Scientology has an interesting history with Washington D.C.
On July 4, 1955, the “Founding” Church of Scientology was opened there, even though churches had already been created in Camden (1953) and Los Angeles (1954).
The first raid on a Scientology church happened in Washington in 1964 when the Food and Drug Administration decided it had heard enough of L. Ron Hubbard’s health claims and the agency confiscated about a hundred of his “e-meters.”
A decade later, Hubbard sent operatives from his “Guardian Office” in a plot he called the “Snow White Program” to infiltrate numerous government offices in town, searching for copies of damaging information about him. For three years, his GO spies stole documents from federal offices with impunity until an arrest in 1976 led to a raid the following year, again in DC but also in Los Angeles.
Hubbard himself was in DC in 1976 when that arrest happened. He had fled Florida, where his cover had been blown after he was recognized by his tailor, who told a news reporter. He enjoyed DC, and had set up an office there when he heard that GO spy Gerald Wolfe had been picked up by the FBI on June 30, 1976. Hubbard immediately recognized the importance of it and skipped town, ending up in California. When the FBI raided the church the following year, Hubbard went into deeper hiding in Nevada.
So D.C., over the years, represented some of L. Ron Hubbard’s greatest hopes and his deepest disappointments. He wanted very much to succeed in Washington, and would have loved to have been a big player there, but he hated what the government said about him.
After Hubbard’s death in 1986, the federal government, in the form of the IRS, continued to be Scientology’s biggest bogeyman, and was the target of a vast harassment campaign until, in 1991, President George H. W. Bush’s IRS commissioner, Fred Goldberg, agreed to meet with Scientology leader David Miscavige, who brought along his lieutenant, Marty Rathbun.
Rathbun tells us Goldberg looked relieved when they told him the thousands of lawsuits against the IRS, filed by individual Scientologists, would all evaporate overnight if they could just find a way to a settlement. Goldberg then started a process that two years later, under the new president Bill Clinton, resulted in tax exempt status for Scientology. It was Miscavige’s greatest victory as leader of the church.
And now, even as Scientology is in decline and Miscavige has numerous serious problems on his hands, he’s trying to extend Scientology’s influence in Washington. He re-opened a National Affairs Office in a renovated Fraser Mansion, and his crew there, including spokeswoman Sylvia Stanard, are trying to make inroads with D.C.’s movers and shakers.
Given Scientology’s rotten reputation, it’s been slow going. But even an outfit like Miscavige’s can find a few no-name diplomats from small countries to come by for a bite to eat.
One of our tipsters leaked to us a slide presentation that the National Affairs Office has put together to show off its success luring deputy ambassadors from Third World countries to come by for luncheon. We thought you’d enjoy leafing through it.
Scientology National Affairs Office Slides
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Ante up, thetans!
For you Los Angeles whales who have a little money that hasn’t been regged for an Ideal Org…
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The solopsism of Scientology
Jeffrey Augustine and Karen de la Carriere take us on another fun exploration of Scientology thought.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 6, 2014 at 09:15
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Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS (We read Scientology’s founding text) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
UP THE BRIDGE (Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN (Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING (Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49
PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer
The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
