The Genesis of the Trilateral Commission

In preparing for tonight’s event, I did some research on our history that you may find of interest. In March of 1972, I made a series of speeches at Chase International Financial Forums in Montreal, London, Paris, and Brussels. The speech in Paris was reported in The Herald Tribune, and about a month after I made the speech, Henry Owen and Bob Bowie (who are both here this evening) came to see me at Chase. They had read the article and thought the recommendation I made in it was a good idea. They urged me to do something about it.

Out of curiosity I dug up the speech and I’m going to read to you several paragraphs, because this is the real origin of the Trilateral Commission:

“A whole generation on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific has grown up thinking internationally as no generation ever did before them. The future of the alliance rests on their giving voice to what they have learned.

In looking ahead I believe that a major challenge will be to reconcile domestic and international objectives in a manner which will lead to a new period of peace and prosperity. In my judgment, it is possible to effect such a reconciliation given continued cooperation among the leading nations. But I believe that a new mechanism would be helpful in enabling us to deal more effectively with the changes which lie ahead. We need a system which can mobilize the best available knowledge and focus it on the practical problems of our times.

I would propose the creation of an International Commission for Peace and Prosperity. What I have in mind is a private organization whose primary objective, as I see it, would be to bring the best brains in the world to bear on the problems of the future. This organization would examine the interrelationships between domestic and foreign concerns, study new approaches to the transfer of ‘social technologies,’ and hopefully come up with fresh insights on how we deal with common problems.

There might be a governing board of, say, 30-40 leading private citizens drawn from the Atlantic Alliance nations and Japan. Sub-Commissions could be set up to cover such vital fields as reduction in world tensions; international trade and investment; environmental problems; control of crime and drugs; population control; and assistance to the developing nations. Government officials could certainly be invited to sit in as observers at the deliberations, as could representatives from the Communist countries.

Because I am strongly opposed to commissions that outlive their usefulness, I would put an arbitrary deadline of two years on this effort. I hope that such a span would be sufficient to collect and synthesize the knowledge that would enable a new generation to rebuild the conceptual framework of foreign and domestic policies.”

It was that speech that got into The Herald Tribune and attracted the attention of Henry and Bob. I took them seriously, and just a few weeks later, Zbig Brzezinski and I went to a Bilderberg Conference in Knokke, Belgium. I thought that the best thing to do, rather than start another organization, would be to persuade the members of Bilderberg to include Japan. I proposed this at the meeting, but was shot down in flames by Dennis Healey, then Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer and a very articulate person.

So, my tail between my legs, I left. Zbig and I flew back to the United States and talked about our options. We decided that if Bilderberg didn’t understand the importance of this idea, we’d have to start a new organization ourselves. We thought George Franklin, who had just retired as the Executive Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, would be the ideal person to work on it and Zbig said—he was then a professor at Columbia—he would take two years off to get it started. One key factor obviously was whether the Japanese government would look favorably on such an initiative. So George Franklin and I—I think it was in June of 1972—went to Japan to meet with Prime Minister Tanaka and Finance Minister Fukuda to see whether they would approve. They did.

We then convened a small group from Europe, Japan, and the United States at Pocantico Hills, our family estate, in August of 1972. The Americans consisted of Zbig, George Franklin, McGeorge Bundy, and two others here tonight, Fred Bergsten and Fred Starr. From Japan came Kiichi Miyazawa and Saburo Okita. Kiichi became Foreign Minister six months later, and Saburo served in the same position some years thereafter. Of course, Kiichi is now once again Finance Minister, having been Prime Minister as well. Tadashi Yamamoto was also there. I wish so much that he were here this evening because he has been the life of the organization in Japan from the very beginning, and is such a marvelous person. From Europe Prince Colonna from Italy; Max Kohnstamm, who became the first European Co-Chairman; and Karl Carstens, who became President of Germany, all attended.

Everyone at the meeting felt that something should be done. They felt that we should start with three years and then assess the situation. I think that stipulation has worked quite well, because it has forced us to reconsider our mission at the end of each triennium.

Zbig agreed to become the overall Director for the first triennium. George Franklin began as North American Secretary alongside Zbig and then, in the second and third triennia, was Coordinator for the three regions; after which, in 1982, Charles Heck took over as North American Director and has done a really brilliant job since that time.

The first meeting of the Executive Committee was held in October of 1973—hence the 25 years—in Tokyo. The first plenary meeting was in May of 1975 in Kyoto. Early North American participants included Gerry Smith, who became the first North American Co-Chairman, and from Canada, Peter Dobell, whom I’m delighted to see here this evening. Sadly, Mitchell Sharp, Vice Chair for North America for many years, couldn't come; but he sends you all his best.

As I look around this audience tonight I am convinced that the spirit is still here. I am delighted that Georges Berthoin, who was the European Co-Chairman for so many years and a great colleague, did come. I’m delighted that Paul Volcker, who has been such a wonderful successor as North American Co-Chairman ever since I retired in 1991, was willing to take it on. He’s been a great leader.