Tony Blair's gissa-job trip, partying with the super rich in America
By JONATHAN OLIVER and CAROLINE GRAHAM , Mail on Sunday 22:00pm 29th July 2006
The sign over the door says 999 Green Street, Penthouse 1.
But the $5million apartment with its sweeping vista of San Francisco Bay where Tony Blair wast feted by America's wealthiest, is quite simply the most exclusive job centre in town.
The Prime Minister flew into California amid claims he was using a taxpayer-funded trip to tout for lucrative retirement berths on the boards of American conglomerates. If so, he had certainly come to the right place.
He began his five-day West Coast tour with a glitzy cocktail party attended by America's richest men.
The soiree was arranged by society hostess Charlotte Shultz, whose husband George has advised the last three US Presidents.
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Among the 90 present were stockbroker Chuck Schwab and Phil Bronstein, Sharon Stone's media tycoon ex-husband. There were also executives from US corporate giants such as Chevron oil, internet search engine Yahoo and Wells Fargo bank.
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Indeed, Mr Shultz, 85, retains an enviable reputation as one of California's best-connected men. His paid business interests include the banking giant JP Morgan, international stockbrokers Charles Schwab and management consultants Accenture.
Most controversially, he is the former president and director of Bechtel, the construction conglomerate which has been accused of having undue influence in Downing Street.
The San Francisco-based company has helped devise Mr Blair's new nuclear power strategy - but despite its inside knowledge it has itself recently been given the go-ahead to bid for potentially lucrative radioactive waste clean-up projects.
Bechtel also has ambitions to build the 2012 London Olympic village and the Crossrail rail project linking East and West London.
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He is also a senior figure at Bohemian Grove, the secretive club of the US political and business elite which, by chance, is holding its annual gathering outside the city this weekend.
There was speculation that Mr Blair might even have been a guest at the male-only event, following in the footsteps of John Major and Prince Philip.
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Transport spokesman Chris Grayling urged him to provide the Commons with an urgent statement detailing exactly whom he was due to meet during the visit.
He said: "The trouble with the position that Mr Blair has now got himself into is that even if he is doing something perfectly properly, the suspicion always remains there is a hidden agenda.
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