Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology (32 page)

Hubbard introduced a system of reports
¹⁰
, where
any Scientologist seeing a supposed misapplication of the Technology, or any
transgression against Scientology morality, would write a report, which was
sent to the Ethics Office. A copy would be filed, and the original sent to the
offender. When enough Knowledge Reports had stacked up in a person's folder, he
would theoretically be hauled before a Committee of Evidence, and his behavior
assessed against Hubbard's extensive list of “Crimes” and “High Crimes.” If his
“criminality” was sufficient, he would be given a Suppressive Person Declare,
copies of which would be posted in Scientology Organizations. Suppressive
Person Declares are still issued, and Scientologists could not, and cannot,
associate with SPs, without themselves becoming the subject of a Declare.

John McMaster witnessed the introduction and intensification
of Ethics first hand.
¹¹
He arrived at Saint Hill in 1963 to do the
Briefing Course. His stepmother had pressured him into Scientology a few months
earlier, in South Africa. McMaster had been a student of medicine, hoping to
specialize in neurosurgery. His fascination for medicine came from direct
experience - part of his stomach had been removed, because it was cancerous. On
his arrival at the Durban Scientology Center he had been in considerable pain
for some years. McMaster claims that his first auditing session relieved the
pain completely.

By the time Hubbard introduced “SP Declares,” in 1965,
McMaster was overseeing the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course. Any interesting
ideas generated by the students would be taken to Hubbard. The “Power
Processes,” or “Level V,” came into being this way. They coincided with
Hubbard's decision that he was the “Source” of Scientology. From this time on,
Scientologists were assured that Hubbard had “developed” all of Scientology and
Dianetics. To quote his own words, first published in February 1965, and still
a part of every major Scientology course: “Willing as I was to accept
suggestions and data, only a handful of suggestions (less than twenty) had long
run value and
none
were major or basic.”
¹²

In the beginning, Hubbard tried to legitimize his ideas by
acknowledging his debt to thinkers as diverse as Anaxagoras, Lao Tze, Newton
and Freud.
¹³
For a while, Hubbard had awarded the title “Fellow of
Scientology” to major contributors. Time had convinced Hubbard that he alone
was the fount of all wisdom.

Since its inception four years before, only Briefing Course
students had received auditing at Saint Hill. However, with the advent of Power
Processes, Saint Hill began to accept paying Preclears. A Hubbard Guidance
Center came into being, initially consisting of one man, John McMaster.
McMaster says huge amounts were charged to individuals for “Power” auditing,
and adds, wryly, that he received none of the money. Despite the high price, Scientologists
flocked to Saint Hill. The Hubbard Guidance Center rapidly increased in size.
¹⁴

Hubbard frequently released new “rundowns” which attempted
to justify the failure of earlier techniques. Each new rundown would be
launched amid a fanfare of publicity, and claims of miraculous results. One
critic has complained of “auditing junkies,” forever waiting for the next
“level” to resolve their chronic problems. The issue of a new “level,” is
invariably greeted with a rash of incredible Success Stories, written as soon
as an individual finishes the auditing in question. These are usually vague,
and always enthusiastic. “This level cracked my case!” is a fair example of these
often meaningless statements.

Power, or Level V, was more successful in attracting people
than previous “rundowns,” starting a financial boom at Saint Hill. Over the
years, Hubbard asserted time and time again that he had achieved a routine way
of “Clearing” people. Both the definition of Clear and the methods for its
achievement changed periodically. After Power, he released Level VI, of which
he said:

A
clear
has no vicious Reactive Mind and operates at
total mental capacity just like the first book (
Dianetics: The Modern
Science of Mental Health
) said. In fact every early definition of CLEAR is
found to be correct. Level VI requires several months to audit through even
with expert training. But at its end, MAGIC.
There’s
the state of clear
we've sought for all these years. It fits
all
definitions ever given for
clear.
¹⁵

Even this breakthrough proved ephemeral, and a few months
later, Hubbard announced Level VII, which became the “Clearing Course.” The
Clearing Course was to prove the most durable method of Clearing, lasting until
1978, and still occasionally used today.

The usual trickle of defecting members who set up their own
Scientological groups continued through the 1960s. A splinter group called
Compulsions Analysis came into being in London, in 1964, under the direction of
a couple named Robert and Mary Ann Moor,
¹⁶
who called themselves the
“De Grimstons.” They later renamed their organization “The Process,” and later
yet, “The Church of the Final Judgment.” Mass murderer Charles Manson was an
enthusiastic supporter both of The Process and of Scientology.
¹⁷
Author Maury Terry is convinced that David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam” killer,
was also involved with The Process.

In 1965, Charles Berner, a leading Scientologist left the
fold, and founded “Abilitism.”
¹⁸
Berner later headed the “Anubhava
School of Enlightenment,” and was responsible for the “Enlightenment Intensive,”
which has achieved a certain respectability
¹⁹
Hubbard made Berner
the target of considerable harassment.
²⁰

A major challenge to Hubbard's leadership reared its head in
1964 in the shape of “Amprinistics.” The founder of this new movement was Harry
Thompson. He said Hubbard had refused his offer of a new and highly workable
procedure in 1963, so he had spent two years researching it, and having proven
its validity beyond doubt, wished to give it to the world. Unfortunately for
Thompson, he chose to give it, or rather sell it, to Scientologists first.
Thompson announced his discovery in a huge mailing to Scientologists. He asked
that they simply try his method to see if it worked. Thompson also offered an
escape from the Ethics Officers, and the increasing discipline of Hubbard's
organization.
²¹

Jack Horner was one of the very few people who had stayed
the course with Hubbard from his beginnings in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Horner
took the first Dianetic course in June 1950. He was one of the first to try to
convince Hubbard of the validity of “past lives” and the first “Doctor” of
Scientology. Horner was one of the few people that Hubbard trusted to give
Advanced Clinical Courses. In 1965, Horner had been promoted in
The Auditor
magazine as the first “Honors graduate” of the final section of the immense
Saint Hill Special Briefing Course. Disillusioned with the increasing control
which Hubbard was visiting upon Scientologists, Horner joined Amprinistics.

Hubbard decided to designate certain materials
“confidential” at this time, perhaps so that Scientology could offer something
Amprinistics could not. Scientologists believe Hubbard's argument that
confidentiality was introduced because the relevant materials are highly “restimulative”
(upsetting) to people who are not ready for them. Whatever the reason, Power,
Level VI and the Clearing Course were designated confidential, and remain so to
this day. The same is true of the later OT levels.

On September 27, 1965, Hubbard issued a “Hubbard Communications
Office Executive Letter” dealing with Amprinistics and its members. Every
member of the new group, whether they had entered it via Scientology or not,
was labeled Fair Game. Their gatherings were to be broken up. Complaints were
to be made to the police and any chance of litigation was to be taken.
Scientologists were to attack the followers of Amprinistics in every way they
could:

They are each fair game, can be sued or harassed ... Any
meeting held by them should be torn up. The names of any persons attending
should be collected and they should be labeled SP [Suppressive Person] ... Once
labeled, these persons will not then be covered by amnesty and will never be
admitted to further training or processing [auditing] ... If these persons move
into your area act through any agency you can to have them deported or arrested
on whatever grounds ... Harass these persons in any possible way ... such
groups die easily.

Hubbard forbade mention of the very word “Amprinistics.” The
“Executive Letter” disappeared from public circulation long ago, but despite
these severe measures, Horner's “Eductivism,” an offshoot of Amprinistics,
exists to this day.
²²

Level VI was “solo-audited,” as was the Clearing Course. In
solo-auditing the person holds both of the E-meter cans in one hand, while
giving himself the “auditing commands.” Level VI and the Clearing Course
consist of similar material to OT 2, (for which see the chapter “On to OT”).
The auditing is likened by Hubbard to “digging a ditch,” because it is
excruciatingly boring. The first Clearing Course solo Auditors spent at least
six months solo-auditing for several hours daily.

In December 1965, while these pioneers were digging their
respective ditches, the Australian State of Victoria introduced a Psychological
Practices Act which completely outlawed Scientology. The Anderson Report,
published in October, contains much sound, factual information and many
perceptive remarks. However, it has been criticized even by those who are vocal
in their opposition to Scientology. The report was 173 pages long and had 19
appendices. The evidence of 151 witnesses was gathered into a supplement of
8,290 pages. In the report Anderson concluded:

Scientology is evil; its techniques evil; its practice a
serious threat to the community, medically, morally and socially; and its
adherents sadly deluded and often mentally ill ... The Board has been unable to
find any worth-while redeeming feature in Scientology.

As with the earlier FDA raid in the United States, the ban
in Australia probably did Scientology more good than harm. It provided free
publicity, and because it had the trappings of a witch-hunt, made Scientology
the underdog, so that Hubbard gained valuable support. Martyrdom is a valuable
ingredient in the creation of mass movements. Further, it was impossible to ban
Scientology. The followers in Victoria simply changed their name to the “Church
of the New Faith,” and carried on where they had left off.
²³

In Britain on February 7, 1966, in the House of Commons,
Lord Balniel asked Health Minister, Kenneth Robinson, for an Inquiry into
Scientology. Within two days of Balniel's request Hubbard had published an
“Executive Directive” in which he put forward his plan to “get a detective on
that lord's past to unearth the tid-bits. They're there ... governments are SP
[Suppressive People]”
²⁴

Soon after, Hubbard left England, travelling by stages to
Rhodesia.
²⁵
Over the next few weeks he continued to react to Lord
Balniel's demand for an official investigation. On February 14, Hubbard
resigned his doctorate in a “Policy Letter” headed “Doctor Title Abolished”
²⁶
:
“The title of 'Mister', implying 'Master' I also abandon. I wish to be known
solely by my name 'Ron' or Hubbard.”

Another Policy Letter, “Attacks on Scientology,” was issued
the next day. If anyone started an investigation into Scientology the following
actions should be taken
²⁷
:

1.
   
Spot who is
attacking us.

2.
   
Start
investigating them promptly for FELONIES or worse using own professionals, not
outside agencies.

3.
   
Double curve our
reply by saying we welcome an investigation of them.

4.
   
Start feeding
lurid, blood sex crime [sic] actual evidence on the attackers to the press.

On February 17, Hubbard created the “Public Investigation Section”
²⁸
:
“to help LRH investigate public matters and individuals which seem to impede
human liberty so that such matters may be exposed and to furnish intelligence
required in guiding the progress of Scientology.”

A month after these events, the story of a private
investigator was carried in British newspapers.
²⁹
Vic Filson had
been recruited to establish an investigation section. He lasted a week. The
Scientologist who gave him his instructions at Saint Hill told him dossiers
were to be made on “special subjects”:

But the truth didn't 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 was to be Lord Balniel.

Hubbard instructed Filson to find a skeleton in the cupboard
of every psychiatrist practicing in England. Hubbard was looking for crimes
such as assault, rape and homicide. His objective was to eliminate every single
psychiatrist.

Hubbard's instructions to Filson were: “We want at least one
bad mark on every psychiatrist in England, a murder, an assault, or a rape ...
We will remove them.”

The Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter “Attacks on
Scientology” was expanded on February 18, to include, “investigating noisily
the attackers.”

At the end of February, John McMaster, who had just flown to
Los Angeles, was surprised to hear that he had become the “World's First Real
Clear.” Hubbard had sent out a promotional piece announcing this to
Scientologists throughout the world.
³⁰
Only then was McMaster
recalled to England, and given his “Clear Check,” to set the record straight.
After all, Scientologists needed a boost in morale.