Le Cercle

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Group.png Le Cercle  
(Deep state milieu, Third rail topic‎ISGP Powerbase SourcewatchRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png 5from 2 reviews
December 2016 meeting of Le Cercle Washington 3.jpg
Formation1952
FounderJean Violet.jpg Jean Violet
LeaderLe Cercle/Chairman (Europe)‎
Type•  secret society
•  international
•  think tank
Interests“War on Terror”, “Counter-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.jpg James 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
•  Magdeleine Anglade
• Richard Armitage.jpg Richard Armitage
• Kaúlza de Arriaga.jpg Kaulza de Arriaga
• Bernard Asso.jpg Bernard Asso
• Auchi.jpg Nadhmi Auchi
• Shaukat Aziz.png Shaukat Aziz
• 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
• Benazir Bhutto.jpg Benazir Bhutto
•  John Biggs-Davison
• 40px Brian Binley
• W. Michael Blumenthal.jpg W. Michael Blumenthal
• Crispin Blunt.jpg Crispin Blunt
• John R. Bolton.jpg John Bolton
• Benoît de Bonvoisin.png Benoît de Bonvoisin
•  Cornelis Bossers
• Pik Botha 1.jpg Pik Botha
• No image available (photo).jpg Colonel Botta
•  Raymond Bourgine
• Maurice Brébart.png Maurice Brebart
• Paul Bremer.jpg Paul Bremer
• Harold Brown.jpg Harold Brown
• 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
•  Jack Dellal
• Jean-François Deniau.jpg Jean-François Deniau
• Paul Dietrich.jpg Paul Dietrich
• 40px Laura Jordan Dietrich
• Hans-Lothar Domröse.jpg Hans-Lothar Domröse
• No image available (photo).jpg Yves-Marc Dubois
• 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
•  David Faber
• Evo Fernandes.jpg Evo Fernandes
• Edwin J. Feulner.jpg Edwin J. Feulner
•  Charles Fincham
• Brand Fourie.png Brand Fourie
•  Wyche Fowler
•  William François
• Charles Alan 'Pop' Fraser.jpg Charles Alan 'Pop' Fraser
• Louis Freeh.jpg Louis Freeh
• Charles Freeman.jpg Charles Freeman
• Yegor Gaidar.jpg Yegor Gaidar
• Pierre Gallois.jpg Pierre Marie Gallois
• Indira Gandhi.jpg Indira Gandhi
• Marie-France Garaud.png Marie-France Garaud
• Mark Garnier.jpg Mark Garnier
• Monique Garnier-Lançon.png Monique Garnier-Lançon
•  Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
• Political Assembly, Marseille (6869078283) (cropped).jpg Jean-Claude Gaudin
•  Beverley Gayner
•  Jeffrey B. Gaynor
•  Rolf Gärtner
• 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
• James Goldsmith.jpg James Goldsmith
• Alvarogomez1.jpg Álvaro Gomez-Hurtado
• Enrique Gomez-Hurtado.jpg Enrique Gomez-Hurtado
• Philip Goodhart.jpg Philip Goodhart
•  Rolf Graage
• Alan Greenspan.jpg Alan Greenspan
• 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 François de Grossouvre
• 440px-Otto Habsburg 001.jpg Otto von Habsburg
• Chuck Hagel.jpg Chuck Hagel
• William Hague1.jpg William Hague
• Voa chinese Stefan Halper 8Apr10.jpg Stefan Halper
• Greg Hands.jpg Greg Hands
• Robert j hanks.png Robert J. Hanks
• Stephen Hastings.jpg Stephen Hastings
• Tsutomu Hata 19940428.jpg Tsutomu Hata
•  Bruno Heck
• Neil Peter Van Heerden.jpg Neil Peter Van Heerden
• Basil Hersov.jpg Basil E. Hersov
• No image available (photo).jpg Dirk W. R. Hertzog
• Franz Heubl.jpg Franz Heubl
• 2012-10-19-2656-Hohlmeier.jpg Monika Hohlmeier
• Ahorne.png Alistair Horne
• Alfons Horten.jpg Alphons 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
• Alun Gwynne Jones.jpg Alun Gwynne Jones
•  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
• Lane Kirkland.jpg Lane Kirkland
•  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
•  Victor Kuvaldin
• Ernst Kux.png Ernst Kux
• Kwasi Kwarteng 1.jpg Kwasi Kwarteng
•  Francis Lacoste
• Lord-Norman-Lamont.jpg Norman Lamont
• StephenLander.jpg Stephen Lander
•  Timothy Landon
• John Leahy.jpg John Leahy
• Ledeen.jpg Michael Ledeen
• Ronald Lehman.jpg Ronald Lehman
•  Edward Leigh
• Julian Lewis MP.jpg Julian Lewis
• John Lenczowski.jpg John Lichowski
• David Lidington.jpg David Lidington
• Winston Lord.jpg Winston Lord
• Gerhard Löwenthal.jpg Gerhard Löwenthal
• Fred Luchsinger.jpg Fred Luchsinger
• No image available (photo).jpg James Lucier
• Philippe Malaud.jpg Philippe Malaud
• Charles Malik.jpg Charles Malik
• Nikolai Malomuzh.jpg Nikolai Malomuzh
• 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
• George Meany.jpg George Meany
• Pierre Méhaignerie.jpg Pierre Méhaignerie
• Constantine Menges.jpg Constantin Menges
• Dan Meridor.jpg Dan Meridor
• Alois Mertes.jpg Alois Mertes
• Pierre Messmer01 (cropped 2).JPG Pierre Messmer
• Herb Meyer.png Herbert Meyer
• George Mitchell.jpg George Mitchell
• Jean Monnet.jpg Jean Monnet
• George Montgomery.jpg George Montgomery
•  William H. Moore
•  Thomas E. Moorer
• Robert Moss.jpg Robert Moss
• Marwan muasher.jpg Marwan al Muasher
• Federico Silva Muñoz.jpg Federico Silva Muñoz‎
•  Chester A. Nagle
• Karl Heinz Narjes.jpg Karl-Heinz Narjes
• John Negroponte.jpg John Negroponte
• Binyamin Netanyahu.jpg Benjamin Netanyahu
• Trump Nixon.jpg Richard Nixon
• François d'Orcival.jpg François d'Orcival
•  Frans Otten
• Urmas Paet.jpg Urmas Paet
• Filippo Maria Pandolfi.jpg Filippo Maria Pandolfi
• Charles Pasqua.jpg Charles Pasqua
• Shimon Peres.jpg Shimon Peres
• 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
•  Fritz Pirkl
•  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
• Zaid Al-Rifai portrait.jpg Ziad al-Rafai
•  Patricia Rawlings
•  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
•  Edward Rollins
•  William V. Roth
• Anton-Rupert.png Anton Rupert
•  Luc Beyer de Rycke
• Hans Rühle.png Hans Rühle
• Rumsfeld 2,3.png Donald Rumsfeld
•  Jan Sabbe
• No image available (photo).jpg Captain Santino
• Turki bin Faisal al-Saud.jpg Turki bin Faisal al-Saud
• Antonin Scalia.jpg Antonin Scalia
•  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
• John Shad.png John S. R. Shad
• Natan Sharansky.jpg Natan Sharansky
•  Arkady Shevchenko
• Marshall Shulman.png Marshall Shulman
•  Arnold M. Silver
• Ron Silver.jpg Ron Silver
• Manmohan Singh.jpg Manmohan Singh
• Xan Smiley 1990.png Xan Smiley
• GeorgeSoros.jpg George Soros
•  Thomas Roy Spencer
• TimSpicer1.jpg Tim Spicer
•  Antonio de Spinola
• Hans Christoph Freiherr Schenk von Stauffenberg.png Christian Freiherr von Stauffenberg
•  Frank Steele
•  Patrick Stefanini
• Rory Stewart.jpg Rory Stewart
• Richard G. Stilwell.jpg Richard Stilwell
• Franz Josef Strauß.jpg Franz Josef Strauss
•  Steven Symms
•  Frances Stockdale Symms
• Seyfi Taşhan.png Seyfi Taşhan
• Hussein bin Talal.png Hussein bin Talal
• Geoffrey Tantum.jpg Geoffrey Tantum
• H. L. T. Taswell.jpg Harold Taswell
• 40px Peter Tennant
• Margaret Thatcher.jpg Margaret Thatcher
• Hugh Thomas.png Hugh Thomas
•  Julian Ogilvie Thompson
• Leo Tindemans.jpg Leo Tindemans
• Eymen Topbaş.png Eymen Topbaş
• Thomas A. Twetten.jpg Thomas A. Twetten
•  Jean-François Vallet
• Giancarlo Elia Valori.jpg Giancarlo Elia Valori
• Paul Vankerkhoven.jpg Paul Vankerkhoven
• Philippe de Villiers Libertas 2009-05-14.jpg Philippe de Villiers
•  Pierre de Villiers
• Jean Violet.jpg Jean Violet
• Paul Violet.png Paul Violet
• Paul Volcker.jpg Paul Volcker
• John Vorster.jpg John Vorster
• Theo Waigel 1989.jpg Theo Waigel
• Jürgen Warnke.jpg Jürgen Warnke
• Philippe de Weck.jpg Philippe de Weck
•  Paul M. Weyrich
•  S. Linn Williams
•  John Wilkinson
•  William Wilson
•  John Wodehouse
• Paul Wolfowitz.jpg Paul Wolfowitz
• Bernhard Worms.jpg Bernhard Worms
• Covid Vaccine Deployment.jpg Nadhim Zahawi
• Ardeshir Zahedi.jpg Ardeshir Zahedi
•  Robert Zoelly
A deep state milieu set up around the same time as the Bilderberg, but smaller & far more secretive, attended especially by spooks, deep politicians and editors. Members promote their hawkish agenda by otherwise subverting the democratic process, apparently brokering weapons deals and possibly setting up false flag attacks. Their war making is also ideological - distributing propaganda to stoke fear of communism, promoting the "war on terror" etc.

Not to be confused with Le Siècle, a far less secretive deep state milieu.

Le Cercle[1] (formerly the Pinay Group[2], Pinay Circle[3], Cercle Pinay[4] or in Germany the Cercle Violet[5]) is a deep state milieu of a comparable age to the Bilderberg, but smaller, spookier, more secretive[6] and far less exposed. David Teacher wrote that the group can be seen to be an international coalition of right-wing intelligence veterans, propaganda assets and top politicians who would shape the 1970s and 1980s. [7] It was entirely European for 15 years, but since 1968 it has met annually in both Washington DC and Europe. Leaked documents[8] indicate that their activities include political subversion, arrangement of arms deals and fraud. Group members evinced great interest in "terrorism" back in the 1970s[9].

“Formed in the Fifties, Cercle was intended to cement Franco-German relations, as a buffer to Soviet aggression during the Cold War. Down the years, however, it has become much more, advocating right-wing causes round the world and growing into a confidential talking shop for about 70 politicians, businessmen, polemicists and personnel from the diplomatic and security services. Members are invited to attend its meetings; they cannot ask to be admitted, and as a condition of attending they agree to keep all sessions secret. It meets twice a year, once in Washington DC in the autumn and once in the early part of the year in an "overseas" venue.”
Chris Blackhurst (28 June 1997)  [10]

Official narrative

In 2000, a single webpage at www.atlanticcircle.com described Le Cercle as "an informal group of European and American professionals - politicians, retired Ambassadors, former Generals, lawyers, bankers and active participants in banking, oil, shipping, publishing and trading companies - who are interested in preserving a positive Atlantic dialogue."[11] To the UK House of Lords, this group has been described as an "informal group meeting to discuss world affairs."[12] 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."[13] 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."[14]

Short description

Le Cercle was described by former Conservative minister Alan Clark as

“a right-wing think (or rather thought) tank, funded by the CIA, which churns Cold War concepts around”.[15]
Konrad Adenauer meets with Antoine Pinay and Jean Violet at the earliest known meeting of Le Cercle, on 18th August 1958

Origins

Although the group bore the name of Antoine Pinay (French Prime minister in 1952)[16] it was likely organised by Jean Violet, a close associate of his since 1951. It arose from a Franco-German alliance (possibly in connection with Operation Gladio[17]) and originally its anti-communism had a catholic Christian flavour. In the 1970s, it assumed a transatlantic secular ethos, especially after 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 had separate US and European chairs for some years[18] - one for the Spring/Summer meeting in Europe, one for the Autumn/Winter meeting in the USA, The US chairman is less publicised (and currently unknown) so mention of "The Chairman" will probably be references to the European chairman. European chairs include Brian Crozier (1980-1985), Julian Amery (1985 - early 1990s)[19], Christian Schwarz-Schilling (1 year), Jonathan Aitken (1993-1996), Norman Lamont (over 10 years), Michael Ancram, Nadhim Zahawi and Kwasi Kwarteng. The current chairmen are unknown.

The only two US chairmen identified are Ted Shackley and his successor, Richard McCormack.[18] Geoffrey Tantum was named by The Telegraph as the Cercle's UK secretary.[20]

Meetings

Full article: Le Cercle/Meetings
Early Cercle members representing the Paneuropean Union, the European Coal and Steel Community, France, Germany, Italy & the US deep state.

The group currently meets biannually, in Washington DC every Autumn and in Spring across the Atlantic, usually in Europe, although David Rockefeller's autobiography states that it used to meet "thrice yearly".[21] Meetings last (3-)4 days and nowadays there are "about 70" guests, although meetings used to be smaller, perhaps just 35 participants.[18] 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.[22] Compared to a milieu such as the Bilderberg (with a first time invitee rate of about 50%) Membership of Le Cercle is much less fluid.

Attendance

334 people are known to have visited Le Cercle meetings since the first in 1952.
Full article: Le Cercle/Guests

The identity of attendees was largely a matter of conjecture until 2011 when ISGP researcher, Joël van der Reijden published 5 guest lists for Le Cercle meetings from the papers of French Cercle visitor Monique Garnier-Lançon at Stanford University,[23] which led him to create a list which inspired the list on the right.[24]

These lists include politicians, spooks, bankers, diplomats, deep political actors, military officers, editors and publishers who may or may not have officially retired. The participants, which include some deep politicians, 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.

Funding

Two former chairmen of Le Cercle, Kwasi Kwarteng and Nadhim Zahawi "denied they had any knowledge of how Le Cercle funds its operations."[25]

The group stated [When?] simply that it is "privately funded".[citation needed] Funding for the group has changed over the years. Multinational companies including Philips and Standard Elektrik Lorenz, a subsidiary of the American ITT Corporation. have given the group money. In 1971, Shell contributed a lump sum of £30,000. The Ford Foundation also donated £20,000 over three years[When?].[26] In the 1980s, the South African government was a major source of funds. According to Hennie van Vuuren's 2017 book "Apartheid, Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit":

"SA contributed R33,000 plus donations to the secretariat. This was a quarter of the budget and was clandestinely and illegally laundered through the Department of Foreign Affairs.
"Le Cercle wielded potentially significant influence on political affairs through its convening power, information sharing and what amounted to quasi-intelligence activity during the Cold War."[27]

In 1997, the Independent suggested that the group is CIA funded.[28] So do Robin Ramsay, editor of Lobster Magazine and Jon E. Lewis author of "The Mammoth Book of Cover-Ups"[29] and Alan Clark, who claims as much in his diaries:

“a right-wing think (or rather thought) tank, funded by the CIA, which churns Cold War concepts around.”[30]

Activities

From 1972 onwards, one of the major concerns for the Cercle Pinay complex was to ensure European distribution, and particularly French-language publication, of the ISC's output.

The 1982 Langemann Papers were the first significant exposure of Le Cercle's activities, 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.

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)".[31] 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.[32][33] Cercle member Robert Gascoyne-Cecil chaired the conservative Monday Club to oppose the decolonisation policies of Harold Wilson[34] It prepared a coup against his Labour government.[35]

Opposition to Nuclear Disarmament

Two Cercle members, Edward Leigh and Julian Lewis started the Coalition for Peace Through Security to try to reverse the rise in popularity of CND. In the US, the American Security Council started the Coalition for Peace Through Strength, which had comparable aims.

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 "counter-terrorism" and arms dealing suggests that it may have been important in devising the "War on Terror" narrative, as does the fact that at least four members of this group (Brian Crozier, Robert Moss, Gerhard Lowenthal, Alun Gwynne Jones) gave presentations at the seminal 1979 Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism. Some of the other speakers were connected to known members and may themselves have attended meetings of Le Cercle. Many members set up "terrorism research" organisations, which sheds new light on the "anti-communist" think tanks they also set up, such as Interdoc. Noting the presence of Baron Benoit de Bonvoisin in the group, Joël van der Reijden 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[36] after which Amery met with McLean, David Stirling, Col Brian Franks and UK Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home to organise an unofficial mercenary operation.[37]

Weapons dealing

Full articles: Iran-Contra, Arms-to-Iraq
Al yamamah.jpg

Cercle visitor John Carbaugh worked for GeoMiliTech Consultants Corporation, an arms dealing group directly involved in Iran-Contra.[38] 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.[39] Nadhmi Auchi is widely reported as having made a lot of money from arms deals to Saddam Hussein, amongst others.[40][41]

Other activities

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. Joël van der Reijden has suggested that Le Cercle was important in the organization of the 9/11 attacks.[42]

Cover-up

Full article: Le Cercle/Cover-up

The Wikipedia page, as of May 2019, was less than 3.5K (under 350 words). A link to this website was removed after 10 minutes by Wikipedia user Doug Weller,[43] who also removed the link to the list of Bilderberg participants.[44] CAAT reported that The Guardian claimed that the group is not influential.[45]

Exposure

Full article: Le Cercle/Exposure
The cover of the Kindle edition of Rogue Agents

The group was mentioned in a 1980 article in Der Spiegel.[46] As of 2021, Le Cercle remains far less exposed that the Bilderberg. It has featured very occasionally in commercially-controlled media, but most of what is publicly available about the group is from independent researchers. Preeminent among leaks were the Langemann Papers, which exposed the group as an agent of political subversion. Joël van der Reijden has been publishing about the group online since 2005 and put some primary documents online in 2011.

Rogue Agents

Full article: Rogue Agents

David Teacher credits van der Reijden with encouraging him to update his study of Le Cercle from 1951-1991, Rogue Agents, a 578 page study of the group, which is downloadable from this site[47] and which Peter Dale Scott termed "mind-boggling research".

2017

Fresh documents related to Le Cercle emerged from Pretoria and elsewhere in 2017.[48] In November 2017 Graham Vanbergen published Meet Le Cercle – Making Bilderberg Look Like Amateurs in TruePublica, which was picked up by several independent websites.[49][50][51]


 

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. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjcp-agk8T9AhU-nf0HHb2RBqEQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeclassifieduk.org%2Fsecret-cia-funded-group-linked-to-uk-ministers%2F&usg=AOvVaw0e2vvAQuBiuhnxfr8UtghW
  2. https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1973LISBON04406_b.html
  3. Document:The Pinay Circle
  4. A 2003 obituary in the Observer established this equivalence
  5. https://www.spiegel.de/politik/franz-josef-sein-milljoeh-a-d59216b9-0002-0001-0000-000014315032
  6. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-24-declassified-apartheid-profits-le-cercle-the-phantom-profiteers/
  7. Rogue Agents , 2008
  8. The Langemann Papers
  9. At least 4 confirmed members spoke at the 1979 Jerusalem Conference on International Terrorism and several set up "terrorism research" groups
  10. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/aitken-dropped-by-the-rights-secret-club-1258522.html The Independent
  11. http://web.archive.org/web/20001017205434/http://atlanticcircle.com/
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  14. Adrian Hänni's Ph.D.
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  16. https://wikileaks.org/saudi-cables/doc50925.html
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  18. a b c http://www.adst.org/OH%20TOCs/McCORMACK,%20Richard%20T.toc.pdf p.112
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  27. "Apartheid, Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit"
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  30. "SECRET ‘CIA-FUNDED’ GROUP LINKED TO UK MINISTERS"
  31. http://www.cryptome.org/2012/01/cercle-pinay-6i.pdf
  32. Document:The Pinay Circle
  33. http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_lecercle04.htm
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  35. https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/edward-wilson/from-reactionary-revolution-to-consolidation-11-february-1975-to-7-may-2015
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  46. https://www.spiegel.de/politik/franz-josef-sein-milljoeh-a-d59216b9-0002-0001-0000-000014315032
  47. File:Rogue Agents - the Cercle and the 6I in the Private Cold War 1951 - 1991 by David Teacher (5th edn, 2017).pdf
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