Amid a resurgence of nationalism in the Western world, the man widely regarded as the father of globalism and the "New World Order" — and by some critics as "the ruler of the world" — has died.
David Rockefeller, the last surviving grandson of the famed tycoon who founded the Standard Oil Company in the 19th century, John D. Rockefeller, died Monday at his home in Pocantico Hills, N.Y., at the age of 101, according to the family's chief spokesman, Fraser Seitel.
Rockefeller, the chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan bank in the 1970s, wielded influence globally not only in financial affairs but also in foreign policy, accorded the honors of a head of state in capitals around the world.
Rockefeller was the only member of the advisory board of the mysterious annual gathering of global elites known as the Bilderberg group.
In 1947, he joined the board of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace along with Alger Hiss, John Foster Dulles and Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1949, he became a director of the globalist policy think-tank Council on Foreign Relations. Later, he became head of the nominating committee for future membership in CFR before rising to the chairmanship. In 1964, he helped found the non-profit International Executive Service Corps to promote private enterprise in developing nations.
In 1965, Rockefeller helped form the Council of the Americas to promote economic integration in the Western Hemisphere.
Because Japan was barred from the Bilderberg meetings, Rockefeller helped found the Trilateral Commission in 1973.
In 1992, he proposed a "Western Hemisphere free trade area" that later became the Free Trade Area of the Americas.
In an interview in 2007 with Benjamin Fulford, Rockefeller was confronted with the widespread belief that his ultimate aim was to help form a world government.
"I don't recall that I have said — and I don't think that I really feel — that we need a world government," Rockefeller said. "We need governments of the world that work together and collaborate. But, I can't imagine that there would be any likelihood — or even that it would be desirable — to have a single government elected by the people of the world."
He noted that some had accused him of being the "ruler of the world."
"I have to say that I think for the large part, I would have to decide to describe them as crack pots," he said. "It makes no sense whatsoever, and isn't true, and won't be true, and to raise it as a serious issue seems to me to be irresponsible."
Rockefeller privately advised every U.S. president since Eisenhower and occasionally served as an envoy to bridge communication with leaders such as Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev.
He had a close relationship with former secretary of state Henry Kissinger that began in 1954, when Kissinger was appointed a director of a Council on Foreign Relations study group on nuclear weapons.
The youngest of six siblings, David Rockefeller was born in Manhattan on
Born June 12, 1915, in Manhattan, Rockefeller was the youngest of six siblings born to John D. Rockefeller Jr., the only son of the oil titan.
His brother Nelson, born in 1908, became the 49th governor of New York and the vice president of the United States under Gerald Ford.
He grew up in a mansion on 54th Street in Manhattan, attended by valets, parlor maids, nurses and chambermaids.
'Proud internationalist'
Rockefeller served in North Africa and France in military intelligence during World War II. A renowned philanthropist, he gave $150 million to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which was co-founded by his mother.
"No individual has contributed more to the commercial and civic life of New York City over a longer period of time than David Rockefeller," said former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Ted Malloch, a former board member of the World Economic Forum who is said to be President Trump's pick for ambassador to the European Union, told WND Rockefeller "can be credited with expanding capitalism and the global economy."
"He was a faithful husband and a father to six children," said Malloch, the author of "Hired: An Insider's Look at the Trump Victory." "On the left center of elitist politics his contributions and reach runs far and deep."
In his 2003 memoir, "Proud Internationalist," Rockefeller acknowledged his desire to create a more integrated "one world" political and economic structure.
He wrote that "ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions."
"Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure — one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."
He said the "anti-Rockefeller focus of these otherwise incompatible political positions owes much to Populism."
"'Populists' believe in conspiracies and one of the most enduring is that a secret group of international bankers and capitalists, and their minions, control the world's economy. Because of my name and prominence as head of the Chase for many years, I have earned the distinction of 'conspirator in chief' from some of these people," he wrote.
He contended "populists and isolationists ignore the tangible benefits that have resulted in our active international role during the past half-century."
"Not only was the very real threat posed by Soviet Communism overcome, but there have been fundamental improvements in societies around the world, particularly in the United States, as a result of global trade, improved communications, and the heightened interaction of people from different cultures," he argued.
"Populists rarely mention these positive consequences, nor can they cogently explain how they would have sustained American economic growth and expansion of our political power without them."
'Better than fighting'
Seitel said Rockefeller continued to be engaged in philanthropy and the arts. Philanthropy.com reported he donated a total of $79 million in 2014.
"He wants to still be as active as he possibly can be," Seitel said.
In May 2015, Rockefeller, using a walker, made a rare public appearance, announcing the donation of 1,000 acres of land in Maine bordering Acadia National Park.
Asked about his reputation as a globalist, Seitel told WND that Rockefeller "has always believed that working in concert with people – no matter who they are – is better than fighting them."
"So, his career was built on trying to get along with all sorts of people, and that went as well to dealing commercially with people in other countries, who may believe in different things than we do," Seitel said.
Seitel commented on the passage in Rockefeller's book in which he says he's guilty as charged of the contention that he and his family are "internationalists and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will."
He said Rockefeller essentially was expressing his belief that "sitting down with your opponents was far superior than choosing to fight them."
"David Rockefeller was first and foremost an ardent capitalist who believes completely in the capitalist system," Seitel said. "That’s what he tried to promote around the world. Some people who have a different point of view may say we fight with these people and we disagree with those people. But David Rockefeller always believed that communication was the way to go."
Rockefeller regarded himself as part of the moderate "Rockefeller Republicans" that arose from his late brother Nelson Rockefeller's political ambitions. Nelson Rockefeller was governor of New York and vice president under Gerald Ford.
As a youth, David Rockefeller attended the experimental Lincoln School in Harlem that was based on the educational philosophy of progressive educator John Dewey. New Left icon Noam Chomsky also attended the school, which was funded in its early years by the Rockefellers' General Education Board, which later became part of the Rockefeller Foundation.
Rockefeller joined the staff of Chase National Bank in 1946, which became Chase Manhattan Bank in 1955 and now is called JPMorgan Chase.
Beginning as the bank's assistant manager in the foreign department, he financed international commodities, which put him in relationships with more than 1,000 correspondent banks throughout the world. He became president in 1960 and was chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan from 1969 to 1980 and chairman until 1981.
In 1973, Chase established the first branch of an American bank in the Soviet Union. Later that year, Rockefeller traveled to China, which resulted in Chase becoming the National Bank of China's first correspondent bank in the U.S.
Working with Henry Kissinger, who shared his globalist views, the two helped persuade President Carter to admit the Shah of Iran into the U.S. for cancer treatment, which led to the hostage crisis and was a major development in the Islamic revolution in which Ayatollah Khomeini's came to power.
'A joy to work with'
Asked what Rockefeller counted as among his major achievements, Seitel said "he was the one who took the bank international."
"He brought modern management methods into Chase – human resources, strategic planning, corporate communications," Seitel said.
Previously, the bank was run strictly as a "lending operation," and Rockefeller "recruited modern managers and modernized the bank."
"He would also take pride in his leadership in corporate responsibility, something that people like Milton Friedman objected to," Seitel said. "But, what David Rockefeller would say is that it was the responsibility of multi-billion dollar companies like Chase and other companies to give back to society."
Seitel said Chase "organized a full-blown corporate responsibilities program that included all the top executives of the institution."
"They met with people who were less privileged than they were and they donated time and money," he said.
WND asked Seitel what it was like to work with Rockefeller as a person.
"His interaction with Washington, with media, with customers, international chiefs of states – he was the best," Seitel said.
"He always felt he had the responsibility his name brought with him. And he understood the responsibilities of the CEO, but he was different than other CEOs who didn’t carry his name and his diplomatic portfolio.
"So, he was a terrific and inspirational leader," Seitel said. "He basically liked people, and this allowed him to meet even with people who criticized him, and not to be upset or harbor any grudge or animus.
"So he’s been a joy to work with for the past 40 years."