Enoch Arnold Bennett (1867 - 1931)

Arnold Bennett was one of the many artists that Joseph Retinger surrounded himself with. They met in Paris in the areas that both Bennett and Retinger liked to frequent.

Arnold Bennett was the man that brought Retinger in contact with Joseph Conrad.

In the first World War, Arnold Bennett was appointed to Director of Propaganda, or if I may translate it with my own words, worked in service of manipulation. He refused knighthood after the war.

Joseph Retinger was with Joseph Conrad on a visit in Poland when the war started. Conrad with some problems went to Austria, Retinger back to France. During the war Retinger seemed to have tried to influence the Austrian Kaisers to finish their relationship with the Germans. Franz Joseph I and Karl I were not very pleased with his interventions. You should not mess around with the Habsburg family! Retinger was no longer welcome in Austria, the Germans wanted him dead and he was no longer welcome in Great Britain. Retinger also did not feel safe anymore in France and moved to Spain.

Here I am lost. Retinger, a man with so many friends, a man who knows how to pull the strings lost it for a while? And how come that afterwards relations are restored again? Retinger, a devout catholic, in conflict with the Habsburg family? The Habsburg family being one of the most important families in the defence of Roman Catholisism? Retinger not welcome in Britain and only a few years later working closely together with them? Having Arnold Bennett as a close friend and not being welcome in Britain?

Was this a cover up operation? Was the move to Spain needed for learning the language? Was Retinger's next step to Mexico carefully planned?

Most people sleep themselves stupid

The Project Gutenberg is a project of inestimable value. What you can read for free is beyond imagination. In one of the works that can be found online, Arnold Bennett paraphrases his doctor who claims that most people sleep themselves stupid.

In his work "How to Live on 24 Hours a Day" (for free available on Project Gutenberg) Bennett addresses himself to the white collar workers. The work, if transposed to modern times, could easily be a manual to self-improvement even today.

One of his (outdated) remedies against the stupidity caused by sleeping too much is:

"Rise an hour, an hour and a half, or even two hours
earlier; and--if you must--retire earlier when you can.
In the matter of exceeding programmes, you will
accomplish as much in one morning hour as in two
evening hours. "But," you say, "I couldn't begin without
some food, and servants."  Surely, my dear sir, in an
age when an excellent spirit-lamp (including a saucepan)
can be bought for less than a shilling, you are not going
to allow your highest welfare to depend upon the
precarious immediate co-operation of a fellow creature!
Instruct the fellow creature, whoever she may be, at
night.  Tell her to put a tray in a suitable position
over night.
On that tray two biscuits, a cup and saucer, a box of
matches and a spirit-lamp; on the lamp, the saucepan;
on the saucepan, the lid--but turned the wrong way up;
on the reversed lid, the small teapot, containing a minute
quantity of tea leaves.  You will then have to strike a
match--that is all. In three minutes the water boils, and
you pour it into the teapot (which is already warm).
In three more minutes the tea is infused. You can begin
your day while drinking it. These details may seem trivial
to the foolish, but to the thoughtful they will not seem
trivial.  The proper, wise balancing of one's whole life
may depend upon the feasibility of a cup of tea at an
unusual hour."

Just secretaries ?

Joseph (Józef) Retinger keeps me awake. A man that changed the maps of europe, a man with an adventurous life and with a gift to get in contact with anyone he wanted to be in contact with.

Little details I can find about him without having to start reading his biography written by his secretary and friend Jan Pomian (also known as John). Although I am sure it is an interesting work, I am also sure that "Memoirs of an eminence grise" is not going to tell me what I want to know. Neither will Pomian's other books about Retinger.

Pomian was secretary to Retinger, Retinger was secretary to Joseph Conrad. If I see Pomian as a product of Retinger, than I can see Retinger as a product of Conrad. But only seeing him as a product of Conrad would dishonour Retinger too much. Retinger was a damned intelligent man, was with 20 the youngest PHd in political sciences at the Sorbonne of his time (and maybe even today) and other influences than Conrad's must have played an important role in his life.

What I can find out about his roots is that his father was ..... a secretary. A secretary, counsel and legal adviser to the polish Count Wladyslaw Zamoyski. Untill today I didn't know much more about Poland than that they were highly involved in the liberation of the Netherlands and more specific in the liberation of my hometown Breda. With digging into Retinger's life it seems to be needed to dig into Poland's history. Maybe I will understand what brought Retinger to the Sorbonne in France by studying Poland's history.

The Count became a very important man in Joseph Retingers life. Maybe he already was from the beginning, but he surely became important at the moment Joseph's father died. From that moment on, Jospeh was 10 or 11, the Count raised Retinger.

Retinger then joined a seminary. He wanted to become a priest. With the nice excuse that he prefered the world of love for women above the love for god, Joseph Retinger changed his path. But at that moment the Jezuits from the seminary must already have had an enormous impact on his way of thinking. They prepared him for his studies, they did a hell of a job!

An interesting biography about Joseph Retinger is written by Jan Chciuk-Celt, the son of a polish war hero known as "Sulima". The connection between Retinger and Jans' father can be found in "Operation Wildhorn III". Thanks to the personal interest that Jan took in his father's relationship with Joseph Retinger, we can learn a little bit more about Retinger. A "devout" catholic, a highly motivated patriot, a freedomfighter for Poland, the hero in the eyes of a hero.

Joseph Retinger

Sometimes people think they can just change a name and write it the way they would prefer it. Józef than becomes Joseph. I will do some searching on that name too, maybe I will find new sources.

On ENA, the European Navigator, I found following information about Retinger:

• Date and place of birth 17.04.1888 in Kraków
• Date and place of death 12.06.1960 in London
• NationalityPolish then British
• Director of the London Office of the Polish National Committee (1912–1914)
• Representative in the United Kingdom of the Polish Socialist Party (1924–1928)
• Personal Adviser to General Plutarco Calles, President of the Republic of Mexico (1919–1936
• Personal Adviser to General W. Sikorski, Prime Minister of Poland (1939–1943)
• Initiator of the Interallied Committee of Foreign Ministers (1942–1944)
• Co-founder of the Independent League for European Cooperation (1946–1948) and Secretary-General of the European League for Economic Cooperation (1948–1960)
• Member of the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity (1947–1948)
• Secretary-General of the European Movement (1948–1950)
• Co-founder of the Bilderberger Group (1952–1959)

I want more, I have a hunch and I want to find proof or denial.

Google surprises again

No, it is not really Google. I am surprised by the fact that the post about Retinger from just some hours ago is already ranked in Google's search results on the 18th place. How can a man like Retinger be so unpopular?

In short he is held responsible for the establishment of the European Union and before that of the Benelux. But he is also the mastermind behind the Bilderberg Group. The mighty of the world were his friends and one post of me shows up on the second page of Google's search engine.

I am truly surprised.

Józef Hieroniem Retinger (1888-1960)

The man intrigues me. How can one single man have been of so great importance and be so invisible? He was clearly able to pull some strings!

Looking for more information about Retinger I found an open letter to Margaret Thatcher published in "The Revivalist" (the Official Organ of the Free Presbyterian Church in Ulster mostly known because or Dr Ian Paisley. In the September issue of 1979 following letter was published:

Madam,

Much interested, we over here learned about your victory and as Christians we hope that it will be one like Deborah's in Old Testament times, as the men are forsaking their duties. And due to a long series of misgovernments, the once so-called Christian countries of the West have fallen into the hands of socialists in a very bad way whereas the European Movement which is working hard to restrict national power and have it handed over as much as possible to a European Parliament, is actually socialistic as for its main founders.

EUROPE

Please excuse me for writing you mainly on the topic of "Europe" as I found that we and you, the Dutch and the British, have been betrayed and sold out to a supernational power which originally claimed to be just economically working, but of which already Walter Hallstein said that they were in for politics, not for business! Anyway, I had the said pleasure of being at the public gallery at Westminster when the House of Commons voted their final YES EEC and ever after as well as before that historic date, I keep informed about Britain's doings in this matter - as I feel it was a curse upon your country, that yes-vote. By the way, our country has been dragged into the EEC silently.

It is due to my experience over here and abroad that I wonder whether even you are up with the actual history of the European Movement: which powers were behind its main architect (Joseph H. Retinger, a very unknown person as for modern history, yet he being the main inspirator of every congress since that in The Hague, 1948 to mention just one job) and how the various activities organised by that sinister Polish gentleman developed. As I recently wrote a booklet into Dutch on this subject (whereas it took a lot of trouble to get the information, I have collected facts which are really astonishing as you will see later) I will just mention some points which you may find of importance.

HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN MOVEMENT

Joseph H. Retinger, born 1888 at Cracow; a strict R.C. family. Intended to be a priest but as "the world is more interesting than the hereafter" he left his studies for the priesthood, went to the Sorbonne at Paris and finished his philological studies over there. In 1911 Retinger goes to London to work for the National Polish Council and then starts his political career. During World War I he travels frequently between London and Paris and busily mediates in the war conflict together with Prince Sixte of Bourbon Parma and the general of the Jesuits, the Pole Count Ledochowski. By the way, Count Ledochowski is known by his "Habsburg" - or "Ledochowski" - plan, e.g. a future federation of European countries of the R.C. religion was going to get a Habsburg prince as head. But that plan did not materialise . . . until: last December 1978 there was a special commemoration meeting in the historic Parliament building in The Hague, organised by the "Pan-Europa-Union" of Count Coudenhove-Kalergi, founded in 1923. The main speaker was: Otto of Habsburg who is destined to take the lead over that extreme part of the movement for European Unity. And Otto of Habsburg is moreover the chairman of the documentation centre of OPUS DEI in Barcelona!

To return to Retinger, due to intrigues (as he says himself) he has to leave Europe and at last arrives in Mexico where he gets friendly with Luis Morones the later socialist leader over there. Retinger organises Mexican Labour and is being asked by Mexico to mediate again, this time between American oil companies and Mexico. He also visits Rome to try and get the relationship between the pope and Mexico more tight. That is about 1925.

After much travelling on behalf of Mexico, he at last leaves for the USA where he arrives after having been put in prison by the Americans first. He goes to his friend Felix Frankfurter whom helps Retinger to a new Polish Passport (and Frankfurter was a member of CFR as well as a friend of Alger Hiss and Dean Acheson), and then Rettinger starts travelling to Europe again. But apart from his activities on behalf of the "victims" of Pilsudski of Poland, and of international socialism, he already started another activity, e.g. of European Unity. In 1920 already he discusses the opportunities of a European Federation with some intimate friends whereas in 1924 he tries for the first time to start a secret Organisation to work for European unity; but due to the death of his future father-in-law and confidential agent in this job, E. D. Morel of London (1925), he temporarily has to stop these activities.

HIS DREAM

During World War 2 Retinger becomes the right hand man of the Polish general-in-exile Sikorski at London and apart from many war-activities over there, Retinger starts his European dream once again. Thus he organises the various Ministers of Foreign Affairs who have settled in London during the war, at regularly held meetings at which a European Union is being discussed. And so we see together, often at a lunch in Claridges, representatives from Eastern European countries like Count Raczynski, Masaryk, Hubert Ripka and Nincic, together with those from the West like Paul H. Speak, Van Kieffens, Bech, Lie, Dejean and Massegli. Anyway, during the war it is a busy time in London for the various political leaders and when the Dutch Prince Bernhard is going to be the chairman at the monthly lunch at Claridges this can be seen as a forerunner of the future Bilderberg Movement (which was also started by Retinger).

Thanks to those contacts, the Benelux union is started in 1944 at a special meeting in the Savoy hotel. Benelux-father: Retinger! Other advancements for European unity are in progress.

As soon as World War 2 is over, Retinger is present at a conference of Charham House, the subject being "A European Continent"? and right after that, he leaves for Brussels (early May 1946) where another job is waiting for him. E.g. Retinger starts, together with the Belgian minister Paul van Zeeland the European League of economical co-operation, but although its name is "European", Americans are welcome too. Then Retinger starts travelling again to organise national branches of the ELEC, and in Britain Harold Butler and Macmillan, together with one or two other people, get the lead while in France it is a.o. Giscard d'Estaing and Debre. Apart from the ELEC, many other movements for European unity are being started.

CONGRESSES

It is also the period of congresses. In 1947 at Montreaux the Federalists have their big congress whereas Retinger is making preparations by then for the huge Congress of Europe in The Hague which is being held May 1948 and from which resolutions specially nr. 7 is important: The Creation of a United Europe has to be seen as a step to the ultimate aim of a United World.

And also important is the quotation from one of the contemporaries "people spoke about the St. Bartholomew of national sovereignity" (Jean-Pierre Gouzy in "Les Peinniers de l'Europe Communautaire"). Apart from Retinger another 700 people from the leading circles were present, among them being of course Winston Churchill, Adenauer, Spaak, Hallstein, De Caperi, Duncan Sandys, Brugmans, Eden and Bertrand Russell. There were "Syndicalists and papists, Lords and travaillists, bishops and anarchists" all united in "one and the same European Enthusiasm" - but it is nevertheless Retinger who tells what has to be said and done, and it is also Retinger who "manipulates Churchill's European Movement" in such a way that it is not longer Churchill but it is Retinger who tells which course has to be taken! And these are the words of Retinger's biographer. And Denis de Rougemont tells us that the Congress of Europe of 1948 "was the personal work of Retinger" - yet hardly anybody knows about this man. Then, exactly 9 months afterwards the Council of Europe is born thanks to Retinger's constant work; but he goes on and transforms the International Committee of the Movements for a United Europe into the European Movement, and becomes its first secretary-general. Actually it was the Council of Europe which started the European Parliament!

ROME'S INVOLVEMENT

I can go on as Retinger's activities on behalf of European unity went on till his death in 1960, but it would take at least another page to do it even cable-style. I have to mention another aspect of his work, e.g. his contacts with Rome in order to use ecumenism as another means of achieving a United Europe. Thus he gets in touch with Sir Stafford Cripps and Lord Halifax of Christian Action and then with Canon Collins. With the latter he goes to Rome to see the pope (Pius XII) whereas the latter pope Paul IV is present - at the discussions as well. A second visit to Rome is made but then the wind has turned against Retinger: for Archbishop Fisher of Canterbury has warned Rome that something will go wrong and no papal co-operation can be expected for Retinger from then on; ecumenism was not ripe enough yet! Then the Jesuits get the order to supervise matters on Europe and when in Spring 1974 the Roehampton Conference on "Christians and the EEC" is being held, it was the Jesuits who supervised every part; even the Jesuit Press Officer from London (Mr. Hugh Kay) had to be present at Roehampton in order to act as sole information officer on behalf of the general press! It was striking that this fact was not mentioned in the press after all as the information was not complete now. By the way, I was one of a few observers at that Congress and I did learn quite a bit about the actual intentions of "Europe".

So much so about Retinger and his life-long work. I myself am doing what I can to make known what really is behind Europe and I could mention the proper sources if wanted. I do pray meanwhile that if it is the Lord's will, Britain at last may be saved from going the European track any longer and with that purpose I have written this long letter. To complete information about my stand, I enclose some duplicate copies of Open Letters written on behalf of the Ulster Protestants. I hope to embark to visit them mid-May, G.W.

According to the editor, G.W. stands for Miss Taverne. The booklet she claims to have written about Retinger seems to be difficult to find. I'll keep on looking for it.

Royal Blood

Sometimes I like to play with words. I am living in Spain, a country known for its influence in the development of the catholic church. Inquisition was a well known spanish activity long before Hitler and his companions decided to clean the world. Is it a coincidence that German army boys were of great help in pre-Franco's Spain?

The game with words has to do with the spanish translation of Royal Blood: Sangre Real.

Let us go back to the inquisition. Not the Spanish one, but the one against "liberation movements" in the south of France, the one of 1184. "Ad abolidam" opened the war against terrorism, in those days called heresy. Among the extremely dangerous groups were the Cathars, Humilati and Arnoldists.

Those groups were not without criticism against the papal leadership from Rome, so Rome came with a strategy to unite its flock in a struggle against those terrorists. And this is where the royal blood came in, the holy blood, the blood of Jesus Christ. Those damned heretics were endangering the power of Rome! What is the most powerful weapon in a war against this form of terrorism, in a time that mass destruction and mass communication did not yet exist? What could be more powerful than the blood of Jesus Christ himself?

A war against those who did not respect the leadership of Rome could be most effective if it would be in the name of protection! Protection of the holy blood, protection of the royal blood, protection of el Sangre Real!

People in those days communicated with the spoken word, the written word was only for the happy few. It is not so strange that Sangre Real was changed into San Gréal and subsequently travelled to England as the Holy Grail, the dish that was used by Jesus during his last supper.

Needless to repeat all the tales, stories, books and later movies that were made up to justify the travels to the Holy Land with the liberty to destroy everyone and everything on the way to the salvation of the Holy Grail.

Royal blood lead to many wars, like the San Gréal did. The Holy Grail was a nice excuse to conquer the world, they called it a "crusade", it maybe is the oldest conspiracy theory and it might be still valid today.

The establishment of the state of Israel might even fit into it and wouldn't that explain why the strong believers in the USA are so in favor of its existence? The Holy Land came under their control over the blood of those who were the victims of the Nazis. How much more powerful is the blood of 6 million compared to the blood of one?

The war was won in 1948. Or is it still going on? Was the word "crusade" incidentally chosen by George W. Bush before the US attacked Iraq?