Arthur W. Page Society

The Arthur W. Page Society is a 501c(3) group founded in 1983 which limits its membership to public relations executives at companies that have more than $2 billion in revenues. Members pay $1,395 in annual dues to the Society, which includes admittance to meetings and seminars where leading corporate and government figures are featured speakers. Investors Chronicle describes the Society as a "club for America's PR elite." According to O'Dwyers, the Arthur W. Page Society is an offshoot of Public Relations Seminar, an "super-secret" annual meeting of top PR figures held at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach (Florida). Registration for the annual meeting costs $3,500.

Who is Arthur W. Page?
Arthur W. Page served as the head of public relations for the American Telephone & Telegraph Company for two decades starting in 1926. At the time, AT&T was en route to becoming the world's most powerful monopoly and ultimately became the world's largest company, until it was broken up in 1984. Arthur Page believed that a company should try to "to establish itself in the public mind as an institution of good character… which functions in the public interest." Page was the PR professional that President Truman selected to draft his announcement about dropping an atomic bomb on Japan in World War II. Page died on September 5, 1960.

Membership
The group has 374 members. The current chair is Bill Margaritis of the FedEx Corporation.

Budget
The Society's annual budget is approximately $1.4 million.

Personnel
The Society's current president (2100) is Julia Hood.

Sourcewatch resources

 * Public relations
 * Propaganda

Contact
Arthur W. Page Society 317 Madison Avenue, Suite 2320 New York, NY 10017 Phone 212-400-7959 Fax 212-922-9198