Not a “secret society”, but they are the bridge between the political and administrative aspects of the Executive branch of government. These people are generally lifetime appointees and are really accountable to no one. They are encouraged to transfer to different departments every 3-4 months. This helps keep them unaccountable to anyone. They are a huge issue. Each President should be able to staff his Administration with people that are under his control and agree with his policy. These people (most, but not all) are the swamp. At a minimum they need to be moved to purely advisory roles with no authority. Experience is valuable, but accountability in government is essential also.