The Federal Reserve and Jekyll Island
It really began with a secret meeting of bankers. What it became is less mysterious than the legends.
In November 1910 six men — Senator Nelson Aldrich, A. Piatt Andrew, Henry Davison, Arthur Shelton, Frank Vanderlip and Paul Warburg — met at the exclusive Jekyll Island Club in Georgia to draft a plan for reforming the U.S. banking system. The meeting and its purpose were closely guarded secrets. Their plan was not adopted as written, but it shaped the Federal Reserve Act that President Woodrow Wilson signed on 23 December 1913.
Loading the full dossier…
Connected dossiers
The Money Behind WarsSame open question · Claims about who profits from money and war.
The New World OrderSame open question · Banking myths recur in New World Order theories.See The Federal Reserve and Jekyll Island in the discovery universe →
Ask the archive
Have a question about this dossier, or think a claim needs a better source? Send it to the editors.
How to read the labels
Hero image: The Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building, Washington, D.C.. Photo: Federal Reserve · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons. Evidence labels describe the written claims, not the image. Version 1 · updated 2026-10-22.