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Fleshing Out Skull & Bones: Investigations into America's Most Powerful Secret Society
This chronicle of espionage, drug smuggling, and elitism in Yale University's Skull & Bones society offers rare glimpses into this secret world with previously unpublished documents, photographs, and articles that delve into issues such as racism, financial ties to the Nazi party, and illegal corporate dealings. Contributors include Anthony Sutton, author of America's Secret Establishment ; Dr. Ralph Bunch, professor emeritus of political science at Portland State University; Webster Griffin Tarpley and Anton Chaitkin, authors and historians. A complete list of members, including George Bush, George W. Bush, and John F. Kerry, and reprints of rare magazine articles are included.
720 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 18, 2012
I hate giving one star rating, but this book was HUGE disappointment. Several years ago, my son became interested in reading up on conspiracy theories, like JFK and Free Masons and so on. This book was listed as an all out authority of the secret society of Skull & Bones. When I went in search of the book we were stunned to discover that the book was rare. Amazon had a copy for nearly $70.00. So, we didn't bother with it.
Several weeks ago, I read a book called "The Shut Mouth Society" a mystery that involved a conspiracy surrouning Lincoln's assissination. The Skull and Bones secret society was mentioned in this novel several times, which made me curious about this book once again. To my surprise, I found this book was hardly rare anymore. So, I had no trouble getting a copy.
This is a lengthy book, over 700 pages long. I will confess to skimming large portions of the book. Why? Well, with a title that suggest we are going to read about the inner workings of a secret society, the bulk of this book has zero, zilch, nada to do with Skull and Bones.
The information provided was disorganized and flitted from the past to the present and all points in between. The points were hashed and re-hashed to the point of redundancy - beating a dead horse.
About 75% of the book was about Prescott Bush and his dealings with the Nazi's during the war and the vast profit he made from doing so , and his son and grandson, George Sr and Jr. There long diatribes and ramblings that were just plain boring.
We didn't hear much of anything about what the members of this secret society did, no proof of the accusations of demonic activity and so on. Most of it was mere speculation with no solid proof to back it up. There were many powerful and influential members of this group , but their involvement was never discussed. The Vanderbilts, Kellogs,Pillsburys and so on had their names dropped in there as being members, but the only people we ever discussed were the Bush family, with a the Harriman's mentioned a bit more because his close business dealings with Prescott.
I just didn't understand what this secret society had to do with most of the information presented. The decisions and choices these men made once out of college seemed independent of being in some kind of secret society. Some theories presented in this book were so far flung I actually laughed out loud. You would have to be pretty gullable to believe some of this stuff.
If you like secret society conspiracy theories and just like to sit around and speculate, you may like this book.
Personally, I thought is was a waste of time.
Several weeks ago, I read a book called "The Shut Mouth Society" a mystery that involved a conspiracy surrouning Lincoln's assissination. The Skull and Bones secret society was mentioned in this novel several times, which made me curious about this book once again. To my surprise, I found this book was hardly rare anymore. So, I had no trouble getting a copy.
This is a lengthy book, over 700 pages long. I will confess to skimming large portions of the book. Why? Well, with a title that suggest we are going to read about the inner workings of a secret society, the bulk of this book has zero, zilch, nada to do with Skull and Bones.
The information provided was disorganized and flitted from the past to the present and all points in between. The points were hashed and re-hashed to the point of redundancy - beating a dead horse.
About 75% of the book was about Prescott Bush and his dealings with the Nazi's during the war and the vast profit he made from doing so , and his son and grandson, George Sr and Jr. There long diatribes and ramblings that were just plain boring.
We didn't hear much of anything about what the members of this secret society did, no proof of the accusations of demonic activity and so on. Most of it was mere speculation with no solid proof to back it up. There were many powerful and influential members of this group , but their involvement was never discussed. The Vanderbilts, Kellogs,Pillsburys and so on had their names dropped in there as being members, but the only people we ever discussed were the Bush family, with a the Harriman's mentioned a bit more because his close business dealings with Prescott.
I just didn't understand what this secret society had to do with most of the information presented. The decisions and choices these men made once out of college seemed independent of being in some kind of secret society. Some theories presented in this book were so far flung I actually laughed out loud. You would have to be pretty gullable to believe some of this stuff.
If you like secret society conspiracy theories and just like to sit around and speculate, you may like this book.
Personally, I thought is was a waste of time.
December 12, 2008
This book is a huge (well over 700 pages) collection of essays and articles by various authors on Yales Skull & Bones society. This book runs the gamut from the wildly conspiratorial to reprints of mainstream historical type articles on the fraternity system and elitist secret societies at Yale. Some of the topics discussed in this are Bonesmen being involved in the drug trade, from the Chinese opium wars in the 1800's to CIA planes smuggling cocaine in the 1980's, the Bush family and other S&B members being involved with bankrolling both the Nazis and the Bolsheviks, the various shenanigans that can be attributed to Bonesmen involved with the CIA, Skull & Bones and 9-11, the disproportionate amount of world elites that came out of this very small group, 15 members of every senior class at Yale, even both candidates for the US presidency in the last elections were Bonesmen. Also among LOTS of other stuff it goes into the what is known of the weird occultic rituals and initiations that members go through.
This is a great book for anybody into conspiracy stuff, wants to know more about various shady CIA deeds or anybody interested in some of the foul things the Bush family have been involved with.
My take on Skull & Bones is its like a minor league team where they are picked out of the pile and groomed for bigger things. Depending on how they "perform" they get strings pulled and doors opened for them. Not all S&B people become Presidents, Senators, supreme court judges, members of the CFR, or Bilderburgers, high ranking CIA officials, or Presidential cabinet members, but an awful lot of them do and when you consider the track record of many former Bonesmen I have to say there is obviously "rotten in Denmark" going on with these people.
This is a great book for anybody into conspiracy stuff, wants to know more about various shady CIA deeds or anybody interested in some of the foul things the Bush family have been involved with.
My take on Skull & Bones is its like a minor league team where they are picked out of the pile and groomed for bigger things. Depending on how they "perform" they get strings pulled and doors opened for them. Not all S&B people become Presidents, Senators, supreme court judges, members of the CFR, or Bilderburgers, high ranking CIA officials, or Presidential cabinet members, but an awful lot of them do and when you consider the track record of many former Bonesmen I have to say there is obviously "rotten in Denmark" going on with these people.
March 18, 2021
3/18/2021
I remember I read this book because of a footnote from The Underground History of American Education: An Intimate Investigation Into the Prison of Modern Schooling saying that both John Kerry and GW Bush had been Skull and Bones members. At the time I was a Republican (my parents were Republicans and I lived in a Red state and almost everyone I knew was a Republican, except ironically my mom's parents). That footnote was the first thing that made me consider that the two political "choices" were a sham.
Anyway, I remember this book having a fair amount to say about the history of the drug trade, empires and even ultimately CIA involvement. I wasn't sure what to make of it at the time, I don't remember most of the details now, and I think it's the only book on conspiracies that I've ever read.
I remember I read this book because of a footnote from The Underground History of American Education: An Intimate Investigation Into the Prison of Modern Schooling saying that both John Kerry and GW Bush had been Skull and Bones members. At the time I was a Republican (my parents were Republicans and I lived in a Red state and almost everyone I knew was a Republican, except ironically my mom's parents). That footnote was the first thing that made me consider that the two political "choices" were a sham.
Anyway, I remember this book having a fair amount to say about the history of the drug trade, empires and even ultimately CIA involvement. I wasn't sure what to make of it at the time, I don't remember most of the details now, and I think it's the only book on conspiracies that I've ever read.
November 18, 2020
Wanted to read something nutty.
This book is strange. A collection of essays reporting on Skull and Bones and Skull and Bones adjacent topics, the conspiracy minded essays peter out by the end. The last dozen or so articles were written in the early 20th and late 19th century and they do a better job than the previous two dozen or so in making the case that the secret societies at Yale are more poppycock than nefarious. Every interesting fact is repeated across several articles.
This book is strange. A collection of essays reporting on Skull and Bones and Skull and Bones adjacent topics, the conspiracy minded essays peter out by the end. The last dozen or so articles were written in the early 20th and late 19th century and they do a better job than the previous two dozen or so in making the case that the secret societies at Yale are more poppycock than nefarious. Every interesting fact is repeated across several articles.
December 26, 2014
Bit of a tomb, but a very interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews