Skull and Bones, The Order of Death, The Order, Cooperation Star, The Eulogian Club, and Lodge 322)

On the beautiful campus of Yale University, there is a building A small Greek temple-like building with several long and narrow windows that are closed all year round. The whole building is shrouded in mystery. This inconspicuous building is the location of the most mysterious and powerful class reunion in the United States. This place has never been open to outsiders and has always maintained its own unique and weird color and elite style. Moreover, it also has a chilling name called "Skull and Bones Society". The Skull and Bones Society has extremely mysterious membership rules, and what is even more daunting is its membership list. From this Skull and Bones Society, there have been three U.S. presidents, two Supreme Court justices, as well as countless U.S. congressmen and senior cabinet officials. After 172 years of reproduction, members of the Skull and Bones Society are almost everywhere, from the White House, Congress, cabinet ministries, the Supreme Court and even the CIA.

Now when U.S. President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate Kerry are fiercely competing for the U.S. presidential throne, Americans are surprised to find that although the two presidential candidates are from different parties and have very different political opinions and platforms , but they invariably kept an astonishing secret. They were all members of the Skull and Bones Society. Kerry joined the Society in 1965, and Bush also joined the Society two years later. The mysterious Skull and Bones society begins to surface.

The mysterious building on the Yale campus

There are many secret alumni organizations in the prestigious Ivy League schools. April and May every year are the times when these alumni associations recruit new members. Yale in May is full of spring scenery. This may be the most beautiful season on Yale campus. Flowers are blooming everywhere, and the ancient campus is full of life. Freshmen all like to play Frisbee on the grass together at this time, or turn on the stereo all night and party in the open space on campus. However, there is a group of people who do not bother to have fun. They are eager to get a pass and join a secret organization, so that they can even rise to the top. In 1965 and 1967, Kerry and George W. Bush were introduced to the same secret class reunion as new members respectively. When they entered this organization, they had obtained a ticket to the top of American power. This organization is Skull and Bones. It is also the most mysterious and powerful of the more than ten secret student union organizations at Yale.

There is a brownstone building with a unique appearance and style similar to a Greek temple on High Street on the campus of Yale University in the United States. This is the headquarters of the Skull and Bones Society. The three-story building has a basement and the brown stone outer wall is surrounded by vines. Members call this place a "grave" and multiple helicopters can be docked on the roof of the building. There is a famous saying engraved on the side wall of the "Tomb": "Who is the idiot and who is the wise man? Whether you are a beggar or a king, your final destination is death." The door here is locked all year round. Want to knock on its door? If you are not a member of this classmate association, you will not be moved even if you stand outside the door for three days and three nights. Outsiders knew nothing about its interior or the activities of its members. It is said that the only time the "Crypt" was invaded by outsiders was in 1876. All this makes Skull and Bones even more mysterious.

Adhere to the tradition of aristocratic elites

Every spring, 15 new college junior members (Bonesmen, Knights of Eulogia, Boodle boys, GBdBs) are welcomed into the Skull and Bones club. - Great Bones of the Boodle). According to the membership conditions set by Skull and Bones founder William Huntington Russell (1809-1885), selected members must meet a series of almost demanding standards: first, they must be from a wealthy family in the eastern United States, and preferably He immigrated from England and has aristocratic ancestry. Secondly, you must have a good education. It is best to have attended an aristocratic boarding school in middle school. Third, you must love sports and have a competitive spirit. It is best to have military service experience. Skull and Bones is recruiting juniors at Yale University who happen to join the Skull and Bones in their graduation year.

In the early days of Skull and Bones, there were racial and gender restrictions. For example, Jews and blacks were not allowed to join, and women were not allowed to join. However, as times changed, Skull and Bones' restriction on recruiting white men as members came under attack in the late 1980s. Skull and Bones finally allowed Yale women to join in 1991.

American journalist Alexandra Robbins, who risked her life to report on the Skull and Bones Society and wrote the book "Secrets of the Tomb", once described the Skull and Bones Society in an interview: " The Skull and Bones Society is very tightly organized and small. Only 15 people join each year, which means that there are only about 800 members alive at any time. Although the number is small, these people hold a lot of power. . Many Skull and Bones members are at the top of the pyramid of economic and political power in the United States."

Weird initiation ceremony

"It really looks like a tomb, without windows, made of granite. The wall is something you won't forget once you see it. I lived next to this building, and I would pass by it almost every day when it was time for the initiation ceremony. You could hear strange and disturbing things. Creepy screams came from that building," wrote Ron Rosenbaum, a columnist for the New York Observer who has investigated Skull and Bones.

The emblem of the "Skull and Bones Society" is a creepy skull symbol with "322" written in Arabic numerals. This organization believes in a legend. It is said that when the Greek orator Debosthenes died in 322 BC, the goddess of oratory ascended to heaven. This society therefore called itself the Eloquence Club, and believed that in 1832 the goddess of Eloquence had returned to earth. 322 thus became the code for this organization.

When new members enter for the first time, they will go through a complicated and strange initiation ceremony. At the Skull and Bones orientation meeting, an older "Skull and Bones" member will lead new members into the mysterious Room 322, also known as the Inner Temple. A group of people in weird costumes surrounded the new member and yelled. Then the senior member of Skull and Bones will place a skull on the new member's shoulder and say in a low voice: "Will you accept Skull and Bones for the rest of your life?" After answering yes, he officially becomes a member of Skull and Bones. member. Early members also had to wrestle naked in the mud, which is said to mean "death in the old world" and "rebirth in the new world." All members must agree and be committed to using various means to seize state power and create a "new world order." One of the main purposes of the association is to assist members in gaining power and wealth.

Secret Passage to the Pyramid of Power

Once you become a formal member, it is equivalent to getting a stepping stone and pass to enter the upper class society in the United States, because new members will not only be taught how to step into Knowledge of state power institutions, and upon graduation, you can also get the roster of previous Skull and Bones members. The rows of names on the roster are simply the ladder to power and wealth.

Because those who participate in the "Skull and Bones" are basically famous families in the United States, including the Bush family, the Ponty family, the Harriman family, the Lord family, the Phelps family, the Rockefeller family, and the Taft family. The Det family, the Goodyear family, the Payne family and the Whitney family to name a few. Therefore, the society has always encouraged everyone to try to intermarry within the society, so that on the one hand, they can continue to maintain the purity of the "blue blood" (that is, the aristocratic blood), and on the other hand, they can work together to create the power and wealth alliance of the "Skull and Bones Dynasty". After Bush was elected president, he selected five Skull and Bones members to join the cabinet, including William Donaldson, who served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He joined the Skull and Bones Society in 1953. Like current President George W. Bush, he also Take an oath to abide by the precepts of the Skull and Bones Society and keep all secrets related to the Society of Skull and Bones.

In fact, there are countless similar student organizations in American universities, but the Skull and Bones Society has unique characteristics. Once a member of the Skull and Bones Society joins, he or she will remain a member for life and must strictly keep all secrets. It is said that Skull and Bones members must leave the room immediately after outsiders bring up the topic of Skull and Bones to avoid leaking the secret. Moreover, the Skull and Bones Society has extremely strong financial resources. It is said that each new member will receive US$15,000 when joining the membership. In addition, the most eye-catching aspect of Skull and Bones is that over the past century, a large number of Skull and Bones members have become elites in American politics, finance, and academia.

Skull and Bones elite spectrum:

William H. Taft (member of the Class of 1878)

Served as the 27th President of the United States from 1908 to 1912. From 1921 to 1930, he served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (the only person in U.S. history to have served as both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court). He was also a trustee of the Carnegie Institution. In his hands, "Skull and Bones" entered its first golden age.

Henry Stimson (Member of 1888)

A famous American strategist and the implementer of the first golden age of "Skull and Bones". From 1911 to 1913, he served as Secretary of War. From 1928 to 1929, he served as the Governor-General of the Philippines. From 1929 to 1933, he served as Secretary of State. During his more than 30 years in politics, he served seven U.S. presidents, namely Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolinch, and Herbert Presidents like Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, and Truman. Stimson was simply a powerful political tumbler. In his hands, the big families in the "Skull and Bones" officially began to create the dual structure of politics and business in American society. The Whitney family (railway and arms industry), the Ponty family ( The power of the Harriman family (railroads and financial industries) and the Harriman family (railroads and financial industries) was truly integrated and strengthened.

George Bush (1948 member)

The elder Bush, the main member of the Bush family in the "Skull and Bones", the President of the United States from 1988 to 1992, and his son George Walker · Bush (Member Class of 1968) is the current President of the United States. George Bush's father, Prescott Bush, was a member (Class of 1917), and George Bush's uncle, George Herbert Bush, was also a member of Skull and Bones (Class of 1927).

Avorol Harriman (Member of 1913)

A major member of the Harriman family, a famous early railroad family in the United States, from the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union during World War II to the U.S. Department of State official, and then to the chief U.S. negotiator during the Vietnam War armistice negotiations, Avrol Harriman served a lot.

Robert A. Lovett (Member of 1918)

Served as the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State of the United States. He is one of the most powerful figures in the history of "Skull and Bones" 1. He has controlled American politics for nearly 40 years.

Henry Luce (Member of 1920)

The founder of the American "Time & Life" publishing empire and the famous advocate of the "American Century" dogma.

Henry P. Davossen (Member of 1920)

The main collaborator of the Morgan Stanley investment bank in the United States and the leader behind the American financial network.