaynor
• Reinhard Gehlen 1945.jpg Reinhard Gehlen
• Conrad Gerber.jpg Conrad Gerber
• Frans Alphons Maria Alting von Geusau.jpg Frans Alphons Maria Alting von Geusau
•  Alberto Giovannetti
• Alvarogomez1.jpg Álvaro Gomez-Hurtado
• Enrique Gomez-Hurtado.jpg Enrique Gomez-Hurtado
• Philip Goodhart.jpg Philip Goodhart
•  Rolf Graage
• Ronald Grierson.jpg Ronald Grierson
• Aline Griffith.jpg Aline Griffith
• Sir Eldon Griffiths.jpg Eldon Griffiths
• Alain Griotteray.jpg Alain Griotteray
• François de Grossouvre.jpg Francois de Grossouvre
• 440px-Otto Habsburg 001.jpg Otto von Habsburg
• William Hague1.jpg William Hague
• Voa chinese Stefan Halper 8Apr10.jpg Stefan Halper
• Robert j hanks.png Robert J. Hanks
•  Bruno Heck
• Basil Hersov.jpg Basil E. Hersov
• No image available (photo).jpg Dirk W. R. Hertzog
• Franz Heubl.jpg Franz Heubl
• Ahorne.png Alistair Horne
• Alfons Horten.jpg Alfons Horten
• Samuel Hoskinson.jpg Samuel Hoskinson
•  Michael Howard
•  David Howell
• Hans Graf Huyn.jpg Hans Graf Huyn
•  Rosemary Graf Huyn
• Fred C. Iklé.jpg Fred Iklé
• Ion Iliescu.jpg Ion Iliescu
• Manuel Fraga Iribarne.jpg Manuel Fraga-Iribarne
• Henry jackson.png Henry Jackson
• Donald Jameson.png Donald Jameson
•  Lisa Jameson
• Tedo Japaridze.jpg Tedo Japaridze
• Philipp Jenninger.jpg Philipp Jenninger
•  Pierre Joannon
•  Jacques Jonet
• Peter Jungen.jpg Peter Jungen
• Alain Juppe.jpg Alain Juppe
• Alexander Karageorgevitch.jpg Alexander Karageorgevitch
•  Crosby Kelly
•  Nicholas de Kerchove
• 40px John Killick
•  Guillermo Kirkpatrick
• Od jeane-kirkpatrick-official-portrait 1-255x301.jpg Jeane Kirkpatrick
• Henry Kissinger.jpg Henry Kissinger
• Václav Klaus.jpg Václav Klaus
•  Robert H. Knight
• Friedrich König Parlament Österreich.png Friedrich König
• Sven Kraemer.jpg Sven Kraemer
•  Francis Lacoste
• Lord-Norman-Lamont.jpg Norman Lamont
• StephenLander.jpg Stephen Lander
•  Timothy Landon
• John Leahy.jpg John Leahy
• Ronald Lehman.jpg Ronald Lehman
•  Edward Leigh
• Julian Lewis MP.jpg Julian Lewis
• John Lenczowski.jpg John Lichowski
• David Lidington.jpg David Lidington
• Gerhard Löwenthal.jpg Gerhard Lowenthal
• Fred Luchsinger.jpg Fred Luchsinger
• No image available (photo).jpg James Lucier
• Philippe Malaud.jpg Philippe Malaud
• Alexandre de Marenches.jpg Alexandre de Marenches
• Werner Marx.jpg Werner Marx
• Daniel Mazuera Gómez.png Daniel Mazuera
• Richard T. McCormack.jpg Richard McCormack
• Robert McKinney.jpg Robert McKinney
• Neil McLean.png Neil McLean
• Pierre Méhaignerie.jpg Pierre Méhaignerie
• Constantine Menges.jpg Constantin Menges
• Alois Mertes.jpg Alois Mertes
• Herb Meyer.png Herbert Meyer
• Jean Monnet.jpg Jean Monnet
• George Montgomery.jpg George Montgomery
•  Thomas E. Moorer
• Robert Moss.jpg Robert Moss
• Federico Silva Muñoz.jpg Federico Silva Muñoz‎
•  Chester A. Nagle
• Karl Heinz Narjes.jpg Karl-Heinz Narjes
• John Negroponte.jpg John Negroponte
• Trump Nixon.jpg Richard Nixon
• François d'Orcival.jpg François d'Orcival
•  Frans Otten
• Filippo Maria Pandolfi.jpg Filippo Maria Pandolfi
• Charles Pasqua.jpg Charles Pasqua
• Richard Perle.jpg Richard Perle
• Carlo Pesenti.jpg Carlo Pesenti
• Peter Petersen.png Peter Petersen
• Robert Pfaltzgraff.jpg Robert Pfaltzgraff
• Jost Pfeiffer.jpg Jost Pfeiffer
• Antoine Pinay.jpg Antoine Pinay
• Jaime Nogueira Pinto.jpg Jaime Nogueira Pinto
• NP0643 Carlos ROBLES PIQUER 001.jpg Carlos Robles Piquer
•  Giulia du Plooy
•  Robert du Plooy
• Alain Poher.jpg Alain Poher
• Günter Poser.jpg Günter Poser
• Charles Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater.jpg Charles Powell
• Jean-François Probst.png Jean-François Probst
•  Jues Pujo
• Qaboos bin Said al Said.jpg Sultan Qaboos
•  Walter Raymond Jr
•  Walter Raymond Sr
• Gavin W. H. Relly.jpg Gavin W. H. Relly
•  Henri Renard
• DavidRockefeller.jpg David Rockefeller
• Nelson Rockefeller.jpg Nelson Rockefeller
•  William V. Roth
• Anton-Rupert.png Anton Rupert
•  Luc Beyer de Rycke
• Hans Rühle.png Hans Rühle
•  Jan Sabbe
• No image available (photo).jpg Captain Santino
• Turki bin Faisal al-Saud.jpg Turki bin Faisal al-Saud
•  Dieter A. Schmidt
• Adolf W. Schmidt.jpg Adolf W. Schmidt
•  'Schmidthuber'
• William schneider.jpg William Schneider
• No image available (photo).jpg Joseph Schuchert
• Gerd Schulte-Hillen.jpg Gerd Schulte-Hillen
•  Franz-Josef Schulze
• Robert Schuman.jpg Robert Schuman
• Christian Schwarz-Schilling.jpg Christian Schwarz-Schilling
• Norman Schwarzkopf.jpg Norman Schwarzkopf
• TedShackley.jpg Ted Shackley
•  Arkady Shevchenko
•  Arnold M. Silver
• Ron Silver.jpg Ron Silver
• Marshall Shulman.png Marshall Shulman
•  Thomas Roy Spencer
• TimSpicer1.jpg Tim Spicer
•  Antonio de Spinola
• Hans Christoph Freiherr Schenk von Stauffenberg.png Christian Freiherr von Stauffenberg
•  Frank Steele
• Richard G. Stilwell.jpg Richard Stilwell
• Franz Josef Strauß.jpg Franz Josef Strauss
•  Steven Symms
•  Frances Stockdale Symms
• Hussein bin Talal.png Hussein bin Talal
• Geoffrey Tantum.jpg Geoffrey Tantum
• 40px Peter Tennant
• Hugh Thomas.png Hugh Thomas
• Eymen Topbaş.png Eymen Topbaş
• Thomas A. Twetten.jpg Thomas A. Twetten
•  Jean-Francois Vallet
• Giancarlo Elia Valori.jpg Giancarlo Elia Valori
• Paul Vankerkhoven.jpg Paul Vankerkhoven
• Jean Violet.jpg Jean Violet
• Paul Violet.png Paul Violet
• Paul Volcker.jpg Paul Volcker
• Jürgen Warnke.jpg Jürgen Warnke
• Philippe de Weck.jpg Philippe de Weck
•  Paul M. Weyrich
•  John Wilkinson
•  William Wilson
•  John Wodehouse
• Paul Wolfowitz.jpg Paul Wolfowitz
• Bernhard Worms.jpg Bernhard Worms
• Ardeshir Zahedi.jpg Ardeshir Zahedi
•  Robert Zoelly
Le Cercle is a biannual deep state milieu. More secretive than the Bilderberg, it is attended especially by spooks, deep politicians, editors and idealogues. Members promote their hawkish agenda by brokering weapons deals, arranging false flag attacks and otherwise subverting the democratic process. Their warmaking is also ideological - distributing propaganda to stoke fear of communism, promote the "war on terror" etc.

Le Cercle (formerly Pinay Circle or the Cercle Pinay)[1] is a is a deep state milieu set up in the early 1950s. It has members from around 25 countries and has biannual 2-4 day secret meetings on alternate sides of the Atlantic. The group's activities are little known but leaked documents and members' interests would tend to suggest the subversion of the political process - especially using Gladio-style terrorism and assassination under the banner of "anti-communism" - and the clandestine arrangement of fraudulent business transactions, especially arms deals.

Official narrative

In 2000, a single webpage at www.atlanticcircle.com was posted which described Le Cercle as "an informal group of European and American professionals - politicians, retired Ambassadors, former Generals, lawyers and active participants in banking, oil, shipping, publishing and trading companies - who are interested in preserving a positive Atlantic dialogue."[2] To the UK House of Lords, this group has been described as an "informal group meeting to discuss world affairs."[3] William Hague described it as "a political group which organises conferences." In 2007 the Washington Post termed it a "foreign policy think tank established during the Cold War that reportedly included senior politicians, diplomats and intelligence agents worldwide."[4] Inviting the banker Jean-Maxime Leveque in 1983, Monique Garnier-Lançon wrote that at The Cercle "The leaders of the free world can now examine the very grave problems which we face in order to determine together possible solutions and then to try to implement them, each in their respective sphere."[5]

David Teacher, by contrast, writes that "the Cercle complex can be seen to be an international coalition of right-wing intelligence veterans, working internationally to promote top conservative politicians who would shape the world in the 1970s and 1980s."

Konrad Adenauer meets with Antoine Pinay and Jean Violet at a Cercle meeting on 18th August 1958

Origins

Although named after a French prime minister from 1952, the real organizer of this group is believed to have been Jean Violet, a close associate of Pinay's since 1951. The group was originally French- and Euro-centric, but has over time assumed a more international flavour, especially with the involvement of Ted Shackley, under whose influence meetings were held on alternate sides of the Atlantic, with Shackley chairing the US meetings.

Leadership

Full articles: Le Cercle/Chairman (Europe), Le Cercle/Chairman (USA)

The group has separate US and European chairs[6] - one for the Autumn meeting in the USA, one for the Spring meeting in Europe. The identity of the American chairman is unknown. The US chairman is less publicised, so unqualified references to "The Chairman" will very probably be references to the European chairman. European chairs include Brian Crozier (1980-1985), Julian Amery (1985 - early 1990s)[7], Christian Schwarz-Schilling (1 year), Jonathan Aitken (1993-1996), Norman Lamont (over 10 years) and most recently, Michael Ancram. Only two US chairmen are known: Ted Shackley and his successor, Richard T. McCormack.[6]

Geoffrey Tantum was named by The Telegraph as the Cercle's UK secretary.[8]

Meetings

Full article: Le Cercle/Meetings

The group meets biannually. Every fall, it meets in the USA (usually, perhaps exclusively Washington DC) and earlier in the year it meets in an "overseas" venue, usually in Europe. Meetings last (3-)4 days and there are "about 70"[9] guests.[6] Guests are almost all male, and sometimes bring their wives, though it is unknown to what extent (if any) they are involved in the meetings.[10]

Ideology

Members have a clear hawkish orientation, which could be summarised as 'extreme right wing' and 'anti-communist'. Many have been closely involved in establishing a range of nominally independent institutions to research first "anti-communism" and later "terrorism". These have been used to promote cold war paranoia and lay the ideological groundwork for a "global war on terror".[11]

Attendance

         Full article (courtesy of ISGP) : Le Cercle membership lists
The identity of attendees is much less known than that of other secret society meetings such as the Bilderberg group and was a matter of great conjecture until 2011 when ISGP researcher, Joël van der Reijden obtained and published 5 guest lists for Le Cercle meetings, gleaned from the private papers of French Cercle visitor Monique Garnier-Lançon at Stanford University. They appear genuine and correlate clearly with other sources of information about the group.[12]

These lists included a similar set of deep politicians - i.e. politicians, spooks, bankers, diplomats, deep political actors, military officers, oil experts, editors and publishers who may or may not have retired from their official functions. The participants come almost exclusively from western or western-oriented countries. Many important members tend to be affiliated with the aristocratic circles in London or obscure elements within the Vatican, and accusations of links to fascism and synarchism are anything but uncommon in this milieu.

German guest #8 of the June 1983 Cercle meeting has a single name 'Schmidthuber' and a designation 'Minister of State of Bavaria'. This may be a reference to Peter Schmidhuber who was in the private office of Franz Josef Strauss, or this may be an alias of Strauss himself, who was indeed Minister President of Bavaria and was a regular of le Cercle.

Secrecy

Le Cercle has operated in almost complete anonymity since its creation with only a handful of articles having been written about it. The first media reference to the group was possibly Time Out magazine's 1975 leak of documents of the Institute for the Study of Conflict which referenced the "Pinay Committee", which was probably a reference to the group. No American commercially-controlled media sources are known to have mentioned the group.[13] Le Cercle was mentioned in the early 1980s by the German magazine Der Spiegel (which also published the first article on the Bilderberg group) as a result of the controversy surrounding Franz Josef Strauss, a regular attendant. In the late 1990s, Le Cercle received some more attention after a scandal broke out involving Jonathan Aitken, who was then European chairman[9]. Members who were contacted by newspapers refused to answer any questions about the group. It has only been briefly mentioned in the commercially-controlled media since then - internet researchers have worked hard to raise the group's profile. The most comprehensive study so far has been done by ISGP researcher, Joël van der Reijden[13], whose work prompted David Teacher to pursue his study of the group and republish an updated edition of his work on the group Rogue Agents. A couple of researchers have published Ph.D. theses on the group which deserve wider publication. As of July 2016, neither Spartacus nor History Commons had a page on this group.

Activities

The 1982 Langemann Papers were the first significant leak to expose the activities of Le Cercle, confirming that the group was actively involved in influencing Western European elections. Evidence of their involvement in other matters such weapons dealing and covert military action remains circumstantial but highly compelling.

Support for Conservative Politicians

David Teacher reports that "throughout the 1970s the Cercle Pinay complex was active [influencing elections in the UK,] France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium." He writes that "the Cercle complex can be seen to be an international coalition of right-wing intelligence veterans, working internationally to promote top conservative politicians who would shape the world in the 1970s and 1980s."

The Langemann Papers (November 1979) quote a planning paper by Brian Crozier about a Cercle complex operation "to affect a change of government in the United Kingdom (accomplished)".[14] This may be a reference to the success of the "Shield" group which Crozier set up in 1976, probably with the express purpose of getting Margaret Thatcher elected, a year after she was invited to the Bilderberg meeting by Labour's Dennis Healey.

Disruption of Left Wing Governments

Le Cercle has also been accused of actively destabilizing governments which opposed a conservative economic agenda, such as Gough Whitlam's Australian government.[15][16] Cercle member Robert Gascoyne-Cecil chaired the conservative Monday Club which prepared a coup against Labour government of Harold Wilson.[17]

Promotion of European Integration

Le Cercle (like the Bilderberg Group, to which it is often compared) is strongly focused on European integration, going back to the efforts of its early members to bring about a Franco-German rapprochement. The significant presence of Paneuropa-affiliated Opus Dei members and Knights of Malta, together with statements of the Vatican and Otto von Habsburg, suggest an agenda of creating a new "Holy Roman Empire" with borders from the Atlantic to the Black Sea and from the Baltic Sea to North Africa.[citation needed] Interestingly, the latest generation of British Cercle members, whose predecessors were keen on joining the European Union, now seem to want to keep Britain out of the emerging European superstate, perhaps having lost faith they can become a significant force within Europe. Their American associates, however, would like for them to continue the effort of breaking into the Franco-German alliance and possibly to establish a new Anglo-German alliance.

"War on Terror"

Full article: Rated 4/5 “War on Terror”

The group's interest in terrorism and arms dealing lends support to the suggestion that it may have been important in inventing the War on terror narrative. It is surely no coincidence that at least three members of this group (Brian Crozier, Robert Moss, Gerhard Lowenthal) gave presentations at the 1979 Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism - Nafeez Ahmed names as being the seminal event in the development of the establishment's "War on Terror" narrative. Many of the other speakers are closely connected to known members and may well have attended Le Cercle meetings, perhaps regularly. Many members set up "terrorism research" organisations, which sheds new light on the "anti-communist" think tanks they set up, such as Interdoc. Joël van der Reijden infers that Le Cercle may be connected to the Strategy of Tension. Noting the presence of Baron Benoit de Bonvoisin in the group, he remarks that "That's major news, because Baron de Bonvoisin, besides a key Belgian figure in the Strategy of Tension, is the most key name in the Belgian X-Dossiers."

Covert Military Intervention

Following a Nasserite coup in Yemen in September 1962, Julian Amery (later Cercle chairman) met with King Hussein of Jordan and agreed to send Cercle attendee Neil McLean to report on the situation[18] after which Amery met with McLean, David Stirling, Col Brian Franks and UK Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home to organise an unofficial mercenary operation.[19]

Weapons dealing

Full articles: Iran-Contra, Arms-to-Iraq

Cercle visitor John Carbaugh worked for GeoMiliTech Consultants Corporation, an arms dealing group directly involved in Iran-Contra.[20] Others such as Margaret Carlisle were aides to Iran-Contra insiders. Cercle members Paul Channon and Alan Clark are connected through their involvement in the Arms-to-Iraq affair, also to the later chairman Jonathan Aitken, who himself was involved in the Al-Yamamah arms deal as well, as was another later chairman, Norman Lamont.[21] Nadhmi Auchi is widely reported as having made a lot of money from arms deals to Saddam Hussein, amongst others.[22][23]

Other activities

Van der Reijden has suggested that Le Cercle was important in the organization of the 9/11 attacks.[24] Ted Shackley was involved in oil deals after he left the CIA in 1979, facilitated by his close friend and fellow Cercle member, Conrad Gerber and oil smuggler John Deuss.

Funding

The group states that it is "privately funded". In 1971, Shell contributed a lump sum of £30,000. The Ford Foundation also donated £20,000 over three years[When?].[25] Robin Ramsay, editor of Lobster Magazine believes the CIA funds the group, a claim that Alan Clark also makes in his diaries. Transactions such as the Al-Yamamah arms deal‎ suggest that the group could easily be self-funded.

 

Related Quotations

PageQuoteAuthorDate
Deep state actor“Crozier himself makes the point that many of the prominent politicians invited to sit in on Cercle strategic sessions had no knowledge of their hosts' more clandestine operational activities – if only because of the "need to know" principle. Nonetheless, a stalwart multi-functionary on the Boards of several groups linked to the Cercle can be presumed to have some deeper involvement beyond just lending his name to the cause.”David Teacher
Hans Langemannthe Circle consists of a loose gathering of various conservative and anti-Communist politicians, publicists, bankers and VIPs that meets some twice a year in various parts of the world. Its origins stem from the former French Prime Minister Antoine Pinay. The Circle, which still exists today, also invites guest speakers... One recent development is the establishment within the Circle of a command staff or of an inner circle which then works out particularly suitable means for action on current political questions.”Hans Langemann1980
Le Cercle/Exposure“For instance, in the late 1970s Le Cercle supported NATO's decision to station new medium-range nuclear weapons — Cruise and Pershing II missiles — in Britain, Germany, Belgium and Holland targeted against the USSR. Le Cercle helped to discredit the European peace protest movement which emerged against the backdrop of the nuclearization of Europe through aggressive counter-intelligence, provocations and disinformation.”Ekaterina Blinova8 August 2015
Helmut Schmidt“Participants at Le Cercle meetings report that a major issue has been how to bring about the demise of West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's government. This issue dominated the last biannual meeting of Le Cercle that was hosted by the Hanns Seidel Foundation, the official think tank of opposition leader Franz Josef Strauss's Christian Social Union, in Munich last May. Le Cercle's participants have been able to carry out an inside-outside job to destroy the Schmidt coalition government since then. While Strauss's CSU carried out a heavy-handed wrecking job that included an implicit alliance with the Strasserite fascist Green Party, sources report that Helmut Sonnenfeldt and Henry Kissinger took the inside track since the ouster of Secretary of State Alexander Haig, threatening, cajoling, and misleading Schmidt into his disastrous pragmatic political course.”Helmut Schmidt
Scott Thompson
1982

 

Employee on Wikispooks

EmployeeJob
Geoffrey TantumLe Cercle/UK secretary

 

Known members

281 of the 318 of the members already have pages here:

MemberDescription
James AbrahamsonU.S. Air Force general responsible for space imaging and the Strategic Defence Intiative. Abrahamson later directed Stratesec, a company which had unparalleled access to the World Trade Center prior to 2001. He was a member of the deep state intelligence coordinating conference Le Cercle.
Konrad AdenauerGerman (deep?) politician, CDU leader
Jonathan AitkenUK deep politician, Cercle chair, convicted perjurer
Georges AlbertiniFrench deep state operative. Man-behind-the-scenes for many politicians.
Alfredo AlcainoChile born Cercle visitor, deep state connected lawyer
Rupert AllasonWriter of books and articles on the subject of espionage. Attended Le Cercle.
Richard AllenUS National Security Advisor, Cercle, Iran-Contra...
Julian AmeryMI6, deep politician who chaired Le Cercle for several years.
Hooshang AmirahmadiIranian American spook who attended Le Cercle.
Michael AncramLikely took over from Norman Lamont as European chair of Le Cercle.
Bruce AndersonUK pro-torture spooky journalist, Le Cercle, attended a "terrorism" related conference chaired by Harold Elletson in 2009.
Robert AndersonLe Cercle, Bilderberg,
Giulio Andreotti"The ultimate insider of Italian political life", who as Italian Prime Minister publicly confirmed the existence of Operation Gladio
Magdeleine AngladeFrench member of Le Cercle who took over the role of Monique Garnier-Lançon
Richard Armitage"A sophisticated member of the top echelons of the U.S. government"
Kaúlza de ArriagaPortuguese soldier politician who attended a November 1977 meeting of Le Cercle with his aide
Bernard AssoSpooky French lawyer
Nadhmi AuchiCercle-connected fraudster
Shaukat AzizTri-national Citibank executive with "close ties" to the US deep state. Parachuted in to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. Cercle member.
Franz Josef BachA leading German member of the Cercle, who organised the 1982 meeting in Wildbad Kreuth.
Norman BaileySpooky economist who taught "Economics for Foreign Policy Makers." Admitted on the record that the PROMIS database and search application has been given to the NSA
John BarronA spooky journalist who wrote on the evils of the KGB.
Margaret BeckettUK foreign secretary, Le Cercle attendee
Alfredo Sánchez BellaSpanish spook and possible deep politician
Erik BennettA secretive UK military advisor in Oman and a Cercle attendee.
Jeff BergnerCercle attendee. Project for the New American Century. German Marshall Fund. Hudson Institute
Wayne Lee BermanUS Businessman with deep political connections.
Benazir BhuttoPrime Minister of Pakistan. YGL. Assassinated in 2007.
John Biggs-DavisonUK politician who attended Le Cercle
Brian BinleyEx-conservative MP. Le Cercle.
W. Michael BlumenthalUS/Secretary of the Treasury in the 1970s, Bilderberg, Le Cercle, CFR
Crispin BluntSandhurst, Le Cercle, MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee
John BoltonNeocon US deep state operative who was Trump's National Security Advisor until September 2019
Benoît de Bonvoisin"A key Belgian figure in the Strategy of Tension", as well as the most key name in the Belgian X-Dossiers. Member of Le Cercle. His father attended the first Bilderberg.
Cornelis BossersLe Cercle. Major businessman in the Philips group.
Pik BothaSouth African deep state operative
Colonel BottaVery little known Cercle visitor.
Raymond BourgineFrench journalist and editor who attended Le Cercle.
Paul BremerExecutive of Marsh & McLennan, a company whose offices were hit by a plane on 9/11, "Coordinator for Counterterrorism", Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq ...
Harold BrownUnited States Secretary of Defense.
John BrowneSpooky UK businessman, Morgan Stanley, Le Cercle, Chatham house ...
Aristide BrunelloLittle known Cercle visitor. Vatican prelate and spy for the BND under Reinhard Gehlen. Attended a meeting of the Le Cercle.<a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a>
Zbigniew BrzezinskiA central US Deep politician, Cercle, Bilderberg, ...
Maurice BrébartBelgian right-wing newspaper owner who attended Le Cercle in the 1970s.
Francisco BulnesCercle member active in the 1973 coup against Salvador Allende
David BurnsideNorthern Ireland politician
Ian ButterfieldSpooky MICC consultant, Le Cercle
Peter van der BylSpooky Rhodesian politician
Umberto CappuzzoSenior Italian military leader and Le Cercle attendee.
John CarbaughCercle attendee linked to political double dealing, arms deals and Iran-Contra.
... further results

 

Events Planned

EventStartEndLocation(s)Description
Australia/1975 coup d'état15 October 197511 November 1975Australia
Canberra
A UK/US deep state-backed covert "constitutional coup" to remove Gough Whitlam whom they saw as a loose cannon.
Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism2 July 19795 July 1979Israel
Jerusalem
The birthplace of the "War on Terror" doctrine, "a major international forum for the movement against détente".

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Circle of Powerarticle1999David Guyatt
Document:The Pinay Circlearticle1989David Teacher
Document:The Secret Society That Rules The WorldArticle7 November 2018Bas SplietIn his 1999 campaign autobiography, President George W. Bush mentioned his membership in passing: "My senior year I joined Skull and Bones, a secret society, so secret I can’t say anything more."
File:Rogue Agents (3rd edition, 2011, full).pdfbook2011David TeacherA book about the activities of the covert European groupings responsible for the realisation of the European Union between the end of World War II and the mid 1990's.
File:Rogue Agents (4th edition, 2015, full).pdfbook2014David TeacherA book about the activities of the covert European groupings responsible for the realisation of the European Union between the end of World War II and the mid 1990's
File:Rogue Agents - the Cercle and the 6I in the Private Cold War 1951 - 1991 by David Teacher (5th edn, 2017).pdfbook2017David TeacherA book about the activities of the covert European groupings responsible for the realisation of the European Union between the end of World War II and the mid 1990's.


Ratings

5star.png 10 April 2016 Robin  A good summary of a hugely under-reported deep state milieu.
Le Cercle is a good deal more secretive than the Bilderberg, and is still very little known. This page showcases the excellent work of Joël van der Reijden in exposing this group.
5star.png 4 April 2021 Terje 
Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.



References

  1. A 2003 obituary in the Observer established this equivalence
  2. http://web.archive.org/web/20001017205434/http://atlanticcircle.com/
  3. http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/standards-and-interests/register-of-lords-interests/register-of-interests-of-lords-members-staff/?letter=L
  4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091002436.html
  5. Adrian Hänni's Ph.D.
  6. a b c http://www.adst.org/OH%20TOCs/McCORMACK,%20Richard%20T.toc.pdf p.112
  7. https://isgp-studies.com/2010_Le_Cercle_update
  8. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/aitken-dropped-by-the-rights-secret-club-1258522.html
  9. a b Aitken dropped by the Right's secret club
  10. https://isgp-studies.com/Le_Cercle_membership_list
  11. Note, for example the connections to the 1979 JCIT; at least 3 Cercle members gave presentations and many started groups focusing on "terrorism research".
  12. https://isgp-studies.com/2011_10_First_ever_documents_of_Le_Cercle
  13. a b https://isgp-studies.com/le-cercle-pinay
  14. http://www.cryptome.org/2012/01/cercle-pinay-6i.pdf
  15. Document:The Pinay Circle
  16. http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_lecercle04.htm
  17. https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/edward-wilson/from-reactionary-revolution-to-consolidation-11-february-1975-to-7-may-2015
  18. Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.679.
  19. Stephen Dorril, MI6, Touchstone 2002, p.684.
  20. http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=geomilitech_consultants_corporation
  21. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/mar/06/uk.iraq
  22. https://wikileaks.org/wiki/Nadhmi_Auchi
  23. April 6, 2003, The Observer, 'So, Norman, any regrets this time?';
  24. https://isgp-studies.com/911-supranational-suspects
  25. Teacher, David (2008-01-06). Rogue Agents: The Cercle Pinay complex 1951-1991. p. 233.Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "Scribunto").