The Order of Skull and Bones, once known as The Brotherhood of Death,^[1] is a senior or secret society based at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. Secret society is a term used to describe a variety of organizations The society's alumni organization, which owns its properties and oversees all the organization's activity, is known as the Russell Trust Association (R. The Russell Trust Association is the business name for the New Haven Connecticut based Skull and Bones society, incorporated in 1856 T. A. ), and is named after one of Bones' founding members. ^[2] In conversation, the group is known as "Bones," and members have been known as "Bonesmen. "

Skull and Bones is known for its secrecy. Mid-nineteenth century Yale enjoyed the presence of freshmen, sophomore and junior societies. Sophomore is a term used to describe a second effort instance or release Undergraduates then, with their fickle allegiances, would share the rites and practices of their class society upon elevation within the undergraduate ranks. When seniors departed campus, little verifiable information was left about the rites and practices of the senior or secret societies, particularly Bones, then Scroll and Key, then Book and Snake, and then Wolf's Head. Secret society is a term used to describe a variety of organizations Scroll and Key Society is a senior or secret society established by " John Porter, William Kingsley Samuel Perkins Enos Taft Lebbeus Chapin George Jackson The Society of Book and Snake is the fourth oldest Secret society at Yale University. ^[3] George W. Bush, in his autobiography, states "[in] My senior year I joined Skull and Bones, a secret society, so secret, I can't say anything more. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. A Charge to Keep is a 1999 book written by George W Bush and credited Ghostwriter Michael Herskowitz with a Foreword by Karen Hughes "^[4] When asked what it meant that he and Bush were both Bonesmen, former presidential candidate, and current U. S. Senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry said, "Not much because it's a secret. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator "^[5]

History

"The Order" was formed in 1832 as an outcome of the old debating societies, Linonia, Brothers in Unity, and Calliope. Year 1832 ( MDCCCXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian The direct cause was a dispute over the Phi Beta Kappa awards. The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic Honor society with the mission of "fostering and recognizing excellence" in the Undergraduate Liberal arts ^[6] By reputation, "Bonesmen" tapped the current football and heavyweight rowing captains, as well as notables from the Yale Daily News, Yale Lit, and eventually the Yale Political Union. The Yale Daily News is a Newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven Connecticut since January 28, 1878 Parties The Union is an umbrella organization that currently contains seven Parties the Liberal Party (Lib the Party of the Left (PoL the Progressive Party (Prog the Independent The group's decision, after much dispute, to admit women helped diversify the membership to reflect current undergraduate demographics. Numerous undergraduate constituencies are better represented among the recently tapped membership compared to the Skull and Bones "cohorts," or "delegations," that included the 27th, 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States. William Howard Taft (September 15 1857 – March 8 1930 was an American politician, the twenty-seventh President of the United States, the tenth Chief Justice George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by

Other notable members include: Benjamin Silliman Jr., the first to produce gasoline, and the first American oil company, Pennsylvania Rock Oil; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Morrison R. Waite's informal commentary regarding Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company was interpreted as legitimizing corporate personhood; members played a key role in founding and setting the direction for the Carnegie Institution, the Peabody Foundation, Slater Foundation, and Russel Sage Foundations, as well as the American Economic Association, the American Historical Association, and the American Psychological Association. Benjamin Silliman Jr ( December 4, 1816 &ndash January 14, 1885) was a professor of Chemistry at Yale University and The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English Morrison Remick Waite, nicknamed "Mott" ( November 29 1816 &ndash March 23 1888) was the Chief Justice of the United States Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad Company, was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with taxation of railroad properties The corporate personhood debate refers to the controversy (primarily in the United States) over the question of what subset of rights afforded under the law to Natural The Carnegie Institution for Science (also called the Carnegie Institution of Washington (CIW) is a organization in the United States established to support Scientific The Russell Sage Foundation is a small foundation located in New York City that is devoted exclusively to research in the Social sciences. The American Economic Association, or AEA, is the oldest and most important professional organization in the field of Economics. The American Historical Association ( AHA) is the oldest and largest society of Historians and Teachers of History in the United States The American Psychological Association (APA is a professional organization representing psychologists in the U The first president or chancellor of the University of California, Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, and Washington University in Saint Louis were members. A Chancellor is the head of a University. Other titles are sometimes used such as President or Rector. The University of California ( UC) is a Public university system in the state of California.

The Skull and Bones tomb in the 19th century, before adjacent Yale buildings and tree growth.

On October 22, 1945, Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson created the Lovett Committee, chaired by Robert A. Lovett to develop a new U. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Secretary of War was a member of the United States President's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington 's administration Robert Porter Patterson (Sr ( February 12, 1891 - January 22, 1952) was the United States Under Secretary of War under President Franklin Roosevelt Robert Abercrombie Lovett ( 14 September 1895 - 7 May 1986) was the fourth United States Secretary of Defense, serving in S. intelligence apparatus. This resulted in the creation of the CIA, which has reputedly been an alumni association within the R. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all T. A. (see below "Bones and the U. S. Intelligence Community").

The Skull & Bones tomb today

Another vantage of the historic Bones tomb.

Bones tomb showing A. J. Davis' towers, right rear facade.

Members meet in the "tomb" on Thursday and Sunday evenings of each week over the course of their senior year. As with other Yale societies, the sharing of a personal history is the keystone of the senior year together in the tomb. Members are assigned a nickname.

Architecture

Main building, attribution in dispute. Possibly Alexander Jackson Davis (1803–1892) or Henry Austin (1804–1891). Alexander Jackson Davis (AJ Davis ( July 24, 1803 &ndash January 14, 1892) was one of the most successful and influential American architects Henry Austin ( December 4, 1804 &mdash December 17, 1891) was a prominent and prolific American Architect based in New (1856: first wing; 1903: second wing; 1911: addition of relocated Davis-designed Neo-Gothic towers at rear garden. The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began Front and side facades brownstone Egypto-Doric style. Brownstone is a brown Triassic Sandstone which was once a popular Building material. Egyptian Revival is an Architectural style that makes use of the motifs and imagery of Ancient Egypt. )

Evarts Tracy and Edgerton Swartwout, Tracy and Swartwout, New York. Tracy and Swartwout was a prominent New York architectural firm headed by Evarts Tracy and Edgerton Swartwout responsible for commissions including the Beaux Arts Missouri (1912, Bones' adjacent "secret garden" described as an "Oxfordesque cloister". The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the A cloister (from Latin claustrum) is a part of Cathedral, Monastic and Abbey architecture )^[7] Evarts was not a Bonesman, but his paternal grandmother Martha Sherman Evarts and maternal grandmother Mary Evarts were the sisters of William Maxwell Evarts (S&B 1837). William Maxwell Evarts ( February 6, 1818 &ndash February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as US

Architectural historian Patrick Pinnell includes an in-depth discussion of the dispute over the identity of the architect in his 1999 history of Yale's campus. Pinnell relates how first the left-side block (1856), then forty-seven years later the right-side block, and ultimately the gothic towers salvaged from A. J. Davis' 1851–53 Alumni Hall on Old Campus were added at the time of the creation of their cloister^[8]. The Old Campus is a complex of buildings at Yale University on the block at the northwest end of the green in New Haven, Connecticut consisting

Pinnell speculates whether the re-use of the Davis towers was evidence of an architectural "filial piety" suggesting that Davis did the original building; conversely, Austin was responsible for the atmospherically similar brownstone Egyptian Revival gates, built 1845, of the Grove Street Cemetery, on the opposite side of campus. Brownstone is a brown Triassic Sandstone which was once a popular Building material. Egyptian Revival is an Architectural style that makes use of the motifs and imagery of Ancient Egypt. Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground in New Haven Connecticut is located in the center of the Yale University campus Also discussed by Pinnell is the tomb's aesthetic place in relation to its neighbors, including the Yale University Art Gallery. The Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut ^[9] Additional data can be seen here. New Hampshire landscape architects Saucier & Flynn designed the wrought-iron fence that currently surrounds a portion of the complex in the late 1990s. ^[10]

Bonesmen

Main article: List of Skull and Bones members

Skull and Bones 1947, with George H. Skull and Bones, a Secret society at Yale University, was founded in 1832 W. Bush just left of clock

Judy Schiff, Chief Archivist at the Yale University Library, has written: "The names of (S&B's) members weren't kept secret, that was an innovation of the 1970s, but its meetings and practices were. Yale University Library is the library system of Yale University in New Haven Connecticut, United States. The secrecy seems to have attracted fascination and curiosity from the start. "

The first exposé of Skull and Bones, published in 1871 by Lyman Bagg in his book Four Years at Yale, noted that "the mystery now attending its existence forms the one great enigma which college gossip never tires of discussing. Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common "^[11]

Notwithstanding that resourceful researchers could assemble member data from these original sources, renewed attention may have been paid to leading families in Skull and Bones because in 1985 an anonymous source leaked rosters to a private researcher, Antony C. Sutton, who wrote a book on the group titled America's Secret Establishment: An Introduction to the Order of Skull & Bones. Antony Cyril Sutton ( February 14, 1925 - June 17, 2002) was a British-born economist historian and writer This leaked 1985 data was kept privately for over 15 years, as Sutton feared that the photocopied pages could somehow identify the member who leaked it. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The information was finally reformatted as an appendix in the book Fleshing out Skull and Bones, a compilation edited by Kris Millegan, published in 2003. ^[12]

Both 2004 Presidential Nominees — Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and now two-term President George W. Bush — were members of Skull and Bones. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. The nominees were interviewed separately by Meet the Press's Tim Russert. Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. Timothy John Russert II (May 7 1950 &ndash June 13 2008 was an American television Journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving When asked about the organization both declined to give any details. ^[13]

Bones and the U. S. Intelligence Community

In May 2007, CIA historians publicly released an article that rebutted inaccurate but enduring beliefs that Skull & Bones was an incubator of the U. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all S. Intelligence Community. ^[14]

The CIA article noted that movies such as The Good Shepherd perpetuated in the public mind the notion that entry into CIA's upper echelons hinged on membership in Bones. The reality depicts a different story, however. Referring to characters depicted in the film, CIA historians pointed out that CIA Counter-Intelligence chief James Jesus Angleton attended Yale, but was not a Bonesman. James Jesus Angleton (December 9 1917 &ndash May 12 1987 known to colleagues as Jim and nicknamed "the Kingfisher" was a long-serving chief of the Central Intelligence Edward Wilson (Matt Damon), the main character in the film, was Scroll and Key member Tracy Barnes; Keysman Tracy Barnes is believed to have devised the Bay of Pigs invasion. Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 1970 is an American Actor and Philanthropist. Scroll and Key Society is a senior or secret society established by " John Porter, William Kingsley Samuel Perkins Enos Taft Lebbeus Chapin George Jackson Tracy Barnes (1911 - 1972 was a senior staff member at the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA serving as first head of the agency's Domestic Operations Division Tracy Barnes (1911 - 1972 was a senior staff member at the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA serving as first head of the agency's Domestic Operations Division Richard Bissell declined the offer of a Tap to join (he was an Elizabethan Club member, although his brother was a Bonesman). Richard Bissell may refer to Richard M Bissell Jr (1909-1994 CIA Director for Plans Richard Pike Bissell (1913-1977 author/playwright The Elizabethan Club is a prestigious social club at Yale University named for Queen Elizabeth I and her era Richard Helms (DCI 1966–1973) attended Williams College. Richard McGarrah Helms ( March 30, 1913 &ndash October 23, 2002) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI from 1966 to 1973 Williams College is a highly selective private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Allen W. Dulles (DCI 1953–1961) attended Princeton. Allen Welsh Dulles (April 7 1893 &ndash January 29 1969 was the first civilian and the longest serving (1953-1961 Director of Central Intelligence (de-facto head of Princeton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. McGeorge Bundy, senior adviser to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and strong advocate for increased intervention in Vietnam was a Bonesman. McGeorge "Mac" Bundy ( March 30, 1919 – September 16, 1996) was United States National Security Advisor to Presidents John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Recent former CIA Director Porter Goss, Yale '60, was a member of Book and Snake, and Goss and classmate John Negroponte, the first Director of National Intelligence, who was a member of the Elihu secret society, were both in Fence Club, Yale's name for the Psi Upsilon fraternity. Porter Johnston Goss (born December 10 1938) is an American politician, who was the last Director of Central Intelligence and the first The Society of Book and Snake is the fourth oldest Secret society at Yale University. Hon John Dimitri Negroponte (born July 21, 1939 in London, England, United Kingdom) (ˌnɛgroʊˈpɒnti is an American The Director of National Intelligence ( DNI) is the United States government official subject to the authority direction and control of the President Elihujpg|left|100px|Emblem of Elihu]] Elihu, founded in 1903 is the sixth oldest secret society at Yale University, New Haven CT. Fraternity Origin In the 18th and 19th centuries college extracurricular activities were primarily intellectual exercises in the form of literary debates readings and oratorical

While Bones may not in actuality have been the cradle for future CIA operatives, or the Office of Strategic Services (OSS, the predecessor to the CIA), it is accurate to note that a disproportionate number of Yale graduates have led and staffed the intelligence community; for example, George H. W. Bush, Director of Central Intelligence, January 30 1976–January 20, 1977. The Office of Strategic Services ( OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence (DCI was established by U It is said that the term 'spook' -- once designating a Yale senior or secret society member -- is the colloquial term for anyone in espionage. (For more on Yale graduates' and faculty influences on the formation of the intelligence agencies, see the book Cloak and Gown: Scholars in the Secret War, 1939–1961 by historian Robin W. Winks. )

Asset Management & Financial Associations

In 1943, by special act of the Connecticut state legislature, its trustees were granted an exemption from filing corporate reports with the Secretary of State, which is normally a requirement. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. From 1978-1988, business of the Russell Trust Association was handled by a single trustee, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. partner John B. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Brown Brothers Harriman & Co (BBH is one of the oldest and largest Partnership banks in the United States. Madden, Jr.

See also

• Collegiate secret societies in North America
• Secret society
• List of conspiracy theories

References

Further reading

• Millegan, Kris, ed. Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. Fleshing Out Skull and Bones: Investigations into America's Most Powerful Secret Society. Walterville, OR: Trine Day, 2003. ISBN 0-9720207-2-1
• Sutton, Antony C. America's Secret Establishment: An Introduction to the Order of Skull & Bones. Walterville, OR: Trine Day, 2003. ISBN 0-9720207-0-5
• Begin, Jeremy. Fighting for G. O. D. (Gold, Oil, and Drugs). Walterville, OR: Trine Day, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9777953-3-8
• Tarpley, Webster, et al. George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography. Washington, D. C. : Executive Intelligence Review, 1992. The LaRouche movement is an international political and cultural movement which promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas including a commitment to "what ISBN 0-943235-05-7. Available free on the web: http://www.tarpley.net/bushb.htm
• Robbins, Alexandra. Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power. Back Bay Books, 2003. ISBN 0-316-73561-2
• "Whose Skull and Bones?," Kathrin Day Lassila '81 and Mark Alden Branch '86, Yale Alumni Magazine, May/June 2006
• "Geronimo's family calls on Bush to help return his skeleton." The Independent, June 1, 2006.
• Skull & Bones Society: A rare look inside Skull and Bones, the Yale secret society and sometime haunt of the presumptive Republican nominee for President, by Alexandra Robbins
• Tedford, Cody. Powerful Secrets. Hannover, 2008. ISBN 1-4241-9263-3

External links

• Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Website
• Yale Old Campus, Skull and Bones Tomb. opens in Google earth
• Skull and Bones property: Deer Island opens in Google earth
• Deer Island photos & information at NewRuins
• The New American Article on the Skull and Bones Society, and its political influences
• How the Secret Societies Got That Way (Yale Alumni Magazine)
• Video of the April 23, 2001 ABC News segment: Behind the Closed Doors of a Secret Society - ABC News' Dan Harris reports on covertly shot footage that exposes the "Bonesmen" of Skull & Bones as they perform occult rituals at "The Tomb" in New Haven. The video - shot with nightvision technology and a microphone - was secretly captured with a hidden camera on the evening of April 14, 2001 by New York Observer reporter Ron Rosenbaum. (This video is hosted by YouTube. com)
• Audio and transcript the April 23, 2001 ABC News segment: Behind the Closed Doors of a Secret Society - ABC News' Dan Harris reports on covertly shot footage that exposes the "Bonesmen" of Skull & Bones as they preform occult rituals at "The Tomb" in New Haven. The video - shot with nightvision technology and a microphone - was secretly captured with a hidden camera on the evening of April 14, 2001 by New York Observer reporter Ron Rosenbaum. Link has additional pertinent information, as well.