Fair Game
Page 45
7.Paul Barry, Who Wants to be a Billionaire? The James Packer Story, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2009, pp. 126–127.
8.ibid., p. 64.
9.Sydney Morning Herald, 6 April 2002.
10.Paul Barry, op. cit., p. 178.
11.ibid., p. 183.
12.Kerry Packer told this story on TV and is recounted in Paul Barry, ibid., p. 6.
13.Paul Barry, op. cit., p. 193.
14.Richard Guilliatt, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 2003.
15.Pamela Williams, loc. cit.
16.James Packer interview with Mike Willesee, loc. cit.
17.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
18.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun, Memoirs of a Scientology Warrior, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.
19.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
20.Hubbard Manual of Justice, Hubbard Communication Office, 1959.
21.AN Smith Lecture, 15 November 1972.
22.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
23.Bert Fields email to author.
24.Patrick George email to author.
25.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
26.Targets, Defense, HCO Policy Letter, 16 February 1969.
27.ibid.
28.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
29.Eric Kleitsch interview with author.
30.ibid.
31.ibid.
32.ibid.
33.Dean Detheridge email to author.
34.ibid.
35.Patrick George email to author.
36.Eric Kleitsch interview with author.
37.ibid.
38.ibid.
39.www.scientologynews.org/faq/what-is-the-rehabilitation-project-force.html
40.Eric Kleitsch interview with author.
41.‘What is the Rehabilitation Project Force?’: www.scientologynews.org
42.Eric Kleitsch interview with author.
43.Annette Sharp interview with author.
44.ibid.
45.ibid.
46.ibid.
47.Pamela Williams, op. cit., p. 133.
48.Daily Telegraph, 21 December 2002.
49.Richard Guilliatt, ‘Shadow on the Son’, Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May 2003.
50.James Packer interview with Mike Willesee, Sunday Night, 10 February 2013.
51.Pamela Williams, ‘My Way’, Australian Financial Review, 24 November 2006.
52.David Miscavige at the IAS Gala in October 2004.
53.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
54.Pamela Williams, Killing Fairfax, op. cit., p. 133.
55.Mark O’Brien and Anthony McClellan interviews with author.
56.Anthony McClellan interview with author.
57.Mark O’Brien interview with author.
58.ibid.
59.Alex Mitchell, Crikey, 20 February 2006.
60.Mark O’Brien interview with author.
61.Phillip Adams email to author.
62.Paul Barry, op. cit., p. 210.
63.Mark O’Brien interview with author.
64.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
65.Paul Barry, op. cit., p. 247.
66.Pamela Williams, op. cit., p. 130.
67.Pamela Williams, ‘My Way’, Australian Financial Review, 24 November 2006.
68.Lucy James interview with author.
69.ibid.
70.ibid.
71.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun: https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/
72.Lucy James interview with author.
73.Sydney Morning Herald, 10 May 2008.
74.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun, Memoirs of a Scientology Warrior, op. cit., Chapter 25.
75.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun interview with author.
76.ibid.
77.Paula Froelich, ‘Rupert Murdoch Attacks Scientology Because It Once Courted His Son Lachlan’, The Daily Beast, 2 July 2012.
78.ibid.
79.Eric Kleitsch interview with author.
80.ibid.
81.ibid.
82.ibid.
83.Liz Kleitsch interview with author.
84.Eric Kleitsch interview with author.
85.ibid.
86.Text message from Eric Kleitsch.
Chapter 20
1.https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/miscavige-meltdown/
2.Heather McAdoo phone conversation with author.
3.www.mikerindersblog.org/scientology-you-are-being-watched-247/
4.Mike Rinder interview with author.
5.http://tonyortega.org/2015/06/25/mikerinder-and-reporter-man-convicted-of-hacking-was-working-for-scientology/
6.Matthew Goldstein, ‘Hired Hacker Who Named Clients Now Fears Retaliation’, New York Times, 8 July 2015.
7.Mike Rinder interview with author.
8.ibid.
9.ibid.
10.www.villagevoice.com/news/the-top-25-people-crippling-scientology-no-8-mikerinder-6672762
11.Mike Rinder interview with author.
12.Joe Childs and Thomas C Tobin, ‘Ex-Clearwater Scientology of officer Debbie Cook testifies she was put in “The Hole”, abused for weeks’, Tampa Bay Times, 9 February 2012.
13.ibid.
14.Tony Ortega, ‘Scientology’s Concentration Camp for Its Executives: The Prisoners, Past and Present’, The Village Voice, 2 August 2012.
15.Lawrence Wright, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2013, p. 265.
16.Tony Ortega, The Village Voice, 15 February 2012; Tampa Bay Times, 9 February 2012; www.mikerindersblog.org/debbie-cook-revisited/
17.‘Scientology defectors describe violence, humiliation in “the Hole”’, Tampa Bay Times, 12 January 2013.
18.http://tonyortega.org/2015/03/23/going-clear-mikerinder-helps-us-understand-a-scientology-document-that-will-creep-you-out/
19.Lawrence Wright, op. cit., p. 268.
20.Mike Rinder interview with Tony Ortega: http://tonyortega.org/2013/01/29/mikerinder-on-the-hole-and-how-he-escaped-scientology/
21.Mike Rinder email to author.
22.Lawrence Wright, op. cit., p. 336.
23.Eventually broadcast on The Secrets of Scientology on BBC Panorama on 28 September 2010.
24.Mike Rinder interview with author.
25.ibid.
26.ibid.
27.ibid.
28.ibid.
29.John Sweeney, The Church of Fear: Inside the Weird World of Scientology, Silvertail Books, London, 2013, p. 294.
30.Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun: https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/mikerinder-the-antithesis-of-david-miscavige/
31.Mike Rinder: www.mikerindersblog.org/disconnection-and-my-mother/
32.Mike Rinder interview with author.
33.Senator Nick Xenophon speech to the Australian Senate, 17 November 2009.
34.Senator Nick Xenophon interview with author.
35.Rohan Wenn interview with author.
36.ibid.
37.Senate Hansard, 17 November 2009.
38.ibid.
39.Rohan Wenn interview with author.
40.ibid.
41.Tony Ortega email to author.
42.Statement from the Church of Scientology, 18 November 2009: www.news.com.au/national/church-of-scientology-response-to-nick-xenophon/story-e6frfkvr-1225799110442
43.ibid.
44.Sydney Morning Herald, 18 November 2009.
45.www.crikey.com.au/2010/02/18/the-senate-lends-scientology-a-helping-hand/
46.Rohan Wenn interview with author.
47.www.news.com.au 17 March 2010.
48.Senator Nick Xenophon interview with author.
49.Four Corners, ABC TV, 8 March 2010.
50.Mike Rinder interview with author.
51.ibid.
52.ibid.
53.ibid.
54.ibid.
55.https://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2010/04/15/look-whos-disconnecting-now
A
CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not have been published without the help and support of many, many people.
If Quentin McDermott and Caro Meldrum-Hanna from Four Corners had not generously shared their story leads and contacts I may never have ended up investigating Scientology. Those initial stories relied on the courage of Carmen Rainer and Scarlett Hanna to speak out in the face of one of the most intimidating organisations on the planet. It was their strength of character that put me on the path to writing this book.
John Bruce, my former boss at Lateline, and Alan Sunderland, the Editorial Director at the ABC, were rigorous and fearless when it came to helping me put together those initial stories. We were airing allegations that other international media organisations had been too afraid to run. John and Alan never shied away from running these stories despite the legal threats and complaints they had to deal with.
I’d also like to thank Tony Jones, Michael Doyle, Jo Puccini, Brett Evans, Suzie Smith, Alison McClymont, Chris Schembri and Margot O’Neill for their advice and encouragement at Lateline, and Michael Martin, Ross Duncan and Grant McAvaney from ABC Legal for helping to get these stories on air despite the threats of litigation. Rohan Wenn, who was an adviser to Nick Xenophon at the time, also proved a great help.
When I decided to write this book, three of the first people I wanted to talk to were Jon Atack, the author of Let’s Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky; Tony Ortega, the journalist and blogger who writes about Scientology daily at The Underground Bunker; and Mike Rinder, the former head of the feared Office of Special Affairs. All three, in their own ways, have made significant contributions to this book.
Jon Atack has an extraordinary knowledge of Scientology history and policy, and a penetrating critical mind. He helped me source documents, check facts, ask the right questions and put me in contact with key people. I regularly asked him annoying questions that he always answered with grace and good humour.
Similarly, I could always rely on Tony Ortega to generously share information, contacts and advice. Tony reports with great skill and courage about Scientology on a daily basis. As a battle-hardened reporter on one of the most adversarial beats a journalist could wish for, his experience and guidance were always appreciated.
Mike Rinder had a front row seat to some of the most extraordinary moments in Scientology’s short but chaotic history – and he was always forthright in describing what he saw and experienced. Mike was at all times happy to be challenged on his version of events and his views about Scientology. The day he spent driving me around Clearwater (and across his spying neighbour’s lawn!) proved invaluable, as did the dozens of subsequent conversations we had over the phone and email.
In the course of writing Fair Game, I came to rely heavily on the work of others, most significantly Russell Miller’s biography of Hubbard, Bare-Faced Messiah, Lawrence Wright’s Going Clear and Jon Atack’s Let’s Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky. In a subject area where so many lies are told and myths are spun, these books were reliable sources to fall back on. Likewise, the quality journalism of Tony Ortega, as well as Thomas Tobin and Joe Childs at the Tampa Bay Times, and Chris Owen’s historical analysis of Hubbard’s war record provided another solid foundation on which to build.
Malcolm Macmillan and Roger Boswarva were a great help in understanding what went on during the Anderson Inquiry. Charlie Nairn was a joy to speak to about his illuminating off-camera conversation with Hubbard, as was Alex Mitchell, the intrepid reporter who tried to interview Scientology’s founder at a urinal in a Corfu casino. Former private investigator Rex Beaver provided me with one of my favourite moments in researching this book. When I tracked down Rex, the man who had been hired by the Scientologists to spy on Rupert Murdoch in 1968, not only did he remember the assignment well, he had also kept his statutory declaration from the time, his notebooks and his payslips! He promptly scanned them and emailed them to me that afternoon.
The following people helped me track down contacts, get key bits of information or convince people to talk to me: Alison McClymont, John Cleary, Peggy Daroesman, John Stanley, Ian Heads, Margaret Como, Barry Hart, Carmel Underwood, Paul Schofield, Bonny Symonds Brown, Jennifer Robinson, Karen de la Carriere and Gráinne O’Donovan. Gráinne also played a critical role in helping me build the trust of key witnesses and source documentary evidence and contacts in the early stages of this project. I had only one conversation with Professor Stephen Kent at a cult conference in Copenhagen, but his wise words helped shape this book.
A big thanks to the former Scientologists who provided me with so many leads and so much information, among them Dean Detheridge, Paul Schofield, Carmel Underwood, Bruce Hines, John Brousseau, Marc Headley, Haydn James, Lucy James, Hana Eltringham, Nancy Many, Jesse Prince, Nora Crest, Spanky Taylor, Sinar Parman, Chris Guider, Valeska Paris, Joe Reaiche, Ramana Dienes-Browning, and Gerry Armstrong. Thanks also to Mark ‘Marty’ Rathbun for the two interviews he gave me that shed new light on James Packer’s and Nicole Kidman’s relationships to Scientology. There are also a number of people who I can’t name who provided me with important information.
A special thanks to José Navarro, Terri Gamboa, Janis Grady, Ron Segal and Eric Kleitsch for trusting me to tell their stories in depth for the first time. Susan Geason very generously gave me access to her unpublished manuscript Dark Trance. Between us, I feel like we have unlocked the secrets of the true role the Scientologists played in uncovering the Chelmsford Hospital scandal. I hope to see her book published soon.
When you write a book like this you come to rely on librarians and archivists to help you uncover hidden gems. I still remember the sense of excitement I felt as I opened the ASIO files on Scientology. Michael Wenke at the National Archives of Australia made accessing these files a simple process. The Public Record Office of Victoria also provided me with many enjoyable moments as I discovered illuminating documents from the 1960s such as Hubbard’s entertaining letter to Inspector Bent. I also appreciate the assistance I received from Cathy Beale and her colleagues at the ABC library in Ultimo.
The National Library of Australia’s Trove website, which archives old newspapers and periodicals, was another invaluable resource. It is a crying shame that government budget cuts have threatened its ability to expand and add extra material.
A number of people read chapters and gave me important feedback over the long gestation period of this book, including Jon Atack, Tony Ortega, Mike Rinder, Julia Baird, Rodney Cavalier, Ian Heads, David Marr and Rhys Muldoon.
A big thanks to Brigitta Doyle, James Kellow and the team at ABC Books/HarperCollinsPublishers. Thank you for having the courage to take on this book, for being patient as I did the research and for helping to make it better once I delivered it.
Finally, I’d like to thank my wife and family for putting up with the long periods of time I spent away from them as I tried to do justice to this important topic. Writing about Scientology is not for the feint-hearted, and I appreciate their love and support while I was working away at it.
Steve Cannane
London, 2016
INDEX
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific entry, please use your e-book reader’s search tools.
Abraham, Ian 107
Ackerman, Forrest 39, 41
Adams, Bob 211
Adams, Phillip 310
Adelaide 112, 118, 150, 160
Alley, Kirstie 276, 284
Allied Enterprises 33
alt.religion.scientology newsgroup 260–7, 272
American Medical Association 54
American Psychological Association 44
American Religious Identification Survey 272–3
Anderson, Chris 212
Anderson Inquiry 99–109, 112, 115, 116, 151, 168, 234, 301–2
Kangaroo Court Scientology response 107, 110–11
recommendations 109, 112
The An
derson Report 107–9, 111, 131–2, 143, 172
Anderson, Jenny 69, 103
Anderson, Kevin 97, 100, 106, 107–8, 140, 172
Anderson, Max 69, 102–3
Anti-Slavery Australia 24
Anti-TB Information Centre 85
Apollo 130, 132, 144, 146, 159–65, 226, 227, 231, 234, 235, 244, 321 see also Royal Scotman (Royal Scotsman)
Archer, Anne 325
The Argus 49, 50, 57
Armitage, Richard 296
Armstrong, Gerry 35–6, 40, 165, 228, 234
ASIO 68–9, 85, 91, 94–5, 100, 152, 170–3
CIA conspiracy theory 171–2
Assange, Daniel 257
Assange, Julian 5, 257–9, 266–8, 321
anti-Scientology website 258–9, 266–7
free speech advocacy 267–9, 270–1
WikiLeaks publications on Scientology 270–2
Astounding Science Fiction 41–2, 45, 53
Astounding Stories 85
Atack, Jon 30, 55, 87, 109, 117, 118, 119
Let’s Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky 30, 55
Athena 132
Australia
American influence on 65–6
Anderson Inquiry 99–109
banning of Scientology 4, 75, 109, 111, 112–13, 118, 140–1, 148, 152, 155
Church of the New Faith 149, 151, 152–7, 170
first Australian Scientology Congress 57
formal recognition of Scientology 56–7
Greiner government 192
Guardian’s Office 169–70, 305
income to Hubbard 69–70
investigations/inquiries into Scientology 81–2, 94–7, 114
Melbourne Scientology Centre 57–8, 69–70, 72–5, 80, 86, 91, 100, 103, 106, 112, 114
NSW Parliament Scientology attack 138–9
private Scientology colleges 72–3
Project Dig 168–70, 197
protection visas 23–4
Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF) see Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF)
rugby league 205–24
Scientology in 1–5, 48–50, 56–8, 66–75, 88, 95–7, 113–15, 148
Xenophon’s speech 330–1
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) 4, 79
Four Corners 1, 219, 328, 333
Lateline 1–2, 4, 199, 333
Australian Critics of Scientology Resource Collection 266
Australian Federal Police
Transnational Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking Team 23