Rixstep
	`About \| ACP \| Buy \| Industry Watch \| Learning Curve \| News \| Products \| Search \| Substack`

Home » Industry Watch

Carl Bildt: The Seeds of Betrayal

All cables courtesy the WikiLeaks 'PlusD' project, analysis courtesy Aftonbladet.

Get It

Try It

These are the WikiLeaks PlusD cables show that Carl Bildt was an informer for the US in the 1970s.

They also show his unilateral initiative in establishing the necessary contacts for future collaboration.

'He was well informed. I reported everything he said', says Ronald E Woods of the US embassy at the time, in a recent interview with Aftonbladet.

March 1973 – 1973STOCKH01117

23 years old at the time, Swedish citizen Carl Bildt is already making inquiries at the US embassy.

'Balanced and rational view', 'one of the party's original thinkers', 'intelligent, experienced', and 'very promising future' all translate as flags - 'this one is more in line with our own thinking'. Bildt at 23 is already singled out for grooming by the US.

The assessment that Bildt is 'somewhat left of centre' is woefully incorrect, as time will tell.

EMBASSY STRONGLY RECOMMENDS DEPARTMENT APPROVAL BILDT NOMINATION. BRIGHT AND EXCEPTIONALLY ACTIVE IN SWEDISH POLITICS AND IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AFFAIRS, HE WILL BE CHAIRMAN OF FMSF, FEDERATION OF CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS, AN ACTIVE, IMPORTANT SOURCE OF IDEAS FOR THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY. LEADERS FROM FMSF REGULARLY PROCEED TO RIKSDAG AND TO POSITIONS OF LEADERSHIP IN THE PARTY. AS EDITOR OF SVENSK LINJE, FMSF JOURNAL, SINCE 1969, BILDT HAS CONSISTENTLY PRODUCED OUTSTANDING ARTICILES AND PAMPHLETS WHICH GET ACROSS TO SWEDISH POLITICALLY-INVOLVED YOUTH A MUCH NEEDED BALANCED AND RATIONAL VIEW ON MANY INTERNATIONAL ISSUES. BELDT IS A REALIST, STANDS SOMEWHAT TO LEFT OF CENTER IN MODERATE PARTY. DESPITE YOUNG AGE, BILDT IS ONE OF THE PARTY'S ORIGINAL THINKERS. INTERNATIONALLY ACTIVE, HE HAS ATTENDED VIRTUALLY ALL RECENT IMPORTANT EUROPEAN STUDENT MEETSINGS. IN SUM, BELDT IS AN INTELLIGENT, EXPERIENCED, YOUNG POLITICAL THERORETICIAN, WITH VERY PROMISING FUTURE.

PlusD: http://search.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1973STOCKH01117_b.html
Full PDF: http://wlstorage.net/oc/2472/1615.pdf

April 1975 – 1975STOCKH01847

Carl Bildt now asks the US embassy to set up US contacts. Carl Bildt will still not have an official elected position for another four years. Further requests will follow. Note that the embassy was 'approached' by Bildt - this was all his initiative. Bildt's status as an 'IV grantee' - a recipient of an 'International Visitors' cash award and an exclusive trip to the US - means he's already been vetted by the CIA, something that must further impress the emboffs in Stockholm. Bildt is 'in like Flynn'.

MISSION APPROACHED BY CARL BILDT, FORMER IV GRANTEE, AND CHAIRMAN EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC STUDENTS (FORMERLY ECCS) FOR HELP IDENTIFYING YOUNG REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, ONE OR TWO EACH, TO BE INVITED TO ORGANIZATION'S SUMMER CONFERENCE IN HELSINKI JUNE 28 TO JULY 3. APPRECIATE YOUR CONTACTING SPENCER OLIVER, PERHAPS OTHERS, FOR SUGGESTIONS.

PlusD: http://search.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975STOCKH01847_b.html
Full PDF: http://wlstorage.net/oc/2476/258615.pdf

April 1975 – 1975HELSIN00894

But it turns out the Helsinki organisers have no clue what Bildt's doing - he's acted entirely on his own. The US embassies scramble to patch things up.

FINNISH ORGANIZERS EUROPEAN DEMOCATIC STUDENTS CONFERENCE UNAWARE BILDT REQUESTED STOCKHOLM'S ASSISTANCE ARANGING U.S. PARTICPATION. FINNS WERE CONSIDERING INVITING AMERICAN DELEGATES AND HAVE NO OBJECTIONS AMERICAN PRESENCE AT CONFERENCE. FINNS GAVE CONFERENCE DATES AS JUNE 27 - JULY 2. HOWEVER, FINNS SOMEWHAT DISORGANIZED. PRINCIPAL THEME WILL BE EAST-WEST RELATIONS AND SECURITY TALKS. FINNS EXPECT COMPLETE FINAL AGENDA IN TWO WEEKS. FOR STOCKHOLM: JORMA SALONIEMI, CHAIRMAN CONSERVATIVE STUDENT ORGANIZATION, WILL BE DISCUSSING CONFERENCE WITH CARL BILDT THIS WEEK.

PlusD: http://search.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975HELSIN00894_b.html
Full PDF: http://wlstorage.net/oc/2476/257787.pdf

June 1975 – 1975STOCKH02802

Bildt's on a roll: he now wants to connect with Karl Rove. The embassy's glad to help. Note Bildt's new title.

CHAIRMAN CARL BILDT GRATEFUL FOR DEPARTMENT SUPPORT AND CORDINALLY INVITES ROVE AND MCDONOUGH TO ATTEND. FORMAL INVITATIONS EXTENDED VIA AIRMAIL ASAP.

PlusD: http://search.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975STOCKH02802_b.html
Full PDF: http://wlstorage.net/oc/2476/279070.pdf

September 1975 – 1975STOCKH04681

'Mr Bildt goes to Washington' - note the ambition of this 'Swede' without portfolio: at a mere 26 years of age, and having yet to stand for election anywhere, he treats his career in the US with priority.

CARL BILDT, CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OF CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC AND CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS, AND PERSONAL AIDE TO MODERATE (CONSERVATIVE) PARTY CHAIRMAN GOSTA BOHMAN, WILL BE IN WASHINGTON SEPT. 26-27 TO ATTEND THE U.S. YOUTH COUNCIL MEETING, BEING HELD IN COOPERATION WITH THE NATIONAL STRATEGY INFORMATION CENTER. BILDT WILL PARTICIPATE IN A PANEL DISCUSSION OF U.S.-EUROPEAN RELATIONS. FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING, BILDT PLANS TO REMAIN IN WASHINGTON AN ADDITIONAL TWO TO THREE DAYS. HE HAS REQUESTED EMBASSY ASSISTANCE IN ARRANGING FOR HIM TO MEET WITH STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS DEALING WITH SOVIET POLICY TOWARDS EUROPE AND PARTICULARLY TOWARDS SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. WE HAVE SUGGESTED BILDT CONTACT PAUL CANNEY, EUR/NE FOR ASSISTANCE ON THE APPOINTMENTS.

PlusD: http://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1975STOCKH04681_b.html
Full PDF: http://wlstorage.net/oc/2476/303613.pdf

September 1976 – 1976STOCKH05429

Bildt starts coming through: sitting in on super-secret deliberations that no one anywhere outside the closed doors is privy to - not the Swedish people, not the Swedish media, not even party colleagues outside those closed doors - Carl Bildt approaches the US yet again with confidential information.

Aftonbladet confronted Bildt with the contents of this cable, and the foreign minister of course denied and obfuscated all, provoking the paper's editor-in-chief to a strong rebuttal. The incident is reported in detail here.