I do not believe it. I subscribe to the marvelous doctrine of Thomas Jefferson, who said:
"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
Appendix
COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
This roster of membership is from the 1960-61 Annual Report of the CFR.
Directors
Frank Altschul 1984-
Hamilton Fish Armstrong 1928-
Elliott V. Bell 1953-
Isaiah Bowman 1921-1950
William A. M. Burden 1945-
Archibald Cary Coolidge 1921-1928
Paul D. Cravath 1921-1940
John W. Davis 1921-1955
Norman H. Davis 1921-1944
Arthur H. Dean 1955-
Harold W. Dodds 1935-1943
Lewis W. Douglas 1940-
Stephen P. Duggan 1921-1950
Allen W. Dulles 1927-
Thomas K. Finletter 1944-
John H. Finley 1921-1929
William C. Foster 1959-
Leon Fraser 1936-1945
Edwin F. Gay 1921-1945
W. Averell Harrman 1950-1955
Caryl P. Haskins 1961-
David F. Houston 1921-1927
Charles P. Howland 1929-1931
Clarence E. Hunter 1942-1953
Philip C. Jessup 1934-1942
Joseph E. Johnson 1950-
Devereux C. Josephs 1951-1958
Otto H. Kahn 1921-1934
Grayson L. Kirk 1950-
R. C. Leffingwell 1927-1960
Walter Lippman 1932-1937
Walter H. Mallory 1945, 1951-
George O. May 1927-1953
John J. McCloy 1953-
Wesley C. Mitchell 1927-1934
Frank L. Polk 1921-1943
Philip D. Reed 1945-
Winfield W. Riefler 1945-1950
David Rockefeller 1949-
Whitney H. Shepardson 1921-
William R. Shepherd 1921-1927
Charles M. Spofford 1955-
Adlai E. Stevenson 1958-
Myron C. Taylor 1943-1959
Paul M. Warburg 1921-1932
Edward Warner 1940-1945
George W. Wickersham 1921-1936
John H. Williams 1937-
Clarence M. Woolley 1932-1935
Henry M. Wriston 1943-
Owen D. Young 1927-1940
Resident Members
Albrecht-Carrie, Rene
Aldrich, Winthrop W.
Alexander, Archibald S.
Alexander, Henry C.
Alexander, Robert J.
Allan, F. Aley
Allen, Charles E.
Allen, Philip E.
Alley, James B.
Allport, Alexander W.
Alpern, Alan N.
Altschul, Arthur G.
Altschul, Frank
Ames, Amyas
Ammidon, Hoyt
Anderson, Arthur M.
Anderson, Harold F.
Anderson, Robert B.
Angell, James W.
Armour, Norman
Armstrong, Hamilton Fish
Ascoli, Max
Aubrey, Henry G.
Ault, Bromwell
Backer, George
Baker, Edgar R.
Baldwin, Hanson W.
Bancroft, Harding F.
Barber, Charles F.
Barber, Joseph
Barker, Robert R.
Barkin, Solomon
Barnes, Joseph
Barnett, A. Doak
Barnett, Frank R.
Barrett, Edward W.
Bastedo, Philip
Baumer, William H.
Baxter, James P., 3rd
Beal, Gerald F.
Beckhart, Benjamin H.
Bedard, Pierre
Beebe, Frederick S.
Bell, Elliott V.
Bennett, John C.
Benton, William B.
Beplat, Tristan E.
Berle, Adolf A., Jr.
Bessie, Simon Michael
Bevis, Herman W.
Bidwell, Percy W.
Bienstock, Abraham L.
Bingham, Jonathan B.
Black, Peter
Blair, Floyd G.
Blake, Robert O.
Blough, Roger M.
Blough, Roy
Blum, John A.
Boardman, Arthur G., Jr.
Bogdan, Norbert A.
Bolte, Charles G.
Bonsal, Dudley B.
Boorman, Howard L.
Boyd, Hugh N.
Braden, Spruille
Bradford, Amory H.
Bramstedt, W. F.
Braxton, Carter M.
Breck, Henry C.
Brinckeroff, Charles M.
Brittenham, Raymond L.
Bronk, Detlev W.
Brown, Courtney C.
Brown, Francis
Brown, John Mason
Brown, Walter L.
Brownell, George A.
Brownell, Lincoln C.
Bruce, James
Brzezinski, Zbigniew
Bullock, Hugh
Bunche, Ralph J.
Bunker, Arthur H.
Bunker, Ellsworth
Bunnell, C. Sterling
Burden, William A. M.
Burgess, Carter L.
Burkhardt, Frederick
Burns, Arthur F.
Bush, Donald F.
Butler, William F.
Buttenwieser, Benjamin J.