Otto Wolff von Amerongen

Otto Wolff von Amerongen   (businessman, deep politician)
Born	6 August 1918
Died	8 March 2007 (Age 88)
Nationality	German
Parents	• Otto Wolff • Elsa von Amerongen
Children	Otto Wolff von Amerongen Jr
Member of	Atlantic Bridge (Germany), Bilderberg/Advisory Committee, Bilderberg/Steering committee, Trilateral Commission
Bilderberg Advisory Committee member, deep politician

Otto Wolff von Amerongen was Chairman and C.E.O. of family business Otto Wolff Konzern (later a stock company). He attended 46 Bilderberg meetings and was a member of the Advisory Committee.

Background

The family business, the Otto Wolff Konzern was founded in Cologne in 1904 by Otto Wolff and Ottmar E. Strauss as a steel trading and steel wrecking company. Under the new National Socialist regime in 1933, Strauss (a Jew) was expropriated, being forced to sell his shares underpriced to Otto Wolff. From 1933 under the Third Reich, the group did brisk business with orders from Hermann Göring's four-year plan authority. Strauss died in Switzerland in 1941. Following Wolff's death the same year, the company came under the control of his son, Otto Wolff von Amerongen Jr.

World War 2

In 1942, during World War II, Wolff von Amerongen was sent to Portugal to handle import-export business for the firm and for the Reich. Von Amerongen, who was also a member of the Wehrmacht's intelligence service Abwehr, not only coordinated the export of the vital war mineral tungsten, but also the payment for this with foreign exchange, including with gold confiscated from Jews and enemies of the state.

In 1943, the large Neunkirchen ironworks, in which the Otto Wolff Group had a 40 percent stake, received an award for being a "War Model Company".

Until 1945, the Otto Wolff Group procured, among other things, Jewish property in the form of shares, gold and other values for the National Socialist government and its war financing, and placed it on the stock exchanges, for example in Switzerland, as well as in Portugal. To this end, he met regularly with ministers from the Salazar government in Lisbon.

After WW2

After the war, the heirs of Ottmar E. Strauss tried unsuccessfully to get their shares back. Otto Wolff von Amerongen was interned for a whole year following the Allied occupation of Germany. Control of the company passed to trustees, but Otto Wolff von Amerongen managed to resume control in 1947, after a screening - and maybe some sort of tacit or overt deal with the occupation authorities.

From 1955 he was Chairman of the German East-West Trade Committee, and served as Chairman of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 1966 and 1990. Several years and lawsuits later,Ottmar E. Strauss' heirs received seven million Deutsche Marks for their part in the company, a fraction of the original value.

In 1965, the Otto Wolff Group was one of the largest trading companies in the Federal Republic with a turnover of DM 2.5 billion. On the 1966 flotation of the business, Wolff von Amerongen became Chairman of the board, a position he retained for the next twenty years, taking on Peter Jungen as a P.A.

He was one of the supporters in the business community for Chancellors Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, a thaw in the relations with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc in the late 1960s and early 1970s, opening up economic opportunities. Without this support, the policy would not have been possible. This represented the 'dove' wing in the Cold War, as opposed to the(mostly US) 'hawks', who wanted hard measures and a continued trade embargo. As a result of this policy, large long term purchases of Soviet oil and gas (including building of several pipelines) were exchanged for billions worth of contracts for the German export industry in the Eastern Bloc.

He held positions on the boards of other major firms. In 1971 he became a director of Standard Oil of New Jersey, later Exxon.

Connections

He was a member of the Bilderberg Advisory Committee and Bilderberg Steering Committee. His long term personal assistant, Peter Jungen, attended Le Cercle on at least 4 occasions.

 

Events Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
Bilderberg/1955 March	18 March 1955	20 March 1955	France Barbizon	The second Bilderberg meeting, held in France. Just 42 guests, fewer than any other.
Bilderberg/1955 September	23 September 1955	25 September 1955	Germany Bavaria Garmisch-Partenkirchen	The third Bilderberg, in West Germany. The subject of a report by Der Spiegel which inspired a heavy blackout of subsequent meetings.
Bilderberg/1956	11 May 1956	13 May 1956	Denmark Fredensborg	The 4th Bilderberg meeting, with 147 guests, in contrast to the generally smaller meetings of the 1950s. Has two Bilderberg meetings in the years before and after
Bilderberg/1957 February	15 February 1957	17 February 1957	US St Simons Island Georgia (State)	The earliest ever Bilderberg in the year, number 5, was also first one outside Europe.
Bilderberg/1958	13 September 1958	15 September 1958	United Kingdom Buxton UK	The 7th Bilderberg and the first one in the UK. 72 guests
Bilderberg/1959	18 September 1959	20 September 1959	Turkey Yesilkoy	The 8th Bilderberg and the first in Turkey. 60 guests.
Bilderberg/1960	28 May 1960	29 May 1960	Switzerland Bürgenstock	The 9th such meeting and the first one in Switzerland. 61 participants + 4 "in attendance". The meeting report contains a press statement, 4 sentences long.
Bilderberg/1961	21 April 1961	23 April 1961	Canada Quebec St-Castin	The 10th Bilderberg, the first in Canada and the 2nd outside Europe.
Bilderberg/1962	18 May 1962	20 May 1962	Sweden Saltsjöbaden	The 11th Bilderberg meeting and the first one in Sweden.
Bilderberg/1963	29 March 1963	31 March 1963	France Cannes Hotel Martinez	The 12th Bilderberg meeting and the second one in France.
Bilderberg/1964	20 March 1964	22 March 1964	US Virginia Williamsburg	A year after this meeting, the post of GATT/Director-General was set up, and given Eric Wyndham White, who attended the '64 meeting. Several subsequent holders have been Bilderberg insiders, only 2 are not known to have attended the group.
Bilderberg/1965	2 April 1965	4 April 1965	Italy Villa d'Este	The 14th Bilderberg meeting, held in Italy
Bilderberg/1966	25 March 1966	27 March 1966	Germany Wiesbaden Hotel Nassauer Hof	Top of the agenda of the 15th Bilderberg in Wiesbaden, Germany, was the restructuring of NATO. Since this discussion was held, all permanent holders of the position of NATO Secretary General have attended at least one Bilderberg conference prior to their appointment.
Bilderberg/1967	31 March 1967	2 April 1967	United Kingdom St John's College (Cambridge) UK	Possibly the only Bilderberg meeting held in a university college rather than a hotel (St. John's College, Cambridge)
Bilderberg/1968	26 April 1968	28 April 1968	Canada Mont Tremblant	The 17th Bilderberg and the 2nd in Canada
Bilderberg/1969	9 May 1969	11 May 1969	Denmark Hotel Marienlyst Elsinore	The 18th Bilderberg meeting, with 85 participants
Bilderberg/1970	17 April 1970	19 April 1970	Switzerland Hotel Quellenhof Bad Ragaz	the 19th Bilderberg meeting, in Switzerland.
Bilderberg/1971	23 April 1971	25 April 1971	US Vermont Woodstock Woodstock Inn	The 20th Bilderberg, 89 guests
Bilderberg/1972	21 April 1972	23 April 1972	Belgium Hotel La Reserve Knokke	The 21st Bilderberg, 102 guests. It spawned the Trilateral Commission.
Bilderberg/1973	11 May 1973	13 May 1973	Sweden Saltsjöbaden	The meeting at which the 1973 oil crisis appears to have been planned.
Bilderberg/1974	19 April 1974	21 April 1974	France Hotel Mont d' Arbois Megève	The 23rd Bilderberg, held in France
Bilderberg/1975	25 April 1975	27 April 1975	Turkey Golden Dolphin Hotel Cesme	The 24th Bilderberg Meeting, 98 guests
Bilderberg/1977	22 April 1977	24 April 1977	United Kingdom Imperial Hotel Torquay	The 25th Bilderberg, held in Torquay, England.
Bilderberg/1978	21 April 1978	23 April 1978	US New Jersey Princeton University	The 26th Bilderberg, held in the US
Bilderberg/1979	27 April 1979	29 April 1979	Austria Baden Clubhotel Schloss Weikersdorf	27th Bilderberg, 95 guests, Austria
Bilderberg/1980	18 April 1980	20 April 1980	Germany Aachen	The 28th Bilderberg, held in West Germany, unusually exposed by the Daily Mirror
Bilderberg/1982	14 May 1982	16 May 1982	Norway Sandefjord	The 30th Bilderberg, held in Norway.
Bilderberg/1983	13 May 1983	15 May 1983	Canada Quebec Château Montebello	The 31st Bilderberg, held in Canada
Bilderberg/1984	11 May 1984	13 May 1984	Sweden Saltsjöbaden	The 32nd Bilderberg, held in Sweden
Bilderberg/1985	10 May 1985	12 May 1985	New York US Arrowwood of Westchester Rye Brook	The 33rd Bilderberg, held in Canada
Bilderberg/1986	25 April 1986	27 April 1986	Scotland Gleneagles Hotel	The 34th Bilderberg, 109 participants
Bilderberg/1987	24 April 1987	26 April 1987	Italy Cernobbio	35th Bilderberg, in Italy, 106 participants
Bilderberg/1988	3 June 1988	5 June 1988	Austria Interalpen-Hotel Telfs-Buchen	The 36th meeting, 114 participants
Bilderberg/1989	12 May 1989	14 May 1989	Spain Galicia La Toja Island	37th Bilderberg meeting, 110 guests
Bilderberg/1990	10 May 1990	13 May 1990	New York US Glen Cove	38th Bilderberg meeting, 119 guests
Bilderberg/1991	6 June 1991	9 June 1991	Germany Baden-Baden Steigenberger Hotel Badischer Hof	The 39th Bilderberg, 114 guests
Bilderberg/1992	21 May 1992	24 May 1992	France Royal Club Evian Evian-les-Bains	The 40th Bilderberg. It had 121 participants.
Bilderberg/1993	22 April 1993	25 April 1993	Greece Nafsika Astir Palace Hotel Vouliagmeni	The 41st Bilderberg, held in Greece
Bilderberg/1994	2 June 1994	5 June 1994	Finland Helsinki	The 42nd Bilderberg, in Helsinki.
Bilderberg/1995	8 June 1995	11 June 1995	Greece Nafsika Astir Palace Hotel Vouliagmeni	The 43rd Bilderberg. Held at the Burgenstock Hotel in Burgenstock, Switzerland.
Bilderberg/1996	30 May 1996	2 June 1996	Canada Toronto	The 44th Bilderberg, held in Canada
Bilderberg/1997	12 June 1997	15 June 1997	US Lake Lanier Georgia (State)	The 45th Bilderberg meeting
Bilderberg/1998	14 May 1998	17 May 1998	Scotland Turnberry	The 46th Bilderberg meeting, held in Scotland, chaired by Peter Carrington
Bilderberg/1999	3 June 1999	6 June 1999	Portugal Sintra	The 47th Bilderberg, 111 participants
Bilderberg/2000	1 June 2000	4 June 2000	Belgium Brussels Genval	The 48th Bilderberg, 94 guests
Bilderberg/2001	24 May 2001	27 May 2001	Sweden Stenungsund	The 49th Bilderberg, in Sweden. Reported on the WWW.

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