TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: In 1955, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard announced ‘Project Celebrity,’ an attempt to make the church look more mainstream. And before Travolta (1975), Alley (1979), and Cruise (1986), the project’s biggest success may have been 49ers QB John Brodie, who died Friday at 90. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“Objective processes, properly chosen and run, bring the person gradually more and more into present time. As the process is orienting the person in the present time of the physical universe and as this present time is not threatening, he has a time point and a location point from which to sort out his confusions. His attention has been pulled out of his bank and has been placed on the physical universe around him. Because it is the backtrack that is causing his aberration, putting his attention on the physical universe tends to de-aberrate him. The backtrack contains mass and taking his attention off of this backtrack mass tends to lose it for him. But the masses around him in the physical universe substitute for the track mass and he receives a remedy of havingness.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1980
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“Nineteen fifty-one, I rolled up my sleeves and started to investigate the Whole Track. Because in late 1950 it had started to raise its ugly and unseemly head. And auditors who would run into it and try to audit it and pcs who dare bring it up, of course, ran into a considerable social ostracism of one character or another. That was not done. The first Foundation board tried to pass a regulation, a board ruling to the effect that nobody would ever look at, believe in or investigate past lives, and so forth. And yet auditors in auditing them kept running into them, you see? So that probably was the basic split-up of the first Foundation. The first Foundation wanted to sit there comfortably and just grind on and on in present-life engrams and consider that we had it all made and they wanted no further research or investigation of any kind whatsoever. Well, that wouldn’t go and that was that, because auditors were not turning out the results they should have turned out if one had only lived one life. So in 1951 this — I didn’t fly in the teeth of this. I would have investigated anything. I mean, there’s no real resistance on my part. You show me something, tell me I can’t investigate it, I’m liable to investigate it. You show me something and tell me I can investigate it, I’m liable to investigate it. I mean, there is no influence in that line. I, just down through the trillennia, I have not paid attention to and/or paid no attention to people who have told me not to look. I just have not paid any attention to this one way or the other. This, of course, adds up to a total neglect of the ‘finer sensibilities,’ I think they’re called, of other people. The finer sensibilities, I think, is another way of expressing the idea ‘he’s too yellow to look.’” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 25, 1962
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“If you can tolerate running your legs off, getting grey hairs, bags under your eyes, streteched wits in the course of a day’s work amongst the living lightning, these could be a place for you in the Office of the LRH Comm Flagship. You’ve no idea what it takes at times to get an order duplicated, activated, executed and completed! Cats with some lives left who want it hot and dangerous can volunteer for the hottest spot aboard. Drop me a line — today — saying WHY you want a job with LRH Comm Flagship and I’ll look it over.” — LRH Comm Flagship, January 25, 1971
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“If no one trains to be an auditor then Scientology will be dead in the future. There are two major ‘stops’ to training, time and money. There are people who might want to train who believe they can’t afford it. If someone would start a fund raising campaign and collect funds that could be given as grants for studying that might help. For example if there was a grant available for training, I could advertise for someone who would be willing to become and auditor if he/she had financial help. Just a thought.”
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2002: Salon.com published a retrospective on January 24th on the L. Ron Hubbard, which is the date of his death in 1986. “Before the Scientology incarnation, Hubbard had a 20-year career writing pulp magazine stories – adventure, crime, westerns and then mostly science fiction. In 1982, after decades of Church work – much of it the labor of dodging the FBI, CIA, IRS and reporters – Hubbard returned to his muse with ‘Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000.’ If the numbers are to be believed, it became one of the greatest science-fiction hits of all time; if the apostates and investigative reporters are to be believed, the
novel was a required purchase, and another Church scam. If Hubbard himself is to be believed in his introductory essay, he had been ‘studying the branches of man’s past knowledge at that time to see whether he had ever come up with anything valid.’ He had done ‘some pioneer work in rockets and gasses,’ was ‘in rather steady association with the new era of scientists, the boys who built the bomb,’ and therefore well-placed to be ‘one of the crew of writers that helped start man to the stars.’ According to the Church Web sites, his greatest accomplishment is the 10-book ‘Mission Earth’ series, a work that believer-critics find reminiscent of both ‘the later Henry James’ and ‘the later Charles Dickens,’ and such ‘a biting commentary on exactly who is doing what on today’s earth’ that it is ‘repeatedly drawing comparisons to the works of Jonathan Swift.’ Presumably the later Jonathan Swift; possibly that section in ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ wherein the mad scientists of Lagado endeavor, among other things, to reconstitute food from excrement.”
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“People say to me, ‘So, have you met a Scientologist?’ And I laugh and think to myself, ‘What a beautiful thing,’ because maybe one day it will be like that, you know? You know what I’m saying. Maybe one day it will be that ‘Wow, Scientologists, they just read about those in the history books.’ You know?”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7, 2023. Appeal now fully briefed, waiting for 2nd Appellate District court to set a hearing date. Masterson has also submitted a habeas corpus petition.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Pleaded guilty on Nov 10 to a 17-year prison sentence (eligible for parole in two to three more years). Awaiting transfer to state prison.
— Aaron Matthes charged for SA of child under 12 years old: OT Scientologist facing multiple mandatory life sentences. Next pretrial court hearing set for Feb 2.
Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Judge Hammock’s ruling is on appeal. Leah’s respondent’s brief is due February 11.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ 15 days of arbitration completed, Val waiting for further word from the IJC.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal. Appeal fully briefed. Motion to replace Jane Does’ AI-tainted brief denied by court. Awaiting a court hearing date.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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Other links: The prosecution of Danny Masterson. Leah Remini’s Fair Game Podcast. Leah Remini’s A&E Series. Scientology’s Celebrities, from A to Z. Bryan Seymour’s suppressed series, 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] Ten years ago today: ‘Going Clear’ exposed Scientology’s abuses for a new audience
[TWO years ago] Mike Rinder and Claire Headley tie RTC to Scientology mayhem for Leah Remini lawsuit
[THREE years ago] WTF? Scientology gets Yuma TV anchor fired for piece about Lisa Marie Presley
[FOUR years ago] Danny Masterson gets boost from Mom & brother Chris, who secure his $3.3 million bail
[FIVE years ago] Scientology in Russia: Historian Chris Owen does the deep dive we’ve been waiting for
[SIX years ago] My mom is the auditor in the ‘Reckless Ben’ Scientology infiltration videos
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s ‘grass roots’ social media effort is actually led by its most mediocre spokesman
[EIGHT years ago] The Battle of Portland, part 2: Pressuring a court by surrounding it with Scientologists and celebs
[NINE years ago] Brandon Reisdorf: Scientology complained to probation dept. over ‘Leah Remini’ appearance
[TEN years ago] For a class-action lawsuit against Scientology’s rehab network, a setback in California
[ELEVEN years ago] Who are the 8 Scientologists profiled in ‘Going Clear,’ premiering today? We have a guess.
[TWELVE years ago] Jon Atack: Do Scientology’s training routines turn you into a sociopath?
[THIRTEEN years ago] Newsweek Confirms It: L. Ron Hubbard Was a Blowhard
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,519 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 4,023 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,529 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 4,079 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 3,069 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,455 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,950 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 6,254 days.
Marc Headley has not seen his mother Trudy in 4,905 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 4,123 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,677 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 5,018 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,589 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,505 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,672 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 5,254 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,513 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 4,265 days.
Marie Poulin has not seen her mother June in 3,830 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 2,145 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,320 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 5,002 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,339 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 10,192 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,308 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,670 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 4,081 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,469 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,353 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,918 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,429 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,689 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,793 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 25, 2026 at 07:00
E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter.
Our book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is 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, 1995-2024 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2024), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
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Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
