U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board Adopts Powell Memo Task Force Recommendations

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors formally adopts recommendations from a 40-member task force of business executives convened to review and implement Lewis Powell’s 1971 memo. The task force, comprised of executives from U.S. Steel, General Electric, ABC, General Motors, CBS, 3M, Phillips Petroleum, Amway and other major corporations, produces specific proposals to “improve understanding of business and the private enterprise system” that translate Powell’s strategic vision into coordinated action. The Board’s adoption represents the official embrace of Powell’s institutional capture blueprint by America’s largest business advocacy organization, occurring just nine months after Heritage Foundation’s founding and two months after ALEC’s establishment. This formalization of corporate political strategy marks the moment when Powell’s confidential 1971 memo becomes the operational doctrine of American business, coordinating the efforts of thousands of corporations through a centralized strategic framework focused on systematic influence over universities, media, courts, and legislative bodies. The timing demonstrates how quickly corporate America moved from Powell’s initial blueprint to formal, coordinated implementation across multiple institutional fronts.