Evidence: Witan Group Name Origin (Feb 2011)

Source: Jmail Archive (Epstein Files) / Reporting by The Guardian
Date: February 14, 2011
Sender: David Stern
Recipient: Jeffrey Epstein
Subject: New Name / Witan

Summary

In this email, David Stern proposes the new firm name to Jeffrey Epstein and provides a detailed historical justification:

"New company name: WITAN. What do you think? PA [Prince Andrew] likes it and since he did not know what it was when I told him it should be safe:

Witan, also called Witenagemot, 7th - 11th Century, the council of the Anglo-Saxon kings in and of England; its essential duty was to advise the king on all matters on which he chose to ask its opinion. It attested his grants of land to churches or laymen, consented to his issue of new laws or new statements of ancient custom, and helped him deal with rebels and persons suspected of disaffection. Its composition and time of meeting were determined by the king's pleasure.

Usually attended by the greater nobles and bishops, the witan was in no sense a popular assembly. In its composition and duties it closely resembled its successor, the commune concilium of the Anglo-Norman kings, the fundamental difference being that, in the latter body, baronial councillors were bound to the king by feudal ties."

Strategic Significance

  1. Secrecy and Obfuscation: Stern explicitly notes that the name is "safe" because it is cryptic. The long historical definition emphasizes a "council" that is "in no sense a popular assembly," mirroring the elite, shadow-cabinet nature of the group Stern and Epstein were building.
  2. Royal Leverage: The involvement of "PA" (Prince Andrew) highlights the use of high-level British connections to provide "aura and access" to the venture.
  3. Governance Model: The description of a council that "consented to his issue of new laws" and "helped him deal with rebels" suggests the ambitious, sovereign-level influence Stern envisioned for their "Invisible Pipeline."

Relationships