Resurfaced video: An afternoon in 1963 with Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard

We want to thank the reader who brought to our attention that a pretty remarkable film featuring L. Ron Hubbard talking about Scientology from 1963 has resurfaced.

It appears that an independent Scientologist group in Argentina posted a video of the film to YouTube about four weeks ago, but we’re not sure whether it might have been posted earlier than that.

It’s new to us, at least, but some of you oldtimers might remember seeing it back in the day: It’s a 30-minute peek at L. Ron Hubbard working at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, England, produced by early Dianeticist Reg Sharpe. It also features Hubbard’s wife Mary Sue (with a small speaking part!), and their children: Diana, Quentin, Suzette, and Arthur.

The film was apparently made for Scientologists around the world to get a sense of what things were like at Saint Hill, and it features a very short model auditing session with Hubbard asking the questions and Reg on the cans.

We can’t wait to see what your impressions of it are, but our first instinct was to get the thoughts of Alex Barnes-Ross, the former London Scientology staffer who has been focusing so much media attention on Saint Hill today.

“Knowing what I know now about hypnosis, the parallels couldn’t be more obvious. Seeing Hubbard demonstrate an auditing session – the way he speaks, raising his voice ‘start of session’ and ‘end of session,’ and getting the PC to ‘tell me I’m no longer auditing you’ – it’s textbook hypnotic tactics,” Alex says.

“When Hubbard asks, ‘Are there any gains you’d like to mention?’ The PC’s pause made me chuckle. He’s clearly struggling to think about how touching the various things on the table changed his life. But of course, he had to come up with something for the camera. The staged scene where Hubbard kisses his kids goodnight was poor acting worthy only of a Golden Raspberry Award, and if you ever wanted evidence that LRH was PTS, this is it. If I’m not mistaken, Peter Hemery, who was a close aide of Hubbard’s and features prominently in this film, wound up a declared SP.

“Two standout quotes for me were: ‘Scientology doesn’t work if it’s badly done’ – correction, sir. It doesn’t work full stop. And, ‘The sun never sets on Scientology’ – I think it’s pretty clear Scientology is past its heyday and now with fewer Scientologists than ever before, we’re moving into the twilight zone.”

Had Alex run into the film before?

“Nope, had no idea it even existed. I imagine Scientology wanted to keep the lid on this and filed it away in the archives of footage never to be played again after Hemery was declared. And also considering how much the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course is plugged.”

(Current leader David Miscavige has greatly diminished the prominence of the vaunted SHSBC.)

“It made me smile to see London get a mention,” Alex continued. “I mean, it was interesting to see old footage of Saint Hill – and how it hasn’t changed. The whole place is like a time capsule, especially the manor – kept exactly how it was when LRH left in 1966. Something else of note – which I believe has been said before – is that in Scientology you’re made to believe that during Ron’s residency at Saint Hill, the place was thriving and packed to the brim.. It was made to seem like the SHSBC was delivered to people in their hundreds, but this footage clearly shows just how small the room was and how there were only a handful of students.”

And how about our readers who were never Scientologists: How does Ron’s legendary “charisma” strike you? And the “technology” on display in that auditing session?

Ready to get your havingness raised, pilgrims?

 
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Technology Cocktail

“One of the old problems of Dianetics was that the pc recovered from his arthritis fully and then only nagged the auditor about a new symptom. It wasn’t that the pc had to have an illness (only the 19th Century psychologist believed that it was no use to cure anything as the patient just got something else). The fact is that the symptoms of
the pc are several, not just one. You take up and audit each symptom or complaint to erasure of its picture, one after the other.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1969

 
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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?

[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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones

 
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Source Code

“Sacredity. I think it’s very amusing, if you like to laugh at funerals. I do myself. I do. The last funeral I saw in Kansas, a dead wagon went by, you know, and it was one of these hearses, you know, with the great big plate glass side windows, you know. You could see the coffin in there. Flowers all over it. And here came limousines after it, you know, one after the other. And there were people crying and people sobbing in these limousines. I pulled off to the side of the road, naturally, and I took off my hat. And all this was just automatic, you know, took off my hat. I sat there and watched this thing go by. And car by car my risibility started getting the better of me, you know. I thought here’s this bird, he kicked off, you know, and they shoved this body full of embalming juice, and this bird is sailing around here someplace or another. He probably already picked up somebody in a maternity ward or something of the sort, and he’s long gone, you know, and here’s these birds left with this piece of MEST, you know. And they’re crying and sobbing, you know, and they’re filling it full of flowers and embalming fluid, and going to take it out to the graveyard and erect some stone over the top of it, you know. The unreality of these people and their attitude and what they believed, and what I myself knew for a fact, you see, were so far apart that I’m afraid that by the time the last funeral car had passed, I was just doubled up with laughter. I just can’t take funerals very seriously. I’m sorry. It’s too silly.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 5, 1962

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“TO THOSE LEAVING

Farewell
God Speed
And Early Return

I thank you
The Sea Org thanks you

To us all.
I know
The good things you’ve done
And good intent.
Forgive the conditions
And any hardship

And carry away
No bitterness
But only pleasant
Memory of Flag.

In appreciation
Gratitude

Farewell

God Speed
And
Soon Return
Love
Ron
April 5, 1969”

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Several of my high school aged clients have remarked on how auditing has been a game changer in regards to their chosen career paths. The focus is not on the financial gains of MEST, but more towards ‘dealing with the futility postulates’ that many on this planet carry. They have noticed the automaticity of the adults around them leading towards the game of death rather than creating, of a paycheck rather than a purpose, and souls lost in amnesia.”

 
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Past is Prologue

2000: Reuters reported that South Africa has agreed to allow Scientology ministers to marry other people. “The South African Department of Home Affairs has granted ministers in the Church of Scientology the right to marry people in that country, a spokesman for Los Angeles-headquartered Scientology said Monday. The Rev. Heber Jentzsch, president of the Church of Scientology International, said the decision legalizes all marriages performed by Scientology ministers in that country and ‘means that Scientology is now fully recognized as a bona fide religion in South Africa.'”

 
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Random Howdy

“It’s ‘nix’ on ESP and telepathy, but ‘ja’ on Telekinesis and Astral Projection? No reason or rhyme to the mind of Mother Hubbard.”

 
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing May 17, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, hearing on April 16.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

 
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SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

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] Eyewitness report: Scientology leader David Miscavige at the LRH Birthday Event
[TWO years ago] Melissa McPhail: A fantasy writer’s travel through time to her Scientology Sea Org past
[THREE years ago] Former Scientology OT gets indicted on $4 million securities fraud
[FOUR years ago] Whoopi Goldberg recommends Scientology’s drug rehab Narconon on ‘The View’
[FIVE years ago] Scientology gets away with abuses because it has friends like author Orson Scott Card
[SIX years ago] What do super powers smell like? For around 30 grand, Scientology can help you with that.
[SEVEN years ago] Bryan Seymour: Scientology’s sniffer-dog problem is bad timing for Narconon in Australia
[EIGHT years ago] After their daughter died at Scientology training, a friend makes off with the funeral money
[NINE years ago] Saturday Night Live’s genius spoof of Scientology: Lyrics and images
[TEN years ago] Jon Atack’s final weekly column for us on Scientology, and it’s a doozy
[ELEVEN years ago] Remembering Diane Colletto, Who Would Have Been 60 Today

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 5, 2024 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, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), 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

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone