We were delighted to hear recently from Mirriam Francis, who wondered if we had looked closely at a particular 1959 “policy letter” issued by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
We are fascinated by Hubbard’s early lectures and policy emanations, but we admitted to Mirriam that this one was not familiar to us.
It’s a delightful rant that Hubbard penned on April 27, 1959, whining like a toddler because, he claimed, he was low on cash.
At the time, he claimed that he had just forked out for an estate owned by the Maharajah of Jaipur in Sussex, named Saint Hill Manor. (Things had gotten too hot for Hubbard in Washington DC, where the feds were beginning to take a hard look at Scientology’s health claims, and so he was trying to start over in England.)
Feeling the drain after buying the Manor, Hubbard bitched about how he wasn’t getting enough in the way of royalties from the elaborate organization he was now running in numerous countries.
It’s a fun look at Ron’s state of mind at the time, but Mirriam also drew our attention to something we have bolded in the text of the policy letter.
Can any of our expert researchers or former Scientologists help us out with this one? In 1959, Hubbard said he was working on a book titled “The Mentally Retarded Child,” and that it was for “the Society for Mentally Retarded Children program we are now piloting in the U.K.”
Given Scientology’s focus on the “able,” we’re surprised to see Ron attempting to get into this area. Anyone know what happened to this plan by the Commodore? Please let us know.
Here’s the issue…
HCO POLICY LETTER OF 27 APRIL 1959
WHY NEW BOOKS ARE FEW
The income I am supposed to derive from Scientology should pay for research, investigation, my promotional time, the writing of books and my living expenses. At present it does not.
We are short of new books because I haven’t had the time or the place to write them and do not even have a transcription secretary.
Clear results were delayed and released incomplete because research funds were missing and I had to do it all on the cuff. I couldn’t pay auditors to assist me.
Right now I am buying a home in England which will be a research centre and am faced with getting another house in the U.S. soon.
Basically the 10 percent paid as royalty by the Central Orgs is looked on as my income. It is not income. It pays for HCO personnel in most places who are more and more doing the administrative and promotional work vital to keep the lines flowing. HCO is worth, in income to Central Orgs an enormous amount just for these things.
I have a need for help here. Research and writing, on which we exist, is not being paid for. Therefore it is very hard for me to get it done. It would not be unusual for 10 percent to be paid for these two items. On the contrary. But the 10 percent is absorbed in paying for administration — and vital administration it is! Magazines, promotion, organizational data, to name a few, come under the 10 percent.
We are in for a boom. You may not see it in your area yet but HAS Co-audit well run has begun the project “Clear Earth.” HGCs have already begun Theta Clearing. And hotter stuff is to come.
But unless I can up my income for writing, research and living, we are somewhat slowed down.
My program has gone as far as this: I have bought, with my own money and whatever I could gather, a place in Sussex that’s quiet enough and remote enough for research and in which I can get lost enough to write. I emptied out all my loose cash, sold my boats and made my credit creak but we have a writing and research centre for the U.K.
The place belonged to an important person and is itself more or less self supporting as to upkeep.
I want to get a research centre for the U.S., equally remote and later on for each continent. In such places research records can be safe and the kind of research which now has to be done can be done.
This will take several years. I am perfectly willing to do and finance any and all of this out of my 10 percent royalties from the Central Orgs
If HCO personnel can be paid out of Congresses, books, tapes, records and memberships, if certain HCO services can be nominally charged for, and if Central Orgs can help out by paying HCOs where needed, then I can get every one into a position through writing, research and planning to take all the strain off by increasing book sale volume and general volume.
Right now we are doing things a bit backwards. I am having to bolster and plan to keep things afloat without the whereabouts or wherewithal to do the writing and research that will make floating easy.
HCO is vital to keep us going. So is writing and research.
I am truly and honestly concerned with all our incomes and work ceaselessly in an effort to raise yours. Only recently did I realize that I was having a hard time raising yours because my own income was too low, despite the overall high cuff ent and steadily increasing income of Scientology, to pay for the things I have always paid for from any income or money I received — research and writing. In establishing HAS Co-audit in London I found ads to be fabulously expensive. I realized suddenly that I could get plenty of press with books and book reviews. I abruptly cognited that “Have You Lived Before this Life?” was our first new book in two years. And “All About Radiation” was our first new book for two years. As we did in AAR, we sell from 6,000 to 9,000 new books worldwide, every new one I write. The market we have is steady. Only old books reprinted cost heavily. New books get their cost out in about 80 days and make us thousands in friends and money. Our book market would take a new book every six months. These, sent to reviewers widely in every area would give us plenty of press. And we’d have data in usable form. And 9 to 25 people read every book printed!
HCO has taken off a heavy administrative burden to a great extent, freeing the time. This leaves lacking (1) Finance for research (testing and leg work), (2) A place I can do research and do the actual writing, (3) Book transcription.
If we want a boom, it’s vital to free the income needed to create it. And this will up all our incomes, as well as get the job done.
My book schedule is now
1. Have You Lived Before This Life? (I rewrote it in the last 2 weeks amongst doing the new HCA/HPA series. It’s now at the printers.)
2 The Elements of Scientology. (Needed as the new course book to fit with the tapes. It’s partially compiled — has been for a year and a half but needs complete redoing.)
3. The Criminal Mind. (To give us a whole prison clearing program.)
4. The Mentally Retarded Child. (The text for the Society for Mentally Retarded Children program we are now piloting in the U.K.)
5. Great Mean of the Mind. (The biographies of mental healers, a missing text in psychology courses in universities)
You maybe sometimes wonder why I don’t write more new books. For a research confirmation, to whom do I say “Audit Bill and so and so” (HGC prosesses are too stable now for research) To whom do I say, “Run down to the local library and find out,” whom do I pull off post and say “Type up these 80,000 words of dictation tapes I’ve done?” Why me, of course. And I just can’t get it all in. So — no new books
But 10 percent devoted to these and the cash I need can do it easily.
Any comment or suggestion any secretary or executive in Central Orgs would care to make would be very welcome. I would find your views very helpful.
P.S. Only the F.C.D.C. bears the cost and more of writing and research at this time.
P.P.S. You didn’t realize I too had problems, did you?
Best,
L. Ron Hubbard
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Technology Cocktail
“Whatever may be said about Dianetics and Scientology, whatever may be said about me or my enthusiasm, I can assure you that we and I have delivered. We mean what we say when we write down in a summary of case histories that we cured so many cases of so-and-so, and we alleviated so many cases of such-and-such; we are not guilty of anything but what we actually did. We are guilty occasionally in misinterpreting exactly how we achieved these alleviations.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1956
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Jon Atack and Karen de la Carriere
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
— The Underground Bunker Podcast
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— SPECIAL: Your Proprietor’s updates on the Danny Masterson trial
[1] Sep 21 [2] Sep 28 [3] Oct 4 [4] Oct 10 [5] Oct 11: Day One [6] Oct 12: Day Two [7] Oct 13: Day Three [8] Oct 17: Day Four [9] Oct 18: Day Five [10] Oct 19: Day Six [11] Special interview with Chris Shelton, Oct 19 [12] Oct 20: Day Seven [13] Oct 21: Day Eight [14] First week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [15] Oct 24: Day Nine [16] Oct 25: Day Ten [17] Oct 27: Day Eleven [18] Oct 28: Day Twelve [19] Second week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [20] Halloween special [21] Nov 2: Day Thirteen [22] Nov 3: Day Fourteen [23] Nov 4: Day Fifteen [24] Third week in review [25] Nov 5, Saturday special [26] Nov 6, Sunday special [27] Nov 7, Day Sixteen [28] Lisa Marie Presley breaking news [29] Nov 8, Day Seventeen [30] Nov 9, Day Eighteen [31] Nov 10, Day Nineteen
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“I happen to be a nuclear physicist. I am not a psychologist nor a psychiatrist nor a medical doctor. To some degree, it was my responsibility that this world got itself an atom bomb, because there were only a handful of nuclear physicists in the thirties — only a handful. And we were all beating the desk and saying ‘How wonderful it will be if we discover atomic fission,’ because we decided that the thing to do with atomic fission was to go out and discover the stars, to make big passenger liners that would go ten times around the world on the same fuel. This was what we endeavored to do with atomic fission. The government stepped in and gave us three billion dollars. I had nothing to do with that program; I would not have had anything to do with the program. Three billion dollars to destroy all of man.” — L. Ron Hubbard, February 6, 1952
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“If your parents or friends are the kind who worry about you, BE SURE AND WRITE THEM AN AIRMAIL LETTER regularly. Otherwise they give us DEV T by asking the government to check up on you to see if you’re all right. If uncertain about it, write them anyway. Also, if you haven’t written your family recently do so anyway. Otherwise they’ll think Scn put you OUT of communication. You can mail the letter straight from here.” — The Commodore, February 6, 1969
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“Over the millenniums, thousands of religions, philosophies and mental therapies have been dissecting, explaining and advising us crazy critters — enough to fill libraries. Of the ones I’ve read, many have been interesting, some brilliant, insightful and helpful. And some destructive and others downright weird and incomprehensible (would someone please explain Deconstructivism?) However, NONE of these have gotten rid of the reactive mind, much less as-ised one lousy, bothersome mental image picture. That is until L. Ron Hubbard came along. In order to really fully understand and help a being, both mass and significance have to be understood.”
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2002: The Memphis Flyer interviewed Scientology celebrity Isaac Hayes. “How do you manage to juggle so many activities?” “It’s difficult, but thanks to my involvement in Scientology, there is a technology that can help you do that, an administrative technology. It can help you do it all.” “Is the church here another part of the package bringing you back?” “Lisa Marie Presley and myself put that together. We brought it to Memphis because we wanted to share it with our city. So the fact that I’m back helps me be more involved with my own mission. I need to get more people in there and familiarize more people with the principles, goals, and aims of Scientology and how good it is for everybody. It’s one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to me. I’ve been in it eight years and it’s really given me tools to improve myself. When you find something good, you want to share it with people.”
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“If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have tried even harder to destroy myself.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Mistrial declared November 30. Retrial scheduled, jury selection begins March 29.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Plea deadline scheduled for December 16.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff scheduled to time served with three years supervised release, restitution of $9.7 million.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial hearing December 9.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Found guilty of criminal and civil contempt.
Civil litigation:
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2. Hearing November 17 to argue the arbitration motions, awaiting ruling.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: February 2, 2023.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place at least through February 7.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Case settled ahead of scheduled Dec 6 trial.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.
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After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Shekter: How Scientology intervened in an intimate affair of the heart
[TWO years ago] VIDEO: Jon Atack talks to Mike Rinder about his first months aboard Scientology’s ‘Apollo’
[THREE years ago] Scientology OT8 dentist closes office while patients confront him about their cash
[FOUR years ago] Scientology TV wins a boatload of awards, and is the ‘fastest-growing TV network in history’!
[FIVE years ago] Scientology spies coming forward to spill their guts, then and now: A key example from the past
[SIX years ago] L. Ron Hubbard’s daughter — the one he wanted to disappear — surfaces online
[SEVEN years ago] ‘Are you 100 percent American?’ — ‘Ross & Carrie’ investigate joining Scientology
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology vs. the mayor: The full Gabe Cazares interview from 1997’s Secret Lives
[NINE years ago] The BBC’s John Sweeney gives us another glimpse of creepy Scientology intimidation
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology’s Secret Vaults: A Rare Interview With a Former Member of Hush-Hush “CST”
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 2,932 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,437 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,987 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,977 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,868 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,172 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,043 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,148 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,621 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,937 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,503 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,422 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,590 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,171 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,432 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,469 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,184 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,748 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,063 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,238 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,789 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,920 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,258 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,113 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,232 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,588 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,891 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,997 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,395 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,271 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,854 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,349 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,603 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,712 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on February 6, 2023 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.
Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
