[>] "required by the I.R.S. to disclose": Frantz, "Scientology's Puzzling Journey," March 9, 1997.
[>] "Instead of tough tax law": "Exempted, Not Vindicated," editorial, St. Petersburg Times, November 21, 1993.
9. Lisa
In 2004, the estate of Lisa McPherson settled its seven-year civil lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. As a condition of the settlement, both sides agreed not to discuss the case, or the terms of the settlement, in the future. As the facts of the civil case were nearly identical to those of the criminal case, as Lisa's mother and several other relatives are now deceased, and as the majority of Scientologists referred to in this and subsequent chapters are still involved in Scientology, bound by the agreement or otherwise unwilling to talk about Lisa, much of the information contained in this chapter, as well as chapters 10–12, comes directly from the Clearwater Police Department's investigative file, which was made available by the department in a CD format.
This file is made up of more than six thousand pages of documentary evidence, including Lisa's handwritten notes and letters to friends, write-ups of her overts and withholds, a life history report and other confessions, Church of Scientology internal reports and documents including Lisa's ethics files, and scores of interviews, sworn statements, and depositions taken by Clearwater law enforcement officials from Lisa's family, friends, colleagues, and Scientology staff. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations come from these records.
In addition, for background and insight on the environment at the Dallas Mission of the Southwest, and on Bennetta Slaughter, I relied on personal interviews with Steve Hall, Melanie Stokes, and Greg Barnes. Sandra Mercer and Nancy Many were two key sources of information about WISE, the experience of working for a WISE company, and the FSM program.
[>] "They were a time of unease": David Frum, How We Got Here: The 70s, the Decade That Brought You Modern Life (for Better or Worse), p. xxiii.
[>] skeptical of Scientology: Boss, in fact, wanted Lisa to ask for a refund after she committed some $3,000 to pay for Scientology's Life Repair package; he was so irate, according to church records, that he phoned the Dallas mission numerous times, threatening legal action if they didn't return the money. Succumbing to pressure from her husband, Lisa did ask for a refund but made it clear to the staff at the mission that she was happy in Scientology and did not intend to abandon it. Rather, as she explained to several staffers, she planned to use the refund money to file for divorce and then, once free of Boss, to do "amends" to get back into the church's good graces. Though this might have sounded reasonable, it set off alarms. In Scientology, the inability to resist another person's wishes signifies a lack of "certainty" about one's commitment to the church. "Never let anyone be half-minded about being Scientologists," Hubbard wrote in Keeping Scientology Working. "When somebody enrolls, consider he or she has joined up for the duration of the universe—never permit an 'open-minded' approach." To counter "open-mindedness," Hubbard advocated control, which registrars like Greg Barnes were encouraged to exert over their clients, for, as Scientologists called it, the "greatest good" of the particular individual and of the organization. Hubbard wrote extensively about control: "Control equals income," he said in an HCO policy letter dated February 21, 1961. "As any control we exert upon the public brings about a better society, we are entirely justified in using control ... One must discover what is best for the applicant and then control them into obtaining it." Ultimately, Lisa changed her mind and did not ask for any money back; instead, she moved ahead with disconnecting from her husband.
[>] "automatically and immediately": Hubbard,Dianetics and Scientology Technical Dictionary, p. 415, originally stated in the St. Hill Special Briefing Course 1973, tape #6608CO2.
[>] Originally conceived of in the 1960s: According to the Church of Scientology, Hubbard came up with study technology after attempting to study photography via a correspondence course (see the Ron series, "The Humanitarian: Education," at education.lronhubbard.org /page34.htm). However, in an interview with Alan Walter in 2007, I learned that the Berners, loyal Scientologists, had in fact brought their ideas of "study technology" to Saint Hill, where, prior to meeting with Hubbard, they explained much of it to Walter over dinner. "They were excited about it and wanted to give it to Hubbard," he recalled. "That next day, Hubbard gets up and during a lecture introduces them to the [group], and then claims he's discovered this technology and has done this and that, and the two of them were in shock. They got no recognition, nothing. And from that moment on, nobody discovered anything but L. Ron Hubbard."
[>] "word clearing": Hubbard, Basic Study Manual, Effective Education Publishing, 2004, pp. 157–59.
[>] nine distinct types of word: A critical analysis of word clearing can be found at the "Scientology v. Education" site (www.studytech.org). Scientology's own explanation of word clearing can be found in HCO Bulletin, January 30, 1973, revised December 19, 1979: "Method 9 Word Clearing the Right Way," HCO Bulletin, July 1 1971, revised January 11, 1989; and "The Different Types of Word Clearing," Basic Study Manual, pp. 188–95.
[>] "aggressive without being obnoxious": Clearwater Police Department interview with Craig Burton, March 10, 1997.
[>] called "blowing": Church of Scientology staff or Sea Org members (with the exception, reportedly, of those at the International Base) are allowed to quit their jobs, provided they complete the proper steps, a process known as "routing out." The standard procedure is to submit to a security check, followed by "lower conditions," the formulaic process Hubbard designed by which the staff member evaluates the harm he or she may have done to the group. They are also required to do a written assessment of their transgressions—overts and withholds. This process can take months, and even years, reportedly. To ensure that a Sea Org member does not "blow," which connotes an unauthorized or sudden departure, other Sea Org members are often recruited to sleep outside such a person's door, sometimes with wrists tied to the doorknob, to prevent an unauthorized departure during the night. Even though a true "blow" is defined as "leaving without permission," the term tends to be used colloquially for anyone who leaves the Scientology staff. Departure is generally seen as negative, caused by overts and withholds, or hidden crimes. To inform anyone other than a superior that you desire to leave is considered suppressive.
[>] "freeloader's bill": According to Hubbard, any staff or Sea Org member who fails to complete a contract is considered a "freeloader." This includes those who "blow."
10. Flag
For the story of Scientology's infiltration of Clearwater, I relied on personal interviews with Larry Brennan and Sandra Mercer, as well as with the journalist Richard Leiby, who was both an eyewitness to events and a reporter of them. He was tremendously helpful in assisting me in separating the wheat from the chaff and also served as a crucial check on history. The seminal news coverage of Operation Goldmine, as Scientology's takeover of Clearwater was called, was done by the St. Petersburg Times, notably in a series of investigative stories by the reporter Charles Stafford, published on December 16–30, 1979, and later compiled in a special report, "Scientology: An In-Depth Profile of a New Force in Clearwater" (St. Petersburg Times, January 9, 1980). In addition, myriad subsequent stories in the Times as well as in the now-defunct Clearwater Sun newspaper informed this chapter, as did Mike Wallace's investigative report on 60 Minutes, "The Clearwater Conspiracy."
Tom De Vocht was tremendously helpful in providing information on David Miscavige's strategy in Clearwater and his connection to Bennetta Slaughter. Caroline Brown and Sandra Mercer also gave me detailed insight into Slaughter and took pains to explain "safe pointing" and Scientology's overall strategy in Clearwater after 1990. Michael Pattinson, Sandra Mercer, and Greg Barnes spoke to me about Lisa McPherson's declining emotional state in 1994 and 1995. I relied once again on the CPD files for most other details of Lisa's story, from her quest to go Clear, her initial Introspection Rundown at the Fort Harrison, her experience at the Orlando trade s
how, and then her ultimate breakdown and brief hospitalization. In addition, for insight and explanation of Lisa's auditing experience, I referred to depositions and affidavits given by Hana Whitfield and Jesse Prince during the McPherson civil investigation.
[>] "I am discomfited by": Charles Stafford, "Scientology: An In-Depth Profile of a New Force in Clearwater," St. Petersburg Times, December 20, 1979.
[>] threatened to sue: Though the Church of Scientology didn't sue the Times, in February 1976 the Times sued the church and L. Ron Hubbard for conspiring "to harass, intimidate, frighten, prosecute, slander, defame" Times employees. The paper dropped the suit early in 1977. According to a report in the St. Petersburg Times (January 9, 1980), those at the paper had decided to do so "rather than present evidence that could have harmed an innocent third party."
[>] "Church functionaries were directed": Ibid.
[>] "politically fascist organization": Clearwater Sun, March 11, 1979.
[>] "Scientology is going to be part": Clearwater Sun, October 31, 1980.
[>] "I'm not here to complain": Transcript of City of Clearwater Commission Hearings re: The Church of Scientology, May 8, 1982 (www.lermanet.com/82cwcommission/4-001-077.htm).
[>] "the person you work with": As quoted by the programming director of a local radio station, St. Petersburg Times, December 23, 1988.
[>] "the largest community of Scientologists": "Destination," the Flag promotional brochure, Church of Scientology International, 1993.
[>] "stable, reliable, expert": Hubbard, HCO Policy Letter, January 12, 1973.
[>] In 1993, she earned more: St. Petersburg Times, October 31, 1997.
[>] "The rundown is verysimple": Hubbard, HCO Bulletin, January 23, 1974, revised April 25, 1991.
[>] She was having trouble: Tampa Tribune, December 15, 1996.
[>] "extremely foreseeable": Estate of Lisa McPherson v. Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Case No. 97-01235: First Amended Complaint, December 4, 1997.
11. Seventeen Days
For information about the Introspection Rundown, I relied on L. Ron Hubbard's own description of the process, as well as on interviews with several former Scientologists who are familiar with it: Nancy and Chris Many, Maureen Bolstad, and Jesse Prince, primarily. Nancy Many also helped me analyze Lisa's seventeen-day internment and treatment at the Fort Harrison, as did Teresa Summers, a former commanding officer of the Flag Land Base; Patricia Greenway, an assistant to the attorney Ken Dandar, provided further background. The rest of this chapter is based entirely on the notes of Lisa's caretakers and on transcripts of interviews, conducted by Clearwater law enforcement, with caretakers and other church officials.
[>] "Insanity," wrote L. Ron Hubbard: Hubbard, "C/S Series 22: Psychosis," HCO Bulletin, November 28, 1970.
[>] "sometimes has ghosts about him": Hubbard, HCO Bulletin, December 31, 1978.
[>] "Scientology was not researched": Hubbard, "Psychotics," Certainty magazine, February 1966.
[>] "Policy is that we assign any case": Hubbard, HCO Policy Letter, June 29, 1971.
[>] "I have made a technical breakthrough": Hubbard, "The Technical Breakthrough of 1973! The Introspection RD," HCO Bulletin, January 23, 1974.
[>] "isolate the person wholly": Ibid.
[>] "destimulate and ... protect them": Hubbard, "Introspection RD: Additional Actions," HCO Bulletin, February 20, 1974.
[>] "build a person up": Hubbard, "The Technical Breakthrough of 1973! The Introspection RD," HCO Bulletin, January 23, 1974.
[>] "of a very unbrutal nature": Hubbard, "Level IV, Search and Discovery," HCO Bulletin, November 24, 1965.
[>] "You have in your hands": Hubbard, "The Technical Breakthrough of 1973! The Introspection RD," HCO Bulletin, January 23, 1974.
[>] "a small, square opening": John Lee and John Johnson, "Captivity Case May Be Tied to Faith," Los Angeles Times, January 13, 1990.
[>] "He's watching live": Thomas Tobin and Joe Childs, "Death in Slow Motion," St. Petersburg Times, June 22, 2009.
[>] "buzz off": Thomas Tobin and Joe Childs, "Miscavige's Spiral of Violence," St. Petersburg Times, June 21 and November 1, 2009 (online video of interviews with Marty Rathbun), www.tampabay.com /specials/2009/reports/project/rathbun.shtml.
12. The Greatest Good
For the story of the McPherson criminal investigation, I relied on several lengthy interviews with Detective Lee Strope, formerly of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as well as interviews with Florida State Attorney Bernie McCabe and several other Clearwater law enforcement authorities who have requested anonymity. I also relied on the tremendous reporting of Cheryl Waldrip of the Tampa Tribune and Thomas Tobin of the St. Petersburg Times, whose coverage of the McPherson case was outstanding, and constant. In addition, several other articles were particularly helpful, notably Richard Leiby, "The Life and Death of a Scientologist" (Washington Post, December 6, 1998), Douglas Frantz, "Distrust in Clearwater—a Special Report: Death of Scientologist Heightens Suspicions in a Florida Town" (New York Times, December 1, 1997), and Joe Childs and Thomas Tobin, "Death in Slow Motion" (St. Petersburg Times, June 22, 2009).
For the saga of the McPherson family's quest for the truth, I relied upon the CPD files, and for insight and background on David Miscavige and his handling of the case, I relied on personal interviews with numerous former Scientologists, notably Don Jason, Tom De Vocht, Jason Knapmeyer, Marc and Claire Headley, and Stefan and Tanja Castle. I also relied extensively on the interviews with Marty Rathbun conducted by Tom Tobin and Joe Childs of the St. Petersburg Times, which were published in the paper and online on June 22, 2009.
For information about Scientology's approach to mental illness since McPherson's death, I relied upon interviews with Nancy and Chris Many, Sandra Mercer, Teresa Summers, and Maureen Bolstad, and upon the correspondence of the late Greg Bashaw. For details about Bashaw's life and involvement in Scientology, I referred to Tori Marlan, "Death of a Scientologist" (Chicago Reader, August 16, 2002).
[>] "like vultures": Cheryl Waldrip, "Scientologist's Death: A Family Hunts for Answers,"Tampa Tribune, December 22, 1996.
[>] "Mystery Surrounds Scientologist's Death": Cheryl Waldrip, "Mystery Surrounds Scientologist's Death," Tampa Tribune, December 15, 1996.
[>] There had been at least eight cases: Lucy Morgan, "For Some Scientologists, Pilgrimage Has Been Fatal," St. Petersburg Times, December 7, 1997.
[>] "Lisa at first didn't want": Cheryl Waldrip, "Mystery Surrounds Scientologist's Death," Tampa Tribune, December 15, 1996.
[>] "This is the most severe case": Inside Edition, January 21, 1997.
[>] "Lose 'em": Joe Childs and Thomas Tobin, "Death in Slow Motion," St. Petersburg Times, June 22, 2009.
[>] "forward an agenda of hate": Elliot Abelson, letter, St. Petersburg Times, March 19, 1997.
[>] "lying" on Lisa's autopsy report: Cheryl Waldrip, "Doctor Details Scientologist's Death," Tampa Tribune, January 23, 1997. Specifically, the church attorney Elliot Abelson called Dr. Joan Wood "a hateful liar."
[>] "extortion attempt": Thomas Tobin, "Family Sues Scientology in '95 Death of Woman," St. Petersburg Times, February 20, 1997.
[>] "What the documents demonstrate": Jeff Stidham and William Yelverton, "Documents Detail Woman's Final Days," Tampa Tribune, July 10, 1997.
[>] "I take a great deal of pride": Thomas Tobin, "The Man Behind Scientology," St. Petersburg Times, October 25, 1998.
[>] "No. No ... That doesn't come": Thomas Tobin, "Scientology Leader Named Defendant in Suit," St. Petersburg Times, December 15, 1999. In this article, Tobin noted that Miscavige said this during the 1998 interview for "The Man Behind Scientology," but it was not published then, for some unstated reason.
[>] "surprising calm": Thomas Tobin, "Scientology Responds with Surprising Calm," St. Petersburg Times, November 15, 1998.
[>] "now, tomorrow, and forever": Thomas Tobin, "Scientology Breaks Ground with Lasers, Fireworks, Music," St. Peter
sburg Times, November 22, 1998.
[>] "as a sign of its commitment": Letter from David Miscavige to Bernie McCabe, January 22, 1999, whyaretheydead.info/lisa_mcpherson/legal/dm-let.htm.
[>] a "holy war": Letter from David Miscavige to Bernie McCabe, February 4, 1999, www.xenutv.com/blog/?p=2797.
[>] The purpose of a lawsuit: Hubbard, "The Scientologist: A Manual on the Dissemination of Material," Ability, March 1955.
[>] "complex" and "voluminous" motions": Thomas Tobin, "Scientology Promises Long Fight," St. Petersburg Times, December 16, 1998.
[>] "bring a peaceful resolution": Letter from David Miscavige to Bernie McCabe, January 22, 1999.
[>] McCabe again rejected: Letter from Bernie McCabe to David Miscavige, February 4, 1999.
[>] "Nobody investigates": Patty Ryan, "Scientology Perspective on Tragedy Rarely Seen," Tampa Tribune, April 2, 2000.
[>] "very real possibility": Memorandum from Douglas Crow to Bernie McCabe, "Review of Evidence in State v. Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc.," June 9, 2000.
[>] "to prove critical forensic": Douglas Frantz, "Florida Drops Charges Against Scientology in 1995 Death," New York Times, June 13, 2000.
[>] "taken a toll far greater": Patty Ryan, "Medical Examiner: Case Has Taken a Toll," Tampa Tribune, June 14, 2000.
[>] "pep drinks": Letter from Greg Bashaw to Debbie Cook, captain of the Flag Service Organization, April 29, 2001.
[>] "accept and assume all": Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, "Agreement and General Release Regarding Spiritual Resistance," 2001.
[>] "a Flag Ship Class XII": Hubbard, "Word Clearing Series 23: Trouble Shooting," HCO Bulletin, September 13, 1971.
13. The Celebrity Strategy
My primary sources for this chapter were Nancy and Chris Many, Karen Pressley, Bruce Hines, Art Cohan, Amy Scobee, and several other former Scientologists, including one former Celebrity Center official, whom I interviewed extensively about the "Get High on Yourself" and "Friends of Narconon" campaigns, but who wished to remain anonymous. The Church of Scientology's love affair with celebrities has been covered extensively; in addition to relying on Scientology's own doctrine on the subject, some notable sources were John Richardson, "Catch a Rising Star" (Premiere, September 1993); Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos, "The Courting of Celebrities" (Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1990); Douglas Frantz, "Scientology's Star Roster Enhances Image" (New York Times, February 13, 1998); Joseph Mallia, "Inside the Church of Scientology: Stars Wield Celebrity Clout" (Boston Herald, March 5, 1998); and Dana Goodyear, "Chateau Scientology" (The New Yorker, January 14, 2008).
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