Journalist Peter Reichelt has been searching for former CO OSA International, Kurt Weiland, for some time. Peter provided us with a first look at his latest reporting on the subject, which he kindly translated into for us. His persistence finally paid off:
Kurt Weiland, missing since 2007, found alive after 16 years — a story by the German journalist Peter Reichelt, in collaboration with ANA (Austrian News Agency)
Part 1:
Tony Ortega published the cover story on July 11, 2023:
Our investigative team from Germany and Austria, led by German journalist Peter Reichelt, tried during the last 9 months everything to find out, if Kurt Weiland is still alive and if so, where the former Scientology intelligence executive director is living and how he is doing.
Peter Reichelt shares a long history with Kurt Weiland.
In the summer of 1997, Reichelt published THE one and only “scientology”-biography to date of the well-known artist and top scientologist and OSA intelligence agent for now 50 years, the Austrian Gottfried Helnwein and… one he is one of the best longtime friends of Kurt Weiland, also Austrian.
Reichelt revealed Helnwein’s decades-long collaboration with the scientology-organization and its secret service OSA.
Between 1997 and 2000, Reichelt produced three documentaries for the German TV station ARD on Gottfried Helnwein’s scientology-activities, exposing his lies and his false affidavits.
In February 2000, Reichelt and his German television crew were violently attacked with a hammer outside Helnwein’s villa, on Helnwein’s behalf, simply because the journalists wanted to interview the famous artist Gottfried Helnwein regarding his scientology intelligence activities. Kurt Weiland and Mike Rinder were informed by Helnwein immediately after the attack of his Scientology employee on Reichelt and his TV team, the legendary Mark Bunker from Clearwater and now elected city councilman of the city, was then the cameraman for the TV-team, who was hit by the hammer-man on behalf of Helnwein. He sent out one of his scientology-workers out of his house to attack the TV-crew. The name of the Scientologist was Richard Bernard.
Mike Rinder was at Helnwein’s beach villa in Clearwater just a few hours later to discuss the situation, the big Helnwein “flap.”
FOX 13 – Helnwein’s hammer attack on TV:
In June 1997, Helnwein sued the author Peter Reichelt before the Berlin Civil Court (Landgericht) to prevent Reichelt’s book “Helnwein and Scientology – an organisation and its secret service” from being published by means of a temporary injunction.
The celebrity scientologist Helnwein, who is until today very important for the organization, ordered his long time scientology friend Kurt Weiland, since their early scientology years together in Munich in the 1970s, to give him an (as so often a false) affidavit in order to win the court case in Berlin against Reichelt to prevent Reichelts very dangerous book for Helnwein and OSA.
Weiland tried to help his longtime OSA agent friend Helnwein to prevent the publishing of the Peter Reichelt book by all means:
The judges in Berlin went through this action and gave Helnwein to understand that he has no chance to prevent the Reichelt book, because the entire content corresponds to the truth and Reichelt has all the evidence that he is an OSA-agent and a very important scientology-celebrity, until today, since 1972.
Helnwein then withdrew his lawsuit against Reichelt in July 1997.
Since then, the revelation book that Helnwein is THE celebrity scientologist and scientology secret agent has been available on the book market from Reichelt, until today.
Here is the Reichelt book from July 1997:
The English edition of the book.
On November 17, 1998, Reichelt contacted Kurt Weiland by email at OSA headquarters. Reichelt asked for an interview with him personally for German television about the vanished Wiebke Hansen. At that time, Reichelt was working on his tv documentary “Wiebke Hansen – disappeared in the RPF ‘Happy Valley’.”
Reichelt asked Weiland very uncomfortable questions about scientology’s penal camps, called RPF, and many mysterious deaths of German and Austrian scientologists during their stay for “study purposes” in Flag, Clearwater during the 90ies and also he asked: where is Wiebke Hansen?
On November 24, 1998, Reichelt received a detailed response from the office of special affairs international and its director Kurt Weiland. Weiland showered Reichelt with an avalanche of false insinuations and accusations in his multi-page letter.
Finally a TV interview never materialized. The documentary was aired first time in February 1999 on German TV.
Here is the YouTube link of the documentary:
The only “action against our parishioners in Germany” was that Reichelt published his book one year earlier about the the OSA agent Helnwein… and best friend of Weiland.
Part 2:
It is the year 2023. 25 years have passed since then.
Reichelt, curious as he is, got hold of Mike Rinder’s new biography. In his book, Mike describes in great detail his time of suffering in the penal camp at the scientology world headquarters in San Jacinto, California, called Gold. Miscavige gave it the name, “The Hole.” For almost a decade, he made all of his subordinates suffer there. His private prison for his decades-long best employees, who always and 100 percent remained loyal to him until they were sent to prison and so on.
This was also the fate of one of his most important employees, the intelligence chief of his organization, Kurt Weiland, as Mike Rinder so vividly and eloquently describes…Rinder describes the terrible maltreatment that Weiland suffered on the orders of Miscavige so impressively.
Reichelt recalled his famous 1997 TV – documentary about the German Scientologist Wiebke Hansen, who had disappeared since 1995…later found by Reichelt at the scientology prison camp, the so-called “Happy Valley” near the Scientology world headquarter Gold in Gilman Hot Springs.
Now in January 2023, he learns from Mike Rinder, Kurt Weiland has been in the Miscavige private penal camp since spring 2007 and not seen in public anymore. Mike told Peter that somebody should look for Kurt Weiland.
Reichelt and his investigative team are now on the lookout for signs of life from Weiland and they began in April 2023 their research. The team contacted first his relatives who are still in Scientology, his first wife Janet Sue Weiland, born 1944, his son Cary Ross Weiland, born 1982, his second wife Liana Arlene Klingle Weiland, born 1958, Kurt himself was born in Graz/Austria in 1955. Until today no reaction in any way.
At the same time, they asked, several times for months, the top management of scientology, where Kurt Weiland is and whether he was still alive. They contacted in Los Angeles David Miscavige, Kendrick Moxon, chief-lawyer of the Office of Special Affairs OSA and Scientology INT and Linda Hamel (born 1947), Commanding Officer OSA INT.
No answers also until today with one exception.
Peter Reichelt: “Apart from a short answer from Moxon, who asked who we were, nothing here either, just icy silence.”
Next attempt. We now contacted all of his known relatives in Austria, all from Graz, where Kurt was born, that we had researched.
But neither his sister Eva Weiland, nor four other close relatives have come forward. Dead silence.
Also no reaction of the Riverside and Hemet Sheriff offices on our missing person report…
Reichelt also contacted Weiland in April 2023 via his email address. This address is valid to reach Kurt Weiland for more than a decade until today.
Also NO answer by him.
Now we had reached a dead end with our research at the beginning of September 2023.
Then, fortunately for us, suddenly a happy coincidence came into play. The great journalist Tony Ortega published an article on our research and search for the missing Kurt Weiland on July 4, 2023.
Thanks to the article, we received some very interesting documents.
At the beginning of September, we contacted Mitch Brisker, who only left the scientology organization in 2020. He was one of the most important employees of Miscavige, responsible for scientology film productions in Gold and founder of the scientology network in 2018. He was very familiar with the conditions at Gold and… he knew Kurt Weiland well for decades. He was his good friend until 2019/2020 when he left the organization.
He told us his story, what he experienced with Weiland.
Mitch Brisker in September 2023 to Peter Reichelt:
“The last time I saw Kurt was sometime between 2018 and 2019, when Miscavige let him out of “The Hole.” He had been assigned to doing heavy labor on the sets crew, building and tearing down sets for film-video projects. When the prisoners were let out of “The Hole” 2018, some were reassigned to work in the Gold sets department, others were re-assigned to what is known as the “Analog Project” doing mind-numbing work scanning documents and digitizing audio-video elements. After that Kurt came to the “Analog” department. His jobs in Gold changed frequently, sets, analog, sets…
“Miscavige likes people to put into the sets department. Why? Because there is no RPF at Gold. He had “The Hole“ for a while, but this was just too problematic for Miscavige. I do not know when Miscavige exactly closed “The Hole.” There was a point after Miscavige left the base in early 2014 and did not come back. He moved to Clearwater. Somebody said to me that Miscavige was worried about a FBI raid because of “The Hole”, but I doubt that. Miscavige told me, he was leaving, because so many people there fucked him over. It is really ironic. And I think the two “The Hole” containers had been closed around 2015. They bulldozed it over and landscaped the area. Amazing thing is, what I found out, that everybody at Gold knew about “The Hole”. It was no secret. Security guards, Gold staff, everybody knew about. Believe it or not, I did know nothing about it. I was shocked and during my last days in 2020 up there, when I found out what really happened there and I left.
“So if Miscavige wants to bust somebody he just put him into the sets department at Gold. For the following reason: the sets department can always use more help, painting, carrying sets around.
“It is like a punishment and it is also that Gold is a film studio. They need always help. It is like a RPF light, “the Gold RPF Light”, it is a “nicer” RPF.
“I saw Kurt painting sets, like Wiebke Hansen did. When Kurt came from “The Hole”, Kurt, like so many others from “The Hole“, was sent into the sets department, painting sets. All these poor people are in a place, where they are completely disgraced.
“Kurt never talked with me about his time in “The Hole” or his OSA activities. Kurt will not talk about it, until he left. I am sure he is still there at GOLD working in sets or there is a thing up there, Miscavige called it the “Analog Project”. And a lot of the the prisoners of “The Hole“ had been putting on that project to take analog material like documents, video tapes, audio tapes, and they converted it into digital forms, that means digitalizing, scanning internal documents, all Hubbard written things.
“It is such a dull thing. It is the worst job in the world, 12h a day just digitalize, for months and for years what Kurt has to do, with no daylight.
“I knew Kurt well. When he was C/O OSA INT, I flew with him around 1992 to D.C. to film David Miscavige for a tax reform video that was part of the IRS “war”. I always liked Kurt. We got along well. I knew him to be a bright and friendly executive. Exactly the kind of person Miscavige loves to destroy. As far as I know, Kurt never went back to OSA. I believe he stayed on the Gold base. I saw him working in the Gold sets department. Keep in mind. I was working in LA with Miscavige at ASI and then at SMP from 2014, returning to Gold in 2017. During those years, I attended a number of meetings with top new OSA staff and Kurt was never there. But the possibility exists that he was sent back to OSA in a lowly job.”
Part 3:
Reichelt: “Shortly after my conversations with Mitch, a very exciting message reached us a few days ago. It is an email from Kurt Weiland to a friend within the scientology organization. It was probably written at the end of 2019/2020. In it, Kurt describes how he is doing and what he is doing for scientology. He has also attached a recent photo of him.
Here is part of the Kurt Weiland letter, written via Email out of Gold:
Kurt Weiland: “…I myself am since a few years very busy with projects that lead to the release of tech (pure LRH). As you probably have heard, one of our main efforts is to make all LRH tech available in verified original form = KSW #1. This is easier said than done, because the volume of all LRH books, lectures, movies and articles is immense, and everything has to be error free, translated into the major languages of the world, etc. Finally, all these original versions must be perpetuated for all future, which in practice means they will be archived in an indestructible way. As a result, I don’t travel much anymore-which I don’t mind, because for 40 years I have been constantly commuting between cities, continents and all kinds of places.
“My wife is still busy with the external affairs; she is responsible for the legal safeguards of the orgs and the other Scn sectors. She is also doing very well. With our level of employment, we have no time for problems…”
We showed Mitch this excerpt from Weiland’s letter, and Mitch commented as follows:
“KSW #1 is the first point of the policy letter “Keeping Scientology Working.” It’s a fundamental Policy which lays out the 10 points of KSW. In it Hubbard famously says, “We’d rather have you dead than incapable.” KSW #1 is, “Having the correct technology.“
“Based on this letter I can say that Kurt is fine and is totally brainwashed and will never escape.
“For all I know he’s back at OSA.”
There is nothing more to add to the statement of Mitch.
Peter Reichelt
A bonus photo of Kurt as CO OSA Int from a scientology publication:
A second thought: In that most recent photo of Weiland he’s wearing a rather bulky wristwatch. Now I realized what it reminds me of: an electronic ankle bracelet.
Could be easily programmed to sound off an immediate alarm should it’s wearer leave the holy grounds of Golden Era.
Well, I guess we’ll know when we get new photos with others wearing the same kind of watch.
Sad to read this story about Kurt Weiland. I had hoped he would escape – but then perhaps he will still do so, who knows. And as Bodil said “It’s not good but it could be worse.”
A couple of things to add if someone is interested:
1. His current wife Liane used to be married to Gary Klingler not Klingle). Klingler was in GO US then did something that got him Oscar’d (never to be posted as an Executive ever again) – perhaps even based on a direct LRH order. He then routed out, got divorced from Liane and remarried to live happily ever after.
2. Helnwein. Danny Masterson and Bijou got married at Helnwein’s castle in Ireland.
3. The photo in the article shows (from left to right):
Myles Mellor
( )
Kurt Weiland
Heber Jentzsch
( )
Jacqueline Kevenaar/Verweij
Klaus Buchele
Karin Pouw
( )
Mellor is now a crossword puzzle creator.
Kevenaar/Verweij is now a website designer.
Buchele works for an insurance company, I believe.
AnEx
these poor souls in there have good intentions. if they believe in past lives and future lives that weighs in their favor. but the ones facing a nasty future are the ones with the evil intentions to suppress destroy and control others with this kind of force and rage. we all know who that is. his future is assured! i never knew Mr Weiland but i knew others like him. they have my sympathy 🥹🙏
The church of scienbollocks, “terminatedly” breaking bodies, hearts, minds, spirits, families, and bank accounts for decades.
The Bridge To Total Ruin.
It’s so heartbreaking.
Like Bodil, I have a sister in the Sea Org. She has been in for 50 years now, and at Gold the past decades. Mike knows her. She was in the Hole 2004 until ? – she was still there when Ron Miscavige blew, as I recall being told.
A few years ago she told me that she was digitizing old videos – and now I see this was part of the Analog project. At the time it seemed like the kind of low tech work that a high school intern could do, and I now see it was exactly as I thought, make-work for aging scientologists. I am so sad for her. I assume she is still doing it though she disconnected from me a couple of years ago.
Hey OSA! Thanks for tracking down my anonymous posts on Mike’s and Tony’s blog and making my sister disconnect from me. You are so good at tearing apart families and destroying people’s lives. When will you learn that it just makes people enemies of your cult?
First of all I am glad Mike Rinder posted this blog drawing attention to missing Kurt Weiland.
Here’s a little anecdote ~~
Jim Jackson (Lawyer and CPA) enlightened me on a new definition of SP.
Laughter.
BORDERLINE SP.
How curious. You would think an SP is an SP per cult definitions, not an ALMOST SP
You are either pregnant, or you are not. You cannot be Borderline pregnant or ALMOST pregnant.
Notwithstanding that OSA INT personnel would hit on me for donations repeatedly and I would give and give …..I got enlightened by a sentence Kurt Weiland made.
Kurt was CO OSA INT for a year or 2 in the 1990s then went up lines He was having some private communication with Jim Jackson one day and obviously had an intention to create a wedge between my lifelong friend Jim and myself
Karen de la Carriere is *Borderline SP* Kurt said. A few months later, after secretly telling Jim Jackson that I was “Borderline SP” Kurt needed some money. He had major dental work.
He called me to sell me L Ron Hubbard collectibles.
oooooooh.
I was so *TEMPTED* to ask him if he wanted money $$$ from a *Borderline SP*
The temptation hovered as we spoke.
BUT
I decided to take the moral high road.
I did not mention that I knew what he said.
I told him I had been regged heavily by ASI for these Battlefield earth prints and gently made some other excuses.
Sadly Kurt has been SP holed for years by tyrant Scientology Dictator David Miscavige who he implicitly obeys
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/0d039279f60d0406c63c3a4eb205107db92786155d24b1a03563cbad0ddc5652.jpg
Great info thanks Karen.
I wish there were more time to listen to all interviews done with Mitch detailing all the “latest” info Mitch observed.
Even when a person does a book, there will be so much more info they’ve said only in this or that interview, and it’s a full time job listening to all the interviews important recent ex’s are giving.
—————————
The “KSW #1” “analog” project to me is really something that ought be compared to other “subjects” in human history.
All major subjects will have detailed research and laying out the “originals” of that subject’s key people.
Universities of the highest order then collect the “originals” and most important archives of subject authors.
This “KSW #1” analog project really is just the same type of thing. It’s really a continuation of the CST/Archives “originals” projects, the “SIR” Project that Gail Poval did at Int Base for RTC for a couple of years.
Transcribing perfectly, zero errors, zero typos, zero transcription errors, of all things from LRH spoken or written or taped and transcribed, the review of that really is a multi year project.
I wish more details be given someday on the latest years of this “KSW # 1/analog” project or projects.
Scientology is all quackery pseudo-therapy and exorcism to me today, but for posterity, to get ALL of LRH’s output into sequencial order, in “originals” format plus in digital easily readable and transcribed format, in one long sequencial output, is a researcher’s dream to have.
That is factually Keeping Scientology Working point Number 1, “Having the correct technology.” Meaning just having what LRH output, in readable exact form to even absorb what it was this person L. Ron Hubbard was saying or writing.
Not that this subject is valid, it’s not to me, it’s all quackery to me, but it is laudable to do this KSW #1 Project.
Chuck Beatty
old dupe Sea Org course sup who took all Hubbard’s nonsense seriously at one time, it’s crap to me now.
On one hand, I can have no sympathy for these hapless drones who basically brought their misery on themselves, and have made no effort to remedy their situation. On the other hand, it’s likely that many, if not most are suffering from some degree or variation of Stockholm Syndrome. If you read about the Patty Hearst kidnapping, I think you will see a lot of parallels in her transformation and those at Gold.
I watched a video from 1982 where an ex member age 18 or so spoke out for hours about all the heinous activities going on when he was in at the Fort Harrison Hotel. Toward the end of the video he mentions the name of his roommate, who happened to stay IN another decade. Why did one see all the abuse and crimes being committed and one didn’t? Boggles the mind. Interesting footnote though. I was born and raised in the bay area and the Patty Hearst kidnapping was, of course, a huge deal in that era. It was only a few months ago that I came to find out it was a well known (ex-cop) psychic, OT at the time, that was the one behind her kidnappers being caught. He met with a classic (for this cult) “untimely demise” a few years later in Las Vegas.
Seems that contacting the Austrian Consulate and coordinating with the State Department might yield an in-person welfare check.
Kurt was my supervisor on a tax project we did when we were both in the GO in Denmark. He was a really nice man and so was Janet, his then wife. I considered them friends. Later on I met him at an event in LA when we had both moved there, and I teasingly said to him that he was a big shot now. He responded: “I’m just working the best I can.”
It was heart-breaking for me to read about him in the Hole. He was sitting by the air conditioner, his body almost blue and shivering from being cold. Other prisoners were pouring cold water on him while mocking him. If anyone didn’t deserve that, it would be Kurt.
I have two sisters in the Sea Org that I have not had physical contact with since 2009. People always respond when hearing it: how sad! For who? I have sisters (by other mothers), I’m alright. They have endured hardships and injustices that they have excused (I call it by brain gymnastics) because of the bigger cause they believe they are contributing to. Like Kurt, they seem to be fine. It’s not good but it could be worse.