It was 2004. Tim Russert sat across from George W. Bush on Meet the Press. He asked the question everyone wanted to hear. "You were both in Skull and Bones, the secret society?" Bush didn't flinch, but he didn't give anything away either. He basically said it was so secret he couldn't talk about it. Later that year, John Kerry—Bush's opponent—got asked the same thing. He gave the same non-answer.
Think about that. Two guys running for the most powerful office on the planet, both members of the same tiny, "secret" club at Yale. It sounds like a bad movie script. But for George W. Bush and Skull and Bones, it’s just history. It isn't just about the Bush family; it’s about a lineage of power that stretches back to the 1830s.
People love to get weird with this stuff. They talk about world domination and lizard people. Honestly? The reality is way more grounded, but in a way, it’s even more fascinating. It’s about networking on steroids. It's about how a small group of Ivy League kids ended up running the CIA, the State Department, and the White House for decades.
The Yale Connection and the Bush Dynasty
The Bush family didn't just stumble into Skull and Bones. It was practically a rite of passage. Prescott Bush, the former Senator and George W.'s grandfather, was in the club. George H.W. Bush was in it. Then came George W. in the Class of 1968.
Yale in the late 60s was a mess of protests and cultural shifts, but inside "The Tomb"—that’s the windowless brownstone on High Street where the society meets—things stayed the same. They have these rituals. They use nicknames. George W. reportedly didn't have a very creative one; he was apparently "Temporary" because he didn't pick a permanent name in time. Or so the story goes.
The society, founded by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft (father of President William Howard Taft), only taps 15 juniors every year. Do the math. At any given time, there are only about 800 living "Bonesmen." Yet, this tiny group has produced three presidents, dozens of senators, and a shocking number of Supreme Court justices.
What actually happens inside The Tomb?
Secrets. Lots of them.
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But not necessarily the "sacrificing goats" kind of secrets. According to Alexandra Robbins, who wrote Secrets of the Tomb and interviewed dozens of members, the "secret" is mostly about building an unbreakable bond. They spend hours telling their entire life stories to each other. Every trauma. Every sexual encounter. Every failure.
Imagine doing that. You’re 20 years old, and you're baring your soul to 14 other guys who are also destined for high-level careers. You’d be bonded for life, too. You’d probably hire them later. You’d definitely take their calls when you’re in the Oval Office.
There are legends about the decor. Bonesmen are called "Knights," and everyone else is a "Barbarian." There are rumors of stolen artifacts. The most famous one involves Geronimo’s skull. The story says Prescott Bush and some cohorts dug it up from Fort Sill during World War I. The Apache Nation actually sued the society (and the Bush family) over this in 2009. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed on technical grounds, but it definitely added fuel to the fire.
The stuff in there is weird. Skeletons. Victorian furniture. It's like a frat house designed by a gothic novelist.
Why George W. Bush and Skull and Bones remains a focal point
During the 2000 and 2004 elections, the society became a massive talking point for critics. Why? Because it represents the ultimate "Old Boys' Club."
When George W. Bush was picking his administration, he didn't just look at resumes. He looked at people he knew. He looked at people his father knew. Some critics, like Ron Rosenbaum, who spent decades obsessed with the group, argued that the society’s "us vs. them" mentality bled into Bush’s foreign policy.
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- The Power of the Network: It’s not just about Bush. It’s about the people around him.
- The 2004 Election: The "Bones vs. Bones" election was the peak of public awareness.
- Legacy: The Bush family's involvement spans three generations, making it a "legacy" membership.
You've got to wonder if the secrecy is the point. If they told us it was just a bunch of guys eating dinner and talking about their dads, nobody would care. By keeping it "secret," they create an aura of elite mystique. It makes them seem more important than they might actually be. Or, it hides exactly how important they are. It's a classic catch-22.
Debunking the wildest theories
Let's be real for a second. Is Skull and Bones the Illuminati? Probably not. If they were a global shadow government, they’d probably be a bit more efficient.
The society has faced challenges. In the early 90s, there was a huge internal war about admitting women. The "patriarchs" (the alumni) actually locked the students out of The Tomb to stop them from tapping women. Eventually, the students won. Women are in now. This suggests it’s not some unchanging ancient monolith; it’s a club that deals with the same internal drama as any other organization.
George W. Bush's autobiography, A Charge to Keep, mentions the society in exactly one paragraph. He basically says he joined it, it was secret, and that's it. That’s the Bush way. Professional. Tight-lipped.
The lasting impact on American politics
The fascination with George W. Bush and Skull and Bones says more about our culture than it does about the club itself. We are obsessed with the idea that there is a "man behind the curtain."
In Bush's case, the "curtain" was a Yale education and a family name that opened every door in Texas and D.C. The society was just the glue. It provided a cadre of loyalists. When you look at the 20th century—from the development of the nuclear bomb (Henry Stimson, Bonesman) to the founding of the CIA (multiple Bonesmen)—the fingerprints are everywhere.
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Is it a conspiracy? Not in the way most people think. A conspiracy implies something illegal or hidden. This is all in plain sight. It’s just institutionalized elitism.
If you're looking for a smoking gun, you won't find one in a ritual or a stolen skull. You'll find it in the appointment diaries of the White House. You'll find it in the boardrooms of Wall Street firms.
How to approach the history of secret societies
If you want to understand this world better, don't just watch YouTube videos with scary music. Look at the actual scholarship.
- Read the primary sources. Look for the memoirs of people like McGeorge Bundy or William F. Buckley (both Bonesmen). They don't talk about the rituals, but they talk about the mindset.
- Follow the money. Look at the Russell Trust Association. That’s the business entity that owns the society's assets. It's a non-profit. Its tax filings are public.
- Contextualize the era. Understand that in 1968, Yale was a feeder for the American elite. Skull and Bones was simply the "best of the best" in that feeder system.
The story of the Bushes and their secret club isn't over, but its influence is changing. In a world of social media and radical transparency, a windowless building in New Haven feels like a relic. But as long as people like George W. Bush hold power, we'll keep wondering what happens behind those heavy doors.
Next Steps for Research
If you want to dig deeper into the actual impact of these networks, start by researching the Russell Trust Association's historical filings or reading Alexandra Robbins' investigative work on the Yale societies. For a broader look at how these elite networks shaped the Cold War, look into the career of Averell Harriman, another prominent Bonesman who influenced decades of American foreign policy. Stay skeptical of sensationalist claims and focus on the documented overlap between society membership and federal appointments.