The Trilateral Commission: Economics and Politics in the 1970s; Comment by the Editors

Abstract

Since the election of Jimmy Carter, much has been written about a mysterious cabal of international financiers, businessmen, politicians, and theoreticians called the Trilateral Commission. Noting that the most influential members of the present administration—including Messrs. Carter and Mondale—are former members of the Commission, muckraking journalists think they have uncovered yet another conspiracy to take over the world. That most of the capitalist world's most powerful individuals are Trilateralists is certain; yet a thorough analysis shows that the Commission represents something much more concrete than a conspiratorial cartel. To understand the Trilateral Commission, however, we must first review the circumstances leading to its formation in 1973.

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