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The town of Monterio, California is nestled along the Russian river near a vast grove of redwood trees. It's even called a town, maybe overselling its size. With fewer than 1200 residents, it's more like a village. But every summer, for about two weeks in July, the population doubles or even triples. That's when an influx of visitors descends on 2,700 acres of private, well guarded campgrounds. Bohemian Grove. Carved into a towering tree on the property is the likeness of St. John of Nepomuk. He raises a finger to his lips to warn all who enter. What happens here stays here in life. John of Nepomuk died keeping the sins of the Queen of Bohemia a secret. And presumably anyone who wants to play in the Grove or get inducted into the club should be willing to die to keep its secrets safe. Which is why we only know so much about what goes on at Bohemian Grove each year. According to reports, it involves up to 2,000 of our planet's most influential men running through the redwood forest, drinking, putting on plays, carrying out rituals, smoking cigars, all while deciding the future of our world. Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy. New episodes come out every Wednesday. We would love to hear from you. So if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Or check us out on Instagram heconspiracypod. This July, we're taking another look at five fan favorite topics as part of our series we're calling Conspiracy Theories. Rewind. For our final week, we're peering beyond the gates of Bohemian Grove to examine old and new evidence. Who has attended, what they really do there, and how they've used their connections to tighten their grasp on the reins of power. Since we last covered this story in 2020, there have been some pretty wild updates. In February 2026, Independent journalist Dan Boguslaw publishes a list of everyone who attended the festivities back in 2023. That's mostly wealthy men whom many of us have never heard of before. But there are some curious names on that list. For instance, Conan o'. Brien. Jimmy Buffett. What are they doing there? It's admittedly humorous, but as reporters comb through Dan's list, they find disturbing links between attendees. These are some of the most powerful businessmen and politicians in the country. And it all suggests one thing. Bohemian Grove is a place where big decisions get made and where the powerful band together to stay in power while the rest of us aren't invited. This episode includes discussions of human sacrifice and alcohol use. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. Stay with us. Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word.
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My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. Twas a lovely suv. An inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.
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Hidden deep within a redwood forest about 70 miles or so north of San Francisco, There's a gate. Signs are posted everywhere. Private property. No trespassing. Security cameras line the trees. Guards man the outpost at all hours, blocking the main entrance. The Bohemian Club has made one thing crystal clear. If you are caught on their land, they will have you arrested. And, well, technically, they have every right to do so. The Club owns the 2,700acre plot of land beyond the gate. But it's exactly this level of security and secrecy that gives rise to suspicion. What happens inside Bohemian Grove. More importantly, why don't they want the world to know what they're up to? Here's what we can say for sure. Every July, Bohemian Grove serves as the base of operations for the Bohemian Club's exclusive gathering. To get in, you must either be a member of the 150-year-old secret organization. Or you can visit as an invited guest. Of course, joining the Bohemian Club is not cheap. The initiation fee alone is rumored to be $25,000. And that's before your annual dues. And money alone won't gain you entry. In order to be considered, you must be recommended by a number of its members, lest your name be relegated to the wait list, which is said to be at least 15 years long. Oh, and one more thing. To get in on the action, you have to be a man. No women are allowed to join in the festivities. It's believed There are roughly 2,500 active members of the Bohemian Club. Most of whom are wealthy, white and conservative. Some are lesser known rich guys. But there have also been a handful of well known politicians and celebrities in attendance over the years. You might recognize some of these names. There's Hearst, Roosevelt, Eastwood, Twain, Bush, Cronkite, Coors, Chaney, Crosby, London, Reagan, Nixon, Ford, Muir, Powell, Rumsfeld, Schwab, Hoover, Bloomberg, Koch and Kissinger. Oh, you need to hear that list again. Okay, one more time. Hearst, Roosevelt, Eastwood, Twain, Bush, Cronkite, Coors, Cheney, Crosby, London, Reagan, Nixon, Ford, Muir, Powell, Rumsfeld, Schwab, Hoover, Bloomberg, Koch and Kissinger. That's a lot of recognizable names. But Again, membership is not easy to come by. In fact, it's so difficult to secure that even our current sitting president, Donald Trump, has reportedly never been invited to the summer retreat at Bohemian Grove. In order to get a sense of just how far the club has come, let's travel back to its founding in San Francisco in 1872. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, bohemianism is trending in a big way. Hence the club's name. A bohemian lifestyle means taking pleasure in art, revelry and hedonism, and is often associated with frugality, impoverishment and an anti establishment worldview. Think of the classic starving artist. Actors, writers, painters and musicians who pride themselves on being untethered to worldly possessions. In theory, bohemians are often spiritual. In practice, however, what they really worship is indulgence. In 1872, in a dimly lit room in San Francisco, a group of journalists entranced by this lifestyle began hosting gatherings for like minded men interested in the arts. They called themselves the Bohemian Club. It's mostly an excuse to drink while raging against the conservative politics of the day. Eventually, the club will establish its headquarters in a building in the Tenderloin in San Francisco. But it's Bohemian Grove out in Monterio that they'll really become famous for. When the club holds its first retreat there in 1878, they have to rent the land. A few years later, they buy their first 160 acres and keep adding to it over time. So how do they afford it? How do they go from this small liberal group to, well, the kind of people who attend Bohemian Grove today? Money. It's not long before the club's founders and their penchant for partying catch the attention of other bar goers. Men who see the good time they're having and want in. Sure, these new attendees also love hedonism, but that's kind of where the similarities end. They're not bohemians at all. They're accepted into the club because they're rich and they can foot the bill. And, well, maybe the founding members were never really bohemian anyway. Reportedly, they wanted to emulate a version of the starving artist that rubs elbows with the elite. Just to keep things straight, the artists dubbed their new friends men of use and refer to themselves as men of talent. The titles almost suggest a hierarchy of priorities. Talent comes first, and money is just a convenience. But whatever their priorities were, they seemed to shift as the artists realized just how much money can actually buy. Like the land in Monterio, the parties become more lavish and therefore more desirable, which allows the club to become more selective about who they let in. They raise the bar for membership and start collecting hefty dues and fees. The club seems to shed all of their Bohemian ideals except one, their love of partying. Even though everything they do is shrouded in secrecy. We know a little bit about what goes on at Bohemian Grove. We know what the layout looks like. There are more than 100 different campsites on the grounds, as well as a few main gathering areas. There's the Grove Stage, a 2,000 seat outdoor amphitheater. The Campfire Circle, a large fire pit surrounded by benches carved from redwoods. And the Clubhouse on multipurpose entertainment and dining facility. They're situated around the Grove's central feature, A man made lake. Watching over the lake. At the heart of it all is a 40 foot concrete owl statue. Weathered from age. The facilities only account for a small portion of the Grove's land though. Members and guests are free to roam about the forested grounds and lose themselves among the trees. There, within the freedom of the forest, far from witnesses or worry, the debaucheries of the Bohemian Club become the stuff of legend. And as the mythos grows, it piques the interest of some powerful figures. In the early 20th century. Attendees start to include men like Prince, President Herbert Hoover and, well. Anytime. More attention is paid to the Grove. Privacy measures increase. All forms of cameras, videos and tape recordings are banned. Everything that happens in the Grove is now entirely off the record. Its members and guests are sworn to secrecy. The press becomes a distinctly un unwelcome guest. I wonder what the founding members journalists would have to say about that. By 1930, a total media blackout begins and even the official story becomes hearsay. Except for the financial records. Thanks to the group's status as a 501c7 social organization, meaning they are considered a tax exempt nonprofit. Their finances have to be made available to the public. And those records highlight the irony of the group's Bohemian roots. According to ProPublica, the Bohemian Club's total revenue for 2024 was just over $14 million. It's unclear where that money comes from, but possibly it's their heavy dues. Their total assets stand at over $44 million. And that's just what is reported to the IRS. It's interesting to note that their numbers remain suspiciously consistent over the years. Except in 2019 when their revenue jumps to 22.3 million before declining again. I guess the pandemic hit them pretty hard too. Poor guys. The thing is, when CEOs, CFOs and financial executives like billionaire Charles Schwab, are members of the club. Some question what wealth the Bohemians are hiding overseas. Or what tax breaks they're able to secure. After all, some of them helped write the laws. With all of the powerful and well connected members attending what amounts to a sleepaway camp for rich guys. It's no wonder that the public wants to know what really goes on at the Grove. What are those guys doing for two plus weeks in the middle of the woods? And there is some cause for concern. Because now we know about a top secret meeting that once took place there at the Riverside clubhouse. And it changed the course of history. It's September 1942. This is the off season for the Grove. But the vast property comes in handy year round. The hosts are J. Robert Oppenheimer, a chemist from the University of California physics department. And E.O. lawrence from the UC Radiation Lab. In attendance are James Conant, the president of Harvard University. Lyman Briggs, the director of the National Bureau of Standards. Edgar V. Murphy, the director of the Standard Oil Company. Arthur H. Compton, a representative from General Electric. And representatives from the United States Army. Over the course of two days, they plan a new government venture. One that will cost the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom the equivalent of almost almost $30 billion. Research and development for the program will take place in 30 different laboratories across the world. This meeting is the earliest stage of the Manhattan Project. The initiative responsible for the creation of the first nuclear weapons. Today, the fact that the meeting took place on the club's grounds is allegedly a source of pride. The story passed down from elder members to new inductees. But there is something unsettling about the fact that major plans and policies can take shape within the confines of the Grove. In whispers between members of a boys Only secret society. The birth of the Manhattan Project only proves it has happened before. That's why people theorize that every July at Bohemian Grove. More big decisions are being made between powerful members. Decisions that could affect our daily lives. And probably not for the better. Only we won't know about these changes until it's too late. Because we aren't meant to know what happens in the Grove. Which is exactly why people try to infiltrate the campgrounds to find out what's really going on there each summer. Over the years, a few individuals even succeed. At sneaking into the seemingly impenetrable Bohemian Grove. Thanks to their reports, we've learned about the bizarre rituals that go on there. Which some suggest may have pagan or even satanic roots. After a media blackout beginning Sometime around the 1930s, little is known about what actually happens inside Bohemian Grove. And for about 50 years, little attention is paid to it. The only outsiders allowed inside its gates are employees. And the all male staff members are sworn to secrecy and relegated to designated work areas like kitchens and laundry rooms hidden from sight. Few play any active role in the events. Except a lot of these employees are locals from Monterillo, a town that one resident describes as the poorest town in Sonoma County. Now, I don't want to give you the wrong impression here. Monterio is full of small town charm and gorgeous scenery. But other than the Grove, the most memorable landmark is a roadside bar called the Pink Elephant. And the Pink has been basically closed down since 2009. Compare that with the unimaginable wealth represented at the Grove. It's hard not to notice the disparity. So even in the years when the general public is unaware of what's going on at the Grove, it's no real secret to the people of Monterio, including activist Mary Moore. Around 1980, Mary, a local resident who lives very close to the Grove, begins to question what's really going on in her backyard. In Mary's words, when powerful people work together, they become even more powerful. They're wealthy and becoming more so. While the middle class is steadily becoming poorer. Mary views the secrecy of the Bohemian Club as an assault on democracy. With so many elected officials in the Grove, she believes the American people have a right to know what conversations are happening, especially if they might be affecting public policy. And when she can't get any straight answers, she takes action. Mary helps establish a group called the Bohemian Grove Action Network, or the bgan. She convinces Grove employees to secretly bring her materials, like programs and membership lists. Her house fills up with knickknacks and pamphlets. Anything she can get her hands on from the club, she keeps. These are all pieces to a larger story. And the more she learns, the more worried she becomes. The names on the membership lists are astonishing. So much so that the Bohemian Grove Action Network begins organizing protests at some of their largest demonstrations. Hundreds of people join Mary at the gates of the Grove. In 1984. The group decides if they can't keep the Bohemian Club out, they'll try to trap them in the Grove. That way, they can't go forth and enact whatever devious plans they're making at their retreat. In the end, about 50 protesters are arrested. But the BGAN and Mary accomplish something huge. They bring so much unwanted attention to the club that the press finally starts to take notice. And suddenly, more people get curious. Allegedly, in the early 80s, Mary and the BGAN helped four journalists sneak into the Grove. According to a report. In a local civil disobedience, newspaper reporters from Time magazine and NPR posed as waiters. And though the Time journalist wrote an article about what they discovered, the piece was apparently killed and never printed. Then, in 1989, a reporter for Spy magazine named Philip Weiss manages to find his way in, and his article is published for all the world to read. It's titled Masters of the Universe. Go to Camp inside Bohemian Grove. Philip explains how he gets in. Not by masquerading as an employee. Nope. Mary Moore drives him up to the campgrounds, where he meets up with a mountain guide. That way, the writer is able to find an alternate route inside where he poses as an invited guest. See, if he had to pretend to be a waiter the whole time, he would have to stay out of everyone's way. He'd miss the real story. This way, he can blend right in with all the Reaganites, as he calls them. He dons chinos and Topsiders. He uses his real name. But if anybody asks questions, he invents details here and there, like a newborn son he claims he named after Ronald Reagan. For seven days, Philip hides in plain sight and manages to get the real dirt about what goes on at the Grove. One day, he witnesses what's known as a lakeside talk. Every afternoon during the event, one of the club's members addresses other members about a topic in their field of expertise. Generally, the talks cover politics, the economy in business. Philip hears a speech delivered by General John Cheyne. the time, Chain is the commander in chief of the United States Strategic Air Command. Chain lobbies club members to help fund a B2 aerial bomber program. And whether it's thanks to his lakeside talk or not, we know it later gets funded. In fact, the same year he gives his Talk, an estimated $23 billion are spent on the program. Other highlights of Philip's undercover operation include talking to one of the most esteemed guests that year, the former president himself, Ronald Reagan. Philip also watches a play staged by members of the club. And these aren't thrown together at the last minute. They can be pretty elaborate. The one time production that Philip Watches reportedly costs $75,000. It's also filled with raunchy, misogynistic jokes. And since only men are allowed, club members perform in drag. One even portrays a character named Bubbles Boobenheim. Phillips article mentions other intriguing details, like 7am gin cocktails, widespread intoxication, general merriment, and lots and lots of outdoor urination. Despite the gravity of General John Cheyne's speech about the B2 bombers, Philip mainly witnesses a lot of low brow behavior from America's power class. He ultimately refers to the event as the most exclusive frat party on earth. But not every journalist has such a benign visit to Bohemian Grove. In 1991, a reporter for People magazine named Dirk Matheson sneaks in three times. He says that at one lakeside talk, a former Secretary of The Navy cited 200,000 Iraqi deaths in the first six months of the Gulf War, A figure that wasn't disclosed to the public. Dirt claims. Another talk was titled America's Health. Who Lives, who Dies, who Pays. It was co led by Dick Cheney, who goes on to be vice president under George W. Bush. According to Dirk Matheson, his piece was originally greenlit by his editor. Once it's written, it gets a ton of buzz around the office. The magazine even plans to add extra page space for his article. But then his piece is suddenly killed. Dirk's editor says it's simply because he realized too late that he'd inadvertently given his employee permission to trespass on private land. But Dirk points out another theory. On his last trip into the Grove, his cover was blown when he ran into an executive for Time Warner at the time. Time Warner owns People magazine. The executive actually recognized Dirk and had him forcibly removed from the property. So it seems for a while, like Philip Weiss's article is the only modern, in depth account we're going to get. And then, in July 2000, talk show radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones infiltrates the Grove. At first he tries to blend in out in the open, much like Philip did. But he says the Secret Service approaches him. They don't have him thrown out. They just want to know who he is and who he came with. Worrying that someone might be onto him, Alex claims he spends the next few hours hiding under the deck of a cabin, waiting for night to fall. The whole time he's surrounded by spiders and bugs. In the end, he manages to film one of the club's biggest rituals. It's called the Cremation of Care. Now, Philip Weiss had covered this event in his article in 1989. It's like an opening ceremony, a kickoff event held at the start of the annual retreat. At sunset, in the heart of the grove, in front of the 40 foot owl statue, a high priest and his priest underlings gather in colorful silken robes. They carry with them something called the Crypt of Dull Care, an effigy that they burn. This they Say is meant to symbolize letting go of their cares tied to the world outside the Grove, to drop all pretense, to let their manners fall away and forget about the stress of daily life. You know, boys just want to have fun. While the performance changes a little bit each year, it usually involves the giant owl statue speaking to the attendees, guiding them on how to properly cremate care. When Philip Weiss watches the ceremony, the owl is voiced by club member and legendary broadcaster Walter Cronkite. For those who don't know, this is what Walter Cronkite sounds like when he's doing an interview. The future will be whatever man wants it to be. We have the power to make our world the way we want it.
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Pretty.
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Well, that is one serious sounding owl. But Philip's take on the whole Cremation of Care is that it's kind of a silly sight to behold. Attendees sit around on a lawn watching, puffing away at cigars and sporadically yelling, huzzah. The members regard all of this in earnest, but Philip, not so much. The same ceremony is caught on tape 11 years later. Now, no matter how you feel about Alex Jones, and I'm sure we all have feelings about Alex Jones, the footage he captures does appear to be real. He hides his camera inside a fanny pack with a hole cut out for the lens. On Alex's tape, you can see and hear the high priest broadcast through speakers all around. He begins with the the owl is in his leafy temple. Let all within the grove be Reverend before him. Lift up your heads, O ye trees, and be ye Lift up ye ever living spires. For behold, here is Bohemia's shrine and holy are the pillars of this house. Weaving spiders come not here. Weaving spiders come not here. That's the motto in the Grove. The Creed, the Testament. Leave business at home, which, as we know, they don't tend to follow. Alex Jones describes the Cremation of Care as highly theatrical. It's druidic, it's Faustian. And he says watching the ceremony feels like watching an occult ritual. Immediately following the ceremony, the members of the Bohemian Club run amok, celebrating and drinking. The afterparty has been described as a bacchanal, an ancient celebration of the Roman deity Bacchus, the God of wine, ecstasy, ritual, madness and theater. Based on these firsthand accounts, the Cremation of Care sounds like a lot of pomp and circumstance, the kind of stuff a bunch of aging skull and bones types might enjoy. But this ritual is also at the heart of conspiracy theories about Bohemian Grove. First, there's the accusation that the club is practicing pagan rituals. So let's discuss what paganism actually means. It's not as clear cut as you might think. Generally, paganism isn't defined by what it is, but by what it's not. It's a term that encompasses any beliefs that fall outside the major world religions. It first appeared in the 4th century as a pejorative term used by Christians to describe polytheists. Those who believed in more than one God. It was essentially synonymous with uncivilized. Today, the word pagan conjures different imagery depending on who you talk to. It applies to Wiccans, Satanists, shamanists, as well as atheists and agnostics. The beliefs of pagan religions vary widely, though many share a couple commonalities. Like recognizing the divine in nature, Equality and fluidity amongst genders. The importance of music. And a lack of official doctrine or formal institution. In general. The ethos of most pagan religions can be summarized as if it harms no one, then do what you will. The bohemian club really does seem to incorporate a few very specific elements of pagan belief. First of all, there's the location. They gather in the redwood forests. They are in and among nature, away from society and showing reverence to the woods. Then there's the drinking, the ecstasy, the theatrics, the ritual madness. And maybe the most convincing evidence of paganism. Is their use of what could be considered false idols. Like the owl. But that's about it. I mean, does peeing on trees really make me think of respecting nature a little bit? I grew up in Montana. I did pee on a lot of trees. And I find it a little funny that these guys think you have to, like, fly across the country and spend all this money just to take a leak in the woods. Bottom line is anybody worried about pagan rituals in Bohemian Grove. Might not realize how broad that term really is. Or that pagan isn't synonymous with harmful or evil. Other accusations regarding the cremation of care, however, are much more sinister. Questions have been raised about whether Bohemian Grove has been the site of real torture and human sacrifice. About whether the effigy burned at the ceremony has at times been a real body. But truthfully, there has never been any compelling evidence to back up this theory. We have the reports of people like philosopher Philip Weiss and Alex Jones. If they'd witnessed something that dark, there is no doubt they would have reported on it. So paganism, eh? Maybe a little bit. Human sacrifice? Probably not. But that doesn't mean that what happens within the grove isn't terrifying. Remember, their Motto Weaving Spiders come not here. It's a line from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. At face value, it means, don't bring your outside concerns and business to the Grove. But if that's the case, it almost seems to be in direct contrast to the types of conversations that are actually happening inside. That might be why some think there's a different interpretation to be made of Weaving Spiders come not here. It could instead mean that lies are not welcome within the camp. That you can be yourself, that you can speak freely, that you can be honest about who you really are and what you really want to accomplish. And there's a convincing argument to be made that this particular group of the world's most powerful men do not have everyone's best interests at heart. In 2024, after driving Cross country, independent journalist Dan Boguslaw arrives in the Bay Area. He's there to see one person. A potential source for a story he's working on about Bohemian Grove. And he's not even sure this source will be willing to help him out. Recently, Dan got a hold of a Bohemian Club membership list. It's from a few years ago, but now he's tracked down one of the members. His plan? Keep showing up at this guy's office and pester him until he can get his hands on some juicier information. Maybe it's not the most technical plan ever concocted, but it works. Dan says it takes about a week before his anonymous source agrees to pass something along. Only it takes a while to actually pull that off. Dan waits around town for weeks before he finally gets his hands on his prize. A list of attendees of the 2023 Bohemian Grove retreat. And it seems like it's well worth the wait. The list goes on and on and on. Arranged by camps with names like Cuckoo's Nest, Pig and Whistle, and Sky High. The list reveals the hundreds of men who took part in the club's summer festivities. Now, I should point out that this list has not been independently verified. But if it's legit, it holds some surprising revelations. Among the names on it are singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett of Margaritaville fame and Conan o'. Brien. When Dan publishes his findings, news outlets begin to pick up his story. Naturally, they focus on Jimmy and Conan, who kind of seem like outliers. They're celebrities, and Jimmy has been pretty vocal in opposing certain Republican leaders. For that same reason, many question what Paul Pelosi was doing at the Grove. His wife, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, doesn't exactly see eye to eye. With some of the other mainly conservative attendees. Then again, the retreat does focus on theatrical performances, which probably explains Jimmy and Conan's presence. As for Paul's, well, Dan Boguslaw works with the team at More Perfect Union to put together a mini documentary. Journalist Sean Morrow points out that Paul Pelosi is far from being the only Democratic supporter who attended Bohemian Grove. And perhaps the uncomfortable truth for us is that sometimes the elite put class over party. Using the list Dan procured, Sean presents several more connections between club members to prove what he means. For example, the Bechtel family. They've been part of the Bohemian Club for years, and two Bechtels appear on the list from 2023. Their family company is sometimes hailed as the largest construction firm in the United States. They've done tons of major projects. Ever heard of the Hoover Dam? The BART in San Francisco? The Channel Tunnel, AKA the Chunnel, connecting the UK and France? Their work appears all over the world. And they don't just build dams and transportation projects. They're involved in everything from data centers to water supply systems to environmental cleanup. Well, Sean Morrow points out that while the Bechtels were allegedly attending Bohemian Grove, so were people like Henry Kissinger, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Colin Powell. And regardless of what weaving spiders come not here might mean, there could be some handshake deals happening at the Grove. In Sean's view, at the very least, there's some palling around or introductions being made. And Shaun poses this possible connection as well. When the government needed someone to go in and rebuild Iraq after the war, Bechtel got the job. The gig ended up being a nightmare. 52 of the company's employees were killed in Iraq. And of course, there's no law saying friends can't hire friends or secret society members can't hire other secret society members. But it is probably fair to be concerned about the kind of deals that seem to get made thanks to Bohemian Club connections. That's not all. Sean provides archival documents which he believes suggest that major policy decisions were affected by encounters at Bohemian Grove. From Social Security reforms to slashing capital gains taxes to founding the Heritage Foundation. As in the architects of Project 2025, all of these changes have had widespread implications. They affect our everyday lives. Not to mention it's common for politicians to attend the Grove before they run for office. Philip Weiss wrote in Spy magazine that Richard Nixon showed up this summer before he ran for president. Again, if these conversations are happening at the Grove, technically there's nothing unlawful about it. It's more a question of Ethics. Especially when Bohemian Grove is thrust into the news in 2023 with another name in the spotlight. That year, ProPublica breaks a story about sitting Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. They present evidence that for years he's been taking luxury vacations funded by billionaire Harlan Crow. And these are vacations which Justice Thomas did not disclose. After ProPublica's report is published, Thomas amends his disclosures to include parts of some of those trips, including one to Bohemian Grove in 2019. Once again, the retreat is caught up in this ethical question. Was Harlan Crow given unfair access to one of the most powerful men in the country? And how many others at Bohemian Grove might be benefiting from that kind of access? We don't know for sure. But it makes sense why people are worried about what the elites get up to there every summer. As Sean Morrow puts it, we're seeing a level of collusion among the ultra wealthy that seems almost unbeatable. However, Sean also points out that just as the powerful can band together, so can we. And there have been some promising wins against the club over the years. In 1986, Bohemian Grove is instructed that it must open employment opportunities to women. Members protested. That would make them less comfortable walking around nude and portraying female caricatures in their plays. It would, quote, spoil some of the club members fun. But a California state appeals court said, too bad, fellas. You have to hire women at the Grove, too. Welcome to the modern world. Of course, they still don't accept women into the club for membership. Current and former employees also sue the Grove, alleging labor violations. The latest lawsuit in 2023 includes claims of severe wage theft. Valets say they were expected to work 16 hour shifts without breaks and then were only paid for half of that time. And since 2015, there have been three class action lawsuits total by our count, all of which resulted in settlements paid to the plaintiffs. Others show their defiance by continuing to sneak into the Grove. In January 2011, Reporters for History channels decoded were arrested for trespassing. Allegedly, they were held on bail for nine hours before being released. Some attempts at infiltration have been virtual. Hackers have retrieved photos from emails of club members like Colin Powell. In 2012, Occupy Bohemian Grove protesters gathered at its front gate. In response, dozens of police in riot gear lined the entrance to prevent anyone from going inside. After a speech from activist Cindy Sheehan, one of the protesters, an elderly man, got into a heated argument with a police officer. He was struck down, handcuffed and arrested. But sometimes it's the quieter forms of protest that make the biggest impact. To this day, Mary Moore collects all of the information about Bohemian Grove that she can get her hands on. It's largely thanks to her determination that we know anything at all about what goes on there. She spearheaded the movement that led to the investigative work of Philip Weiss and Dan Boguslaw. And she does it because she believes when powerful people work together, they become even more powerful. But knowledge and persistence is our power. Perhaps one day, Mary's protests will drag all of the secrets of the Bohemian Grove into the light foreign. Thank you for listening to conspiracy theories. Rewind. We're here with a new episode every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at the Conspiracy Pod. If you're watching on Spotify, swipe up and give us your thoughts. Our sources for today's episode include the Bohemian Grove and other retreats by G. William Domhoff. Philip Weiss's article, Masters of the Universe. Go to Camp inside Bohemian Grove and more. Perfect Union's mini documentary. We uncovered the most infamous secret society. And the truth is shocking. With reporting by Dan Boguslaw and Sean Morrow. Until next time. Remember, the truth isn't always the best story, man. The official story isn't always the truth. This episode was written and researched by Connor Sampson, edited by Miki Taylor and Justin Sayles, and engineered video, edited and sound designed by Alex Button. I'm your host, Carter Roy.