Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy
They secretly meet for seventeen days each July in a remote “sacred
grove” of ancient redwood trees in the deep forests surrounding San
Francisco. Some 1,500 in number, their membership roll is kept secret,
but includes the super-rich, blood dynasty member families of the
Illuminati; heavy-hitting corporate chieftains and high government
officials. Mingling among them are a number of Hollywood movie stars,
Broadway producers, famous entertainers, musicians, authors, painters
and poets. Great statesmen and – so we’re told – gentlemen.
The names you’ll recognize: Former U.S. Presidents William Howard
Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon,
Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr. and Jr. Most of the
Bush administration’s top officials, such as Colin Powell, were also
members of this exclusive men’s club. Former California Gov. Pete Wilson, mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco and other major cities;
astronauts Wally Schirra and Frank Borman; former FBI and CIA directors;
former Secretaries of State George Schultz and Henry Kissinger;
international bankers; heads of big oil companies (ARCO, Mobil,
Pennzoil, Texaco), and corporate CEO’s frolic in the redwoods with some
of the most famous creative people in history: Mark Twain, Ambrose
Bierce, Bret Harte, Jack London, Will Rogers, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie
Chaplin and Art Linkletter all “let their hair down” here.

Bohemian Grove Ceremony Scene
Even Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth showed up in 1983. Her Majesty
was honored with an ecstatic pagan dance ceremony, complete with
expensive, elaborate stage props such as Egyptian pyramids and
Babylonian ziggurats. Yet, even the Queen of England could not join this
club if she applied for membership. Why? Because this club is
exclusively all male. Women have not ever been allowed since the club’s
founding in 1873.
So what is this ultra-elite club with the bizarre Druid customs? They
are the Bohemians, formally known as the Bohemian Club. They
practically own their own county north of San Francisco, a 2,700-acre
summer camp they call the Bohemian Grove. Since the 1890s, the “Grovers”
(as they are known to intimates) have gathered amongst these redwood
trees to “get away from it all,” have a little summer vacation fun, and
avoid business dealings altogether for two weeks. At least, that’s the
official story.
Then, there are the other stories…some of them too strange to
believe. Tales of world leaders plotting the world’s destiny there in
secret “war rooms,” hand-picking Presidents and future leaders from the
Bohemian Grove. Reports of occult rituals being conducted by these same
powerful men, clad only in hooded red, black and white robes, offering
an effigy of a human being to be sacrificed by fire to a towering
45-foot stone owl God, the “Great Owl of Bohemia” in a ceremony called
“The Cremation of Care.” Sometimes, they discard the robes, don women’s
clothing and parade around onstage in theatrical productions or – if the
spirit so moves them – they wear no clothes at all!

1915 Cremation ceremony
Things get even stranger still. Stories have come out of the Grove
about wild homosexual orgies, male and female prostitutes being engaged
in what can only be described as extreme sexual games, young children
being exploited in unspeakable ways, up to and including cold-blooded
ritual murder. There are stories involving actual human sacrifice on the
“altar” of the owl God statue. Understandably, it’s all very hard to
believe.
But is any of it true? Does the Bohemian Grove emulate the ancient
mystery cults of Babylon, Rome, and Greece? Do its members celebrate the
old Gods such as Molech, Ishtar, Lilith, Attis, Mithra, Apollo,
Zoroaster, and others? Or is it a western secret society like the
freemasons and Yale’s exclusive Skull and Bones? Are they just having
“good clean fun” at the Grove? Or are they covertly plotting to take
over the world? Why do our world leaders meet here to share a
fascination with the arts and all things Bohemian? Why the obsession
with the occult and ancient Babylon? This book proposes to answer many
of the most frequently asked questions about Bohemian Grove, investigate
the rumors, fully document what is known to be true, and hopefully
destroy a few misconceptions.
Closed to the public, sealed off by helicopters, a private security
force, and armed guards, there can be no doubt that without the prying
eyes of the public upon them, the power elite may engage in whatever
activities they wish at the Grove. Whether it’s crafting policy matters
in secret, dancing around in drag, cheating on their wives with
prostitutes, taking drugs, practicing black magic, or even committing
murder, the pristine isolation of the Bohemian Grove provides a
convenient cover for any immoral, illegal, or “un-gentlemanly” behavior
one desires.
For most the club’s long history, the public could only speculate as
to what these men were doing in there. Books and news articles about the
Bohemian Grove have been scarce; we could only rely on a little
“leaked” information from insiders and the tireless work of a few
dedicated researchers and activists.
Now the truth can finally be revealed. Mike Hanson is a first-hand
eyewitness who has been inside the Bohemian Grove. In the summer of
2000, Mike secretly “infiltrated” the Grove. He filmed several hours of footage, including the entire
“Cremation of Care” ritual, which will be published in full here for the
first time. He peers behind the deep, green foliage and twisted vines,
and the moss-covered brown limbs and trunks of ancient, gnarled trees to
discover what really goes on at the Bohemian Grove.
Bohemian Grove: Cult of Conspiracy promises to uncover the Grove’s hidden history and expose the secrets of the redwoods.
Softcover, 448 pages
TV Producer, small business owner, philanthropist, author, political candidate and civil rights activist Mike Hanson is a native of Austin, Texas. After graduating from Travis High School in 1982, he attended college at the United States Army Signal Center in Fort Gordon, Ga., and went on to the 249th Signal Battalion as a radio operator. During his military career in the Army and National Guard, Mike won several awards including the Army Achievement Medal, Outstanding Service Award, Distinguished Achievement Award, and the Adjutant General’s Individual Award.
Mike has earned a strong reputation for volunteerism, donating his
money, time, and materials to building homes for disadvantaged and
low-income families. Mike also served as Project Volunteer coordinator
on the historic effort to rebuild the Mt. Carmel Church in Waco. Through
donations of materials and labor, the “You Burn It, We Build It” Waco
Church Project was completed on April 19, 2000. The re-dedication
ceremony featured speeches from former United States Attorney General
Ramsey Clark, esteemed Army General Benton K. Partin, and Alex Jones,
who spearheaded the project to rebuild the church through his nationally
syndicated daily radio talk show.
As an award-winning TV producer, his work with longtime
comrade-at-arms Alex Jones has been seen on British Television Channel
Four, ABC-TV’s 20/20 and Good Morning America, CNN, Court TV, and Hard
Copy. In 2000, Alex and Mike produced a film about the events portrayed
in this book: Dark Secrets – Inside Bohemian Grove.
Mike Hanson comes from a family dedicated to public service. His
brother, Billy Hanson, is an Austin Police officer, and his father, Otto
Hanson, Jr., became known as an American hero when he saved many lives
as an Emergency Medical Technician during the UT Tower shootings of
1966.