Exposing Bones: “Accept or Reject”

As we explored in the last two articles in this series, the Skull & Bones society at Yale University has had a long and controversial history which has earned it the notorious reputation is has gained. Nevertheless, despite the public attention, the shine of the media spotlight, and the prying eyes of researchers and onlookers alike, what takes place inside the tomb has managed to remain one of the society’s most closely guarded secrets.

Every April the secret societies at Yale induct their 15 new members in an event that has become known as “Tap Night.” Although the selection process has become far more of a show than it once was, Bones still manages to add flare and mystique to their procedure by doing things such as picking up their new initiates in black limos and taking them off to an unknown rendezvous point. At times in the past new initiates into Bones were whisked to Tweed-New Haven airport where they were hurried onboard a private jet, and only when airborne were they asked the question of the night: “Skull & Bones: Accept or Reject?” The grand way of initiating new members may serve more as a demonstration of society clout than be for any real reason, but it works, as few people have ever been known to “reject.”

After the invitation is accepted the 15 new members meet in the Bones tomb every Thursday and Sunday evening which is when the real ceremonial initiations begin. This is also where our outside perspective ends, since once the iron doors slam shut, few people are privy to exactly what goes on within. Over the years there have been many rumors that have circulated, and there have been some Bonesmen who have shared some of what goes on, but the ceremonial initiation rites that take place are the same as they have been throughout the 180 year history of Bones.

“Admittedly there are some unusual things that take place,” says one Bonesmen, “but it’s more about the bond built up between you than the rituals themselves.” Some of the strange things that take place involve Bonesmen “dying and being reborn into the Order,” which has been present since the very beginning. This ritual involves members laying in a real casket (I’ll spare you some of the more unpleasant details) and giving an intimate narration of their personal and private history while also sharing detailed secrets with the others. Although they may be Hollywood depictions, the initiations that are shown in The Skulls trilogy, along with the Good Shepherd movie, are said to be pretty accurate if you were to combine points of both. “It’s not nearly as entertaining as The Skulls, but the basic idea of creating a lifetime association is correct, and the grittiness of The Good Shepherd isn’t far off from what takes place either,” says another Bonesmen.

Several years ago a group of researchers exclaimed that they had finally videotaped the private initiation ceremony of Skull & Bones, and the footage became an instant viral hit, even landing on some mainstream media shows, but pretty much every Bonesman who has commented on it says the entire thing was staged in advance because the society knew people were going to be watching that night. “It was like putting on a play,” explained one Bonesmen. “Everything that took place that night was rehearsed and the members spent days coming up with things they thought would be the most amusing, and get the most attention, with the main goal of taking away from what was really taking place.” What was shown in the footage was a supposed ritual carried out in plain sight of the camera, which is something that Bones would never do anyway. The rituals that take place occur within the confines of the tomb itself, and Bones would never allow for something like that to take place outside in view of anyone else.

The bizarre rituals that Bonesmen do go through inside the tomb on those nights have spurred a great deal of gossip, and even a bit of unease, for exactly what takes place. The idea that some of our nation’s most powerful people were all willing participants in an unusual, and what some would call cultish, society which they refuse to speak about is disturbing to say the least. There are many reasons why Bones has been the target of such controversy, but in recent times there is no better example of that to fall back on than the 2004 election between President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, and that is worthy of remembering. Here, two undeniably powerful and influential men in America were a part of something that they would not discuss, and this is neither conjecture nor conspiracy, it is well documented fact.

Here’s perhaps the most striking examples from Tim Russert’s Meet The Press show during the campaigns:

On August 31, 2003, in an interview with Senator John Kerry…

Tim Russert: You both were members of Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale. What does that tell us?

Senator Kerry: Not much, because it’s a secret.

Tim Russert: Is there a secret handshake? Is there a secret code?

Senator Kerry: I wish there were something secret I could manifest there.

Tim Russert: Three twenty-two, a secret number?

Senator Kerry: There are all kinds of secrets, Tim. But one thing is not a secret. I disagree with this president’s direction that he’s taking the country. We can do a better job. And I intend to do it.

Later in the campaign on February 8, 2004, President George W. Bush appeared on the show and Tim Russert brought up the subject of Bones again to see what he would say:

Tim Russert: You were both in Skull and Bones, the secret society.

President Bush: It's so secret we can't talk about it.

Russert: What does that mean for America?  The conspiracy theorists are going to go wild. 

President Bush: I'm sure they are. 

In the next, and final, article in this Exposing Bones series we’ll be taking a look at how this secret society operates hidden in plain sight, and how as interesting as its influences on American history are, Bones has a great deal of connections right here in our own state!

This week at the Smoking Gun Research Agency we are hosting a few programs dedicated to exploring Skull & Bones, as well as other secret societies throughout history. On Wednesday from 7pm – 9pm, Skull & Bones will be the topic of our weekly Coffee Talk Discussion taking place at our Research Center, 284 Racebrook Road, in Orange. During this discussion we will be showing a presentation including video clips, photos, and documents obtained during our ongoing research. Thursday we will be giving a program at the Torrington Public Library at 6pm on the history of secret societies around the world. And then on Friday evening at 7pm at our Research Center we will be showing the movie “The Good Shepherd,” which presents the links between Skull & Bones and the formation of the Central Intelligence Agency. For more information about any of these events feel free to email us at sgra@sgra.org or visit our website at www.sgra.org.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions about this, or any other paranormal and unusual topic.