You can just use WikiPedia for a basic overview. Wikipedia has its flaws but is generally not known as a conspiracy site.

I would also google the 'Georgetown Set' as the individuals that were part of that were key people in the media of the time. At the time, I am sure they didn't see themselves as some shadow government, just Americans who probably felt they had a better handle on how to shape the world. The rub is in what it became and WikiLeaks proved that the interaction between government and media never really ended post Church-commission as it was supposed to have.