IV. The Office of Special Affairs (OSA)

<"Let's be honest about this, we are playing a game of life and death on this planet. ... SPs don't simply shrivel up like grapes on a vine. Sometimes you have to pull the problem out together with its roots. And sometimes these roots go rather deep, and many strong arms must pull together in order to get it done.">

David MISCAVIGE

1. Old Intelligence Service in New Garb
Establishment & Structure of the OSA

Out of the internal power struggle which broke out after criminal charges were brought against individuals held accountable in the "Guardian Office" (GO) in 1981 - as already mentioned - the twenty year old David MISCAVIGE emerged as the new strong man of the Scientology Organization (SO). As the first measure to insure power was retained, the new management, under MISCAVIGE, in May 1982, installed a supreme management and control committee - the "Religious Technology Center" (RTC), which, after HUBBARD's death - 1987 at the latest - not only inherited the previous power equivalent of the GO, but also, as new possessor of all rights and owner of all "trademarks and service marks," guaranteed the future existence of Scientology and its ability to function. This new switchboard of the SO has, since May 13, 1989, been officially located in the middle of the film town of Hollywood. Presumably, however, the lines all come together at the so-called "Gold" base, residence of David MISCAVIGE, in the village of Gilman Hot Springs, which lies about 100 km. (about 65 miles) east of Los Angeles. At the address of 6331 Hollywood Boulevard, from which all worldwide operations of the SO are planned and executed under the management of MISCAVIGE, resides the world headquarters of the OSA, founded in 1983, and led by Mike RINDER. His current representative is the Austrian, Kurt WEILAND, who directed the OSA from 1987 to 1994.

In 1983 MISCAVIGE claimed that he had shut down the GO. Most of the staff had been relieved of duty. Nevertheless, former SO member Jon ATACK stated that an amazingly high number of personnel who had been trained and worked in the intelligence department's "Information Bureau, Branch I" (Overt Data Collection," ODC; "Covert Data Collection," CDC; "Covert Operations," CO), remained in the service of Scientology and were reinstated to important posts in the RTC. According to a statement by Robert Vaughn YOUNG, who led the Public Relations Department of the GO US and the OSA US in Los Angeles from 1973 to 1989, the "disbandment" of the GO was only staged, and that, in actuality, it was only renamed to "Office of Special Affairs" (OSA). Scientology attached a huge significance to the GO appearing a thing of the past to outsiders, so the instructions and policies were cancelled and the staff who had committed transgressions were dismissed. The GO, it was asserted, had been an autonomous organization which had operated outside the leadership and supervision structure of the SO, and was now a thing of the past. This version, YOUNG says, is provably false. The current structure of the OSA shows that the most important functions (PR, Legal matters, intelligence operations) have all carried over to the new establishment of the OSA. Today, YOUNG assesses, the OSA has even more staff than it did formerly as the GO. He estimates there to be about 1,000 OSA staff worldwide.

An example of continuity in personnel is today's official "President" of the "Church of Scientology International" (CSI), Heber JENTZSCH, who, at the time a spokesman for CSI, in connection with the FBI raids of 1977, openly defended the perpetrators of the GO, as well as Kendrick MOXON, one of BOWLES & MOXON, a recognized Scientology law firm of Los Angeles, who was named by the court in 1979 as an unindicted co-conspirator. Today MOXON is one of the most important, if not the most important, legal assistants of the SO, and one of the central key personnel in the worldwide OSA network. In 1988, YOUNG continued, JENTZSCH, in his training for the post of the president of the "Church of Scientology," was still studying instructions of the GO, so there is no question as to whether the GO directives were cancelled.

An ultimate proof that the intelligence structure of the SO persists for the most part unaltered and that the intelligence work is being continued is delivered in the real-life "confidential" training program of the OSA agents and its associated study materials and checksheets. Along with this internal training material, the so-called "Investigations Officer Full Hat Pack," every OSA candidate must study two standard works: the book used since the 1970's by GO agents, "The Art of War" by Sun TZU and the classic volume "On War" by the Prussian General and military theoretician, Carl von CLAUSEWITZ. The individual training sections include the fundamentals of intelligence operations ("Invest Basic"), investigative techniques ("Investigation Tech"), "Security and Infiltration," "Attacks on Scientology," dealing with governments, public relations, as well as the area of law and legal processes. The majority of the training material - which includes the policy letters and instructions already quoted from HUBBARD - originates from the 1960's and 1970's, and has been carried over with no change of content. In part, confidential instructions of the GO were newly published as OSA Network Orders (OSA NWO). Something worthy of note is that an entire chapter is devoted to the management of private detectives and legal attorneys for OSA purposes ("Handling Professionals"). All OSA agents have at their disposal a complete checklist of all useful sources of information for Overt Data Collection (ODC).

The information which Scientology publicly releases about OSA - apparently in consideration of its past experiences - is meager at best. In over 800 pages of their propaganda book, "What is Scientology?" the OSA, which was officially founded in December, 1983, is mentioned in only a single place. All it says there is that the OSA is a network inside the CSI which plans and supervises the legal matters of the Church and the administrative board ("Watchdog Committee"). A barely more detailed explanation is given about the functions of the OSA in the internal text "The Command Channels of Scientology." This guide first states that in the overall composition of Scientology, several kinds of organizations exist which are covered by different sectors over which the "Watchdog Committee" (WDC) stands as the highest management unit. These eleven sectors include, in part, the Scientology sector (all so-called "Class IV" Orgs), the elite unit ("Sea Org"), "Scientology Missions International" (SMI), "World Institute of Scientology Enterprises" (WISE), "Association for Better Living and Education" (ABLE) and also OSA.

The OSA sector contains the so-called OSA Network and is responsible for the Network's management. On the next subordinate international management level to the WDC is the "Flag Command Bureaux" (FCB). At this level, the OSA Network, together with the Finance Network and the LRH Communications Network, form the Management group "Networks." The FCB controls a total of six management groups. The same organizational structure is also found at the continental management level, the "Continental Liaison Office" (CLO). The OSA Network in the Continental offices forms the level above the OSA divisions in the Class IV Organizations, which are the "Churches." There is no national management level in Scientology, although it appears that certain functions of management are strongly concentrated in local organizations. In the text named above, the structure of the OSA and its missions are described as follows:

<"The Office for Special Affairs International (OSA INT) is a network that extends throughout the Continental Liaison Offices down to Division 20 at the Org level, the Department for Public Affairs. The OSA Network is responsible for the handling of all external matters of the Church (including legal questions, defense, government and media relations), with the goal of obtaining complete acknowledgment of Scientology and its founder L. Ron HUBBARD. OSA, through its activities, helps in the establishment of a secure environment in which the Orgs can operate and expand. It fulfills its function in that it sees to it that the Orgs operate in full agreement with the laws of the land, that it uses LRH Public Relations Technology in regards to the authorities in the Org's environment and that it ensures that the Org is free from external enturbulation so that the Org can proceed to clear its area. OSA INT is a part of the Flag Command Bureaux and is led by the Commanding Officer OSA INT, who is responsible to the WDC OSA.">

The organizational structure, objectives and the assignments of the OSA widely correspond to those known of the GO. In contrast to the GO, the OSA is not responsible for the control of the internal financial system. A "Finance Network" was established for that. It is subordinate to the "International Finance Bureau" (WDC Sector "Reserves"). However, the OSA is - as the GO was earlier - responsible for the defense of Scientology, and must have it out with governments and their offices, the press, opposition groups, as well as the media. The OSA organizes many "front groups" for Scientology, i.e., groups for socio-political reform as well as for social reform, such as the "National Commission on Law Enforcement and Social Justice (NCLE)," which are mostly, however, short-lived mailbox associations. The OSA is to attain political contact through these associations, and also by gaining the cooperation of influential attorneys, business people from WISE and especially from celebrities.

With regard to the command and communication structures, there is no difference between the former GO and the OSA. There is still an ingenious reporting system in today's OSA Network. The highest Scientology managers require - as HUBBARD did previously - to be kept abreast of each movement and action by the intelligence apparatus as it happens. Daily and weekly reports and real-time urgent messages from the individual OSA subordinate units are routed over a widely distributed e-mail system (Telex is also currently in use) through the OSA's continental offices to the "Data Branch" of OSA INT (department for the collection, evaluation, analysis and storage of all incoming messages, reports, statistics, press reports, etc.). The latter sees to it that important messages are forwarded directly to the leading management. Confidential data and reports must be encrypted before forwarding. Internal instructions regulate the exact routing and lay down the purposes for which the data is to be evaluated and applied. Conversely, all subordinate units of the OSA in the individual "Orgs" are in the OSA INT chain of command. The subordinate units are instructed either straight from headquarters in Los Angeles or from the appropriate continental office in regard to certain programs for the "handling" of critical situations. These programs contain precise tactical instructions and have HUBBARD's policy letters and instructions as sources of reference.

Besides performing the PR and legal affairs of Scientology, nothing is ever mentioned about OSA continuing to perform all functions of an intelligence service as it was before as the GO. Internally, there is no difference between the OSA and the old GO. The GO's activities are merely being carried out under a new name. This is proven by documents, including an OSA US letter of May, 1986 to a former correspondent who had been cooperating with the GO in 1977. From that letter: "This group is now called Office of Special Affairs"! (E.n.i.O.). On the letterhead is the OSA motto, an informative HUBBARD quotation from 1960:

<"Constant and continuous vigilance is the price of freedom. Constant readiness to strike back is the price of freedom. There is no other price.">

From this, it is not surprising that the concept of the enemy has also remained the same. On December 10, 1987, e.g., the OSA published a "Network Order" with the title "Enemy Action," which was one of HUBBARD's directives from 1968 published anew as an obligatory instruction. Even if referenced only indirectly, it is apparent which is the "enemy" against whom a merciless war must be waged - psychiatry:

"The forces which seek to bring light and freedom to the world - us - have run squarely into the # 1 engram of the planet, kept alive by a dark and secret enemy of Mankind. ...

It is the age old battle of truth and light against the powers of darkness.

We didn't ask for this fight. We weren't even in the enemy's line of country. We avoided treating the insane.

But they attacked us, for no reason except their own fear. I regret they appointed us their executioners. ...

This one we've got to win. We may not have another chance."

"Enemy Action"
(Originally an LRH OODs item of 12 November 1968.
Issued as an OSA NW Order on 10 December 1987.)

2. "Department of Special Affairs" (DSA) -
the Department of the OSA in Germany

After the official founding of the OSA in December, 1983, a policy letter from the same year was revised. It laid out the organization structure of the Executive Department (Department 7) in Class IV Organizations. It included the Org Board of the newly created Department 20, which carried the designation of "Department of Special Affairs" (DSA). In this policy letter, there is a reference that Department 20 had formerly been called "Department of Official Affairs" (in accordance with the policy letter of 13 March 1961, "Department of Official Affairs"). This reference also proves the continuity of the Scientology organization structure. The organization chart of the OSA Department appears as follows:

"< Investigation Section

PR Section of the Department for Special Affairs

Legal Section of the Department for Special Affairs

Data Section of the Department for Special Affairs

The "valuable final product" of DSA is <"handled situations which lead to complete acknowledgment of Scientology and its founder in the entire area.">

In Germany, instead of DSA, Scientology uses the label "Press and Legal Office or the old label "Office for Public Affairs," presumably because a non-Scientologist would not be able to conceive of what "Department of Special Affairs" could mean. In 1992, Franz RIEDL, the former spokesman of the "Scientology Church Hamburg" verified that 15 people in Hamburg worked for OSA. In Munich, it is said that 20 personnel are assigned to the DSA. The number of actively employed OSA staff nationwide [in Germany] is probably under 100.

In the early 1990's, German Scientology organizations were equipped with computers and networked with software. Since then, the secret communications have run between the individual OSA branches in Germany, between Germany and the European headquarters in Copenhagen as well as the international headquarters in Los Angeles. In regard to the intensity of the communication inside the OSA Network, a statement by Helmuth BLOEBAUM, the German OSA chief, is informative. BLOEBAUM has officially been decorated with the title of the President of the "Scientology Church Germany" in Munich. In sworn testimony given on May 11, 1992, he stated that the "legal Office" of the "church" was "in almost daily correspondence via fax, telephone or telex with staff of the Mother Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles." Today, telex traffic is being increasingly replaced by the use of e-mail.

As to the question of how things appear behind the scenes of the German OSA departments, so far there is little public information. In 1992, a former Scientologist who had assisted on a short-term basis for OSA in Munich reported on his experiences and his impressions there. Things ran practically like in the Mafia, said the former member. The international organization of OSA becomes independently active as soon as criticism or negative headlines appear. The "giant whirlwind" of the SO missions are constantly put into action against the alleged enemy. "The buzz of activity" converges upon the affected SO establishments, which stand in the debt of the OSA and, of course, can also be put under pressure at anytime up to the point of having the mission closed. From these descriptions, it can be concluded that - as with the GO - the continental or international leadership of the OSA can extend directly down to the executive director of an Org, and that it is supported on site by Department 20.

The former OSA staff member further reports that, in the Munich OSA department, he was able to look into records of staff who been checked on the E-meter as to whether they presented a danger for the organization. He had also read folders ("ethics" folders) which contained "the most intimate revelations" which read "almost like porno books." A former Scientologist who had been assigned as an Ethics Officer testified that these Scientology ethics records, which put the records of the former DDR Ministry of Security to shame insofar as the extent of intimate secrets and compromising events is concerned, are also used in coercement of people who have fallen into disfavor.

3. Strategies and Programs of the OSA and
the Defamation Campaign against Germany

As already shown in the example of the GO, all battle strategies and programs of the SO refer back to HUBBARD's policy letters and instructions. In a 1988 German edition of the OSA magazine "Scientology Today" CSI President Heber JENTZSCH published a letter which shows that this practice still applies today in the OSA. JENTZSCH wrote in his letter how a Scientologist could contribute to the creation of a secure space for the expansion of Scientology so that it could increase its influence in society. This is a restatement of the organizational goal of OSA. An important by-product of this expansion was said to be the creation of "valuable communications lines in society.":

<"We must find out how we reach important people in the media, in the government and in the key positions of society - those people who have things in hand.">

Scientologists have to be in the position to reach the right people "in order to get things done." JENTZSCH stated specifically how the strategic goals set by HUBBARD, namely the control of all important people in politics, business and society, could be put into practice in current real-life situations. The ideas behind HUBBARD's "Special Zone Plan" were presented without explicitly mentioning the plan's name: individual areas of society in which Scientologists are active are supposed to be put "in order" or made to function by using Scientology technology. As an example, JENTZSCH related how the President of an (unnamed) European country had had "barriers" to confronting Scientology in his country completely removed by a Scientologist who had made his acquaintance.

Personal communications lines, continued the CSI President, are more powerful than most people could imagine. High-ranking management personnel basically trust their best friends and acquaintances more than they do newspaper reports. Finally JENTZSCH required the German Scientologists to reveal the organizations in which they had extensive lines of communication, whether it be in the areas of politics, media, legal, finance, art, entertainment, etc. For the "church," these are of great importance and very valuable. All completed surveys of this nature were, of course, treated confidentially,.

Practiced over decades, this strategy is not completely unsuccessful, as evidenced by a look at today's situation in the USA. In spite of the scandalous events of the 1970's, the position of the SO there has been reassured more than ever, so that the organization can continue building its power and influence unhindered.

In contrast to that, the situation in the past years in Germany has turned into a serious problem for the SO. Parallel to the strong upswing at the end of the 1980's, the beginning of the 1990's and the larger degree of recognition, criticism of Scientology has also grown, and is now expressed in the form of open political debate. Germany is currently the main target of the SO since the "suppression" of Scientology is allegedly strongest here and is promoted by the government. The present propaganda campaign against Germany is operated from the USA, has consumed millions of dollars, and is financed by the "War Chest" of the "International Association of Scientologists" (IAS), which is filled by large donations from all Scientologists.

The IAS is estimated to have 100,000 to a maximum of 150,000 members worldwide. To obtain the honorary status of "patron" of the IAS, a person must donate at least $40,000; the status of "patron with honors" is awarded upon receipt of a minimum donation of $100,000, and a person who pays at least $250,000 into the War Chest of the IAS becomes a "Patron Meritorious." The status of "Gold Meritorious," the highest honor, is awarded to a donor who has $1,000,000 left over for Scientology. The IAS works closely with the OSA and splits up its collected donations among the planned operations of the Scientology intelligence service.

The defamation campaign against Germany reached its first high point in early 1993 with the distribution of its brochure, <"Hate and Propaganda. Sanctioned and driven by media and offices."> With the financial support of the IAS, tens of thousands of copies of this propaganda brochure were distributed in English and German - primarily in the large cities in which Scientology is active. The SO stated that large distribution operations occurred in "17 of the more important cities of the world." These operations got worldwide attention because they compared the alleged discrimination against Scientologists to the persecution of the Jews by the National Socialists in the time of the Third Reich. This comparison, however, was not rejected as much on the side of the Germans as it was by the Jewish organizations, who rightly took the equivocation as an insult and a cynical devaluation of the injustice suffered by Jews.

Although the SO overshot their goal by using this strategy and offended potential supporters of their campaign for the alleged attainment of human rights in Germany, the organization continued its propaganda campaign unperturbed. In doing this, the SO was strictly following the strategy of its founder to attack the "most vulnerable" point of its opponent. In this case that meant asserting that "Nazidom" was on the rise in Germany. HUBBARD unmistakably established this policy in more than one place:

"It is my specific intention that by the use of professional PR tactics any opposition be not only dulled but permanently eradicated."

"Handling Hostile Contacts/Dead Agenting"
PR Series 24, Board Policy Letter of 30 May 1974

The close cooperation between IAS and OSA in this campaign was also verified by Kurt WEILAND, OSA Chief at the time. In 1993 in the IAS magazine, "Impact,", WEILAND described the deep interest the IAS members had in learning something about the "gains we have made in the elimination of suppression." They would finally know that their donations were being put to direct use in many of these activities. Relatively optimistic, the former OSA Chief expressed his views about the acceptance of Scientology in Germany:

"The bigger we get, the more we are regarded by established interest groups as a threat. Actually it is only a matter of a few suppressive persons, and their actions against the Church and Scientology have no more effect than the barking of a toothless dog. The majority of the German people are very open to Scientology."

The seriousness of the situation in Germany for Scientology is shown in that, in 1993/94, OSA INT formed a special unit, "Task Force Germany," which engaged itself in nothing but the situation in Germany. A Swiss man, Klaus BUECHELE, is the Director of this special unit, and is also one of the acting representatives for OSA Chief Mike RINDER. A flyer of May 4, 1994 signed by BUECHELE to all OSA Continental Offices and all DSA offices entitled "Call to Arms Germany" seriously announced, "Your help is urgently needed for the defense of neo-Nazi government attacks on Scientology organizations and members in Germany." The alleged discrimination against Scientologists in Germany had to be stopped:

"We are working full steam at putting Scientologists all over the world into action. They should arise and take measures now so that we can put a stop to a thing which is clearly the beginning of a new Holocaust. We can prove beyond a doubt that this is exactly the same model which was used in the hate campaign against the Jewish people in 1935. ... We must pull together as a group and stop the rise of Nazidom."

"Scientologists all over the world" are supposed to protest against this discrimination. It would take at least 10,000 letters and faxes sent to the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and to all important federal ministers with a demand to put a stop to "religious intolerance." The necessary addresses and a sample letter were enclosed or attached with this flyer. Then the Director of "Task Force Germany" emphasized yet another priority of this operation:

"The extent and speed with which we take this matter up are very important. The faster we operate as an international group, the quicker we will secure Germany and the rest of this planet from the rise of the neo-Nazis... Together we can mobilize an international group which can and will extinguish this cancer sore of humanity."

Since then, the SO has been complaining continuously about alleged discrimination. Starting with the full-page advertisement entitled "Preserve that Freedom" in the New York Times of September 15, 1994, the SO has been making the attempt to connect the German federal government with violent neo-Nazi lawbreakers who commit attacks based on nationality in Germany.

"Despite the attempts of the German government to convince the world that teenage skinheads are the sole perpetrators of violence, investigations by human rights groups have uncovered brutal treatment of minorities by German authorities."

The advertisement stated that there was ample evidence that fascism was on the rise again since the reunification of Germany, and that the German government greeted it with indulgence and encouragement. One week later, on September 22, another full-page advertisement was taken out in the New York Times entitled, "Never again!":

"Although the media blame shaven-headed, neo-Nazi youth for the discriminatory acts against non-Germans and minorities, the government is as guilty. ... Intolerance and hatred characterize the treatment of "foreigners" and minorities. ... In the 1930s, Nazis stormed through the streets of German cities, terrorizing and killing Jews and members of religious minorities. ... Today, we would be wise not to ignore the early warning signs from a country which has twice this century brought the world to war ..."

In the same year, 1994, the SO published a series of 20 advertisements in what they believed to be one of the most respected and influential newspapers in Washington, D.C., "Roll Call." These were meant to put the intolerance and persecution of Scientology in Germany on display before the eyes of members of Congress as well as administration representatives. On January 9, 1997 in the International Herald Tribune, an "Open letter to Helmut Kohl" was published, which also put government persecution on exhibition. For this letter, the SO was able to gain signatures from a number of non-Scientology celebrities, which served as proof that it had also been able to gain a considerable influence in Hollywood.

It is obvious that a campaign of this size could not have been carried out by the current German organizations. Robert Vaughn YOUNG confirmed that the highest management of the SO was standing behind this campaign, which was directed by the IAS and the OSA.

<"It is being managed by David MISCAVIGE in Gilman Hot Springs, California, in the USA. Since I was personal adjutant to MISCAVIGE for years, I know exactly how he works. He receives a flood of reports from Germany, including (translated) copies of all media reports. Besides that he receives intelligence reports and espionage reports from undercover Scientology agents and private detectives who have been hired by Scientology. He will also have o-n-e person who is specially concerned with the campaign ...">

As energetically and steadfastly the SO tries to break any resistance, it can be inferred that the "Snow White" program (see Part III, sect. 3) which had been called to life in 1973 is still an important component of today's intelligence work by OSA and that it has not in any way been laid to rest by the dissolution of the GO. This program, according to YOUNG, was only thrown into the safe for a while, not into the shredder. A clear sign of the continuing existence of "Snow White" was given in a letter of December 16, 1989, written by the Director of the "Snow White" program in OSA US, Elaine SIEGEL. The paper is titled "Non-Existence Formula," which signifies that the named post had just recently received its new occupant. Anybody who takes over a post in Scientology for the first time begins in the ethics condition of "non-existence" and has to make himself known. This letter, which was directed to all personnel of OSA US and OSA INT as well as the Watchdog Committee sector of OSA, reported on modifications and the most recent status of the "Snow White" program. It was expressly mentioned that the functions of the program were going to be expanded so that the "Snow White" strategy could be put fully into effect. The signatory next recalled the "ideal scene" formulated by HUBBARD to direct this program against the most important opponent at that time, the international police organization, Interpol:

"All false and secret files of the nations of operating areas brought to view and legally expunged ...

So the overall purpose currently for the Snow White Unit is to get the false reports on the Church and LRH in government files brought to view by using the Freedom of Information Act (a federal US law which allows citizens access to government files), and get them expunged from the files, to create a safe environment for Scientology to expand into.

Part of this overall campaign is handling Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, which is a conveyor belt of false reports on the Church and LRH around the world."

As to the organizational structure of the "Snow White" program, SIEGEL remarked that the entire unit is located in Division 7, the Executive Bureau, directly subordinate to the "Commanding Officer" of OSA US, and that it is divided into four "Branches": The FoIA Branch (Freedom of Information Act), the CIC Branch (Combat Information Center), and the "Snow White" Planning and "Snow White" Execution Branch. As director of the program, she was responsible for supervision over the entire operation in processes against governmental authorities as well as the management of the so-call social reform and PR activities. Also, said SIEGEL, she was to see to the rectification of false reports about Scientology in government files and to the assignment of Church personnel or attorneys for that purpose. She stressed a particular success in that OSA had been able to bring a member of the US Congress to initiate an investigation against Interpol in the USA by a congressional committee. Altogether six NCLEs had been established in order to advance the social reform operations of Scientology, and, in particular, to handle Interpol. The letter ended with the order:

"My needed and wanted from you is that I keep informed on all matters dealing with government attacks, Interpol, ... This is key to ensure you CC me on your reports on this, as I can get handlings implemented at this level and at the DSA level."

In the proceedings against Interpol - similar to the example of the American tax authority, IRS, which granted the SO tax exemption in 1993 - it can be traced how the SO has refined its strategy of battling the enemy in the last twenty years, thanks to the strength they have gained, and what success "Snow White" has had. In the 1970's, GO agents invaded the offices of Interpol and the IRS to obtain and remove files; today the SO can say that it has moved the affected organizations to have a change of attitude. Robert Vaughn YOUNG, in retrospect, mentioned that the organization had already hired Washington lawyers to follow this legal strategy during his time (up to 1989). This essentially had the purpose to see to it that Scientology was officially acknowledged as being a "bona fide religion."

SO expert Prof. Stephen KENT, Associate Professor for Sociology at the University of Alberta, Canada, verifies that the strategy of today's management includes defeating SO opponents by legal means. According to what he knows, after investigations were carried out by private detectives hired by the SO intelligence service, a large number of lawsuits against the IRS and individual staff were filed in order to bring about tax exemption. Legal expenses in the amount of several million dollars were decisive in the IRS granting the SO recognition as a tax-exempt organization. After these experiences the US administration did not trust itself to revise the IRS decision. Besides that the SO in the USA has considerable influence at the administrative and legislative levels.

In the case of Interpol, Scientology apparently succeeded, by using its intelligence operations and investigation activities, in collecting enough "incriminating" material (alleged Nazi past of leading Interpol staff, alleged involvement in international drug trade, et al.) to bring about an official investigation of Interpol in the USA.

The Scientology guerilla war against Interpol was finally successful. In the 1994 Fall edition of the OSA magazine, "Scientology Today," this "victory" was duly celebrated. It stated that Interpol has been writing false reports on Scientology for years and that these reports had been forwarded to governments and others. The core of the problem was said to have been Interpol's refusal to recognize and take action on the SO's enjoyment the protection of Art. III of the Interpol Charter. This article strongly prohibits Interpol from engaging in affairs of a religious nature. After a decades-long hostile dispute, Scientology, besides gaining acknowledgment as a church by the US IRS tax authority, also managed to turn Interpol around.

Interpol General Secretary Raymond KENDALL now understood that his organization, with the recognition of Scientology as a genuine religion, had lost any basis for its former conduct, and would have to revise the "Interpol position." To this end, KENDALL and the Chairman of the RTC, David MISCAVIGE, had a meeting. Scientology was, from then on, not only approved for protection under Article III of the Interpol charter, but the Interpol Chief had also agreed that Interpol would take the measures necessary to remove earlier misinformation from the files of the organization. Mr. KENDALL had agreed to inform the 174 Interpol member states and 11 sub-agencies in a letter from the General Secretary that the US tax authority had completely acknowledged the Scientology organization. Fortified by the success of its program, the OSA magazine author concluded:

<"With the full religious acknowledgment in the USA and the cessation of the conflict with Interpol, one of the last barriers to worldwide expansion has fallen. The technology of Dianetics and Scientology can be made available unobstructed to all who are on the road to total freedom.">

4. Tactics and Methods of the OSA

Since the legal proceedings in the USA in 1979 which seriously damaged the image of Scientology and similar processes - such as the transient arrest of 71 leading Scientologists in Spain in 1988 - the SO has become more careful. It has - as shown - revamped and refined its methods of operation. Although Scientology denies the existence of the former GO's "Information Bureau," OSA's "Section for Investigations" has taken over most of its functions on both the local as well as the international level. Since the only offices of the GO which were raided were those in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Toronto, it can be assumed that the rest of the network built by the GO in the 1960's and 1970's has remained largely intact. According to a statement by Jon ATACK, eye witnesses and court files in the USA prove that intelligence units continue to be active in London, Boston, Clearwater and Las Vegas. HUBBARD's writings on infiltration and subversion continue to be obeyed.

Unlike the GO, the OSA today often has their sensitive, high-risk operations performed by professionals - private detectives, as a rule -, who officially have no association to the organization. The professionals work under the direction of attorney's offices which also - officially - have nothing to do with the OSA or the SO, but actually, at least in theory, are allied with the OSA's "Legal Section." Since private detectives whose names are known are suited for overt investigation or shadowing, but not for "covert operations," they, in turn, are assigned to recruit other personnel by the OSA intelligence department. By using this organizational structure, it is very difficult, or even impossible, to legally prove OSA's control.

The increased cooperation with attorney's and their key functions in the collection of information has, according to Robert Vaughn YOUNG, tactical grounds. The SO has taken precautions so that a raid, such as the one carried out against the GO in 1977, will not be successful. At that time all information was stored in the intelligence centers; today, however, the majority of the explosive information is kept by Scientology lawyers. Their files are protected by law, and cannot be confiscated without taking special measures. In the USA, it is possible to take action against attorneys only if solid proof of crimes can be presented. In most cases, this is extremely difficult or even impossible. Because of the special confidential relationship between attorney and client, the attorney's staff are also protected by a right to refuse to testify.

The cooperation between the SO and private detectives has also been known in Germany since the spying operation against the CSU politician, Peter GAUWEILER, in 1983. Since the founding of the OSA in 1983, the use of private detectives and other external personnel has been growing steadily. According to statements by a former SO member, Scientology engages quite a few firms in the USA.

Although Scientology has gotten more cautious, the preferred method of attacks against SO opponents, including those in Germany, remains the same: abusive articles in the Scientology press, "information letters" to people in public life, overt and covert collection of information on critics (shadowing, telephone calls pretending to be legitimate, "surveys," etc.), broadcast of letters with false accusations to employers, et al., of SO opponents, slander, threats, spying by private detectives, placement of Scientology agents in critics' organizations and establishments, intimidation by threatening to sue, criminal accusations using contrived charges, temporary restraining orders, civil complaints, et al. The OSA, report former insiders, continues to maintain "black lists" of their opponents as they always have.

In contrast to the USA - so far as is visible - cases of open violence are not yet known in Germany. Circumstances in the USA where Scientology is far stronger show, however, that the organization is willing and is in the position to employ means of pressure in accordance with the "Fair Game" doctrine, as long as it is of use to Scientology and if there is little risk that they will be held to account. Today, however, the SO starts its heaviest attacks with its attorneys. They are said to cost Scientology $20 million per year. Scientology lawyers liberally blanket critics and enemies, and in the USA even judges, with lawsuits in accordance with HUBBARD's guideline: one sues more to harass and discourage rather than to win. In the 1980's for example, the SO succeeded in indirectly forcing a judge to withdraw from a suit against Scientology after he had been lured by private detectives working for OSA into a trap with a prostitute.

These perfidious tactics and the misuse of the legal system has not remained hidden from the American courts: in 1996 the California Court of Appeal expressly reprimanded the SO for using legal disputes to force its opponents give up. The Federal Court of Appeal in San Francisco, in the same year, accused Scientology of abusing the legal system and required $2.9 million in punitive damages from it.

Other indications of intelligence operations in Germany were contained in an internal document of March 12, 1984. In this post description (Hat Write Up), the theoretical fundamentals of Scientology's intelligence tactics and methods of operation were stated in detail. This intelligence document was written in German and originated - as explicitly stated on it - from a time when the OSA was officially in existence. It is extensively based on GO training material from the "Intelligence Course" of September, 1974. Apparently to conceal that it was an actual operating directive from an intelligence department which actually existed in Germany, it is sporadically written in the past tense and uses generalized terms ("... data which one needs ..."). Generally, references to the GO intelligence department, the "Information Bureau," were made and explained, in that the former "Branch I" had been sub-divided into two sections. The first section was responsible for all forms of data collection (ODC, CDC), the second, the operations section, had taken over covert operations (CO). These operations were meant for the direct handling of an opponent or an opposing project. The operation of "Branch I" was directed at the area outside of Scientology; "Branch II" was directed inwards and was concerned with internal security.

Point 1 of the intelligence document dealt with the "construction of the network." This included the use of indices for potential fields of operation and available operators. In order to glean a selection of mission qualified personnel, all Scientology missions and churches would first be queried with prepared questionnaires which covered the following points: profession, connections with: politics, medicine, pharmacies, psychiatry, press, etc. The responses would be rated with regard to the potential recruitment of personnel.

The next stage is the three step "security clearance" for the mission personnel. The proposed staff member is investigated to a degree dictated by the sensitivity of the operation (ODC, CDC, CO).

In the "C" clearance for ODC, a person is only investigated to see that he is not a "Potential Trouble Source" (PTS) and that he is on good terms with Scientology. In addition to the investigation, a "non-disclosure bond" in the amount of 5,000 DM (Deutsch Marks) is required to be signed. Apparently Scientology uses this as insurance against possible betrayal.

For a "B" clearance, a "security check" is required which includes the question, "Are you here for a reason other than you say?" Besides that, the approval of the ethics officer and the person's case supervisor (supervises the person's auditing) is obtained. The amount for the "non-disclosure bond" goes up to 30,000 DM.

The highest security standard is the "A" clearance, which, in addition to the "B" clearance, requires that the person's life be checked on the E-meter, presumably to detect any potential cover stories.

An important point throughout is the motivation of the agent. He is not supposed to be motivated by money or by his own advantage, but as much as possible by a sense of duty to establish the goals of Scientology in this area. Attention is also supposed to be given that people are recruited from those whom one has contacted himself, and not from those referred by the detective agency to "help out," that means no voluntary agents. People who have had psychiatric treatment, have taken drugs or have had alcohol problems are generally refused. People deep in debt are regarded as easily blackmailed, and therefore not mission capable.

The basic training of the agent includes the study of relevant HCO Policy Letters and Bulletins as well as other mission specific writings by HUBBARD, as well as professional literature, such as the book by Christopher FELIX, "The Spy and his Masters." Under point 2, "running the independent staff member," several ground rules of conspiratorial agent handling are laid out:

"People who are assigned to confidential or secret projects will use internal code names such as "Andy" or "Otto" so that they cannot exchange information among themselves. It is recommended that external meets be arranged for people who should not be recognized because of a connection to the Church or a connection to Dept. 20."

Point 3 deals with the forms of collection and evaluation of information from publicly accessible sources (state and university libraries, public archives, newspaper archives, association registers, trade registers, etc.) Overt data collection also includes "noisy investigations," i.e. loud investigations against alleged Scientology critics in order to discredit them and to obtain further information about the person which can be used against them. Personal contact with "natural enemies," according to the intelligence guidelines, is most rewarding.

In covert data collection (point 4), it must first be stated which camouflage or "suitable guise" is best suited to get the information desired. Individual tactics are described which can be used to anonymously approach the target person professionally or personally, or to place oneself in his environment. The appropriate chapter on the "Art of Camouflage" from the above mentioned book by Christopher FELIX is recommended for this task.

Strategy set by policy for the insertion of agents in use not many years prior stated interestingly that this had been "little used previously (sic!)" since the agent often was subject to a requirement for confidentiality and would also be subject to punishment if he broke this requirement. However, Scientology used only selected information. On the topic of "Insertion in government positions," it states:

"NO WAY. It is never, and may never be, nor be envisioned illegal. The path to viewing files in connection with legal processes will remain open."

As already detailed above, the SO has learned from experience and modified some of its methods of procedure. However, since its intentions and goals have remained the same, its asseverations are still not trusted. For instance, a policy remains in effect which states that the SO wants to bring all documents which concern it into its own possession, even those documents whose existence has not been officially acknowledged. As a result, there is no legal way for the SO to gain access to these.

The description of the "Dust Bin Collection" (DBC) operating method is informative. By this is meant scouring trash cans belonging to targets in the search for paper trash which can be used. So far, this form of data collection has been used only on hostile groups, but it has proved very successful! The collected documents and information had not been able to be utilized in raw form, but extremely valuable references were gathered as a result. However, the author then warns:

"In the BRD ["Bundesrepublik Deutschland" : Federal Republic of Germany] it is not yet known that this form of data collection is being used; it should be dealt with very confidentially, even the fact that something like this is possible. In the USA, DBC has already been the subject of a court case which was won, and it has now been determined that the material collected can be used as legal evidence."

In 1984 there were already indications that DBC was also being practiced in Germany. A confidential report on the meeting of German Scientologists with a Munich private detective in 1983 who was assigned to spy on SO critics explicitly mentioned under the section "recommendations":

"The Project 'Dustbin Data' on ... should also be started since there could be good evidence there."

In 1993, former SO member Larry WOLLERSHEIM succeeded in retrieving from a private detective an envelope which had been addressed to him, which clearly proved that his trash had been searched. In the 1990's, according to Jon ATACK, there were a series of similar incidents. Robert Vaughn YOUNG also reported of having his trash "stolen" (see below).

Point 6 of the post description deals with so-called "predictions" and "estimations." The "predictions" relate to tactical events, such as a meeting of Scientology critics which will be visited. The SO tries to use all "communications lines" possible to obtain data for "predictions", i.e., to learn which activities against Scientology are currently in process. The investigation results are usually put together with CDC information into a "Data Report." These investigations are to aid in the prevention of surprise attacks from opponents; one wants to be one step ahead of them:

"As the network (comment: at the time of the GO) was still well built, the opponent was regularly checked out ... the opponent made surprise attacks only in rare cases."

The so-called "estimations" correspond to site description and analysis. Namely, the SO tries to analyze the layout of the material collected and evaluated in regards to presumed plans and strategies of the opponent (e.g., legal proceedings), in order to make long-term assessments and to be able to develop counter-strategies.

The "operations" listed under point 7 consist of Investigation "Branch I" operations, PR operations (such as press releases, production of press articles, lobby operations) and legal operations, unless Scientology itself has placed the charge or must defend itself in legal proceedings.

From the content of this intelligence document, it can only be concluded that nothing has changed fundamentally in the tactics of the Scientology intelligence service. Prior findings and those which follow substantiate the suspicion that the OSA goes about its intelligence operations with the same energy and single-mindedness as the GO once did. Similar in ambiguity to the alleged cancellation of the "Fair Game" order, another policy from HUBBARD is worded, <"no activity may be ordered which subjects an investigator to criminal pursuit."> The proceedings of the 1970's have shown how this instruction is to be understood: attention should be given to prevent the SO from being held directly accountable for crimes by intelligence agents.

An actual case in point is that of Robert Vaughn YOUNG and Stacy BROOKS YOUNG, to whom the "Fair Game" law and methods for fighting "suppressive persons" were applied in the 1990's. In his testimony of January 11, 1995, Robert Vaughn YOUNG first indicated that all HUBBARD policies founded upon the "fair game" practice and the hate campaigns of the SO, including the GO issues, continued to be valid because they could not be cancelled or modified in content. He and his wife had personally had to experience the proof of this assertion:

<"My wife and I have been "fair game" targets. Our house has twice been broken into (in which our office was the only goal), our trash has been stolen, bugs were planted in our house, our families have received nerve-wracking anonymous calls, we have been pursued, and we have been secretly photographed. Friends who have visited us were followed, their vehicles were tailed, and then they were visited with the intention of harassing them. Also covert agents or spies of different types supported either by INGRAM (comment: private detective of the SO) or the OSA have been used on us.... Since we stated that we were ready to have a meeting with the German "Focus" magazine, the Scientology attacks have increased. ... The purpose of the Scientology attacks against my wife and me is to cause us to stop ... For a period of time they described me as a "pornography publisher." The basis for that was a pack of pornographic material which was sent to me. They fished it out of my trash can and (falsely) claimed that I was the "publisher" of the material while the only thing I did with it was pitch it out. Since I have been clearly expressing my opinion on the tactics in Germany, they have described me as a neo-Nazi and photographed me in front of a restaurant with somebody whom they called a neo-Nazi.">

Some of these attacks against YOUNG could be verified by the State Office for Constitutional Security of Hamburg. On February 3, 1995, Hamburg Scientologists distributed a flyer entitled "Does CABERTA cooperate with neo-Nazis?", in which YOUNG, who was visiting in Hamburg at the time with groups including the Work Group on Scientology ["Arbeitsgruppe Scientology" (AGS)], was described as "collaborator of the American anti-Semitic movement." The flyer included a photograph of YOUNG together with Willis CARTO, the founder of the American "Institute for Historical Review" (IHR), known in right extremist groups worldwide as a revisionist and neo-Nazi establishment for historical research. YOUNG, said the accompanying write-up, also had connections with right-extremist camps. The cooperation of YOUNG with the Director of the AGS, Ursula CABERTA, was said to be further proof that she was seeking "help from the criminal element in her endeavor to exterminate a religious congregation." The flyer also repeated an assertion previously mentioned, that YOUNG, after his departure from Scientology, had tried his hand as a purveyor of "pornographic writings."

At least one point could be substantiated in regards to Scientology knowingly spreading untruth: from documents available to the State Office for Constitutional Security Hamburg, it was evident that it was not YOUNG, but the SO who had maintained close connections with the IHR! Since October, 1993, Scientologist Tom MARCELLUS has been director of the IHR, and presumably was one of those who took part in a plot against YOUNG. The meeting with the former director, Willis CARTO, in February 1994, YOUNG credibly stated, had taken place under duress, since CARTO had wanted to know why the SO was interested in the IHR. The meeting had been observed and photographed by a SO private detective in order to discredit YOUNG. YOUNG's case is a model sample of the unscrupulous "Black Propaganda" tactics of the SO still in use in recent times.

The persecution practices and machinations of the OSA described by YOUNG and other former members and critics has been verified by others, including former OSA agent Garry SCARFF, who left the organization in September 1992. In an approximately 240 page sworn testimony, SCARFF admitted to committing criminal acts on behalf of the OSA office in Los Angeles. For example, his duties included the theft of court documents which concerned Scientology. In the early 1980's, SCARFF had professional access to a nationwide police computer system. He said he was instructed to systematically make inquiries from a prepared list of names of Scientology opponents in order to see if any had crimes recorded. The stated intention of the organization is, according to SCARFF, to completely exterminate its various opponents using every available means. He said that the organization would not even stop at murder. In October, 1991, he said he received the assignment to kill the former director of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN), Cynthia KISSER, by means of a staged automobile accident. If this attempt should fail, he was assured of legal support from the BOWLES & MOXON, attorneys dedicated to Scientology, whose office is located in the same building directly above the OSA offices. In December, 1991, he received his second assignment. This time the murder attempt - again using an automobile - was directed against attorney Ford GREENE, who represented former Scientologists, including Gerald ARMSTRONG, in court.

SCARFF did not carry out this assignment, however, because of a conflict of conscience. Instead, he went to the police in Portland, Oregon. Previously, SCARFF said, he had been warned that he would be killed in case he ever decided to leave and cause trouble for the SO or BOWLES & MOXON. In case he could not be caught, his parents would be killed. On April 2, 1997, WDR broadcast a documentary on Scientology with the title of "The Dark Side of Scientology," in which SCARFF repeated his accusations. Visibly shaken, he stated he feared something would happen to his parents because of his statement.

SCARFF did not hold up under this pressure for long. Only three months later a statement by him was distributed on the internet in which he admitted to an allegedly voluntary agreement with the SO. In it he asserted that many of his statements in the sworn testimony were lies and that he was not a credible witness. As part of the agreement with the SO, SCARFF threatened the WDR with legal measures if it re-broadcast the show of April 2, 1997, since he no longer supported his "libelous" accusations. A short time later, however, he went back to his attorney, Graham E. BERRY, and reported that he had been held by the SO and put under duress. He said the retraction of his testimony had been coerced. BERRY, who is one of the few attorneys in the USA that will appear in court against the SO, believed this to be a typical OSA practice: the OSA was using the instability of its exploited agent; in case illegal activities were revealed he would be further manipulated in order to harm his credibility.

In his testimony, SCARFF stated unmistakably how he rated the SO:

<"All you have to look at is the history of the Church of Scientology. You only need to look at the documented facts and evidence that we have against BOWLES & MOXON and the Church of Scientology and you know that there is no doubt that the Church of Scientology is a criminal organization, inside and out, and all the functionaries and attorneys inside the Church of Scientology ... are components of this criminal organization, and they all belong behind bars.">

BERRY was skeptical over the prospect of convicting the organization in regard to the criminal conduct it was accused of despite the abundance of witness testimony and evidence. The criminal investigative authorities in Los Angeles made it clear to him that they were not in the position, because of personnel, organization and - in view of the enormously high costs - also because of financial grounds, to successfully conduct an extensive criminal investigation against the SO. This statement amounted to an admission of having to yield to the power of Scientology.

There is no need to fear a similar development will occur in Germany at this time. Much indicates, however, that the relationship would not be any different, essentially, if the SO had, or could bring about, the same development potential here. Even if German Scientologists have - so far as is known - not been caught in criminal acts comparable to those committed in the USA, the present findings and suspicions of the Munich State Attorney's Office that the SO operates in the gray areas of illegality and will not stop at criminal actions continues to provide reason for attentive observation of the activities of the OSA in Germany.

Next

Return to Title Page