Customer Reviews

Memoirs

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Mr Rockefeller writes about the Bilderbergs (p. 410), at the "disppointment" of the "conspiracy-mongers" is just an "intensely interesting annual discussion group." Really? Then how come I'm never invited? What's all the secrecy about?

To give you an idea of why all the secrecy, here's an excerpt from a 1991 issue of the Hilaire duBerrier Report (also reported elsewhere in the French press):

"[Rockefeller] told his listeners: 'We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine, and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years....It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during these years....The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers ... is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in the past centuries.'"

In "Tragedy and Hope" written By Bill Clinton's professor at Georgetown, Carroll Quigley (p. 950) writes:

"There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes the Communists act. In fact, this network, which we may identify as the Round Table Group has no aversion to cooperating with the Communists, of any other groups, and frequently does so. I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it...but in general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known."

Now why would the "Round Table Group" want to cooperate with the communists? James Kunen, in his "Strawberry Statement: Notes of a College Revolutionary," gives one reason:

"In the evening, I went up to the U. to check out a strategy meeting. A kid was giving a report on the SDS [Students for a Democratic Society] convention. He said that ... at the convention, men from Business International Round Tables, the meeting sponsored by Business International for their client groups and heads of government, tried to buy up a few radicals. These men are the world's leading industrialists and they convene to decide how our lives are going to go. These are the guys who wrote the Alliance for Progress. They are the left wing of the ruling class. They offered to finance our demonstrations in Chicago. We were also offered ESSO (Rockefeller) money. They want us to make a lot of radical commotion so they can look more in the center as they move to the left."

Is this not the reason why most people think George Bush is conservative? Because the liberal hates Bush?

Mr. Rockefeller on p. 405 claims that the "conspiracy theorists" fail to see the "benefit of our international role over the past half century." And what benefits are these? Quigley gives the answer in his book:

"The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole."

Now how'd those silly kook populists miss to see the benefit in having a worldwide system of financial control vested in a few plutocrats?

I have been intrigued by American Empire and its ascent over the last century. I wanted to read Mr. Rockefeller's words for myself. It seemed as though he was skipping major details throughout- for example he glides right over the death of his brother Nelson, leaving out details of the circumstance. Which pretty much proved to me that the rumors were more than true.
Chapter 27 was what I was hunting and in his own words on page 405 he solidifies accusations of his one-world agenda. Considering he has been a part of the Bilderbergs, CFR, and Trilaterals for most of his adult life- rather odd he only gives about a page a piece to each issue. A 500 page book and only 1 brief chapter on the bulk of his world vision. Dare I say conspiracy?

It may be disinformation, but reportedly at the Bilderberg/Trilateral meeting in 1991 in Baden Baden, Germany, David Rockefeller made the following statement, with Bill Clinton in attendance:

"We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."

Whether or not he actually said this publicly, it does seem to capture the thinking of someone who makes the kind of decisions Rockefeller does. In his memoir on page 405, he actually does say this, "Some even believe we (the Rockefeller family) are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure---one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.".
In this section he also criticizes "populists" and "isolationists" for not appreciating that the "active role" the international bankers have played in world affairs has contributed to economic growth and the defeat of Communism.
[...]

The dollar's value has declined by 90% since the Fed's beginning in 1913 thanks to the mismanagement of "elites", and at the same time we have experienced tremendous economic growth; due to natural human activity and technological advances. Private bankers have figured out how to profit from human behavior and economics, but they're not a necessary middle man; the Constitution authorizes Congress to coin money.

A library's worth of books are available that paint David Rockefeller as the "secret ruler of the world," a multi-billionaire megalomaniac responsible for all of the world's ills. Whether it's an economic collapse or a war, David and his co-horts on the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission are allegedly behind it. Since little else has been written about the man, "Memoirs" fills a void. Unfortunately, it doesn't fill that void as well as I would have hoped.

For bankers or those intrigued by banking, Rockefeller's lengthy desciption of his career at Chase may make for fascinating reading. The rest of us may be tempted to stop reading at this point and start skimming. On the other hand, the description of David's life within the Rockefeller family is interesting. As the youngest member of the famous (or infamous) dynasty, David was shunned by his older siblings and lived a rather solitary, though, it seems, generally happy life. Rockefeller writes about this, as well as his later experiences in college (where he once again had a hard time fitting in), with a modesty that really won me over. He also offers nice portraits of the rest of the clan, including his father who, despite his wealth, fought a battle against paralyzing shyness and depression. Rockefeller succeeds in defining his family by something other than its wealth.

But David Rockefeller's wiliness to hobnob with dictators as easily as he does presidents and popes is not going to quiet the conspiracy theorists. His activities do suggest that this man who admits to a lifelong fascination with entemology (the study of insects) does not make a distinction between bugs and the majority of the human race. Since Rockefeller doesn't appear to feel he needs to explain his motivations, and doesn't exactly deny that he is working to push the U.S., and other nations, into a one-world government, one can only assume that the allegations are true.

When he keeps the focus on his famous family, Rockefeller writes with an openness that would have been beneficial to other parts of the book. The sections detailing the clashes within the family, and his disillusionment with Nelson, the big brother he had once idolized, make for interesting reading indeed.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Mr. Rockefeller has managed to write a great book. It is a superb --extremely sincere-- account of his life as well as a gem of twentieth century american, financial and international-diplomacy history.

The book reads as easily as a warm conversation between friends. You'll find yourself engaged throughout, from topics about WWII, the world of high finance, the extraordinary world of top-level diplomacy and the intrincacies and complexities of being involved with the great New York City.

But most of all, you will learn (or relearn) that great wealth is not what makes a great man, but great character. As others, David Rockefeller could have followed the easy life of the "junior". He choose to live instead one of the most accomplished and interesting lives of the century.

Most of this book is just a fluff piece that tries to spin a good light on a criminal family. After reading this though, some things are very obvious. John D tried to take over the oil industry and now David wants to take over the world. Seeing how he and his mega banker good ole boy network of Bilderburgers have wrecked the US economy, he may well do it.

Having watched the documentary about the family on PBS and having been a recipient in of the many great works of the family, I was intrigued by a book written by their youngest member. I was not disappointed.
It was particularly interesting to read Mr. Rockefeller's account of his time as president of Chase Manhattan. The policies he implemented and the good and bad that came out of them. I found myself totally engrossed in the financial deals Mr. Rockefeller had a part in.
This is a really great read for someone who is interested in financial matters, and wants to read the political history of the world over the last 70 years by someone who actually participated in it.

This autobiography has generated much buzz just from the fact that the Rockefellers have been so zealously private about their lives. I must admit I read this book just out of a curiosity of an eavesdropper; I wanted to see how different the members of this "American Royalty" lived from us mere mortals. I was surprised to find, therefore, that I was very much hooked to this book from the get-go. The best parts of the book deal with how David Rockefeller refused to use his status to get by on life. His difficult attainment of the Ph.D in economics, His service in the military, and his failures as a father and as a man... all these things Rockefeller writes with frank and gentle hindsight. The sections about how his brother Nelson's ambition had gotten the better of him, and his disillusionment with him and life are touching. There are many interesting anecdotes, especially dealing with his tenure as a C.E.O. at the Chase Bank (esp. the drunken fistfight amongst executives at a company retreat), but this book of memoirs is thankfully devoid of sensational stuff that most autobiographies seem to rely on for readership nowadays. All in all, this book is just a very human and appealing self-portrait.

Having read several books on the Rockefeller family, some of the family history here was familiar to me. However, there's no substitute for first-person recollections. Mr. Rockefeller is meticulous in his organization and presentation in this autobiography. I looked forward to reading this book, and wasn't disappointed. I thought it was strongest in the sections pertaining to the family and his dealings with his brothers. I didn't necessarily agree with Mr. Rockefeller's assessments regarding world affairs or his economic views. In fact, I disagree in many areas. However, his views are well documented and should be no surprise to those who are well-informed. The book is particularly interesting re Mr. Rockefeller's being saddled with one of the world's most famous names, and how his children have dealt with it.

An excellent read no matter which side of the political fence one sits on.

I bought this book to experience the life of David Rockefeller and what it is like to live a life of incredible wealth. In that respect, I did enjoy this book. For example, the Rockefeller kids did not attend an exclusive private grade school. Obviously, his life was still very different from most Americans filled with travel and meeting very famous, intelligent people.

After a very interesting educational career and time served in WWII, Rockefeller works initially as an assistant to the Mayor of NY but eventually begins a long career with Chase Manhattan Bank ending as the Chairman. Here, the book really bogged down. Even though he was raised in a life much different than most Americans, his Chase career was marked by a rivalry with a senior loan officer in a battle for the top spot at the bank. Rockefeller spent this part of the book describing the battle in depth without trying to be critical. Frankly, it was more information than was needed and not really becoming. After his ascension to the top spot, the book describes in detail, probably too much detail, his growth of the bank, his relationships with world leaders, and the problems at the bank that almost cost him his job. And possibly it should have.

The book ends with Rockefeller reflecting on his philanthropic activities and the ultimate dispostion of the Rockefeller Center. I found this section quite interesting.

Overall, I casually enjoyed this book and would recommend it. But it is real time commitment to read and may be considered too boring for many readers. If you are buying this book because you enjoy business biographies, I would not recommend the book as there is no compelling story to tell from a business perspective. It's just a story of a wonderful life from a very wealthy individual who is able to travel in very high circles.