Le Cercle
Le Cercle is a foreign policy think-tank specialising in international security. Set up after World War II, the group has members from twenty-five countries and meets at least bi-annually, in Washington, D.C.
The group's current chairman is Norman Lamont, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lamont worked at Rothschild's.
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[edit] History
At some point in the 1950s, Le Cercle was established by former French prime minister Antoine Pinay and French intelligence agent Jean Violet under the name 'Cercle Pinay'.
In later years, the British took over the chairmanship of Le Cercle.
Le Cercle has operated in almost complete anonymity since its creation with only a handful of articles having been written about it. As of this writing, no American sources have been identified. The Cercle was mentioned in the early 1980s by Der Spiegel in Germany as a result of the controversy surrounding Franz Josef Strauß, one of the regular attendants of the Cercle. In the late 1990s, the Cercle received some attention after a scandal had broken out involving Jonathan Aitken, at the time chairman of Le Cercle.[1] Members that were contacted by newspapers refused to answer any questions about the group and sometimes simply put down the phone.
[edit] Funding
In 1971, Shell contributed a lump sum of £30,000. The Ford Foundation also donated £20,000 over three years.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Transcript of presentation to Le Cercle by Turki bin Faisal Al Saud (from www.globalsecurity.org)
- Aitken dropped by the Right's secret club by Chris Blackhurst (from www.independent.co.uk)
- First Cercle documents ever: Photocopies of membership lists by Joël van der Reijden (ISGP, October 26, 2011)
