Brit paper in ’66 outed Scientology spy ops that spookily anticipate Leah Remini’s case
One reason why Leah Remini’s lawsuit is so important is that it is taking head-on the practice by Scientology to stalk, smear, and in general retaliate against people it considers its enemies with the use of private investigators.
Her legal team has already expended considerable energy not only providing examples of these “Fair Game” practices by the church in Leah’s case, but they’ve also been putting it in context of how this kind of smeary activity is baked into Scientology’s DNA and was put there by its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
So when our helper who dives into newspaper archives found this gem for us from a 1966 issue of The People, which so skillfully exposes these practices years before the Snow White Program and the ensuing FBI raid of 1977 made them more widely known, we immediately thought about how well it bolsters what Leah is saying in court right now.
This is a remarkable piece by Derek Ive, a celebrated foreign correspondent who died in January at the age of 84, Read this excellent remembrance of this brave man who was so far ahead of his time as far as uncovering L. Ron Hubbard’s mob-like activities.
Can you imagine the American press today speaking this plainly about what Hubbard’s successors are doing to Leah Remini at this very moment?
One man Britain can do without…
(The People, Sunday, March 20, 1966)
Behind the elegant walls of a country mansion in Sussex, a nasty enterprise is being directed by the head of a strange American cult.
It is an evil plan which will offend every fair-minded citizen in this country.
The man is Lafayette Ron Hubbard, an American, and head of a pseudo-psychological movement called Scientology, which he brought to Britain 15 years ago.
And his latest scheme is the setting up of an investigation team to spy on people and compile dossiers on their activities.
It is a project loaded with venom.
Anyone who dares to express doubts about Mr. Hubbard’s organization runs the risk of having his private life investigated — presumably in the hope that some unsavory details may be revealed.
Towards this end, Mr. Hubbard has recruited a team of three investigators to carry out his spy work.
They are paid up to £35 a week and they are given the use of a car.
Mr. Hubbard is prepared to spend £300 a week on his team of spies, who have been given the James Bond-style code name of Div. 1 Section 5.
Hubbard got his investigators by advertising in the “Daily Telegraph.”
The first man to answer the advertisement was Mr. Vic Filson, an experienced private investigator.
SHOCK
He went to the headquarters of the movement, Saint Hill Manor, near East Grinstead, and there met Mr. Anthony Phillips, an official of the organization.
Mr. Filson had a shock when he was invited to take an “E-Meter” test.
It is an electronic device, working on the lie detector principle, used in the scientology movement to assess the subject’s emotional state.
Mr. Filson held two “tins,” one in each hand, and a series of questions were fired at him. A girl took readings from a meter to record his reactions. Mr. Filson, who left the organisation after a week, said:
“There was one ‘shock’ question they kept asking — ‘Who sent you here to spy on us?’
“I insisted I had seen the advertisement in the ‘Daily Telegraph’ and that was the only reason for my presence.
“I seemed to have passed all right, and I was taken back to Phillips.”
Mr. Filson went on: “Phillips told me dossiers were to be built up on special subjects. But the truth didn’t really dawn until I got a memorandum from Hubbard himself.
“It was horrifying. It was a set of instructions to investigate the activities of psychiatrists in Britain and to prepare a dossier on each.
“And I was told that the first victim who was to be investigated was Lord Balniel, chairman of the National Association for Mental Health.”
How had Lord Balniel, M.P. for Hertford, offended?
Last month he asked Mr. Kenneth Robinson, Minister of Health, to investigate scientology.
“There is a determined effort to smear Lord Balniel through this new investigation bureau,” said Mr. Filson.
In my file at the “People” office, I have the instructions Hubbard has issued to “Div. 1, Section 5.”
DOUBTS
This particular document singles out psychiatrists as the first object of investigation, because psychiatrists have frequently expressed doubts about scientology.
It reads: “A psychiatrist today has the power to take a fancy to a woman, drug or shock her into temporary insanity, use her sexually, sterilise her to prevent conception, kill her by a brain operation to prevent disclosure.
“Psychiatrists violently attack not only persons but groups such as ours. And they have very dirty hands.
“We want at least one bad mark on every psychiatrist in England, a murder, an assault, or a rape or more than one.
“This is Project Psychiatry. We will remove them.”
Violent words. Dangerous words. But, on the orders of the man who wore them, eminent doctors and men like Lord Balniel — men of the highest probity — will have Mr. Hubbard’s spies put on to them.
Lord Balniel told me: “I know quite a bit about what is going on in Mr. Hubbard’s organisation. But I do not intend to take any action until after the Election.”
My hopes of tackling Mr. Hubbard on his activities were dashed when I visited the headquarters. I was told he was in the Canary Islands.
Instead I saw Mr. Reg Sharpe, Mr. Hubbard’s personal assistant. He said: “We can investigate whom we like. There is no law against it.”
He became extremely angry when I told him I had the confidential instructions issued by Hubbard.
As I left, he shouted: “We will defeat all our enemies. Scientology is the truth.”
Well, Mr. Sharpe is entitled to his opinion. Men who oppose scientology are similarly entitled to express their views — without becoming the victims of a vicious smear campaign.
Mr. Hubbard would do this country a favour if he decided never to come back here again. He is one man we can afford to do without.
— Derek Ive
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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time
Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology
Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain
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It’s interesting that Hubbard’s hate for psychiatrists had some basis in 1966. Psychiatry was still using Shock treatment, debilitating drugs, institutional isolation and many other barbaric treatments.
The problem was scientology had no solutions for treating mental illness. And the advances that have been made in psychology and psychiatry have improved their results and care dramatically. Where as Scientology has only changed for the worse.
And what we see in the article is the statement from Hubbard to the PI which now describes Scientology quite accurately.
Substitute scientologist for psychiatrist.
It reads:
“A psychiatrist(Scientologist) today has the power to take a fancy to a woman, drug or shock(sec check or audit) her into temporary insanity, use her sexually, sterilise (force her to have an abortion)her to prevent conception, kill her ( with gaslighting) by a brain operation to prevent disclosure.
“Psychiatrists (Scientologists) violently attack not only persons but groups such as ours(whistleblowers). And they have very dirty hands.
“We want at least one bad mark on every psychiatrist in England, a murder, an assault, or a rape or more than one.
“This is Project Psychiatry. We will remove them.”
Political and religious organizations often need 'enemies'. Having an 'enemy' tells the world what your group is for and against. It is a great help in advertising and recruitment. Now comes Lroon and his vindictive and Xenu fearing 'religion' and they want to be kings of the hill. Well Lron, you were never the king of the hill, you were at best a carnival barker with a load of bovine excrement to sell.
Derek Ive for the win. "He is one man (and one 'religion') we can afford to do without." Well said sir, well said.