By Nancy Thomson

The printing of this title in all lower case letters is not correct according to standard practice. However, it represents the belief of Austrian Herbert Bayer, designer for the Aspen Institutes early buildings. Bayer's belief in a unitary alphabet caused him to adapt the practice of using all lower case letters.

This departure from the norm was a result of Herbert Bayer's association with the Bauhaus, an art and design school of the twentieth century. Aspen's describes the German Bauhaus work as renowned[1]. I remember from my architecture class that this design was very controversial. It wasn't only the design of houses and buildings but the whole social movement that accompanied it. American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright integrated land and structure, but the Bauhaus encompassed mind, body, spirit, community and culture. The lower case letters echoed the statement about complete integration producing the "equality" of all things.

In 1946, Bayer answered a call from industrialist Walter Poepcke who wanted to turn a Colorado mining town into a center for culture. Bayer was asked to shape an environmental habitat for the integration of all the modern art forms. [2]

June 26, 1950 marked the first public session of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. Some of the attendees included Clare Boothe Luce (wife of Time/Life publisher) and Meredith Wilson of "Music Man" fame. The emphasis was mainly on the arts during the beginning phase of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. Walter Poepcke was the first president. [3]

In the 1930s and 40s Robert Maynard Hutchins, the trendy, youngish University of Chicago President really started the philosophical trend that led to the establishment of Aspen. Together with his partner, Mortimer J. Adler, they originated a crusade against "the misguided focus" in American universities of specialized, factual value-free science. [4] Intellectual battles followed and spread to other campuses in part due to the influence of anything emanating from the University of Chicago. The duo's humanistic studies competed with scientific research and this created a backlash that impeded their progress. Hutchins and Adler decided to tackle the adult education market. This would reach more people while encountering less resistance. They kicked off the Great Books movement that spread quickly throughout the country.

Analytical thoughts contained in these publications were value-judgements that led the readers to the "true and good." Empirical facts and moral agnosticism of science conflicted with these moral attributes. One of the converts to Hutchin's and Adler's movement was Walter Poepcke, owner of the Container Corporation of America. The subsequent collaboration of these three men resulted in founding the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. [5]

By 1958, the Institute expanded its program to include many professions other than the arts. Participants, comprising the "most moral and best cultural forces in the US" met to discuss timely issues. In 1959 presidential candidate and Institute guest Adlai Stevenson elucidated about the shortcomings of American society while he praised Russia's Sputnik "as a blessed little angel disturbing our slothful slumber." [6]

The real agenda of the left-wing founder's Institute unfolded in 1961 with a 4- year series of seminars funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) an agency of the federal government. Our government was using tax dollars to increase the status and respectability of the private Aspen organization. These national foundation or institute studies in turn then influence government department policy. [7]

Once the non-profit Aspen Institute established a government partnership, the international relationships followed. Aspen forum Colorado became national and then global. Besides Aspen Colorado, offices are located in Chicago, New York, Maryland, Santa Barbara California, and Washington D.C. In Maryland it is the Wye River facility run by the Aspen Institute. This is where little Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez was taken following his abduction by armed government authorities on April 22, 2000. [8] It was stated that Elian received psychological counseling at the Wye to ease his return to a communist country.

Foreign Aspen networks are located in Germany, France, Italy and Japan. This cross-global relationship coincidentally also represents the areas of the Trilateral Commission.

In 1989, the "humanistic studies" was dropped from the name and now it is the Aspen Institute. The word humanistic studies had some negatives the Institute could afford to avoid. Long gone are the emphasis on poetry, music and art. Subjects now revolve around the UN and US programs pertaining to it. In fact the Aspen Institute has become the planning ground for UN actions and conferences.

Margaret Thatcher and George Bush held emergency meetings at Aspen leading to instituting the multinational Gulf War force. [9] Plans for the UN Rio Conference Environmental Summit of 1992 took place at the Institute. Bill Bennett, Senator Bill Bradley, and David Gergen (former advisor to Clinton and editor of US News and World Report) formed a "Domestic Study Group" at Aspen to influence US social and domestic policy.

The Aspen Institute coordinated a 3 -day "Congressional Retreat on Civility" attended by 200 members of the House. This is another name for a one party government with no opposition.

Representatives from 17 countries met under guidance of the Institute to discuss the energy problems in Asia, and differences in issues between countries.

Who can forget the Clinton, Arafat, Netanyahu, and Hussein supposed "Peace Accords" held at Aspen's Wye River location. The same place Elian was taken to reduce his level of stress!

Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter co-hosted an Aspen conference on world poverty and how (the US) should eliminate it. [10]

Included among the "most moral and best cultural" national and international figures who have participated at Institute events are Henry Kissinger (enough said), Kofi Annan (Secretary General of the UN), Bruce Babbitt, Condoleeza Rice, James Wolfensohn (chairman of the World Bank), Jessica T Matthews (president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Joseph Nye (dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government) (Harvard and the Ivy League universities are well represented Institute participants) Olara Otunnu (UN Undersecretary General), Michael Eisner of Disneyland, Gerald Levin (President and CEO of Time Warner). We must not overlook former EPA Chief, Carol Browner who has just joined the Aspen Institute. [11] The list is endless, but let us turn to March 11, 2001. John Dilulio, director of the White House Faith-Based program participated in a panel discussion at Aspen. Policy makers, scholars, clergy, and the media all converged to take part in this Aspen Institute's Democracy and Citizenship program. The churches participating were all Non -Governmental Organizations (NGO's ) in the UN [12]

Let's hope the Aspen Institute doesn't manage to fool any of the people any time after reading this and other articles discussing the real agenda behind their PR constructed exterior. This organization is nothing more than a satellite UN using OUR money, OUR legislators, and OUR formerly US companies to facilitate OUR entry into the New World Order.