Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), represents a significant institution within the Anglo-American establishment, functioning as a nexus for influential banking elites, academics, and political figures.
Its activities have been central to shaping international policy, sponsoring extensive research, and promoting a specific globalist agenda throughout the 20th century and beyond.
Establishment and Affiliation
Chatham House was formally established on 30 May 1919, at a joint conference of British and American experts held at the Hotel Majestic.
Lord Robert Cecil proposed that General Tasker Bliss of the American delegation assume the chair. The British organisational structure was initiated by a committee, with Lord Robert Cecil as chairman and Lionel Curtis serving as honorary secretary. This institution was conceived as a forum for "young men and women" to engage in international affairs.
The Royal Institute of International Affairs is deeply intertwined with the Round Table Group, also referred to as the Milner Group or the Cliveden Set, an influential network of elites.
Carroll Quigley's mentor, Sir Alfred Eckard Zimmern, was one of its founders, and numerous members of the Milner Group were closely associated with the RIIA. Its American counterpart, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), was explicitly modelled on Chatham House, with foundational support from the Carnegie and Rockefeller families.
The RIIA also influenced the establishment of academic positions, notably having a voice in the election of professors to the Wilson Chair of International Politics at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, which consistently resulted in close associates of the Group occupying this chair.
Role in Research and Policy Formulation
The primary activities of Chatham House encompassed the organisation of discussion meetings, the formation of study groups, the sponsorship of extensive research, and the publication of information and materials derived from these activities. It played a crucial role in post-World War I analyses, sponsoring the History of the Peace Conference of Paris, edited by Harold Temperley, with financial backing from Thomas W. Lamont of J. P. Morgan and Company.
Chatham House also initiated and supported detailed geopolitical and economic surveys. It took up Jan Smuts's suggestion for a comprehensive survey of Africa and its resources, appointing a committee chaired by Lord Lothian, which led to the publication of the seminal African Survey in 1938.
Similarly, it facilitated a parallel Survey of British Commonwealth Relations, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and entrusted to W. K. Hancock. The institution also established academic chairs, such as the Abe Bailey Professorship of Commonwealth Relations in 1947. Discussions held at Chatham House covered a wide array of topics, including the League of Nations, Pacific Problems, the Greco-Turkish Question, Zionism, and the political situation in Egypt.
Its members prepared numerous memoranda for international conferences, such as the sessions on "Peaceful Change" held in 1936-37, which included extensive contributions from the RIIA itself.
Influence in World War II
During the period leading up to and during World War II, Chatham House became, for all practical purposes, the research section of the Foreign Office.
A special organisation, the Foreign Research and Press Service (FRPS), was established within the Institute, directed by Arnold J Toynbee with Lionel Curtis as his chief support.
This body was tasked with answering government departments' inquiries on international affairs, compiling a weekly summary of the foreign press, and conducting specialised research projects. The FRPS was jointly financed by the Treasury, All Souls College, Balliol College, and Chatham House, with its operations eventually relocated to Oxford.
Chatham House played a significant role in the "dual policy" of appeasement towards Germany, which was orchestrated by the British elite.
This policy involved a delicate balance of public messaging: while elements of the Round Table Group, such as Lord Lothian, openly advocated for a seven-point programme of rapprochement with Hitler at forums including Chatham House, British agencies simultaneously used propaganda disseminated through RIIA publications to exaggerate German military capabilities and belittle Britain's own armaments.
This strategic manipulation of public opinion was designed to generate fear of Germany, justify rearmament, and ultimately prepare the British populace for war, even as clandestine negotiations and support for Hitler's territorial ambitions were ongoing. Figures such as John W. Wheeler-Bennett of Chatham House were ardent advocates of appeasement during this crucial period.
Broader Geopolitical Context
Chatham House is regarded as a central component of the Anglo-American banking establishment's power block. It is understood as one of the key institutions in a global network of interlocking think tanks, foundations, and policy-making groups, all working to steer society towards a technocracy and centralised control.
The vision underpinning this network, which includes the Rothschilds, Rhodes, Ruskin, and Milner, is the creation of a global monetary system dominated by private banks, capable of controlling the political and economic systems of all countries. This is to be achieved through the central banks of the world, with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) serving as its apex.
The philosophy driving this globalist agenda is rooted in British traditions of Materialism, pragmatism, and situational ethics, often presenting a "new way of doing empire through democracy" as a facade for deep-seated oligarchical control.