[New] Bohemian Grove: America's secretive men's club of the rich and powerful.

[HeWhoRemains™]

Bohemian Grove, an exclusive club for rich and powerful men, is in the news after it is reported that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas visited the retreat with a billionaire friend.

 

A report by US investigative news outlet ProPublica revealed that Judge Thomas accepted luxury trips around the world from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow, when Supreme Court justices are required to declare their gifts annually. According to ProPublica, the trips included several on Crow's luxury yacht and private plane. This included a visit to the Bohemian Grove.

 

The exclusivity and secrecy of Bohemian Grove - located in remote Sonoma County, north of San Francisco - have inspired both protests and conspiracy theories.

 

In the club it is forbidden to talk about business. But reports say some of America's most powerful men have made deals and hooked up amid a bizarre array of performances and rituals at this 150-year-old venue.

 

How it began?

The Bohemian Grove was started in 1872 by a group of journalists, artists and musicians in San Francisco. Author Mark Twain was one of the first members.

Members of the Bohemian Grove photographed in the early 20th century

 

The two-week campout at Bohemian Grove - a rural retreat with 2,700 trees - began six years later as a send-off for an actor moving to New York.

Over time, the club's artistic roots expanded to include businessmen and politicians. Members are welcome to bring guests, but the meeting is closed to the media and outsiders.

 

Who belongs to the club?

 

The list of 2,500 members is secret. However, some information has leaked.

 

Former partners include US Presidents Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, plus a litany of famous writers, actors and businessmen.

The club's motto, taken from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," is "Weaving Spiders Don't Come Here," a warning against business talk that has often been ignored.

The 1942 Manhattan Project planning meeting, held at the Grove, led to the development of the atomic bomb.

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-65223352