The Bohemian Grove is real. Its members are real. The ceremony is real. The Manhattan Project really was discussed there. What remains contested is what all of that adds up to — and why the most powerful people in the world keep coming back.
Where it started
The Bohemian Club was founded in San Francisco in 1872 by a group of journalists, artists, and musicians who wanted a haven from what they considered the city's commercial coarseness. Within a few years, wealthy patrons were invited in to fund the Club's activities, and the original bohemian character gave way to an elite men's society. By 1899 the Club had acquired a 2,700-acre redwood grove in Monte Rio, Sonoma County, about 75 miles north of San Francisco. The first summer encampment at the new site was held that same year.
The Cremation of Care ceremony dates to 1881. The Owl Shrine — a 40-foot hollow concrete statue of an owl that serves as the ceremony's backdrop — was built in 1929 and remains standing today. The encampment has continued more or less uninterrupted for well over a century.
What the theory claims
The core claim, across every variation, is simple: Bohemian Grove is not a social retreat. It is where the real decisions get made — informal, off the record, and out of reach of voters, shareholders, and the press. From there, interpretations branch.
- The soft version: elite networking with outsized influence. Deals are struck, political careers launched, policy quietly shaped in Lakeside Talks that the public never hears.
- The medium version: a coordination mechanism for a transnational power class — the same people who move between Bilderberg, the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Grove each year.
- The ritual version: the Cremation of Care is not theater but a working ceremony rooted in older esoteric traditions, with the owl representing Moloch, Minerva, or an older pre-Abrahamic figure depending on who is interpreting.
- The darker version: what happens during the two weeks goes beyond ceremony — accusations, largely circulating since the 2000s, of rituals and activities the Club denies outright.
The variations
Most serious researchers on the subject stay in the first two lanes. The sociologist G. William Domhoff, whose 1974 book The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats remains the standard academic treatment, argues it is fundamentally a class-cohesion institution — a place where the American upper class consolidates itself across generations. Peter Martin Phillips, whose 1994 PhD dissertation at UC Davis mapped the Club's network, reached similar conclusions and identified specific patterns of policy influence radiating outward from the encampment.
The more esoteric readings have been carried largely by independent researchers and broadcasters, most prominently Alex Jones, whose 2000 infiltration brought the ceremony into mass awareness. The darkest readings have emerged more recently and remain contested even within conspiracy research circles.
What believers point to
This is where the line between theory and public record becomes blurrier than most outside observers realize. A few of the specific facts that researchers return to again and again:
On September 13, 1942, a key planning meeting for the Manhattan Project took place at Bohemian Grove. Attendees included physicist Ernest Lawrence (UC Berkeley), Arthur Compton, and senior officials from the Office of Scientific Research and Development. The meeting is recorded in the official histories of the project and is confirmed by the Atomic Heritage Foundation. The atomic bomb — the defining weapon of the 20th century — was, in part, planned in a redwood clearing in Sonoma County.
In July 1967, then-private citizen Richard Nixon delivered a Lakeside Talk at the Grove titled "The Changing World." The speech is widely considered the moment his 1968 presidential run became viable — he later said as much himself. Ronald Reagan, also a member, reportedly agreed that summer not to challenge Nixon for the Republican nomination. Historians broadly accept that the 1968 Republican primary was shaped, in a meaningful way, inside the Grove.
In a 1971 Oval Office recording later released through the Watergate investigation, Nixon described the Grove as "the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine." In the same conversations he described it as essential to American elite networking. In July 2000, Alex Jones and British filmmaker Mike Hanson entered the Grove on foot and filmed portions of the Cremation of Care ceremony on hidden cameras. The footage — released as Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove — is the most widely circulated visual record of the ceremony. The Club confirmed the infiltration had occurred and declined to press charges.
Beyond those anchor points, researchers point to the member lists — Presidents Hoover, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, both Bushes; Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney; David Rockefeller; William Randolph Hearst; Walter Cronkite; generations of Fortune 500 CEOs — and ask how any institution of that composition, meeting in secret for two weeks every year for more than a century, could not be consequential. The question is rarely whether influence happens there. The question is how much, and of what kind.
Save the documentaries before they're removed.
Large parts of the primary material on Bohemian Grove — the 2000 infiltration footage, leaked Lakeside Talks, member interviews — have been taken down from YouTube and other platforms multiple times. Classified lets you save videos locally from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X before they disappear, and organize them into a case with your notes.
Download on the App StoreKey voices
Anyone going deeper on the Grove eventually encounters the same short list of names. They do not agree with each other — and that is worth keeping in mind.
- G. William Domhoff — UC Santa Cruz sociologist; his 1974 book The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats is the standard academic source and remains the most-cited work on the subject.
- Peter Martin Phillips — sociologist whose 1994 UC Davis dissertation A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club mapped the Club's network of influence in detail.
- Philip Weiss — journalist whose 1989 Spy magazine infiltration piece, "Masters of the Universe Go to Camp," was the first major mainstream exposé.
- Mary Moore — longtime organizer of the Bohemian Grove Action Network; her archive of leaked Lakeside Talks and member rosters dates back to the 1980s.
- Alex Jones — his 2000 infiltration brought the ceremony itself into public view for the first time.
The official position
The Bohemian Club describes itself as a social club that offers members an opportunity to enjoy camaraderie, the arts, and the outdoors. The Cremation of Care is presented as a theatrical tradition dating to the late nineteenth century. Club spokespeople have, over the years, declined to release full member lists or transcripts of Lakeside Talks, describing the privacy as a long-standing convention rather than a matter of secrecy.
Where it is now
The encampments continue. The 2025 session ran from mid-July through early August. The Bohemian Grove Action Network continues to organize annual protests outside the Monte Rio entrance, and occasional leaks of member rosters, guest lists, and Lakeside Talks still surface online. The broader question — how much influence actually passes through the Grove versus other elite institutions such as the World Economic Forum, Bilderberg, or the Council on Foreign Relations — has not been answered, and likely cannot be from outside.
Go deeper
Primary and secondary sources
- G. William Domhoff, The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats (1974) and The Bohemian Grove: Facts & Fiction (2005)
- Peter Martin Phillips, A Relative Advantage: Sociology of the San Francisco Bohemian Club — UC Davis PhD dissertation (1994)
- Philip Weiss, "Masters of the Universe Go to Camp," Spy magazine (November 1989)
- Alex Jones & Mike Hanson, Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove — documentary (2000)
- Bohemian Grove Action Network archive — leaked Lakeside Talks, protest history, member research
- Atomic Heritage Foundation, entries on the 1942 Manhattan Project meetings
- Nixon White House Tapes — July 1971 Oval Office recordings, National Archives
Your investigation, organized.
Classified is a private, offline research notebook built for people doing their own work. Save videos from any platform. Organize arguments and sources into cases. Rate credibility. Present your findings without the source material disappearing on you mid-conversation. Your cases never leave your iPhone — no account, no cloud, no tracking.
Download on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
What is the Bohemian Grove?
A 2,700-acre private redwood campground in Monte Rio, California, owned by the Bohemian Club of San Francisco. Every July, roughly 2,500 men — US presidents, cabinet members, CEOs, military leaders, Nobel laureates — gather there for a two-week encampment that combines lectures, theatrical performances, and private meetings.
Where is the Bohemian Grove located?
Monte Rio, in Sonoma County, roughly 75 miles north of San Francisco along the Russian River. The Bohemian Club has owned the site since 1899.
Who are the members of the Bohemian Club?
Documented past and present members include US Presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush; Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, David Rockefeller, William Randolph Hearst, Walter Cronkite, and Mark Twain. The Club has roughly 2,500 members total; a full roster is not publicly released.
What is the Cremation of Care ceremony?
The opening ceremony of the encampment, first performed in 1881. Robed figures carry an effigy representing "dull care" to the base of a 40-foot concrete owl statue, where it is burned. The Club calls it theatrical tradition; outside researchers interpretations range from symbolic theater to ritual with older esoteric roots.
Why is there a giant owl statue at Bohemian Grove?
The owl has been the Bohemian Club's emblem since its founding in 1872, representing wisdom in Club iconography. The 40-foot hollow concrete statue by the lake was built in 1929 and is the backdrop for the Cremation of Care. Some researchers have argued the owl references Moloch or Minerva; the Club maintains it is simply the Club mascot.
Has a US president attended Bohemian Grove?
Yes. Every Republican president from Herbert Hoover through George W. Bush attended. Nixon's July 1967 Lakeside Talk is widely considered the launching point of his 1968 campaign. He later said, "Anybody can be President of the United States, but few can ever have any hope of becoming President of the Bohemian Club."
Was the Manhattan Project planned at Bohemian Grove?
A key planning meeting took place there on September 13, 1942, attended by Ernest Lawrence, Arthur Compton, and other senior physicists. The meeting is documented in the official histories of the Manhattan Project and confirmed by the Atomic Heritage Foundation.
What did Alex Jones film at Bohemian Grove?
On July 15, 2000, Alex Jones and British filmmaker Mike Hanson entered the Grove on foot with hidden cameras and filmed portions of the Cremation of Care. The footage was released as the documentary Dark Secrets: Inside Bohemian Grove. The Club acknowledged the infiltration but did not press charges.
Can you visit Bohemian Grove?
No — the Grove is private property and the encampment is members-only. Uninvited visitors have been escorted off and, in some cases, arrested. The Bohemian Grove Action Network organizes annual protests in Monte Rio during the July encampment.
What did Richard Nixon say about Bohemian Grove?
In a 1971 Oval Office recording released through the Watergate tapes, Nixon called the Grove "the most faggy goddamned thing you could ever imagine" — a comment about the all-male theatrical tradition. In the same and other recordings he credited the Grove with launching his political career.