Valerie Ross has a remarkable history in scientology, certainly worthy of a book I hope she writes.
This episode focuses on her time in the Guardian’s Office, learning what Hubbard wrote about espionage, and then putting this into practice as a spy employed in the Los Angeles office of the FBI. We also talk about her interactions with Hubbard, Mary Sue and Diana.
You can listen to the episode at my Buzzsprout site or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tony Ortega has published a series of articles authored by Val at his substack. I list them below.
Val has her own substack where these articles and other material can also be found. One note in particular is the unedited (and considerably longer) version of A Spy Is Born that is on Val’s substack.
The articles in chronological order on Tony’s substack:
Thank you for this podcast, Mike!
I’ve also read every everything posted by Val on the Underground Bunker with great interest. It answered so many questions for me.
Val was nursing a newborn when I first met her in Bellevue. I remember the big house they lived in. We took a long drive together once with Val and her husband Mark in the front seat and I was in the back with her brother-in-law Darryl (who was covertly trying to feel me up under a blanket). My brother was there as well, so I would have been 14 years old at the time. I had photos of us on this trip, taking a ferry boat ride with the Seattle Space Needle in the background.
Val was always so kind and smiling whenever I saw her. To read the backstory was heartbreaking.
Those Meriwether brothers were a real piece of work! Darryl once told me that he had taken so much heroin for so long that his arms could not straighten out, so he carried around two 5-gallon paint buckets to force them straight.
Darryl became my abuser (sexually) while Mark was Val’s (physically). If that wasn’t bad enough, we were both in an abusive cult for decades.
I’m so glad we both have since found freedom and happiness!
Wow Aimee I had no idea of the connection!!!
Amy, I just read this. I’ve asked Mike to put you in contact with me if you want to talk to me. I knew who your abuser was when the Aftermath show aired, that was when the penny dropped for me, until then I had no clue. What a horrific tie the two of us have, so glad we’ve both moved on,
Yes! I’d love that. Sent you my number!
Ohh, I am happy to read this soon
Very interesting. I love the way she writes.
I hope she decides to write a book about it.
Very interesting and informative episode Mike. I looked at Tony’s blog and read Vals story. There was so much that was shocking to me about it.
Thanks for reading what I’ve written. Scientology is always worse than you think.
I’ve read many of her articles. She writes like a master of fiction – but her revelations are true spy stuff. Like Pringles, like a ‘page turner’ book, I can’t read just one. Well, not true – sometimes the horror show that is Scientology makes it hard to keep reading about it. But I feel her words are the true version, unlike the words demanded by Miscavige, the “short” version of truthiness that leaves out anything critical of “The Most Ethical Group on the Pay-net.”
My words are true and it took a long time for them to come out because the brainwashing ran so deep. Once I started talking it became impossible to stop, though some installments were harder than others to write. It is not easy to tell the world that you were duped, or that you willingly committed atrocities against others. But even harder was admitting that I allowed someone to destroy my spirit for so many years.
My voice is only one. I now realize just how important it is for people to explain what happened to them while they were in. The tides need to turn.
Is Mark still upright ?
He’s alive. I haven’t seen him since 1998. My son sees him occasionally. He’s homebound, had a dozen stents, three strokes and is on oxygen 24/7, can’t walk across the room. I am not responsible for any of his health conditions so am perfectly happy with not caring if he stays alive or not, but do not feel bad that he is miserable while he is alive. I would not tell my son that. The man is still his father.
It would appear Scientology did him no favours. Not surprising.
Val, why is your ex in such bad physical shape? Is it from drinking too much? Or a stroke that did damage or something? Or do you think it is his karma?
Probably a combination of all. I haven’t seen him since my son turned 18, he will be 44 this year so I can’t surmise how he has lived his life or what has happened. His entire family was out of Scientology by the time his mom died in 1998, so it can’t be blamed on Scientology.
My guess, and this is purely speculation, is a combination of hard living and karma.
I read Val’s stories on Tony’s blog as they came out. Fascinating read because she has indeed a very unique style. Thanks for the talk with her on buzzsprout!
A preliminary book cover was created by Mark Perry-Maddocks:
“https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d064aca975804e239ae421bf6d53d61c117f6d85aa0dd64cbd81796305394509.jpg”
If you get a chance, read A Spy is Born on my substack. It gives a lot more depth to the spy training and to Paul, who keeps popping up in my story.