Inside Scientology - Janet Reitman [210]
[>] "Don't ever feel weaker": Hubbard, HCO Policy Letter, February 12, 1967.
[>] This reorganization seemed like: Even though Scientology had a labyrinth of separate entities, Brennan explained, the church had nonetheless been controlled "as if it were one big, international unincorporated association." The tithes by lower organizations were sent to Scientology management in a fairly transparent manner that left little doubt as to where the money went. Because of this, "there was always a danger that management would be pulled into legal suits and other actions because of their obvious unbridled control of not only the lower organizations but of the money they took weekly at will," he said. The new corporate structure would, crucially, separate Scientology management from the organizations that were drawing most of the income, making it harder to pierce the myriad veils separating the smaller organizations and even the larger Mother Church from L. Ron Hubbard, who still controlled Scientology in absentia.
[>] "It lasted from about ten": Church of Scientology v. Gerald Armstrong, testimony given on Tuesday, June 5, 1984, case no. C420153, Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles.
[>] He liked to shoot: "Scientology: The Road to Total Freedom?" BBC Panorama, April 27, 1987.
[>] "I am not a missing person": Declaration of L. Ron Hubbard, May 15, 1983, Case No. 47150, re: the Estate of L. Ron Hubbard, Superior Court for the County of Riverside.
[>] "a small hardcore group": Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky, pp. 317–18.
[>] "weren't white enough": Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos, "The Scientology Story: The Making of L. Ron Hubbard," Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1990.
[>] A few days later, Hubbard: Ibid.
8. Power Is Assumed
David Miscavige's ouster of Pat Broeker as anointed successor to L. Ron Hubbard has been one of the most contentious issues in Scientology history. For help in putting together a coherent narrative of this takeover, I relied on interviews with Dan Koon, Amy Scobee, Mark Fisher, and Julie Holloway, and the tremendous amount of information provided by Marty Rathbun on his blog and in several interviews conducted by Joe Childs and Tom Tobin of theSt. Petersburg Times.
A number of articles were crucial to my understanding of where Scientology found itself just after L. Ron Hubbard's death: Richard Behar, "The Prophet and Profits of Scientology" (Forbes, October 27, 1986); Richard Behar, "Scientology: The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" (Time, May 6, 1991); and Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos, "The Scientology Story" (Los Angeles Times, six-part series, June 24–29, 1990). For help in understanding Scientology's Religious Freedom Crusade and the Christofferson Titchbourne and Wollersheim cases, I found numerous stories to be enlightening, notably Peter H. King, "Rally Against Huge Damage Award; Scientologists Cast Protest as Defense of All Religion" (Los Angeles Times, May 25, 1985); Mark O'Keefe, "The Church of Scientology Is No Stranger to Criticism" (Oregonian, September 26, 1996); Jan Klunder, "Scientologists Converge on Portland for Protest; Thousands to Assail Award of $39 Million to Ex-Member in Suit" (Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1985); Bill Driver, "Scientology on Trial" (Willamette Week, May 30–June 5, 1985); Alan Prendergast, "Hush-Hush Money; An Anti-Scientology Activist Said the Church Made Him an Offer He Had to Refuse: $12 Million" (Denver Westworld, August 14, 1997); Marita Hernandez, "Scientologists Vow to Demonstrate Until Damage Award Is Overturned" (Los Angeles Times, September 10, 1986); and Jay Mathews, "Scientology Winning in Court: Mainstream Groups Help Support Church's Fight for Legitimacy" (Washington Post, December 1, 1985).
For the story of Scientology's long road to tax exemption, there was no greater source than Douglas Frantz's Pulitzer Prize–winning article "Taxes and Tactics: Behind an IRS Reversal—a Special Report; Scientology's Puzzling Journal from Tax Rebel to Tax Exempt"