Bohemian Grove, a secluded campground in California's Sonoma County, is the site of an annual two-week gathering of a highly select, all-male club,whose members have included every Republican president since Calvin Coolidge. Current participants include George W Bush, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, John Major, Tony Blair and David Rockefeller -- a virtual who's who of the most powerful men in business and government.

Few journalists have gotten into the Grove and been allowed to tell thetale (one exception is Philip Weiss, whose November 1989 Spy piece provides the most detailed inside account), and members maintain that the goings-on there are not newsworthy events, merely private fun. In fact, official business is conducted there: Policy speeches are regularly made by members and guests, and the club privately boasts that the Manhattan Project was conceived on its grounds.

Given the veil of secrecy that surrounds the Bohemian "encampment," areporter needs to enter the grounds covertly in order to get a fullportrait. Mathison entered the grounds three times aided by activists from the Bohemian Grove Action Network.

He witnessed a speech -- "Smart Weapons" -- by former Navy Secretary John Lehman, who stated that the Pentagon estimates that 200,000 Iraqis were killed by the U.S. and its allies during the Gulf War. Other featured speakers included former Defense Secretary Richard Cheney on "Major Defense Problems of the 21st Century", former Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Joseph Califano on "America's Health Revolution -- Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Pays", and former Attorney General Elliott Richardson on"Defining the New World Order".

Mathison's entree into the secret world of the Grove was cut short however, when he was recognized by two of the participants in the festivities -- executives from Time Warner, People's publisher. More loyal to the Grove than to journalistic endeavor, they had the reporter removed from the premises

Mathison already had plenty of material, however, and turned in an articleto his editors, which was scheduled to appear in the March 5, issue.They were pleased with the piece, according to Mathison: "They liked itenough to expand it a bit," he said.

But then the story was suddenly killed. Landon Jones, managing editor ofPeople, told Extra! that the decision had nothing to do with the Time Warner executives. "It was cut partially because he hadn't been there long enough to get a complete story. Secondly, we felt very uncertain about reporting what we did have, because, and this is my fault and I take responsibility for this, I simply didn't realize it was technically trespassing."

For his part, Mathison said he did not know why the story was killed, andimplied it would be nearly impossible to find the real reason. "It's easier to penetrate the Bohemian Grove than the Time-Life Building," he said.

But the story raises questions about the ability of a media entity to report critically on an elite when its executives are enthusiastic membersof that elite. Indeed, the Time organization was noted for sending acorporate plane to the Bohemian gathering every year, according to long-time Grove-watcher Kerry Richardson.

Time Warner is not the only media corporation with Bohemian connections.The list of Fourth Estate bigwigs who have been members or guests is extensive: Franklin Murphy, the former CEO of the Times Mirror corporation; William Randolph Hearst, Jr.; Jack Howard and Charles Scripps of the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain; Tom Johnson, president of CNN and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times.

The media figures attending the retreat all agree not to report on whatgoes on inside. The prohibition seems to apply to reporters who are notguests or members as well: In 1982, NPR got a recording of HenryKissinger's speech at the Grove -- but declined to air it Also in 1982, a Time reporter went undercover as a waiter in Bohemian Grove; like Mathison's People article, his story was killed.