Exclusive | Bohemian Grove insider speaks out after bombshell celeb list leak — here’s what it’s really like at ultra secret men’s club

It’s the top-secret woodland club that many believe quietly decides the fate of the world when it meets up for two weeks every year.

But this week the veil was dramatically pierced when a long list of names was suddenly thrust into the open — exposing its rich and powerful members.

The directory, which included figures such as Conan O’Brien, billionaire Michael Bloomberg and ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt, came as a shock to the society, which prefers to keep matters private.

Now the California Post can confirm the authenticity of the list, which named 2,000 people and the camps they belonged to when they descended on Monte Rio, two hours north of San Francisco, in 2023.

An insider also revealed more details about what happens among the redwoods, which has been a closely-guarded secret for nearly 150 years.

The source told the Post: “It is an accurate list but it’s just a list of members in the camps to which they belong. This is a list of camp members and is pretty complete as of 2023.

“We don’t publish a list. There is a list of members but we don’t disclose it as it is a private organization.”

They explained members of the Bohemian Club are allowed to attend the annual event each year and they are then invited by friends or associates to decide which of the 127 camps they join.

Their sizes range from just a couple of members into the hundreds, and have names such as Abbey, Better ‘Ole and Camels.

The insider said: “You have to be a member of the club to be a member of the camp. Your friends then ask you to join their camp if they want.”

Many across America and the world see the Bohemian Club as a sinister, Illuminati-style organization that is the puppet master for all global events.

A stunning list of powerbrokers throughout history is said to have joined, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Henry Kissinger.

The source said he understands to a certain extent why it is viewed that way, but was quick to add no business deals were ever struck on site.

They said: “I think that’s fair, but I would say this… you are forbidden to speak about business. Nobody solicits business at the club. You’d be thrown out.

“Someone would turn you in. The organization doesn’t want people coming and using it as a way to get business.”

The club’s motto is “Weaving Spiders Come Not Here,” which is from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” meaning leave your business outside.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

But the source did admit the club does like to have politicians, heads of state and military leaders, where they can chat about current events in a private setting.

They continued: “I think members are fascinated that the public is so obsessed with it because the organization is devoted to arts, drama, theatre and music. So it’s amusing to members there that people are so fascinated.”

What happens among the trees during the two weeks in July has sparked numerous claims of bizarre rituals and even a wild accusation of human sacrifice.

Reporters dating back decades have tried to smuggle their way in, and left with sometimes unbelievable stories that have made it into print.

The most dramatic of these was from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who snuck inside in 2000 and reported an effigy being burnt and satanic rituals.

But the cameraman who was with him, Mike Hanson, instead said it was more of an “overgrown frat party” with “pseudo-pagan” events, and not a truly dark conspiracy.

The source told the Post: “There is a level of absurdity of the conspiratorial claims made by Alex Jones and others about what happens at the club.

“The reality is it is no different than being in any other club. There’s liquor, there’s music, there’s a fellowship.

“One man was thrown out of the club for jumping and swimming in the lake in front of the owl shrine. He was suspended for a year.

“I know someone got suspended for having electronics, no cellphones or computers are allowed. They got suspended for bringing a cellphone in. There’s no nudity, if there was they would be thrown out instantly.”

The club, which has a headquarters in San Francisco, also gets a bad rep for banning women, which has been commonplace for historic private members’ clubs across the US and UK but is slowly being phased out.

The insider added: “There aren’t any plans to allow women in currently. I can’t tell you why. I think it would be a good idea, it’s just been that way forever.”

Independent journalist Daniel Boguslaw got his hands on the list by hounding a Bay Area-based member for weeks and published the names Wednesday.

Other notable names on the list included Jimmy Buffet, Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul and billionaire political donor Charles Koch.

A spokesman for the club told the Post: “The Bohemian Club does not disclose the names of its members or guest.”