Rating: 
Summary: World Conspiracy, Historical Relic, or Some of Both?
Review: In "Secrets of the Tomb," Alexandra Robbins repeats, and dismisses, many of the claims made by conspiracy theorists like Anthony Sutton about the Yale University senior society Skull and Bones. She also calls into question the authenticity of Ron Rosenbaum's account of a Skull and Bones initiation, suggesting that it was not authentic, but rather a skit contrived and performed by members who knew that Rosenbaum was eavesdropping on them. In the stead of such "exposés," she provides a history of early Yale and the peculiar social climate in which this society came to be. The truth is as interesting as any of the fantasies. Yale was founded by rigid New England Calvinists who thought that Harvard was deviating from its intended mission. Fitting in with the institutional culture has always been more important at Yale than at the other Ivy League colleges. Skull and Bones (as well as several other similar societies) reflect today what was once a much broader system of college clubs that served to reinforce institutional culture. Of course, that culture has changed with the passage of years; the successful (i.e., surviving) societies have adapted to change even as they resisted it. We don't learn much more about the German connection or the ritual background of Skull and Bones here than we do from Sutton. The German university corps from which the Yale society emanated as a chapter is not identified; Ms. Robbins has not said which German university Gen. Russell visited. If naked mud wrestling or lying in a coffin are not (at least now) parts of the ritual, drinking simulated "blood" out of a skull is, which suggests von Hund's masonic Templars as a ritual source. The presiding officer is named "Uncle Toby," apparently derived from the character in Laurence Sterne's novel "Tristam Shandy," and the mysterious number 322 from the date of Demosthenes' death. The Skull and Bones library contains an Aldine edition of Demosthenes and a first edition of "Tristam Shandy," both great bibliophilic rarities. Many Latin tags about bones (ossis), as well as macaronics on "bonis" (the good), reflect the past importance of the classics in a university education. (Conspiracy theorists may wish to note that, if Mimmo Siclari's lyrics can be trusted, the legendary founders of the Mafia were named Ossu, Matrossu, and Carcagnossu - which may be translated as "Bones," "Mother Bones," and "Burdened Bones," respectively.) While Ms. Robbins discounts wild claims of world conspiracy, she does portray a club the members of which have historically been drawn from a monied and socially influential background, and who have been assiduous in promoting each others' interests. This has taken place within a prestigious and influential university that itself has drawn its students from a highly select pool. The author's lipservice to the shibboleths of political correctness, exhibiting fashionable condemnation of "élitism" and "tokenism," ring rather hollow in view of her indication that she belongs to another Yale secret society (the name of which she does not disclose). It is hypocritical posturing to denounce élitism and tokenism when one has already derived their benefits. That a Yale graduate should make pronouncements of such shallow conventionality also calls into question the intellectual merit of a Yale education. Does no one at Yale read Vilfredo Pareto's "The Rise and Fall of Élites" or Gaetano Mosca's "The Ruling Class"? Élites are inevitable in organized societies. It is as futile to deplore élitism as it is to lament the law of gravity. What matters is how the élite is constituted. Is it wise and good? Does it exercise authority well? Or is it corrupt, stupid, and weak? If the American élite has not always been exemplary, how has it stacked up against the former "nomenklatura" of the old Soviet union, or against the gangsters that run Russia today? Against the warlords and tyrants of the Islamic world? Against the pusillanimous Eurocrats of Brussels, the École Polytechnique and Oxbridge grads who lecture us from Paris and London about everything that is wrong with America? These real-world alternatives were and are every bit as close and élite as are the Ivy Leaguers so disproportionately represented in government, business, academia, and the media in this country. If Ms. Robbins has not learnt that at Yale, I'd say her tuition was a great waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: Whitewash, Smokescreen, Disinformation and Modified Limited
Review: The Order of Skull & Bones is the Wizard of Oz!
Presidents are just assassinated!
There is no conspiracy! It's just nec-essary for us barbarians "to be able to make sense of the world!" Whitewash, Smokescreen, Disinformation and Modified Limited Hang-out Recent Yale graduate, Alexandra Robbins's new book, Secrets of the Tomb - Skull and Bones, The Ivy League, And The Hidden Paths of Power portends to be an exposé, but in reality is a response by Bones to its critics, an apologia and... more skullduggery. Ms. Robbins, claims to be a member of one of Yale's seven senior secret societies (she never reveals which one) writes: "The rumors and conspiracy theories about Skull and Bones... are widespread and deep-rooted... the most fascinating thing I learned through my interviews with members of Skull and Bones is that the majority of rumors were carefully planted by the Bonesmen themselves."
And,
"Skull & Bones is at its core, equivalent to the Wizard of Oz, the puny but cunning man hidden behind a curtain of mystique, projecting images that inspire awe and terror in order to expand himself into something great and terrible."
And,
"If the Wizard of Oz can represent Skull and Bones, then one must point out that, for a while, Oz needed its Wizard to provide balance and a constant current of reassurance." [Emphasis in original] According to Ms. Robbins, The Order of Skull & Bones is all just a façade and the conspiracy theories are created out of a psychological need of us "barbarians." It's just a "frat" house that taps into the power of the Ivy League old boy network. Just a bonding "thing," Skull and Bones isn't "cultlike" but its critics are. The psychological underpinnings, the rhetoric and the techniques used to "massage" the message in this book I find are very interesting. Also, her use of the term barbarians to refer to non-members and her use of Bones' terms of deference to older members, I also find interesting. Ms. Robbins takes a swipe at the "sinister" views of Bones with an exaggerated and shunted version of many of the allegations about Bones in an introduction titled The Legends of Skull and Bones. By mixing reality with known myth Ms. Robbins clumsily tosses aside many historical tragedies brought about by the elite deviance of Bones and its cohorts. She then proceeds to tell us "What follows, then is the truth about Skull and Bones." But by simply not addressing many of the allegations against Bones that she brings up in her "legends" she lays down more smoke and mirrors on the whole subject of what is real and what is fiction, even ending her book with more of the same: "Whether the legend of Skull and Bones reflects a sinister veracity or a prismatic distortion depends almost entirely on one's desired perception. The great conspiracy surrounding the society is one of half-truths and our own willing complicity. And its secret, great and terrible, is that Skull and Bones, unreal, has mastered both" This book is not an expose it is a paean to The Order of Skull & Bones. Secrets of the Tomb is designed to deflect mounting exposure and criticism of The Order's secrecy and its malignant effect upon our body politic and our republic. Ms. Robbins has insights into the culture of Yale and access to Bones members. She supplies us with some gossip, some new info, a map of the inside of the tomb, and plenty of Bones' unsourced shallow retorts.
I will offer a small disassembly of one piece of Ms. Robbins disinformation, for now... Her dismissal of the history of Skull & Bones members' financial dealings with the Nazis consisted of one sentence. "Nor was it Skull and Bones that specifically instructed members to aid Adolf Hitler, though Hitler's financier stowed $3 million in the Union Banking Corporation, a bank that counted among its seven directors Prescott Bush." Ms. Robbins gives us no documentation of her assertion that all that happened was that Fritz Thyssen "stowed" just "$3 million" in a bank that "counted among its seven directors Prescott Bush." Poor Pres, just has been stuck with a bad rap, them mean Nazis did it behind his back. What a crock!
If one checks the historical record one finds that the Union Banking Co. was established in 1924 to formalize an agreement between Bonesman Averell Harriman and Fritz Thyssen, German industrialist and author of I Paid Hitler. Union Bank was more than just some place to stow money but was an active participant in the rearming of Germany and the financing of Nazism. The US Alien Property Custodian eventually seized Union Banking Corporation in October on 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
And there were many more Bonesmen involved than just Prescott Bush. And there was much more Bonesmen involvement in the financial affairs of Germany and the Nazis. In 1933 there were eight directors of Union Bank. Four were members of Skull & Bones, classmates Roland Harriman, Knight Woolley, Ellery Sedgewick James and Prescott Bush. In 1942 the bank had (Ms. Robbins is correct) only seven directors but there were three Bones directors and shareholders, Roland, Prescott and Ray Morris. And their shares were declared as being "held for the benefit of... members of the Thyssen family, [and] is property of nationals... of a designated enemy country..."
There is much more historical evidence about The Order's and the Bush's involvement in the financing of Germany and of Hitler. There is George Herbert Walker's and Prescott Bush's major involvement with the Harriman Fifteen Corporation and the American Ship and Commerce Corporation which both helped in the rearmament of Germany and the rise of Nazism. Ms. Robbins also sidestepped the very real relationship between The Order, eugenics and Hitler. But that is par for the course for this book. Not that I do not recommend it. For as I have learned much can be gathered from disinformation, first there are the "bonifides" that must be supplied and then there is what is not said and where they wish you to go, which always provides... illumination.
Rating:
Summary: ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free
Review: Unfortunately, this is one of those books that claims to tell you what's going on but never really does. It's simply disinformation from THE ORDER. The real books of truth on this matter are ALWAYS supressed. U.S. President John Quincy Adams stressed that those who take oaths to politically powerful international secret societies cannot be depended on for loyalty to a democratic republic. One of the master's of shedding the light of truth upon these matter's is Professor Antony C. Sutton, former Stanford Scholar at the Hoover Institute. Get his book, "America's Secret Establishment: An introduction to the Order of Skull and Bones." He names Names and tell's you how your enslavement upon you is coming about. Think of planned world wars, think Federal Reserve Bank, think of destroying U.S. National Soverignty, think anti-God and you'll be thinking like a Bonesman aka "Brotherhood of Death". Who own's Brown Brothers Harriman, The Carlyle Group and what is there historical and future Policy? These are just some of the questions upon where actions need to be taken. For those that really want to know what this "Skull and Bones" is about I suggest getting a few of the great starter books. 1. The Rulers of Russia by Denis Fahey, 1938
2. The Mystery of Freemasonry Unvieled by The Cardianal of Chile, 1971
3. The Secrets of the Federal Reserve by Eustace Mullins, 1991
4. Pawns in the Game by Willaim G. Carr, 1954
5. Dope, Inc. by Executive Intelligence Review, 1979
6. The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the United States and the World by L. Fletcher Prouty, 1973
Rating: 
Summary: Talk about a smooth read...
Review: Hmm - to the reviewer who gave this book one star - did he not read the same book I did? This book was frankly the first non-fiction book I've had trouble putting down in a LONG time. I like how the book started with a real interesting history of Yale (and Harvard) - who knew class rank used to be determined by your parents' social standing, not by academics - and gets into detail that clearly took some serious investigating. This book is a manuscript - it reads very smoothly, with the right mix of previously undisclosed truths, myth, and history, to keep the reader intrigued.
And since someone sitting across from me on the subway tonight was reading this book, I can see its appeal is spreading quickly!
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read this year.
Review: This book is absolutely excellent. When I bought the book I expected it to be mostly about conspiracy theories associated with Skull and Bones (for example, that Skull and Bones is part of a secret world government). But the book is so much more than that. Robbins deftly debunks much of the lore of this society, pointing out that, while its members - typically wealthy or high-achieving Yalies or children of prominent alumni - revel in their secrecy, the society is mostly a social club whose members go out of their way to assist one another after graduation. The author reveals the organization's secret initiation rites, and dissects their true impact on world affairs. I loved the way the she named names, to show how both Bush presidents helped - and were helped by - fellow Bonesmen. I also enjoyed the great irony: George W. Bush has called Yale a place of Northeastern intellectual snobbery and made fun of his education there. Yet Robbins documents how his ascent to the presidency is littered with Bonesmen. This is detailed, responsible journalism at its best. Every fact is documented. Every suspicious account is investigated with a critical eye. This book is a great read. Alexandra Robbins is a wonderful and entertaining writer. I recommend this book highly.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Insightful
Review: Very eye-opening and insightful. Extremely well-written. A thoughtful and brilliant exploration into the secret underground socities of Yale University and the influence and power they have in the world today. Great book!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Man behind the Curtain
Review: When you go to a magic show, you might ask, "How did they do that?" If someone told you, you might be disappointed. Sure you know the truth, but you loose the mystery. Of course you could become a magician and eventually learn to see something perhaps even more mysterious hidden within the cold, hard truth. Alexandra Robbins' Secrets of the Tomb provides just such a lesson. From Secrets of the Tomb we learn, perhaps sadly, that there are no evenings spent laying naked in coffins, questionable bouts of naked mud wrestling, nor any Satanic dead raising rituals occurring behind the walls of the Skull and Bones Tomb. (Of course what does go on will equally surprise you!) Some people may consider this a loss, a disappointment. But the truth is the truth, and for the first time in history we get EXACTLY that in this fun, well written expose of the world's most notorious secret society. Myths are debunked and the facts are lain bare before us, as bare as a Bonesman, in his coffin, in our heretofore-collective imaginations. While some of the mystery may be lost, those who look further may gain greater knowledge as the veil of legend is pushed aside. To me, Secrets of the Tomb provided a fascinating insight not only into Skull and Bones, but perhaps more importantly, the history of Yale and the unique culture of the Ivy League itself. Avoiding the extreme conspiracy angle, Robbins drills a peephole into the old-boy's club network that has been the breeding ground for our country's political, financial, and literary elite since it's inception in the 1830's. Is Skull and Bones an insidious conspiracy, as some would have us believe? Or is it just a bunch of college friends helping each other along the path? Both? Secrets of the Tomb presents Skull and Bones as a living artifact, the embodiment of a particular and peculiar slice of American culture. The conclusions we draw will be either terrifying or mundane depending in part on our own political, social and economic philosophies. In short, an extremely informative, honest, revealing and enjoyable read!!!
Rating:
Summary: "Secret societies are [the] arched eyebrow personified."
Review: Describing Yale as "an institution that presents itself far less as an academic school than as a social game," author Robbins delves into the history of the university itself in an effort to explain the evolution of its secret societies--Skull and Bones, in particular--and to rationalize their continuing existence. Quoting documents from the archives, she cites religious zealotry, student rankings by social status and family background, a veneration of tradition, and the promotion of ultra-conservative values at Yale in the 19th century as factors in the development of these societies during that time. Literary, debating, and drama societies, open to all students, evolved and disbanded during these years, but the secret societies survived, providing in the absence of a residential college system, a bonding experience which fulfilled unmet social needs. Skull and Bones is highly selective, tapping only fifteen seniors each year, but the networks members forge among themselves, with faculty who were members, and with powerful alumni endure for a lifetime. Bushes, Buckleys, Bundys, Rockefellers, Tafts, and others have formed and exploited their secret society networks in government and foreign policy, the CIA, finance, and business. Robbins firmly debunks, however, the rumors of an "international mafia," a real estate cabal, neo-Nazi philosophy, and the notion that this is the "most powerful secret society the world has ever known." Herself a member of a "kindred Yale secret society," Robbins can hardly be expected to represent the point of view of the 90% of the campus which is not tapped for secret societies, which, now admitting women and minorities, seem to be trying to represent the college's demographics more fairly. She never really deals with the inherent elitism (or tokenism) which the selection process represents, however, and I disagree with her contention that secret societies are necessary in our lives: "The secret society--like the power of the elitist, old-school colleges...--survives because people like to believe that seemingly random events are orchestrated by someone or something in control...they need causality in much the same way as they need a God. People's need for the Skull and Bones conspiracies to elucidate an underlying order is similar to the need for religion to explain death and purpose." As long as people believe this, secret societies will endure.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Book, Brilliant Work of Investigative Journalism
Review: Alexandra Robbins seems to get all the inside information on Skull and Bones. She sifts through the myth and the legend, and gets to the facts. She shows the reader the origins, the rituals, the dirty laundry, the connections. This hidden world, subject of so much speculation, is uncovered in Secrets of the Tomb. I know the name is already taken, but Ms. Robbins should be called the true "Tomb Raider." Brilliant work all around!
Rating:
Summary: Trash, verbose trash at that.
Review: This book promises to unearth the secrets of on of the most well known of secret society. Instead it mentions rumors, causally glances over facts, and quotes a few uninteresting sources. All of this is delivered with the air of a policeman at a crime scene muttering "Nothing to see here, move along, move along." The only true 'facts' consist of very long detailed connections between the members of Skull and Bones and their careers. There is an entire chapter devoted to George W and his business investments, ending with dollar amounts donated to his presidential campaign by other SaB members. At the end of over 208 pages of dull writing, punctuated with endless quotes from Yale journals in the 1800s, you are left with only one amazing fact. Naples Pizza has a dance floor? Stunning! And now I'm left with one additional mystery. Why did I waste my time reading this book?
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