In this week’s episode, Leah and I discuss the history of Fair Game and the ongoing Fair Game efforts against us. As always, I include a link here to my “summary of Fair Game” entitled: Dealing with Critics of Scientology – The L. Ron Hubbard Playbook. If you have not read this before and have an interest in this subject, I recommend starting with this.
Honestly, this is one of the most important episodes of this podcast. It is not disclosing “new’ information, but even seasoned scientology watchers and former scientologists will learn things they likely did not know. Few have ever read the two large documents below — they are absolutely mind-blowing.
To begin with, we review some of the history of Hubbard’s decision to have enemies as a necessary part of his dogma (he could simply have ignored the APA and AMA and written them off as “uninformed” and “ignorant” and gone about his business with his huge “advance” and they would have gone the way of the horse and buggy when Ford came out with the Model T). But the war against psychiatry, and then against many others, became an integral part of the belief system of scientology.
Hubbard’s evolving view of psychiatry is very well documented in this Wikipedia entry. This explains why he selected psychiatry as his boogeyman.
And Hubbard’s dictates (Operation “Snow White”) ultimately resulted in the prosecution of his wife, Mary Sue, and 10 other leaders of the Guardian’s Office after they were caught pursuing his directives against government agencies.
There were many astonishing documents that came out of the raid conducted by the FBI (there is a list of many of them later in this posting).
But there were also two especially significant documents created as part of the prosecution.
They are very lengthy, and if you want to see them in full, you can find them on the internet — Stipulation of Evidence and Sentencing Memorandum.
But to save you having to wade through hundreds of pages of legalese, I have excerpted key passages from both documents. If you have not read these before, you may be shocked by how brazen and far-reaching these operations were. They are breathtaking.
The Sentencing Memorandum gives even more summarized information than the Stipulation of Evidence.
It is stunning that in the face of this evidence, the IRS ever agreed to granting scientology tax exempt status.
STIPULATION OF EVIDENCE (Excerpts)
The Order to Infiltrate the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C.
In the late summer of 1974, the defendant Cindy Raymond, who then held the position of Collections Officer in the US Information Bureau in Los Angeles, California, sent a directive to Michael Meisner ordering him to recruit a loyal Scientologist to be placed as a covert agent at Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C. That covert operative was to obtain employment with the Internal Revenue Service for the purpose of taking from that agency all documents which dealt with Scientology, including those concerning pending litigation initiated by Scientology against the United States Government.
The Bugging of the IRS Chief Counsel’s Conference Room on November 1, 1974
A few days before November 1, 1974, Don Alverzo, who held the position or Deputy Information Branch I Director US telephoned Mr. Meisner from Los Angeles, California, to inform him that he was coming to the District of Columbia to place an electronic bugging device in the Chief Counsel’s conference room at the Internal Revenue Service where a major meeting concerning Scientology was to be held.
The defendant Hermann told Mr. Meisner that he had entered the main IRS building on the morning of November 1, 1974, gone to the conference room, where the meeting was to be held and placed the bugging device in a wall socket in that room. The room was located on the fourth floor of the Internal Revenue Service main building in Washington D.C. and faced the driveway of the Smithsonian Institution Museum of History and Technology on Constitution Avenue Northwest.
Thereafter, Hermann left the building and waited in a car in the driveway of the museum with Don Alverzo and Carla Moxon (the Assistant Guardian Communicator (Secretary) in the District of Columbia) and overheard and taped the entire meeting over the FM radio of the car. Following the conclusion of the meeting, the defendant Hermann reentered the IRS building, removed the bugging equipment from the conference room and took various papers, including the agenda for the meeting, which had been left by the participants.
The Guardian’s Office Harbors and Conceals Fugitive From Justice Michael Meisner
On August 30, 1976, the same day that he received notification that an arrest warrant had been issued for Mr. Meisner, the defendant Weigand notified the defendant Mary Sue Hubbard that he has “Just received word that Mike [Meisnerl had a warrant out for his arrest.” He added that “[the plan at this time is to hide Mike out. It appears that the safest place to do this is in Europe somewhere.”
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On the evening of August 30, the defendant Weigand contacted Mr. Meisner and requested him to come to his office, which had since been moved to a warehouse in Glendale, California. In the presence of the defendant Hermann and Assistant Guardian for Information in Clearwater, Florida, Joe Lisa, he informed Mr. Meisner of the outstanding warrant for his arrest, and instructed him to sever all outward connections to the Guardian’s Office. He told him that the defendant Hermann would assist him in moving out of the Weigand residence into a motel. He also removed him from the position of National Secretary for the United States. Mr. Meisner was given funds for the motel.
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The defendant Weigand suggested that Los Angeles was a better place to hide Mr. Meisner since it was “a huge city and he can get lost here very successfully,” while still being close to the Guardian’s Office. He directed the defendant Hermann/ Cooper to give this matter “top priority and lets [sic] get it done.”
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In a September 18, 1976 letter, the defendant Mary Sue Hubbard informed the defendant Weigand that she had “at last gotten a copy of the warrant” for the arrest of Mr. Meisner. She concluded that there was “the need to establish an alibi for MM”, The defendant Weigand responded to the defendant Hubbard’s letter on 22 September 1976 in which he expressed his belief that her plan would “encounter difficulties” in view of the fact that the FBI had the defendant Wolfe’s and Mr. Meisner’s handwriting on the log books of the Courthouse. He stated his opinion that establishing an alibi as she bad suggested, would “come down to our word(s) against 2 FBI agents, cleaners and guards, plus handwriting experts, ear experts and possibly fingerprint experts.” He concluded that there were two options open:
- Turn Mike in at the most opportune time (when we can get some better prediction of what will be done with him and us, which as you wrote should follow the handling of Silver.)
- Not turn him over. Which means he hides or runs for 5 years at least (that being the statute of limitations.). [The defendant Weigand’s perception in this regard was, of course, erroneous.]
“The worst,” he stated “from my viewpoint is that M would get 5 years in jail and a $2000 fine that being the maximum for the action. Also, there would be attempts to get him to turn or otherwise implicate us or others in various wrong doings.” He added that “[i]f the investigation continues I expect that more data will be turned up linking us with M’s and others [sic] actions.”
The Guardian’s Office Restrains and Guards Michael Meisner
On April 27, Mr. Andrus, following a meeting with Mr. Meisner, notified the defendant Weigand that Mr. Meisner was so concerned about the slowness of the Guardian’s Offices actions that Mr. Meisner intended on “leaving for either Canada or DC Saturday.”
On April 28, Ms. Rezzonico and Mr. Andrus, together with Jim Fiducia, Mr. Meisner’s auditor, visited Mr. Meisner at his Serrano Street apartment in order to convince him that it was not in his best interest to leave Los Angeles and return to the District of Columbia on his own. Mr. Meisner, however, was adamant that he would leave by April 30 unless he received assurances that the Wolfe situation in the District of Columbia would be resolved promptly.
That same day, the defendant Heldt informed the defendant Mary Sue Hubbard that “Herb [Meisner] is threatening to return to DC and handle the scene as he sees fit if the waiver is not withdrawn this week.” He told her that he was ordering the Information Bureau to “arrange to restrain Herb and prevent him from leaving, and to guard him so that he does not do so.”
The defendant Heldt then directed the defendant Weigand and Ms. Rezzonico that “Herb is to be restrained and guarded. He is not to be permitted to leave.”
On April 29, Mr. Andrus met with Mr. Meisner at Mr. Meisner’s South Serrano Street apartment and informed him that from that day on he would be placed under guard.
Mr. Meisner told Andrus that he would not accept the presence of guards. Mr. Meisner, also made it clear that if he were charged as a fugitive he would not enter a guilty plea. He complained that his whole situation had been mishandled by the Guardian’s Office and had resulted in his becoming a fugitive. He demanded that the defendant Heldt explain to him what action was being taken regarding his case. At the end of that meeting Mr. Andrus placed the guards outside Mr. Meisner’s apartment.
That same day, the defendant Heldt reported to the defendant Mary Sue Hubbard that Mr. Meisner was now under guard and that Mr. Meisner had “reacted violently to the arrival of persons to insure he did not blow.” He added that he had directed the Information Bureau to locate “a more isolated” apartment where Mr. Meisner could be kept under the watch of “some trustworthy . . . Body Guards”. He also stated that he was sending the defendants Weigand and Willardson to see Mr. Meisner, and “get control” over him.
Pursuant to the defendant Heldt’s directive, the defendants Weigand and Willardson together with Southeast U.S. Secretary Brian Andrus and three guards, visited Mr. Meisner at approximately 2:15 a.m. on April 30. The defendant Weigand warned Mr. Meisner that he would no longer be permitted to make “demands and threats on the Church,” and “that he was to start becoming a decent, cooperative, contributing part of the venture and nothing else was to be tolerated.” With the guards’ assistance, the defendant Willardson searched Mr. Meisner’s apartment and personal property and removed any evidence connecting Mr. Meisner to the Church of Scientology. At approximately 6:30 a.m., the meeting concluded “with the guards in charge.”
On May 1, at approximately 6 p.m., Brian Andrus, Peeter Alvet, Information Bureau official Chuck Reese and two bodyguards visited Mr. Meisner and told him that he was to be moved to another apartment. Mr. Meisner refused to leave, threatening to cause a commotion if forced to do so. The two guards handcuffed him behind his back, gagged him and dragged him out of the building. Outside, they forced him onto the back floor of a waiting car. In the car one of the guards held Mr. Meisner down with his feet. Mr. Meisner was taken to an apartment which he later learned was located at 3219 Descanso Drive, in Los Angeles, California. After Messrs. Andrus and Alvet left, three guards remained in the apartment with Mr. Meisner.
Michael Meisner’s First Escape from his Guards
By the end of May, Mr. Meisner was guarded by just one person. On May 29, while he was out with his guard, John Matoon, Mr. Meisner escaped by jumping into a taxicab. He went to the Greyhound Bus Station, and took a bus to Las Vegas. Mr. Meisner did not have much money, but having been there previously he knew a motel which he could afford. He escaped from his guard because he wanted time to think about his predicament and to determine an appropriate course of action. At that time, Mr. Meisner was still committed to Scientology, and did not want to leave the organization precipitously.
On May 30, Mr. Meisner telephoned the defendant Raymond in Los Angeles and requested to speak to either Mr. Brian Andrus or Mr. Jim Douglass. Since Mr. Andrus was unavailable, Mr. Douglass spoke to Mr. Meisner. Mr. Meisner refused to state where he was staying in Las Vegas until he first spoke to defendant Heldt. Therefore, a telephone call was scheduled for 8:30 that evening. The defendant Heldt pleaded with Meisner to return to Los Angeles and the Guardian’s Office of the Church of Scientology.
While Mr. Meisner initially refused, he did agree to meet with Douglass the next day in Las Vegas. On May 31, Mr. Meisner met with Mr. Douglass at a prearranged crowded location. They discussed Mr. Meisner’s concerns, and Mr. Douglass urged Mr. Meisner to return with him. Mr. Meisner refused. By the next morning the Guardian’s Office had learned where he had been staying, and he was confronted by information Bureau official Chuck Reese, who insisted that Mr. Meisner return with him to Los Angeles. Mr. Reese represented to Mr. Meisner that the defendant Weigand had been removed from his position as Deputy Guardian for Information in the United States, and had been temporarily replaced by Brian Andrus, who had been Mr. Meisner’s case officer. Mr. Meisner first spoke to the defendant Heldt who promised to meet with him that evening if he returned to Los Angeles. Mr. Meisner, still troubled and confused, agreed, nonetheless, to return to Los Angeles.
That same night, Mr. Meisner and the defendant Heldt met at Canter’s Restaurant in Los Angeles. The defendant Heldt assured Mr. Meisner that he understood Mr. Meisner’s feelings. He told him that both L. Ron Hubbard and the defendant Mary Sue Hubbard were working on his case and would do everything to help him. He explained that while Mr. Meisner would have to continue to be guarded, he should consider his guards his friends and not his enemies.
Mr. Meisner agreed to remain with the Guardian’s Office. He was driven to his Descanso Drive apartment by the defendant Heldt and Mr. Reese. When he arrived, Mr. Meisner was met by Mr. Douglass who had been waiting to guard him. Mr. Meisner describes the then-existing situation as an “armed truce”. In the meantime, Brian Andrus, on May 31, had ordered the defendant Raymond to find a “secured” place for Meisner to stay if and when he returned from Las Vegas. He suggested “a place where he could be locked in a room that has no or a very small window” and where he would have “no outside contact”.
On June 1, Mr. Meisner was moved by his guards to in apartment located at 327 South Verdugo in Glendale, California. During the entire month he continued to be guarded by at least one person.
Michael Meisner Surrenders to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
By mid-June, Mr. Meisner had decided that if the watch over him were ever relaxed, he would immediately leave the Guardian’s Office, surrender to the Federal authorities, plead guilty, and cooperate in the ongoing investigation. Thus, he feigned cooperation with his captors and his superiors in the Guardian’s Office in the hope that eventually his guards might be removed.
As a reward for this cooperation, Mr. Meisner’s watch was relaxed. In fact, beginning on the evening of Friday, June 17, he was no longer guarded at night. His guards would leave his apartment at night and return at 9 a.m. the next morning. On Monday, June 20 at 6 a.m. Mr. Meisner, taking a few clothes with him, left his apartment on South Verdugo in Glendale, California, for the purpose of surrendering to Federal Authorities. In order to elude any potential follower, Mr. Meisner took two buses to a bowling alley, from which he placed a collect call to Assistant United States Attorney Garey Stark in Washington D.C. Mr. Meisner identified himself to the operator as “Gerald Wolfe” because he feared that the Guardian’s Office of the Church of Scientology might have placed a covert operative in the United States Attorney’s Office.
THE SENTENCING MEMORANDUM (Excerpts)
… brazen, systematic and persistent burglaries of United States Government offices in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California, over an extended period of at least some two years.
… the pervasive conduct of the defendants in this case in thwarting a federal Grand Jury investigation by harboring a fugitive, in effect forcefully kidnapping a witness who had decided to surrender to the federal authorities, submitting false evidence to the Grand Jury, destroying other evidence which might have been of valuable aid to its investigation, preparing a cover-up story, and encouraging and drilling a crucial witness to give false testimony under oath to that Grand Jury.
The indictment and the evidence set out massive conspiracies to burglarize Government offices, steal Government property, intercept private Governmental communications, obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Grand Jury investigation into those burglaries, thefts, and “buggings”, harbor and conceal a fugitive, and make false declarations to the federal Grand Jury…
… these documents and the witnesses’ testimony establishes beyond question that the defendants and their unindicted co-conspirators, as well as their organizations, considered themselves above the law. They believed that they had carte blanche to violate the rights of others, frame critics in order to destroy them, burglarize private and public offices and steal documents outlining the strategy of individuals and organizations that the Church had sued. These suits were filed by the Church for the sole purpose of financially bankrupting its critics and in order to create an atmosphere of fear so that critics would shy away from exercising the First Amendment rights secured them by the Constitution.
The defendants and their cohorts launched vicious smear campaigns, spreading falsehoods against those they perceived to be enemies of Scientology in order to discredit them and, in some instances, cause them to lose their employment.
Scientology initiated law suits often for the sole purpose of harrassment, private citizens who attempted to exercise their First Amendment right to criticize an organization which they considered suspect, and public officials who sought to carry out the duties for which they were elected or appointed in a fair and even-handed manner. To these defendants and their associates, however, anyone who did not agree with them was considered to be an enemy against whom the so-called “fair game doctrine” could be invoked.
The brazen and persistent burglaries, thefts and buggings directed against the United States Government were but one minor aspect of the defendants wanton assault upon the laws of this country. The well-orchestrated campaign to thwart the federal Grand Jury Investigation by destroying evidence, giving false fingerprints in response to a Grand Jury subpoena, harboring a fugitive, kidnapping a witness, preparing an elaborate cover-up story, and assisting in the giving of false statements to the Grand Jury shows the contempt which these defendants had for the judicial system of this country. Their total disregard for the laws is further made clear by the criminal campaigns of vilification, burglaries and thefts which they carried out against private and public individuals and organizations and carefully documented in minute detail.
…these defendants were willing to frame their critics to the point of giving false testimony under oath against them, and having them arrested and indicted speaks legion for their disdain for the rule of law. Indeed, they arrogantly placed themselves above the law meting out their personal brand of punishment to those “guilty” of opposing their selfish alms.
The crimes committed by these defendants is of a breadth and scope previously unheard of. No building, office, desk, or file was safe from their snooping and prying.’ No individual or organization was free from their despicable conspiratorial minds. The tools of their trade were miniature transmitters, lock picks, secret codes, ‘ forged credentials, and any other device they found necessary to carry out their conspiratorial schemes.
L. Ron Hubbard wrote in his dictionary entitled “Modern Management Technology Defined” that “truth is what is true for you.” Thus, with the founder’s blessings they could wantonly commit perjury as long as it was in the Interest of Scientology. The defendants rewarded criminal activities that ended in success and sternly rebuked those that failed. The standards of human conduct embodied in such practices represent no less than the absolute perversion of any known ethical value system. In view of this, it defies the imagination that these defendants have the unmitigated audacity to seek to defend their actions in the name of “religion,” That these defendants now attempt to hide behind the sacred principles of freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right to privacy — which principles they repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to violate with impunity — adds insult to the injuries which they have inflicted on every element of society.
The United States submits that the activities outlined in this section show the scope, breadth and severity of the crimes committed by the defendants in this case. It is for these very reasons that the United States believes that the defendants must be sentenced to the maximum terms of incarceration provided by law.
Private Organizations
American Medical Association
In the early 1970’s, unindicted co-conspirator L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, issued an order concerning the “Great Health Monopoly” , which accused the AMA of monopolizing health care to the exclusion of groups such as Scientology. In this order, Hubbard called for the breakup of the AMA.
In accordance with the founder’s policy, the AMA’s Chicago headquarters were first infiltrated in 1972 by Kathy Gregg under the supervision of defendant Gregory Willardson. Documents stolen during this period were utilized in the publication of a book written by unindicted co-conspirator Joe Lisa using a pseudonym. The book, entitled “In the Public Interest,” was covertly published and distributed by the Information Bureau of the Guardian’s Office in order to discredit the AMA.
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Better Business Bureau
The infiltration of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) began on December 4, 1972, with the placement of Sherry Canavaro (later Sherry Hermann, a/k/a Sandy Cooper) as a covert agent within that organization.
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Mental Health Organizations
Guardian Order 121569 MSH (1) issued on December 15, 1969, directed the infiltration of all mental health organizations both nationally and world-wide.
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Defendant Sharon Thomas was recruited as a covert operative in 1973 in the District of Columbia by defendant Snider, the Assistant Guardian. She was later assigned to infiltrate the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Beginning in January 1974, defendant Hermann supervised defendant Thomas’ APA thefts. While in the APA, defendant Thomas stole documents regarding Scientology as well as confidential files of the APA’s Ethics Committee concerning complaints against psychiatrists…
The American Psychological Association was also infiltrated pursuant to GO 121569 MSH by Scientology covert operative Larry Spinks, defendant Thomas’ first husband.
Also included in that program were the infiltration of the Public Health Service, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA),
“Anti-Cult” Groups
… in March 1976, defendant Weigand was informed that Scientology covert operatives were actively engaged against several persons who were either publishing books or giving lectures and speeches considered by the Guardian’s Office to be anti-Scientology.
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The Information Bureau’s activities in this regard were not solely of a “data-collection” nature. On February 14, 1977 defendant Weigand was notified by defendant Hermann/Cooper’s wife Sandy Cooper that “[a]s you know we are setting up a kidnapping to be done eventually by Michale [sic] Trauscht, so as to set him up for fraud charges by the parents.” (Document no. 16592.) Similarly, defendant Heldt directed defendant Raymond to set up a “covert op [operation]” which would lead to “the arrest of IFIF/IFFET [two anti-Scientology groups] principals and discrediting of ARM as a result.” (Document no. 15722 at 2.) The scheme directed the planting of false documents in the organizations’ files showing that they had committed illegal activities.
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These documents clearly demonstrate that these defendants who now complain about unfounded violations of their Fourth Amendment rights and their right to privacy, were prepared to trample upon those rights anytime it suited their purpose.
Law Firms
As part of their criminal activities some of the defendants actively engaged in burglaries and thefts of documents from private law firms in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, California, that represented private organizations sued by Scientology. These included the law firms of Sidley and Austin, Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin and Kahn, and West-Girardi.
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At least three burglaries were committed during the early months of 1976 at the law offices of Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin and Kahn who then represented the St Petersburg Times in a Scientology-initiated law suit.
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Finally, beginning in February 1976, pursuant to orders approved by the defendant Richard Weigand, attempts were made to place a Scientology covert operative within the law firm of West-Girardi in Los Angeles, California, as an early warning project and in order “that any planned attack by this firm can be predicted.”
Private Individuals And Public Officials
The defendants participated in a number of covert operations against private individuals and public officials to destroy and discredit these persons because they had either attempted to exercise their First Amendment rights by criticizing Scientology or by attempting to carry out their duties as public officials.
Paulette Cooper
In 1976 the highest ranking Scientologists in the United States, including at least six of the defendants designed a series of plans which had as their goal the imprisonment or commitment to a mental institution of one of their critics, an author and journalist named Paulette Cooper. Paulette Cooper is the author of The Scandal of Scientology , a work highly critical of Scientology.
In the Spring of 1976 six separate schemes were devised with the express purpose
“To get P.C. (Paulette Cooper) incarcerated in a mental institution or Jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks.”
(See Operation Freakout dated 1 April 1976, document no. 11422, Exhibit No. see also documents nos. 11972-11973 » Exhibit No. 10.) Its stated purpose was “To remove PC [Paulette Cooper] from her position of power so that she cannot attack the C[hurch] of S[cientology]” also defendant Hermann’s proposals in document no. 12887 at 7 et seq » ) The six separate schemes were jointly entitled ”Operation Freakout.” In its Initial form Operation Freakout had three different plans.
The first required a woman to imitate Paulette Cooper’s voice and make telephone threats to Arab Consulates in New York.
The second scheme involved mailing a threatening letter to an Arab Consulate in such a fashion that it would appear to have been done by Paulette Cooper.
Finally, a Scientology field staff member was to impersonate Paulette Cooper at a laundry and threaten the President and the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. A second Scientologist would thereafter advise the FBI of the threat.
The fourth plan called for Scientology field staff members who had ingratiated themselves with Cooper to gather information from Cooper so Scientology could assess the success of the first three plans.
The fifth plan was for a Scientologist to warn an Arab Consulate by telephone that Paulette Cooper had been talking about bombing them.
The Sixth and final part of Operation Freakout was… to obtain Paulette Cooper’s fingerprints on a blank piece of paper, type a threatening letter to Kissinger on that paper, and mail it.
Gabriel Cazares
When Scientology first decided to set up a base in Clearwater, Florida, in late 1975, it did so using the cover name of “United Churches of Florida” (UCF) with no outward connection to Scientology. Gabriel Cazares, who was Clearwater’s Mayor, campaigned for the disclosure of the true purposes of the UCF, When UCF’s connections to Scientology were uncovered. Mayor Cazares became highly critical of Scientology. Because of his criticism, Mayor Cazares was targeted by the Information Bureau of Guardian’s Office and covert operations designed to remove him from office were ordered.
To that end, in early March 1976, defendant Hermann notified defendant Snider that Mayor Cazares was about to attend a Mayor’s Conference in Washington, D.C,, on March 13-17, and that Assistant Guardian for Information in Clearwater Joe Lisa was formulating a covert operation that Mayor Cazares had a mistress. Shortly, thereafter, defendant Hermann ordered Mr. Meisner to carry out an operation on Mayor Cazares during his Washington trip — that operation was to involve a fake hit- and-run accident. Defendant Sharon Thomas was to be the main participant in that operation. She was to meet Mayor Cazares, drive him around town, and at a predetermined location stage a hit-and-run accident with Mr. Meisner as the “victim.”
At the same time that defendant Hermann was directing Mr. Meisner to carry out the “accident,” defendant Weigand responded to defendant Snider’s earlier orders by sending him a list of Clearwater, Florida, “enemies” and their priority for “handling” purposes. (Document no, 19645; Exhibit No . 13 » )
On March 14, 1976, District of Columbia Collections Officer Joseph Alesi, posing as a reporter interviewed Mayor Cazares. During that interview, he met defendant Sharon Thomas. Thomas then offered to show Mayor Cazares the town. During that drive, defendant Thomas, who was driving, staged her fake hit-and-run accident in Rock Creek Park, hitting Michael Meisner. She drove on without reporting the accident to the police. Of course, defendant Thomas knew that no harm had been caused to the “victim.” In a letter dated March 15, 1976, to CSC Assistant for Information Jimmy Mulligan and fugitive defendant Morris (Mo) Budlong, defendant Weigand discussed how Scientology could use that “fake” accident against Mayor Cazares and concluded that “I should think that the Mayor’s political days are at an end.”
In March 1976, defendant Willardson approved another “operation” directing that false marriage documents be planted to show that Mayor Cazares had been secretly married in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1938-1940 and that he was, therefore, a bigamist.
On June 6, 1976, defendant Snider wrote Guardian Program Order 398 entitled “Mayor Cazares Handling Project,” which was approved by defendant Heldt and promulgated by fugitive defendant Kember. Its purpose was “to remove Cazares from any position from which he can inhibit the expansion of Scientology” and called for, among other things: (1) carrying “out a covert campaign to create strife between Cazares and the City Commission”; and (2) placing a covert operative in his Congressional campaign organization.
In the Summer of 1976, fake letters from “Sharon T” were mailed by Scientology to citizens in the Clearwater area stating that Mayor Cazares had been involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Also during that time “Project Taco-Less” was issued, calling for the release of “further data about the Mayor” to “ruin his political carreer and remove/restrain him as an opponent to Scn [Scientology].” On November 30 1976, unindicted co-conspirator Joe Lisa informed defendant Snider that Mayor Cazares had been defeated in the Congressional race as a result of the implementation of Guardian Program Order 398 and the other Scientology actions which included “[phone calls . . . spreading rumors inside his camp, contributing to disorganization in his campaign . . . .”
Senator Dennis DeConcini
Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini was “targeted” by the Information Bureau of the Guardian’s Office because of his support for various anti-cult groups referred to in part A supra.
“Operation Devil’s Wop” was ordered implemented by defendant Weigand on April 4, 1977, pursuant to a direct order from the highest official of the Guardian’s Office and the Church of Scientology. The operation called for the eventual distribution to the press of a report falsely linking Senator DeConcini with organized crime figures and accusing him of being involved in questionable real estate transactions.
Celebrities
On January 4, 1976, defendant Weigand drafted Guardian Order 1361-3 which was approved by defendant Heldt and issued by fugitive defendant Kember. The program called for the theft of Los Angeles IRS Intelligence files on “celebrities, politicians and big names.”
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In fact, IRS files on former California Governor Edmund Brown, current California Governor Edmund Brown, Jr., Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and his wife, and Frank Sinatra were stolen from the IRS’ Los Angeles offices and forwarded to defendants Heldt and Weigand for disclosure to the press.
Newspapers
The defendants and their organization mounted a head-on assault upon newspapers that had been critical of Scientology.
They infiltrated newspapers and in other instances, without disclosing that they were associated with Scientology, planted stories of interest to their organization. The following are but a handful of their blatant criminal activities against the press.
In November 1975, defendant Wlllardson ordered Michael Meisner to send three District of Columbia covert agents to Clearwater. One of the operatives sent to Clearwater was June Byrne, the blown AMA agent. In Clearwater, Ms. Byrne infiltrated the Clearwater Sun and provided Scientology almost daily reports on the activities of that newspaper. She remained as Scientology’s covert operative at the Sun until late 1976 when she was withdrawn out of fear that her cover had been blown.
On March 19, 1976, defendant Weigand received a memorandum from National Operations Officer Bruce Raymond, a/k/a Randy Windment, outlining a covert operation against Eugene Patterson, the editor and president of the St. Petersburg Times . The operation which was approved by defendant Weigand, involved the making of phone calls to Patterson’s wife and others designed to discredit Patterson with St. Petersburg Times owner Nelson Poynter.
A second operation was directed against St. Petersburg Times reporter Bette Orsini and was designed to inhibit her from writing articles about Scientology. Pursuant to that operation, documents allegedly linking the local Easter Seal Society, which was headed by Ms. Orsini’ s husband, with various alleged tax law violations were distributed in Clearwater and elsewhere.
In the Spring of 1975, defendant Hermann approved the placement of covert agent Charles Judge as a security guard at The Washington Post in the District of Columbia. Mr. Judge provided the District of Columbia’s Information Bureau with research material which he secured from the Post’s files.
State and Local Government Agencies
Numerous state and local Government agencies through the United States were targeted for infiltration by defendants and their Guardian’s Office. These infiltrations and thefts were called for by Guardian Program Order 302 and Guardian Order 1080 . Guardian Program Order 302 ordered the infiltration of all Governmental agencies that refused to acquiesce to Scientology’s demand for access to their files.
On March 4, 1974, fugitive defendant Jane Kember issued GO 1080, an umbrella program ordering for the infiltration of the California Attorney General’s Office and all local district attorney’s offices in California.
In March 1976, a smear campaign entitled “Operation Snapper 1” was devised within the Information Bureau to have Lawrence Tapper, a perceived enemy, removed from his post in the California Attorney General’s Office. The project included, among other things, having a pregnant female covert operative (“FSM”) publicly confront Tapper in his office and blame him for her pregnancy.
…
Finally, in March and April 1976 a series of orders and projects, copies of which were sent to and approved by defendant Weigand, directed the infiltration of the California Department of Health, Board of Medical Examiners, Mental Health Association, Department of Social Services, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles offices of the United States Customs Service and United States Postal Service, the office of Representative, and then Lieutenant-Governor, Melvin Dymally, and the burglary of the home of James Estabrook, an official of the California Department of Health.
We go into detail of the events leading up to the “Justice 4Mom” campaign that has been waged against me — this story has been covered previously on this blog, with a lot of documents included:
Scientology’s Latest Lie About Me
And also by Jeffrey Augustine on his blog:
There are a few other things referred to in the episode that I am including below, generally in the order they are mentioned:
This is a LIST OF FAIR GAME OPERATIONS compiled from the documents seized in the 1977 FBI raid.
The two PI’s who set up across the street to surveil me in Denver were profiled in this article in the St Petersburg Times.
This is the series of articles in the then St Petersburg Times by Joe Childs and Tom Tobin entitled The Truth Rundown
This is John Sweeney’s Panorama program for the BBC:
This is the video of when I went to the Ft Harrison to attempt to see my son after I had been informed he had cancer:
Here is the video we mention of Jenny Linson (along with Marc Yager and David Bloomberg – Linson and Bloomberg were also sent to harass me in the doctor’s parking lot) approaching Marty Rathbun while he was waiting for a flight at LAX (they had to buy tickets to get onto the concourse to make this video):
And finally. this is the transcript of the Parking Lot screaming incident, you really have to hear it (some of this is on the BBC Panorama episode above) — Rinder Doctor Parking Lot Transcript
It is a great episode, probably best one so far from all the ones with no guests just Mike&Leah. The info about the red box in the GO was something new, even for an old salt like me.
I thought they introduced similar processes only after Snow White. But no, Mike in this podcast explains that they already had this sort of “no documentation left” process back in the 70s GO.
Which… makes me think they have not really improved that much and that a possible modern day FBI raid could bring the same fallout as Snow White did.
As an Italian Australian nothing but respect for you Mike and Leah. An avid fan from the Aftermath series and now I hang out waiting for the latest podcast episode. I hope that one day Scientology and the perpetrators that have caused unforgivable harm to mankind will pay for their evil. Thank you for your courage and tenacity.
Hubbards Terrorism policy (Fair Game) has also been responsible for cold blooded murder, which this podcast has yet to address. In a podcast interview up on YouTube, Bill Franks said a British politician was murdered by agents of the terrorist organization GO (now OSA), which he reported to the FBI subsequent his departure from scientology.
From Nibs testimony we also know LRH was actively seeking to acquire an atomic bomb, which he surely would have used to Clear the planet with.
Why not call a spade a spade? This is a terrorist organization with a policy of mandated terrorism against anyone opposing its ultimate goal of planetary domination. So call it one.
Nibs was off his rocker. Old man Hubbard was no saint and no angel, but don’t trust the nonsense Ron Jr. says. He’s as much of a liar as his dad was.
Scientologists and fair-gaming… what a bunch of assholes.
Hubbards Terrorism policy (Fair Game) has also been responsible for cold blooded murder, which this podcast has yet to address. According to Bill Franks, a British politician was murdered by agents of the terrorist organization OSA, which he reported to the FBI subsequent his departure from scientology. Franks disclosed this in a podcast interview which can be viewed on YouTube.
From Nibs testimony we also know LRH was actively seeking to acquire an atomic bomb, which he surely would have used to clear the planet of SP’s with.
Why not call a spade a spade? This is a terrorist organization with a policy of mandated terrorism against anyone opposing its ultimate goal of running the planet. So call it one.
Still learning how much more vile the church of scientology is than I thought.
Thanks for exposing the truth, Mike. It disgusts me more than ever that the IRS caved and gave this group 501c3 status. The further damage that allowed this group to commit cannot be measured.
It started with New Jersey granting the Church of American Science (late ’53) a nonprofit incorporation. There were also two other incorporations at or around the same time. They were run by the H.A.S., and it was apparently intended to be an American religion to use the ministerial angle to get around the laws against auditing. Those days it was associated with the medical profession of psychiatry, and landed at least one early member of Pasadena into jail. They tried handing out two different types of credentials as well to get around the law, pronouncing auditors as Doctors of Divinity or for an additional (relatively high) fee, a certificate as a Psychoanalyst. Dianetics and Scientology getting around the law runs deep in their roots.
I am becoming an ‘expert’ of sorts about the history of Dianetics and Scientology, as I am taking a page from Sun Tzu’s Art of War.
To me. it all comes down to that one statement that Sea Org Scientologists seem to believe. It is something like “Scientology and Hubbard are mankind’s only hope.” If that is the case, God help us all. But those people who attacked Mike Rinder in the parking lot were barking it out with hatred towards him. If anyone with a rational mind really looks at Scientology, it obvious that it does not work. My mind was completely blown a few months ago when it hit me that Hubbard was indeed a Fascist. In his heart he is fascist but he is spinning out of control trying to claim that Christians are the universal cause of suffering on planet earth. So mankind’s only hope is to kill all Christians, he believed. Hubbard was in reality following King Solomon and he admits that on his tape with Mary Sue. Hubbard’s main problem seems to have been that he totally accepted the reality of entities, demons, Targs and Body Thetans. He was not then able to see reality as it truly is.
What else is required to prove that the Church of Scientology is little more than a sophisticated Mafia-like Crime Syndicate ???
Scientology believes the 1st. Amendment is exclusively for the benefit of themselves, NOT anyone else. Should you exercise your 1st. Amendment Rights criticizing the Scientology Crime Syndicate, expect to be declared FAIR GAME and have Scientology’s KGB come after you. (Expect similar treatment in North Korea.)
As with everything else about the Church of Scientology, CRIME, CRIMINAL COVER-UP and HYPOCRISY is it’s stock in trade.
Great posts, Mike. Keep up exposing their criminal side(s) … because that’s the real story. Heaven forbid the Gangsta-CO$ ever gets their hands on the levers of power.
Re: Yager, Bloomberg and the witch Jenny Linson at the airport…God I forgot how awful they look in this video, never seen bags under the eyes like theirs…great advertisement for life in the Sea Org they are. And it is all so pointless. Miscavige loves ambushing squirrels and critics with these idiotic confrontations. They just make the Church look like a collection of nasty idiots…really unlikeable people. I wonder how long they had to “drill” for that confrontation. There are oodles of irony in that video. Telling you to get a life, but we happen to know that at that point in time, they left LAX and went home to the Hole – that was their “life”. I guess the fools really believe Miscavige when he says really stupid shit like how SO members after they leave only really want to get back in. It’s actually scary to see again how zombified the former “top management” of Scientology has become.
I’ve been listening to a variety of podcasts with guest interviews. My decades of TRs Comm Formula indoctrination made itself felt for the first couple years.
At first, it drove me nuts that the interviewer would ask a question, get a nice long answer, and then just ask the next question.
Not only would they not Acknowledge the guest, they often didn’t even comment! Express an opinion!
I got used to it, and then started to see how it really let the answer sink in and be stand alone. Acks or comments seemed to detract from the answer or muddy it.
So now, listening to Leah ack and half-ack…
Drives me nuts!
🙂
I.N.D.O.C.T.R.I.N.A.T.I.O.N. runs DEEP
Yeah especially, in my opinion, acks were facetious at best and dishonest at worst. Most of the time, especially if what one was saying was unpleasant, the acknowledgements just made it worse. “I understand” and “I duplicate you” then they go on to say something that shows they absolutely did NOT understand nor did they want to. Just another control mechanism to make people think their thoughts count when they absolutely do not. RB covers this phenomenon brilliantly in his/her comic series.
This comment was to be in reply to mad lib comment, not a stand alone off hand offering, it was germane to interview styles and our shared history.
…
Again, my first post on this whole podcast and blog post stands:
Magnum opus
I have to say I agree with Mad Lib’s comments. In Episode 3, I felt like Richard Behar could have said so much more but wasn’t really given the chance. He didn’t even speak until 6 minutes in (he joked about it being over already). Really do appreciate what you both are doing, but fewer interruptions would be nice.
From 1972 until 1988, I totally bought into all of Hubbard’s criminal activity. I knew what was going on but I ignored it and accepted it. After OT VIII in 1988, I totally rejected him but the damage was done and the cost was enormous, Dead friends and massive debt for nothing.
Now I look back and see that Hubbard was a stupid man with a total certainty of his conclusions and theories without proof. In other words a totally sick minded fascist person. In the end, he was trying to turn me into a fascist.
Mike and Leah, great work in exposing him for what he was.
When you really believe, KSW in the veins…
Anything goes.
“This is just one f*cking tiny planet of dead-in-the-head wogs! We’re not going to let their bullshit obliviousness stop planetary clearing, this planet or the next dozen!”
Orders of magnitude justifies a helluva lot.
Are you really for Hubbard or is this satire?
Describing my prior depth of delusional adherence.
Thanks. You do it soooo well.
If I were to propose the perfect blog post about the dangers of Scientology’s Fair Game policy, it would be today’s post by Mike Rinder.
If I personally were to try to write a perfect post about the dangers of Scientology’s Fair Game policy, I would simply quote from the legal documents shown here today:
“The crimes committed by these defendants is of a breadth and scope previously unheard of.
No individual or organization was free from their despicable conspiratorial minds.
The standards of human conduct embodied in such practices represent no less than the absolute perversion of any known ethical value system.
it defies the imagination that these defendants have the unmitigated audacity to seek to defend their actions in the name of “religion,
That these defendants now attempt to hide behind the sacred principles of freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right to privacy — which principles they repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to violate with impunity — adds insult to the injuries which they have inflicted on every element of society.
These documents clearly demonstrate that these defendants who now complain about unfounded violations of their Fourth Amendment rights and their right to privacy, were prepared to trample upon those rights anytime it suited their purpose.”
‘Nuff said.
Some people need to be exposed.
Aren’t the cult attorneys part of the cult conspiracy? They benefit from their participation and they actively go out and (like that hairball Yingling) participate in the fair gaming? How is it that they are protected from being prosecuted for being part of the whole criminal business run by the cult?
Un-fucking-believable … BUT … as I am sure all of you know, the computation behind all of this is very simple : As the agonized future of every man, woman and child on Earth is at stake, along with salvaging this sector of the universe , ANYTHING IS PERMISSABLE TOWARDS THAT END and no crime is prohibited in the act of protecting Scientology against those who are perceived to hinder the above purpose.
In light of this, how completely ironic and laughable and full of total bullshit is LRH’s so-called “First Policy” to maintain friendly relations with the environment.
question for Mike: It’s very clear that their harassment campaigns against you have the opposite effect, so they’re making it worse for themselves as you continue to expose them on TV, now the podcast.
Do they still fair game you, meaning in the past few months, or have they decided it’s not worthwhile any longer? It’s mind-boggling they could be so stupid, but I know it is their ‘gospel.’
They continue. Just check out the STAND League.
They cannot help themselves. they have to do what Hubbard says. And keep doing it until it works. Because the only reasons it hasn’t worked so far are:
1. They didn’t follow his instructions perfectly
2. They have not persisted long enough
That is how things work in scientology.
Magnum Opus.
Leah, I love you so much but please for the love of God STOP INTERRUPTING MIKE! It was maddening to hear him get cut off literally probably every 10 words. Other than that, Love the content Mike and Leah!
I’m afraid to say anything at all on this subject. I wasn’t planning on doing that. The podcasts are really and truly so excellent after all. But I must admit that it is so weird to hear Leah saying, “Right” every ten seconds and I must tell the truth. It really gets on my nerves after a bit and makes the podcasts difficult to sit still and listen.
I’m really sorry to say anything negative and I’m scared that people will jump down my throat for having said this. But I’ve seen other people make this same comment in other places and I feel it would just be cowardly for me to let Mad Lib stand out in the cold all alone. I’m really sorry. But I just have to tell the truth about this and if this means I won’t be able to post here anymore, it will truly break my heart. But I just have to be honest about this. I’m having a lot of difficulty listening to these podcasts all the way through because of this.
I’m sorry. I truly love Leah and I have mad respect for her. She has done more by herself to advance the cause of stopping this criminal than anyone else. She is a great hereo.
.. to let Mad Lib stand out in the cold alone
Poor Mad Lib (sob, sob). I’m not “jumping down your throat for having said this”, but it appears to me a bit odd HOW you present that you say what you want to say.
.. if this means I won’t be able to post here anymore..
Come on — as if Mike or Leah couldn’t take any criticism or input. They have experienced much worse.
That said, don’t forget that Leah was not only decades in Scientology but already as a child subjected to the Scientology way of talking with the TRs and the acknowledgements.
Btw., some while ago I emailed another Ex also because of the IMO (too) strong acknowledgments in Scn-style in his (great) videos. It didn’t even bother me, but I was sure he wasn’t aware of it and just wanted to point it out in case he cared to know.
You are not alone in your view of the unnecessary interruptions. As a podcast fanatic, I listen faithfully to multiple podcast each & every week. I think Leah is relatively new to this type of format and might not understand how to best use her talents to best serve her audience. Plus, they are only 5 EPISODES into this endeavor so it will get better each week. They have partnered with one of the best content producers in the podcasting industry so these kinks will get ironed out.
Don’t ever worry about giving someone constructive criticism. There is a difference in constructive criticism and being a jerk. You see a lot of the ‘jerks’ on the net and on some of these forums. There are many of what I call Fanboys/Fangirls of certain people and if one says anything criticizing one of those people they go off the deep end. Ignore them. Mike and especially Leah can handle a little constructive criticism. Mike has took shite from the king of asshats so don’t worry about him. Have you ever read the texts that Miscavige sent to Mike continually during the BBC fiasco (right before Mike escaped)? He’s published them somewhere here on the blog. That’s verbal abuse and being a jerk.
It’s hard to deprogram a lifetime of the ‘Tech’. When you have spoken basically a different language than everyone else since you were a child it’s hard to unlearn it. Even for people who were in for a few years it’s hard to unlearn. There have been a few people talking about what Leah is doing which is something called ‘acknowledging’ or ‘acks’. It’s where when someone makes a statement you ‘acknowledge’ them. Every single time. It’s part of the TR’s which is the very first thing you learn in Sci Inc. It is disguised as a ‘communication course’ but it’s really the first steps of indoctrination. If you haven’t read the TR info go here https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Secrets/TR/critique.html he has a real good two page explanation of the TR’s and what they do to the person involved.
I don’t think you need to worry about anyone telling you that you can’t post here. Several people here post and do not care what others think myself included. We can’t all think the same way then we would be back in Sci Inc.
There are some other sites where it seems like people want to argue with you no matter what…even when you are agreeing with them. I have just learned to ignore them. I rarely reply to anyone unless I have something productive to say. Replying to defend yourself or argue just wastes time and energy and in the end means jack squat. Mike is the only person who can ban anyone and he’s only ever reserved that for some very grievous offenses (re Foolproof). I for one am glad to have your input around, the more people that have creative and productive discussions can help spread the word about the abuses of Sci Inc.
At the end of the first podcast in this series Mike and Leah agreed that they “must get better at this”. I can hear Leah’s enthusiasm but please take note of what the listeners say.
Andy.
I agree. Leah gets so excited that she often cuts people off and does not let them finish their thought.
This really got my attention. Like Leah, I am excitable and highly verbal. My husband takes more time to put together his thoughts and speak them, and it’s taken years for me to discipline myself to Let. Him. Speak. Since I agree that too many interruptions distract from the podcast, I hope Leah can take this well meant criticism and put it to good use.
Hey, she’s Italian and Jewish from Brooklyn fercryinoutloud!
As they say in Noo Yawk, “You gotta open a mouth!”
I thought the same thing. It gets annoying fast.
I would love to know why it is that the psychopath killer Charles Manson was sent to the pen for life when he allegedly whispered some instructions in the ear(s) of one or more of his slaves whereas Tubbard just got off scott free and his wife went to the pen.
Seems to me the circumstances in both cases are not so different such that one of these psychos deserved “life in the pen” while the other one deserved, “life on the run”. I would have liked both of them to have been sent away for a very long time. Surely they both deserved that. Didn’t they?
Would anyone know? Or would anyone have a reasonable opinion? I find this to be quite a puzzle.
Well, I am off to listen to the podcast now. Keep up the excellent work Mike (and Leah).
Leah? Why is it that you never seem to come by and say Hello to us here? I’m certain that I am not the only one here who would love to hear from you. Please come by and shine some of your Brooklyn light our way?
This question was mostly answered by Mike in this most recent podcast. So, thank you and may I say, “Great Anticipation!”
The most informative well written blog that I will use now and going into the future. Whew !
Kudos and high fives Mike Rinder!
That Michael Weisner story reads like a thriller.
I am hoping Hollywood comes knocking to make a movie !
Nauseating that the cult scream “religion” while they actually coach, bribe and encourage bearing “FALSE WITNESS”
The cult and scientologists have, over the years, been involved in a staggering array of crimes most unbecoming to members of a church. This is a runaway criminal organization masquerading under religious cloaking.
It is a fact that scientologists, particularly members of the Guardian Office, (now OSA) ., are trained to lie. In a policy called Intelligence Specialist Training Routine — TR-L (which stands for Training Routine Lie), the student is trained “to outflow false data effectively.”
In the drill, the student has to tell a lie, which is then challenged by a coach, who works with the student until the student becomes able to “lie facily.”
The ability to lie convincingly is used by the scientologist in a variety of situations, including the giving of courtroom testimony. A scientologist feels no obligation to be truthful in a “wog” court, even under oath. Again, this is because the Scientologist is operating under a higher law, that of the “greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics.”
Another Scientology policy contains a series of Drills used to train guardian office agents. The student has to choose the best of several alternative solutions:
A. General scene: person to restrain/remove Mr. Jones, employee in local government agency attacking the Org.
1.Order hundreds of dollars worth of liquor in Jones’ name and have it delivered to his home to cause him trouble and make the liquor store owner dislike him.
2.Call up Jones’ boss and accuse Jones of being a homosexual.
3.Send Jones’ boss evidence of Jones accepting bribes on his job, with copies to police and local FBI.
B. General scene: a psychiatrist who has instigated attacks on the Org via police and press.
1.Expose his Nazi background to the press with evidence that he still attends local Nazi meetings.
2.Wake him up every night by calling him on the phone and threatening him.
3.Send a Field Staff Member in to be a patient of his for a year to disperse the psych during sessions.
C. General scene: a newspaper executive Clyde McDonald who’s behind local attacks.
1.Poison him while he’s asleep so he’ll never start another attack.
2.Make known to the paper’s owner that McDonald is responsible for the paper’s decreasing advertising revenues.
3.Spread a rumor around to the paper’s employees that McDonald is a Communist.
4.Put itching powder in McDonald’s clothes so he’ll scratch himself all day, thus preventing him from writing a story.
The above is actual cult policy. (excerpted from a guardian office directive.)