Site Map

AMERICA'S SECRET ESTABLISHMENT -- AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ORDER OF SKULL AND BONES

THE SECRET CULT OF THE ORDER

Memorandum Number One: An Introduction to the Secret Cult of the Order 

Secret political organizations can be -- and have been -- extremely dangerous to the social health and constitutional vitality of a society. In a truly free society the exercise of political power must always be open and known.

Moreover, organizations devoted to violent overthrow of political structures have always, by necessity, been secret organizations. Communist revolutionary cells are an obvious example. In fact, such revolutionary organizations could only function if their existence was secret.

In brief, secrecy in matters political is historically associated with coercion. Furthermore, the existence of secrecy in organizations with political ambitions or with a history of political action is always suspect. Freedom is always associated with open political action and discussion while coercion is always associated with secrecy.

There are numerous historical examples to support this premise. Back in the late 17th century the Elector of Bavaria, the constitutional government of Bavaria, banned the Illuminati organization. Accidental discovery of Illuminati documents demonstrated that a secret organization was devoted to the overthrow of the Bavarian state and establishment of a world society run by elitist Illuminati.

More recently in England there have been startling discoveries involving use of the Masonic movement by the Soviet KGB to subvert and infiltrate British intelligence. True freemasonry is an establishment conservative organization, but its organizational structure can be -- and has been -- used for revolutionary purposes. Masonic aims are publicly stated to be fraternity and charity, but it is also well known that masons help each other in areas supposedly based on talent.

In The Brotherhood [1] Stephen Knight comments that many have suffered because freemasonry has entered segments of society where it has no place:

"... there can be no doubt that many ... have suffered because of freemasonry entering into areas of life where, according to all its publicly proclaimed principles, it should never intrude. The abuse of freemasonry causes alarming miscarriages of justice" (p. 4).

In England at any rate freemasonry has become a self-serving organization always discriminating in favor of its own members when it comes to contracts, jobs, careers and promotions. Moreover, we now know that the masonic movement in England was used by the Russian KGB to infiltrate, take over and finally head British intelligence organizations.

In September 1984 Scotland Yard in London advised all its police officers not to join the freemasons lest its reputation for impartiality be lost.

Given this background, The Order, a secret society also known as Skull & Bones, is a clear and obvious threat to constitutional freedom in the United States. Its secrecy, power and use of influence is greater by far than the masons, or any other semi-secret mutual or fraternal organization.

How secret is Skull & Bones?

The most careful analysis of the society is by Lyman Bagg in Four Years At Yale [2] published in 1871, but still the only source of documented information on the cultic aspects of The Order.

According to Bagg, The Order is intensely secret:

• "They (the senior societies at Yale) are the only Yale societies whose transactions are truly secret."

• "Their members never mention their names, nor refer to them in any way in the presence of anyone not of their own number, and as they are all seniors, there are no old members in the class above them to tell tales out of school."

This intense secrecy even extends to documents printed for internal use.

On the next page we reprint an internal circular distributed among Patriarchs which has disguised references as follows:

• "P" i.e., Patriarch

• "P---s" Patriarchs

[PRIVATE.]

The distribution of the accompanying pamphlets establishes the custom of mailing these and similar publications of the College authorities, annually to every P. The issues of previous years, and other College publications will also be sent upon application. Badges and catalogues can also be obtained.

Within a few months the "old kitchen" will doubtless be transformed, through the generosity of some New Yorkers, into a library room, lighted from above, affording accommodations for the books, etc., which are over-crowding the present shelves.

The "Library" has three departments:

1. All books, pamphlets, etc., written or edited by P--s.
2. All printed matter having any reference to Yale.
3. Very old or curious volumes, or engravings.

Each of these departments is at present very defective. An effort is being made to fill up these deficiencies.

Of the first, little need be said. Every one will know whether he has anything to add thereto -- and many have. It is hoped that these will take notice.

The scrap books, student publications, college histories and miscellaneous pamphlets relating to Yale, compose the second section. The scrap books have been well cared for during the past few years, but very little of the College memorabilia of previous years has been preserved. Such a collection, however, would be as interesting as valuable, and would become more so every year, forming in one sense a history of Yale, or at least of that side of it which seldom gets into history -- the character and customs of student life. Very few who read this will probably have anything to furnish to such complete collection of Yalensia as, it is hoped, will be gathered, and fewer still will be willing to part with what they may have. Therefore, let every one who has anything of this description, and has lost something of his interest in it, or who is willing to make this disposal of it, communicate at once with the undersigned. Anything which you may have, could not be deposited in a safer place surely, nor where it would be more permanently useful. If any duplicates should be obtained they will be returned, or given to a similar collection in the College Library.

The third department is yet in its infancy.

"HENRY E. NEVINS."

If The Order has this intense secrecy, then how are we able to reproduce its documents and memberships rolls?

Simply because secrecy attracts attention. Secrecy creates suspicion of intentions. This in turn generates action to break the secrecy.

This series of books is based on several sources, including contemporary "moles." However, information on the cultic aspects comes from a century-old Yale concern about the operations and intentions of Skull & Bones. This concern generated two pamphlets, one issue of a journal and a chapter in a book, as follows:

(1) An anonymous pamphlet entitled Skull & Bones. This is an account of the 1876 break-in at the "Bones" Temple on the Yale campus.  An extremely rare document, it is reproduced in full as an appendix to this book.

The pamphlet begins:

"As long as Bones shall exist the night of September 29th (1876) will be to its members the anniversary of the occasion when their temple was invaded by neutrals, their rarest memorabilia confiscated and their most sacred secrets unveiled to the eyes of the uninitiated."

This is reference to a break-in by a group of Yale students, and the pamphlet describes in minute detail the contents of the Temple. For example, it describes the walls, e.g., "... the walls are adorned with pictures of the founders of Bones at Yale and of the members of the Society in Germany when the Chapter was established here in 1832."

This sentence becomes of interest when the Illuminati aspect is discussed in Memorandum Five below.

Here's another interesting paragraph from this pamphlet:

"Bones is a chapter of a corps in a German University. It should properly be called, not Skull & Bones Society but Skull & Bones Chapter. General R------ (Russell), its founder, was in Germany before Senior Year and formed a warm friendship with a leading member of a German society. He brought back with him to college, authority to found a chapter here. Thus was Bones founded."

Think about this: Skull & Bones is not American at all. It is a branch of a FOREIGN secret society.

Presumably this is one reason why intense secrecy is vital. It also raises the question of just who and what this foreign organization is and whether its objectives are compatible with those of the Constitution of the United States.

(2) The Order, The Fall of Skull and Bones (New Haven, 1876)

This is an anonymous satire published 1876 apparently in New Haven, Connecticut by a group calling itself The Order.

The subtitle reads "Compiled from the minutes of the 76th regular meeting of The Order of the File and Claw."

The opening paragraphs are as in Skull & Bones cited above (1). However, the text continues with considerably more detail and appears to have been written by another member of the break-in crew.

In particular, this book gives the identification of the owner of the human skull found in one of the rooms of the Temple:

"A light is always kept burning in the Jo (D) which is ornamented with a dilapidated human skull ... here is also a tombstone marked SPERRY, seemingly taken from the same grave as the skull."

In brief, it appears this "respected" Order of Yale gentlemen is no more than a coven of grave robbers hoarding skulls, skeletons and tombstones.

Then further down is the following:

"In the Pantry (F) are large quantities of dishes, each piece of crockery ornamented with a picture of a skull and crossbones, each spoon and fork marked S.B.T." (Skull and Bones Trust).

This suggests a preoccupation with skulls and human bones is built into the cultic structure of The Order.

Then on page 4 we learn that each member of Skull & Bones (as well as Scroll & Key) has an "inside name" and these names bear a remarkable resemblance to those used by the Illuminati, e.g., Chilo, Eumenes, Glaucus, Prisaticus and Arbaces.

The conclusion of this pamphlet is:

"... we will say that a thorough examination of every part of the Temple leads us to the conclusions that the most powerful of college societies is nothing more than a pleasant convivial club."

This conclusion ignores other evidence presented elsewhere. It is acceptable given only the findings of the break-in crew.

(3) The Iconoclast, New Haven 1873

Only one issue of this journal has been found, and only a single copy of that issue exists. It is reproduced as an appendix below. The editor of The Iconoclast considered Skull & Bones "a deadly evil" and emphasized their interest in political control. Moreover, the Iconoclast states that The Order obtained control of Yale, and its members care more for their society than for Yale:

Out of every class Skull and Bones takes its men. They have gone out into the world and have become, in many instances, leaders in society. They have obtained control of Yale. Its business is performed by them. Money paid to the college must pass into their hands, and be subject to their will.

(4) Chapter "Senior Societies" in Lyman Bagg, Four Years at Yale.

This is the reference cited above at the beginning of this chapter.

Other sources include an article in Esquire Magazine by Ron Rosenbaum entitled "The last secrets of Skull and Bones" (September 1977). From this article we learn such tidbits as:

"Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart ... dressed up in a skeleton suit, howled wildly at an initiate in a red velvet room inside the tomb ..."

"McGeorge Bundy wrestled naked in a mud pile as part of his initiation."

According to a dossier obtained by Ron Rosenbaum, the 1940 initiation ceremony went like this:

New man placed in coffin -- carried into central part of building. New man chanted over and reborn into society. Removed from coffin and given robes with symbols on it (sic). A bone with his name on it is tossed into bone heap at start of evening. Initiates plunged naked into mud pile.

Again, we have a sordid preoccupation with coffins, skeletons and death.

This about summarizes sources of information.

Strangely enough, the long-time proponent of conspiracy theories, the John Birch Society, has made little contribution to our knowledge of The Order. Apparently JBS recognizes its existence but considers it merely a "recruiting ground," which, of course, it is.

This "recruiting ground" interpretation suggests several points. Firstly, the documentary evidence is quite clear: Knights, i.e., the just recruited initiates, spend only one year as Knights. They become Patriarchs after leaving Yale and spend a lifetime as Patriarchs. Second, continual correspondence and meeting as Patriarchs continues after leaving Yale. In fact, the Deer Illand Club is specifically for annual meetings of Patriarchs and the Russell Trust Association is run entirely by Patriarchs.

In brief, the JBS "recruiting ground" theory just doesn't match all the facts.

Furthermore, The Order is the ONLY fully documented example we have of a secret society within the U.S. establishment. JBS has never produced membership lists of any other society and yet seems unwilling to recognize the existence of The Order.

Similarly, New Solidarity, i.e., the Lyndon LaRouche outfit, claims to have exposed The Order back in 1979. Unfortunately, neither Lyndon LaRouche nor anyone else can produce documents dated 1983 and 1984 in 1979. In any event, the degree of documentation in our volumes on The Order has not been matched elsewhere.

The answer is that this author does have -- and fully admits to having -- clandestine sources within The Order. We understand that for specific reasons these sources are not available to either JBS or Lyndon LaRouche. At that point we will leave our discussion of sources and move on to the ritual aspects of The Order.

_______________

1. Stephan Knight, The Brotherhood: The secret World of the Freemasons, Granada, London, 1984.

2.  Lyman Bagg, Four Years at Yale, Henry Holt & Co., New York, 1871. The chapter "Senior Societies" is reprinted in full as an appendix to this book.

Go to Next Page