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WISE
Hit for the key spots by whatever means, the head of the women's club, the personnel director of a company, the leader of a good orchestra, the president's secretary, the advisor of the trade union - any key spot L. Ron Hubbard[1] Behind the polished facade of today's business world lies hidden a cutthroat world of avarice, dishonesty and confusion.
This sentence introduces WISE, the Commerce Department of the Scientology Church, in one of its glossy brochures.
Did I say Commerce Department? WISE stands for "World Institute of Scientology Enterprises."
[WISE is] an organization, consisting of members which have the objective of extensively spreading the administrative technology of L. Ron Hubbard, as well as maintaining a high standard of ethics and integrity among business people, in which the ethical principles, codes and fundamentals of the Scientology religion will eventually be introduced into all of society.
When we look at the organizational chart of Scientology, then we find that the Watchdog Committee is designated as the highest church administrative authority, and that WISE is situated equally to the Scientology churches, among others.
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By its own description of itself, WISE is an integral component of Scientology, and just as important as the "churches" and "missions." WISE members who do not follow the instructions from WISE can actually be excommunicated from the Scientology Church.
In this way the Scientologist, whether he wants it or not, comes into a fatal dependency: "When you do not follow the instructions of WISE in your company, then you are risking your eternity, because we can shut you out of the Church." Or, as the former Chief of WISE International, the ruling German in Los Angeles, Sabine Peschken, said to me personally a few years ago, "Your future is at stake!"
How Did WISE come about?
To my knowledge, WISE is not an original idea of L. Ron Hubbard. In a letter of February 1, 1979, Hubbard wrote to the apparently newly-founded corporation:
I am extremely pleased about the goals and intentions of WISE
I have provided management counseling services for many Scientologists with companies or careers. They asked me to advise them using the unadulterated application of my administration technology, so that they could increase their success rate.
These clients, Scientologists, are all potential WISE members.
At the time it had to do with bringing about a internal starting point outside of the "church," so that they could use the Hubbard writings for their company and obtain business consultation.
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Then it was apparently quickly realized that by a "secularization" of the "religious" Hubbard writings, an as yet completely untouched source of financial potential could be tapped: commerce as a whole.
The WISE Policy Letter No. 1 of 1986 explains one of the goals of WISE: "TO BRING THE ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNOLOGY OF L. RON HUBBARD INTO EVERY BUSINESS IN THE WORLD." In its inception WISE was not at all concerned with the spread of Hubbard's intellectual property into the general economy. It was much more concerned only with Scientologists as potential customers.
Types of Membership
In the course of the years there have been several types of membership. Until about 1990, fees based on targeted income were charged directly by WISE for the permission to use certain documents of Hubbard's in the commercial consultant business. Then these systems would be, as told by a WISE member over the phone, converted for tax purposes. How the system functions today is discussed in this chapter. Anybody can get simple membership in WISE, even non-Scientologists[2]. That is also good for WISE, because a simple membership brings in $300 a year.
A company membership costs $1,500 per year. Company membership must be a association of consultants that sells Hubbard-based know-how to businesses for remuneration.
There are even higher memberships, for example the "Membership in the Board of Management." This costs $36,000 per year and is "suitable for those who work to strategically introduce the administrative technology of L. Ron Hubbard into the top companies of their country, unions, communities, areas and governments."
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One such wording makes it clear that the official Scientology intention is to push Scientology to even the topmost governmental positions.
If this does not succeed under the flag of religion, then it will be pursued on the commercial stage.
Business Consultation or "Religious" Mission?
Whoever attains company or business membership must sign yet another licensing agreement if he wants to be active as a business consultant[3], so that he will be permitted to sell the Hubbard know-how for remuneration.
Whoever is a WISE member and would like to choose the profession of business consultant on the basis of the WISE product palette, or would like to convert his existing company, is - and here I contradict other publications because of my own knowledge - not yet, per se, a wholesale religious missionary. Many consultants only want to make a living, to be of service to their customers through respectable consultation. This is also definitely possible, because, properly transformed, elements of Hubbard's views can very likely have a positive outcome. I know of various business consultants that are not at all on a "large conversion campaign through the back door," as has often been asserted by the media.
Today, however, this fact also contradicts another fact: From the preamble of the 1991 contract for business membership:
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WISE is a non-profit, religious membership organization, which was founded for the purpose of connecting all companies, all independent professionals and organizations of whichever type, which use the technology of L. Ron Hubbard for administration, business and purposes of improvement, in order to expand and promote the religious teachings of L. Ron Hubbard in society.
This contract is quite clear about the dissemination of "religious writings." Which of the current WISE business consultants states in his advertisement that he is selling religious know-how?[4] How does Scientology utilize something which they expressly describe as "religious scriptures" in the business world without using this declaration? Are these writing religious, or are they not? Or are they only religious as long as it is necessary for legal or PR tactical reasons, and would they become irreligious the instant that Scientology would like to see them as marketing tactics?
There have been many warnings that the consultation companies associated with WISE would infiltrate businesses, WISE members who work as software specialists would only want to pinpoint address lists and data of that sort. To that I can take no firm stance. Although I am acquainted with a lot of consultants, I have never heard of anything like that happening.
On the other hand, I know the power that WISE has over its members. If it would occur, one day, to some poor soul, who would like to accelerate the expansion of Scientology even more, that he should order the WISE members to send him their address lists, I do not know how many of them would resist such an order. This is because WISE has the consultants under their direct control with their contracts and connections to an idealistic goal. This raises a few more questions about matters not practiced in the normal business world.
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Additionally, it is stated in the valid contracts since 1991, in the context of WISE membership, that the many advantages of membership include conveyance to Scientology customers of the following:
EXPANSION GAME. The member has the right to take part in competition with other members, as organized by WISE, to advance the goals of WISE and the Scientology religion. This competition will consist of arranging for customers to attend Church organizations in order to obtain education and services.
The Flow of Licensing Fees
Whoever sells consultation services and courses must pay licensing fees to WISE. The only license holder is the one who holds the copyrights to L. Ron Hubbard's works. That is the Executor of the L. Ron Hubbard Estate in Los Angeles, Normal Starkey. He receives a commission of all fees that a consultant takes in for business consultation, courses, and seminars -- between 9 and 15 percent of the gross profit. When one considers that the consultant must finance his own education, as well as the contingently supplemental consultation by WISE, then that is not a bad deal.
The Scientology Church has very direct methods of control over the consultant: WISE, the Estate Executor, and the Religious Technology Center (RTC) have the right to supervise the quality of all the courses and services offered by the WISE consultant.
WISE or the Estate Executor may also check the books of the member in order to see whether licensing fees have been correctly deducted. Could WISE not have also considered that a trust or an auditor intervene so that neutrality would be maintained, and so that the customer names would not find their way to WISE or other Scientology locations?
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The license fees are due as soon as the consultant receives the money from his customer. They must be paid weekly, and every three months a detailed balance must be sent in. The solution of possible currency problems is incumbent upon the consultant. WISE consultants also partially succumb to bothersome, weekly telephone calls from Europe Central asking how much money they are going to deliver this week.
The legal determinations to which a consultant is subjected are also interesting. The applicable law is the law of the state of California. Which WISE consultant in Germany or Switzerland or Austria knows California law? If there is a disagreement between WISE and the licensed consultant, the first step is supposed to be an arbitration process. Sure enough it has been established that the arbitration court must consist of ministers of the Scientology Church, as well as members of the elite organization of Scientology, the Sea Organization. Can a Scientologist in one of these courts be certain that he will get a fair hearing? [5]
WISE "Games" and Other Internal Practices
How do things work internally? Whoever is familiar with the inclinations of Scientology to bring such "games" as the previously mentioned expansion game - always a part of the contract - to life and to carry out competition based on performance, can count on several Scientologists taking part in this game. [6]
Another "game" took place in early 1991, as announced by the European WISE central in Copenhagen. "At the moment a whirlwind tour is moving through Europe. It is a WISE recruitment tour from WISE International and WISE Europe," began the fax.
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WISE wanted to recruit new members for the Sea Organization, the elite organization of Scientology. They would then work for the WISE management. In addition, it was also desired that a list of persons who would be suited for WISE staff work be put together. To sum it up, in order to show that others were already hard at work:
Be a part of this power flow. U-MAN is, as usual, a step ahead, and has the office in Berlin bursting full, where the two crusaders [the recruiters] can actually be met. When power flows to power, naturally you get power back, and U-MAN Berlin is getting special help in their business while these two high management forces are there.
In early 1990, less euphoric, but decidedly more forward, the American WISE headquarters wrote along the same lines to their members. They wanted to know which members out of their own firm were suited to be WISE staff. The WISE licensee was supposed to send in a list of names. In the sense of "service to the higher cause" even their own members were supposed to be enthused about WISE. Was it a very grand kind of advertisement, or would it boil down to the fact that the licensee himself could be regarded as a kind of employee for WISE?
Money was always one of the major factors. At the end of 1990, WISE Europe sent out a survey, asking this, among other questions, "How large is your yearly income? Do you have debts? If so, how many?"
Also at the end of 1990 the new management forces introduced themselves to WISE Europe. This letter contained:
Please let me know what you want and need from me. What is needed and wanted from you is that you make your payments promptly every week and let me know of payments immediately, so that I can enter these in my books.
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The license payments and fees are extremely important, and it is extremely important that you pay them on time, since the money goes directly to ASI for the Executor. This is your payment for what L. Ron Hubbard has done for you. When you make your payments [over a certain length of time] at the beginning of the week with no problems, then you will receive a commendation. And please make any suggestions as to which game you would like to play with us. Expecting your answer.
The Scientology Guide to Behavior / The Inner Workings of Scientology
1.
"Peter Huber" is the owner of a printer's shop. Since he is a Scientologist, he continues to take more and more jobs for Scientology. Soon he expands his business so that he can fill all the orders. The majority of his work is now made up of the contracts with Scientology. One day the stream of jobs ends, more or less, overnight. Without warning. Scientology owes him about a half a million, part of which he is still waiting for today -- almost five years after the last job. He cannot perpetually maintain an entry like this in his books, but add to that the difficulty that he, as a known Scientologist, may not take legal action against other Scientologists or against the Scientology organization, unless he either renounces Scientology or ignores this rule.
Peter Huber's being driven to the edge of financial ruin is, according to Scientology, entirely "his problem." Because, Scientology could say, that's how it goes for every supplier of a big business, especially if it is not paid in a halfway timely manner. He has to live with this risk.
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Whoever lets himself be talked into becoming a contractual business partner with Scientology is well advised to always take care that he does not become too dependent upon his new partner. Because if Scientology wants to, it can force a person to his knees by the use of commercial exploitation. That is not the fine English variety, but "business is business."
I can only recommend one thing for Scientologists. Keep away from business with Scientology! Always separate your business life from your private life, so that something similar to the above does not happen to you!
This opinion is shared by a whole group of active Scientologists who are still with them today. Talking about it loudly and openly will indisputably get them into a lot of trouble.
Yes, Scientology will say, Mr. Huber was certainly familiar with the Scientology policy letter: "What is not written, is not true. And it should have been clear to him that we could have our printing done somewhere else one day." This excuse is very practical and also shows what ethical standard is in place inside of Scientology: A man's word means nothing. And loyalty means less (there are also exceptions to this.) The Scientologist must live with risk of losing his trusted business partner because of an internal replacement or other reason.
2.
L. Ron Hubbard has written many novels, especially science fiction. In the 1940's he ranked with Asinov and other well-known greats as one of the leading authors of this type. As far as the quality of his books, his was similar to that of many authors: some are good, some are not so good, all are just a matter of taste. The company entrusted with the marketing of his "non-religious" works is called Author Services International (ASI). Their headquarters is in Los Angeles, and their leading director is the same as that of the Executor of the Estate of L. Ron Hubbard. ASI displays science fiction paintings by painters who are well known in the United States. They arrange for prints to be made from them, and these are offered for sale to Scientologists.
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A "run" on the works is generated, and soon it is announced that buying such a print is one of the best investments you can make. The price rises for a few of the limited edition prints. A couple of well-to-do Scientologists, or Scientologists that are capable of raising millions, invest in these pieces on the word of the seller alone. Business does not boom, so now they're left with worthless pieces of paper.
Some time later, ASI makes the statement that their sellers should not have sold the work under the premise of "investments", and that they should be the ones held accountable. More often it occurs that Scientologists, if they buy these works, contribute to the security of Scientology in that they invest in entire works of L. Ron Hubbard which are specially processed, pressed onto golden CD's, stamped into metal plates, etc. so that they may be preserved in special vaults for the purpose of surviving an atomic war. From 1978-1988, according to American media, Scientology ordered three atomic bomb proof vaults for nine million dollars. $114 million was said to have been used for the "preservation of technology."
What happens to the Scientologists who took the word of the Scientology sellers and believe that they have made a sound investment? In confusion they make report after report, but they never see their money again, or not all of it. Any other person could have made charges of investment fraud.
The same phenomenon occurs here: the goals of Scientology are so valuable and important, the spiritual gain from Scientology so huge, the ties with the organization are already so close, that members are afraid to put their eternal life at stake in order to take the appropriate legal measures in order to get their money back. Not to mention the interest they would have earned on their investment. Whether or not they go to the dogs, financially, is of no importance to Scientology as long as it does not lead to negative public press.
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There are even cases of Scientologists not being declared to be a "suppressive person" for exactly this reason: if they went public, it would result in a mid-level PR catastrophe for Scientology.
One of these reported to me in the summer of 1994 that he had wanted to reach an agreement with ASI. He was not able to tell me what the exact agreement was because one of the conditions was its confidentiality. If only he could have done it without giving in to Scientology's conditions.
3.
"Gerd Hauser" acted up and complained to the largest Scientology organization in Clearwater, Florida about the quality of the service and whatever else he had in mind. He did this loudly and vigorously enough so that one day, (he was already always a little bit "difficult") he was called into the "ethics office" of the Scientology organization in question. Two highly-decorated gentlemen stood there in their military uniforms, looked him straight in the eye, put a paper in his hand, and said "read that!" Gerd's world fell apart. In this instant, in the flash of a camera, he had been declared to be a suppressive person.
His wife, who came with him to Florida, was told that she and her small children could not fly in the same plane with her husband back to Europe. That did not suit either of them. Gerd, who worked independently as a special salesman for Scientology, suddenly with no way of making a living, nonetheless picked himself up and became a successful businessman. His wife was called into the local Scientology organization a little while later. She was again urged to leave her husband. When she would not do it, she, too, was declared to be a suppressive person.
Four years later Scientology apologized to the both of them and revoked the "Suppressive Person Declare's." Intimidated, Gerd takes special care today never to lose a chance to say something negative or critical about Scientology.
That is what happened with Scientologists who were very close to me and my wife, but withdrew from us out of fear of being excluded from Scientology.
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WISE Ethics in Practice
It was in early February, 1991. I received a visit from Marcelo Vine, one of the leading powers from WISE International in Los Angeles. He was accompanied by a staff member from WISE Europe in Copenhagen. They asked me to hand over my translation of Hubbard materials into German. In the mid 1980's I had started to translate and transcribe documents from Hubbard, which had been tailored to WISE and the business world.
As had often happened in Scientology, time was the biggest problem. WISE wished to present these documents five days later, on a Saturday, in time for a big meeting in Hamburg as a "new publication." For this reason I have had, for many years, to make cosmetic corrections on published course documents.
One thing was clear to me: due to a shortage of written exclusive contracts and because of the power position of WISE, it was possible, at any time, for WISE to have new translations made and to put them on the market and prohibit me from distributing any further WISE orders (95 percent went to Germany).
Outside of that, I knew the meaning of the apparently accidental appearance of the gentlemen: it would hardly be possible to realize a fair price for the translations and layouts of over a hundred pages. If WISE had wanted to make an honest deal, then WISE would have, as is customary in the business world, made previous written contact with me and imparted to me that WISE themselves now wished to undertake the sale of course documents and would have asked me to make a bid.[7]
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In order to avoid the danger of coming out of this completely empty-handed, I looked over my books for expenses and income for this order and calculated the difference. I determined that I was about $10,000 short of breaking even. (Making a profit was out of the question.) I offered Marcello Vine, the management member of WISE International, the computer disks with the translations and the layouts, ready for publication, for $10,000.
He had a short telephone conversation with another person from WISE and told me that he could agree to that. Besides that I offered to make the necessary cosmetic changes, since I had already been entrusted with the layouts. The gentlemen were very happy about that, and they stated that they would speak of me glowingly at their big WISE arrangement in Zurich, about a month after the same thing in Hamburg. Besides that I was to receive a one-year membership, free. I did not need it, and WISE could give them out easily, since it cost them nothing to confer. I have never received or signed that sort of membership contract.
We agreed as to the payment. I was supposed to be paid by WISE in conjunction with the sale of the order. I knew what kind of profit I had gotten earlier with this order, and added to the proposal that payment be made within a twelve month duration. Coincidental details would be made in writing a few months later. I sat behind my computer for two days and two nights, practically without sleep, and worked up the documents in accordance with the wishes of WISE. Then I awaited my first check, as the publication of the order would surely be a huge success.
But it turned out differently than I had expected. About one month later, the big WISE meeting took place in Zurich.
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At the end of the event, one of the WISE International directors thanked me in a personal discussion for my work, and said that I could take a complete copy of the new order home with me. I was pleased, and stated that I would do that the following day. The next day I would also meet with WISE to put our agreement into writing. I agreed, in turn with the present director of WISE, with whom I had made the verbal agreement in early February. On the next day, that was Sunday around 11 a.m., I called the hotel to get the time of the meeting. The WISE director was busy in a meeting, and said that he would call back. I waited in vain for his call. He left without putting the agreement with me in writing. Nor did I receive a copy of the new order.
I tried to reach Mr. Vine, and sent a fax to him in Los Angeles on April 27. I reminded him of our first agreement and asked him when he would like to send me the first check.
Surprise
Fax from Mr. Vine of May 19, 1992:
Sorry that I have not gotten back to you earlier. I will be in Italy next week, and plan to be in Switzerland after that, so that we can get together in about two weeks.
In regards to our agreement, you should have received a letter with the information that you will be recognized as a WISE company member for an entire year. If you have not, then this is notice thereof. That is also how it has been recorded in our computers.
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The other portion of our agreement will be revised accordingly [...] because many corrections had to be made on the order from you in such a way that practically everything was unusable. I have this information in front of me, and from the people responsible for the preparation of the order. I still do not have all the information, which they will get [...] from Germany so that this can be handled in a completely new unit of time. I will send you a fax about this before I go to Italy, so that you will have the information.
This fax was, as we say in Switzerland, a "long, sad story"! [8]
I confirmed receipt of the fax, and added to that:
I am holding you to your mother's promise that I receive a complete copy of the new German order, and I'm asking you to ensure that she sends it to me. That way I can make appropriate preparations for our meeting, and can see with my own eyes what corrections were made.
I heard nothing more from Mr. Vine, and assumed that WISE would want to press for payment.
In September my patience came to an end. I knew that the Theta-Print company in Hamburg had taken over the order, and that Mr. Z. was the sales representative of the WISE order. I called him up on September 23, 1992, and asked him whether he knew something about the big shortage on the German order. Nothing like that was known to him. I asked him to confirm that for me in writing, and his fax began: "Dear Tom, I was not present for the correction of this [order]. I cannot answer this question. Besides, that would put me in a delicate situation, WISE is still the one who gives me contracts." The omnipotence of the Scientology management is very clear here.
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On the same day I sent a fax to Los Angeles and asked Mr. Vine to finally have the promised order sent to me.
One day later I got the information from Mr. Z in Hamburg that the corrections and the editorial work on the order, according to what he could find out, had taken "several hours."
Accusations
On September 27, a fax from WISE International arrived. Mr. Vine was reporting. Things were becoming strange:
In regards to the quality of the order, you know that neither I nor Myriam are specialists in this area, since we do not speak German. However, we have the pertinent information from the people who had to do the translation. Succinctly, from some time [probably from the time he heard from me?] to the time in which the order exists today, we have paid out over $25,000. I know that Myriam should have gotten a report together, written by the people in Hamburg, but according to your communication I see that you have never received this. I will see that this takes place when Myriam gets back, which should be the case in 10 or more days.
But what I would really like would be for us to be able to put an end to this matter; I personally know that we, after the receipt of your order, have paid out more than $25,000 to have the order corrected up to the point where we are now [my conclusion: also expressed]. What I would like is that we give you, in exchange for this thing, another free membership from WISE, whereby you can enjoy its full advantage for twelve more months.
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But this time a higher membership, namely, the business membership. Besides which, I can assure you, that you will receive a complete set [of the order]. That way you will have received plenty in exchange [from us]. Eagerly awaiting you answer.
I faxed him back, as friendly as possible: "At the present time it is difficult for me to make a suitable decision. Thank you for seeing to it that the order will be sent to me. When I have it, I will look it over, and compare it to that which I had delivered. After the comparison has been made, I will get in touch with you."
Finally, on December 4, 1992, the order arrived. Except for a few trivialities, WISE had published exactly what I had delivered. A direct comparison proved it overwhelmingly. Even a few typographical errors and misplaced punctuation marks were there, exactly as they were on my computer files. It could not be more clear. Therefore, I sent an appropriate fax and asked, among other things, when I was finally going to get paid for my translation. No money came.
On November 5, 1993, I declared my official separation from Scientology. At the same time I sent a fax to WISE that if I did not receive confirmation in 24 hours that the money which was owed to me had been sent, that I would have to take the appropriate measures. Nothing changed.
Watch Out for the Lawyer!
In 1994, the tired story was to finally come to an end. On January 13 I received a letter from a WISE attorney. It said that I owed money to WISE, and that WISE did not owe me money. It had to do with licensing fees from the 1980's, during which time membership was said to have been granted me in the amount of $7,500, therefore it would be a generous offer if we agreed that neither party owed the other anything. There was no proof of the alleged debts from the 1980's.
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I wrote to the attorney and explained to him. The attorney answered that WISE was ready to waive the bill for the membership fees. Taking into consideration my outstanding license fees, WISE would be ready to pay $6,000. This time he included the bill from WISE. One mathematical error after the next could be detected with the naked eye.
We went through our books from 1987 to 1990 and compared all license payments and other fees that we had accumulated with the statement we had received from the Scientology attorney. Then we re-totalled our bills for the entire time frame and came to the conclusion that WISE still owed us 53.40 Swiss francs.
I sent these calculations together with a suitable letter to the WISE attorney.
Finally WISE said they were ready to pay $11,000. A few days later, a check from the attorney actually arrived.
I will permit myself an analogy of WISE along the same lines as what this organization said about the non-Scientology business world (of which I have been a member for the past few years) in their glossy brochures: "Behind the polished facade of the WISE world which I know hides a cutthroat world of avarice, dishonesty, and confusion."
Licensees or Employees?
The power of the Sea Organization, the elite department of Scientology, goes a long way.
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It can, for example, see to it that proprietors of businesses who have license agreements with WISE are ordered to give their companies over to another and to regard their own intellectual property as inferior and not worthy of dissemination. This is according to "Ethics Order Nr. 150-1," published on December 6, 1989. It prudently states in the distribution line "Limited Distribution," because what there is to read[9] would make the hair of any independent businessman stand on end. This paper contains references which leaves one thing clear: Scientology intends, step by step, to bring WISE companies under its complete control, and to turn the owners of these companies into puppets at the command of Scientology.
A.M., the senior partner of one of these WISE-affiliated companies, ("consulting firm" in the following narrative) and who had permission to spread L. Ron Hubbard's management know-how in the business world, is investigated:
The consulting firm was rapidly becoming insolvent. During the previous 2 1/2 months, A.M. was not in the company, and refused, despite the condition of the company, to return back to it from the Scientology Church in Clearwater.
Many reports about repeated transgressions of fundamental policy letters of L. Ron Hubbard exist, and also of copyright and trademark violations, from dishonest sales, and financial irregularities inside of the company.
This was investigated by a "Committee of Evidence". The Committee came upon a series of "startling" realizations:
Crime: Scientology data published under a different name.
A.M. pleads NOT GUILTY.
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The Committee finds him guilty. The Committee listened to the tape recording of a lecture that A.M. held in May of 1989 under the title of "How to get recommendations [from customers]." This recording contains altered data from L. Ron Hubbard. The recording does not acknowledge L. Ron Hubbard as the source of the data, which A.M. altered.
Plainly said: A.M. was very familiar with the writings of L. Ron Hubbard. He had taken the liberty of publicly developing a few of his own ideas which do not correspond to those of L. Ron Hubbard. Therefore, as one who has deviated, he is declared GUILTY.
High crime: It was discovered in the consultation company that filing cabinets which were accessible to all employees contained two training handbooks: "The Art of Interviewing," as well as "Leading Communications Threads." Neither are by L. Ron Hubbard, and contain data by psychologists/psychiatrists. This is a violation of the following items of the article, "Keeping Scientology Working." [...]
Plainly said: Whoever, as a business consultant, uses intellectual property of someone other than L. Ron Hubbard, has, in the eyes of Scientology, committed a high crime. He is also not permitted to read anything else, nor give his staff anything else to read, not to mention letting anything in his consulting firm be influenced by something other [than L. Ron Hubbard].
In other words, for WISE members, as soon as your company reaches a certain size and importance, WISE will be very interested in you. You become an income factor which can no longer be ignored. Under the pretense of "Licensor Consultation," for which you perhaps have already had to pay dearly, your company, if it suffers a temporary set-back and is not able to pay its license fees to the degree it had been, will be manipulated as WISE sees fit.
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You will later be "led to the realization" so that you, yourself, are convinced that the decision which affected you had been your own, personal wish. Then, it will suddenly become very important to train many of your staff in the Scientology method, perhaps even to some degree in the form of an employee loan, financed by you. All of a sudden you may be asked to join the Sea Organization, and to have your company re-organize in conformance with WISE guidelines, and thereby become a completely integrated component of WISE, that is, the Scientology Church.
Afterwards Mr. A.M. was presented with 3 1/2 pages of detailed proof of all his "crimes" and "high crimes," along with a separate sheet containing the "recommendations" for punishment, sorry, "handling" that he will have to undergo in order to once again be an ethical Scientologist. On this sheet are, among other things, the following:
A.M. should perform 500 hours of amends work, 100 hours for the consulting company, [the company in which he is the senior partner] and 400 hours for WISE.
A.M. should turn the company over to a qualified manager.[10]
A.M. may not fill any type of management in any WISE company until he has proven, based on his statistics, that he has completely removed his misunderstandings about administration, and until he has finished the following courses. [...]
A.M. must then file a petition with the Legal Director of WISE International in order to be permitted to fill a management position.
This elaborate piece of work is then signed and sealed by highest justice director of the Church of Scientology International.
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The following may be concluded from this real-life case: individual development in the area of consultation is prohibited, therefore, so is individual thought.
A further danger is known to even the most humble of WISE licensees: the WISE contracts are based on legal gray areas. Damages which WISE inflicts upon the consultants - part of this is the incompetence and the dilettantism of the staff of WISE Europe in Copenhagen, and WISE International in Los Angeles - could never really be assessed by someone in a truly neutral position.
If you take the proper legal path, then you will be excluded from Scientology!
Is Your Business in Danger?
The security chiefs of two large European companies have asked me questions about the danger from, or the danger which could come from, Scientologists who work in sensitive areas.
Is there a principle risk? The main problem is the loyalty of most of the Scientologists for their employers. The loyalty to Scientology comes first and foremost. If a Scientologist is known for his loyalty to his employer, then he could be excluded from Scientology in short order if he refused to play according to the internal rules of Scientology.
Under the threat of gambling away their future and their eternal salvation, some Scientologists would become a tractable and pliant mass to be formed at will.
Has a Scientologist been planted in your business? In October of 1994, it became known that the Danish Office of Special Affairs had, in the past, planted an employee in the Danish Treasury Department. The existing Hubbard Policy Letters, and the revisions thereof, even if Scientology has prudently removed them from their more recent, publicly accessible, books, give credence to negative presumptions and fears.
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Scientology plants do not have to make their way to the highest positions by any means. Whoever works as an assistant, a secretary, or as a member of a cleaning crew can still find some interesting information...
What do I have to worry about from Scientology business consultants? On first appearances, nothing, however, in the long term it has to do with making your employees into Scientologists, and turning your business into one in the Scientology sense of the word. One has to make a decision in each individual case.
Besides that, the name of your business could appear on one of the reference lists of Scientology. This is what happened, for example, with VW [Volkswagen]. A Scientologist in France had given courses to an authorized VW representative and got a reference letter, so today we can see in the book, "What is Scientology?", the VW company as an endorser of Hubbard's intellectual methods. It went no differently with the producer of cosmetics, Lancome and Elizabeth Arden. Also the Swedish police who performed services for the U-Man company were used for advertising purposes.
(Hopefully), Scientologists will also pay attention when they learn of the following: The confidential WISE directive Nr. 2 of May 5, 1986, which explicitly states that it is not to be forwarded to WISE members, makes one of the goals of WISE clear:
Public Relations Goal for use by WISE: The continual grouping of all companies and professional organizations of all kinds, which install Dianetics and Scientology technology for administrative and commercial and purposes of improvement.
This goal is known to almost every WISE member, but it has to do with, according to this confidential directive, only the Public Relations goal. One learns the true goal in the next paragraph:
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The takeover of the economy of the entire world by Scientology, in which the LRH administrative technology will be installed in every company in the world, whether it deals with Scientology or not.
How to Recognize WISE Consultants
The "Deutsche Instituts-Verlag" [11] in Cologne has published a checklist that should help, among other things, to recognize a WISE consultant. I have commented upon it critically in other places, as well as worked up a series of further criteria. I present the following as my own checklist. It can provide valuable evidence, all of which, of course, is "without risk."
1. Is the person who introduces himself to you on one of the membership lists of WISE?
The internal WISE lists can often be found in the hands of Scientology critics, in chambers of commerce, or other official places. Please give your complete attention to the WISE list available to you. A list which is two or three years old can be more or less out of date. Above all else WISE likes to show off the number of its members, and persons in its earlier lists are counted, even though they have not had anything to do with WISE for a long time.
2. Copyright.
A licensee of WISE is contractually obligated to see to that the documents, as far as they contain quotes from L. Ron Hubbard, have the proper trademark.
From this comes perhaps the surest and best suited criterium of proof: Get a sample copy of some of the course materials. Look for the following copyright notices:
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Copyright HCAI, Hubbard College of Administration International, L. Ron Hubbard Library, LRH Library, LRH, L. Ron Hubbard, Lafayette Hubbard, Ron Hubbard, RTC, Religious Technology Center, ASI, Author Services International, WISE International.
3. Ask whether the provider has developed the contents himself, and, if not, where you would be able to find the primary literature of the course/seminar contents.[12]
If it should have to do with a seminar[13], for which no papers will be handed out, the same goes for that: ask about the primary literature (for example, in the sense of "preparation for the seminar.")
4. The statement of the provider, that "every" problem "can be solved with the right know-how" (without problem), and that this know-how is being offered, or can be offered.
5. The explanation that it has to do with something "brand new," or "something brand-new from the USA."
6. "Conspicuous Expressions": Classifying everything as black or white could be a valid criterium. Listen for something like the following: 2 1/2 percent of people are the real source of all evil in the world (includes that in businesses), 20 percent of all people are under the influence of the "hard core" "suppressive persons."
7. General negative positioning of psychologists is always a good test criteria, since Scientology holds psychology and psychiatry responsible for all evil in the world. (All critical press is the result of, according to Scientology, the influence the propaganda machinery of these professional groups.)
8. Sales Training:
Does the provider rely upon the works of an American sales trainer, Les Dane? Scientologists prefer to use his literature in sales training. [14]
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The provider plays down the social responsibility of a business, and recommends radical cures for social cases ("immediate dismissal," "unproductive staff are destroying your business," etc.), even if you have trusted employees in your business who are social cases.
When it has to do with the subjects of production increase and business profits, Scientologists prefer to be (American-oriented) hard-liners.
10. Does the provider very frequently use the word "handle" in his discussion?
Scientologists "handle" their problems, they don't "solve" them. People are also "handled."
One basic problem can never be avoided: much of the content of the Scientology seminars is "functional," and therefore appear logical and useful. That is how the primary goal of Scientology is forwarded by those who have been taken-in, the providers do not know that they have been taken in. They only want to do good business.
Scientology: Religion or Commercial Business?
On May 6, 1994, the German Interior Minister's Conference wrote in their press release:
"Surveillance of the Scientology Organization"
"The Interior ministers are of the perception that the situation will not at this time permit a nationwide coordination of categories of political endeavor."
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"At the present time, the Scientology organization presents itself to the officials of the interior administration who are responsible for defense and criminal investigation as an organization that, under the cloak of a religious community, combines elements of commercial criminality and psycho-terrorism to their members with commercial activities and a sectarian wrapper. The gravitational center of their activities appears to lie in the area of economic criminality. For this reason, state defense measures should be advanced in this area."
On October 25, 1994, German Labor Secretary Norbert Bluem said to Franz Riedl, the press representative of Scientology Germany, in an RTL talk show, "I think that you are not a religion at all, that you use the pretense of religion to cloak a multi-million [dollar] business from the world, in order to go from a commercial power to a political power. [...] That is a human manipulation machine, and human rights can be endangered without a shot ever being fired. If people are manipulated, if they are declared incompetent, then the state is called upon and it must uncover these techniques. [...] You are, with certainty, not a church. That is a cloak which serves as camouflage for your great ability."
To the criticism from Mr. Riedl about the exclusion of a Scientologist from the CDU, "Not everybody whose picture of humanity includes a description of the non-members of their sect as "raw meat" can be a member in our party."
Richard Drewes, State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior of Saarland, said on October 24, 1994 in the ARD broadcast, FAKT, "I am very confident, that also in the upcoming years all states and their assemblies will come to realize that Scientology is a constitutionally hostile organization."
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Notes:
WISE
- L. Ron Hubbard (HCO PL June 10, 1960,
What We Expect of a Scientologist [Return]- Not all are voluntary members of WISE. An independent professional can be a Scientologist. WISE only cares that he is a WISE member; in the event that the independent professional disagrees, it is argued that if he had wanted to support the goals of Scientology, then it would be a pleasure to him that the principles of Scientology were being used all over the world, etc. ...Finally he gives in to the pressure and buys peace and quiet for 300 dollars annually. Such cases are known to me. [Return]
- WISE members have told me to my face that a Scientologist only needs to use the writings of Hubbard in his own business if he is a member of WISE at the time. Disorder is fair if I gain knowledge from books every day, be they from Hubbard or from someone else; I do not have to be a member anywhere at all. In a different case every book writer and every professor would have to found a club and demand yearly contributions or even licensing fees for the use of their knowledge. [Return]
- I was a member of WISE myself. As I realized what the actual problematic situation was, I ended my WISE membership long before my final departure from Scientology. [Return]
- In the winter of 1993, when the Scientology management spoke to me about this, why I had not accepted such an internal court of arbitration for the solution of my differences (concerning rights and the personality test, see page 199 ff.), I presented, along with other reason, the above-mentioned reservations. Interestingly enough the concerned Scientology staff member agreed with my objection. [Return]
- A WISE member can be brought, through clever enough argument, to see his work as a part of the salvation of the world. If a counselor has gone so far, WISE can recommend the removal of inhibitions through an auditing session which had been specially prepared for this; this builds up enough courage in the counselor for him to convert his customers. Everything is possible... [Return]
- Since I was locking horns with WISE at the time over the Scientology personality test, and since the WISE bosses had viewed me for some time as unhealthy, it was a miracle that I was visited at all. Apparently the only reason for that was that WISE had to determine that the seminar file which I produced had not simply been read in by a computer scanner. This is what I was told later on by a Scientologist. [Return]
- After I had been on the road for years with Scientology and had prepared other translations (my ability to speak more than one language originated in my childhood, which I had partially spent in Asia), I could not easily imagine what this fax was supposed to mean. [Return]
- It had to do with a so-called "Committee of Evidence," which, in Scientology, means "a fact-finding group which is named and authorized to undertake an unbiased investigation of a Scientology circumstance of a rather serious ethical nature, and to make recommendations." (Administrative Dictionary of Scientology) [Return]
- The viewpoint which would have been commercially feasible would have been to revoke the license of Mr. A.M. One who grants a license is exactly that, and if Mr. A.M. does not follow the license agreement, then the revocation of the license is an entirely normal consequence. [Return]
- [Title of a German publication and the address of the publisher.] Volume Nbr. 193 of the "Beiträge zur Gesellschafts-und Bildungspolitik des Instituts der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln". Deutscher Instituts-Verlag, Köln. Address: Deutscher Instituts-Verlag, Gustav Heinemann Ufer 84-88, 50968 Köln. [Return]
- Ask the [same] questions about the primary literature, calmly, of suppliers with whom you have already successfully dealt with for a long time. [Return]
- e.g., at a so-called "emotion seminar", in which a scale of emotions comes into use; the highest point of the scale is "serenity of being" or "Enthusiasm", the lowest point is "death" or "apathy." [Return]
- Books by Les Dane are also used in German-speaking areas by non-Scientologist salesmen and saleswomen. [Return]