WARNING TO INDEPENDENT SCIENTOLOGISTS: This blog entry contains verifiable proof that the abuses of Scientology pre-date David Miscavige. Such truth may constitute “entheta” and could be harmful to your belief that DM is the root of all evil in the Church of Scientology. Read at your own risk.
Back in 1969, when current Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige was nine years old, an American journalist named Paulette Cooper had an article published in the British magazine Queen entitled The Tragi-Farce of Scientology.
Read the article today and you may have trouble believing it was written more than four decades ago. Ms. Cooper discusses many of the same issues protesters (and independent Scientologists) are talking about today: Disconnection and its affect on families, misuse of personal “confessions”, junk-mail barrages, and the use of religious status to avoid paying taxes. She even cites the high cost of Scientology courses, something many Independents fervently blame on David Miscavige.
Ms. Cooper expanded her article into a book, The Scandal of Scientology, which she published in 1971, about the same time David Miscavige’s father first became interested in Scientology.
Scientology retaliated with a campaign of terror that was unusually brutal, even by their standards: Lawsuits, death threats, smear campaigns, Church spies posing as friends, even an alleged attempt on Ms. Cooper’s life. A Scientologist stole her stationary and sent bomb threats to a New York Church of Scientology; the frame-up was successful and Ms. Cooper was arrested and indicted. Full details of the campaign against her weren’t discovered until 1977, when the FBI raided Church offices as part of the investigation into Scientology’s theft of documents from government offices, although the Church continued to file lawsuit against Ms. Cooper until the mid-1980s. Ms. Cooper eventually settled, with the Church reportedly paying her $400,000.
I consider The Scandal of Scientology a must-read because it illustrates what the Church of Scientology was like when LRH was at the helm – before David Miscavige had even heard of Scientology. Read it and decide for yourself if Scientology has really changed all that much in the last 40 years. The Scandal of Scientology, which includes the original Queen article, can be read online or downloaded in HTML, zipped HTML, or PDF format.
I also recommend Paulette Cooper’s account of Scientology’s campaign of harassment against her, which she didn’t publish until 2007. Ms. Cooper demonstrates that many of the very same tactics that Marty Rathbun claims David Miscavige is using against him – and many that were much, much worse – were being employed by the Church years before David Miscavige joined the Sea Org in 1976. Her account leaves no question that many of the methods of harassment that Marty and the Independents blame on David Miscavige were originated under the leadership of L. Ron Hubbard.
If you want to read more about Paulette Cooper and The Scandal of Scientology, you’ll find lots more information on this HolySmoke.org page.
ML,
Caliwog
Caliwog's Blog 
In this instance, we will see Marty and his crew blame the GO, blame MSH (who must have been an SP to order such things like this, break the law and steal FBI docs – unless of course Marty sees this as “justifiable” for MSH but no one else…). They will not accept that LRH wanted this. Despite the evidence he knew all about it and liked it. Marty also, and the other independents will end up like the other scientology orgs around the world not run by the Church – in denial of the truth, incapable of producing the said results and all will settle for the old thing all ex-Scios do end up agreeing on “Scientology can not do anything LRH said it could so, there is no clear, there is no OT, but LRH wasn’t a liar and using his technology can make you really happy.”
There is no helping these people. Let us hope others who have not been exposed to the Scientology fraud can find the internet and ensure they never step into any place practicing this garbage,.
In the true spirit of blogging on this topic.
Dear Caliwog,
THIS is the article that I have waited for! Well done!
Too bad that no freezoner will ever answer it. Well, maybe some will answer it for themselves, and find their way free. Let’s hope.
RB
It drove me crazy that the non of the ecexs would address these issues, which made me wonder how they ever came up with the idea the church was a scam.
The current item at MOUaLH is:
Scientology Idle Org Strategy: a sad tale
I believe this s a typo, should read:
Scientology Strategy: a sad tale
Typo or not, that post is subject of tomorrow’s Caliwog blog entry!
Caliwog
I don’t know Caliwog you might have even more subject matter to work with from everyone’s favorite independent dead alien spirit buster.
LRH’s #1 reach-around buddy’s latest blog entry indicates he has entered the puppet master stage of his attempts at trolling Scientology. Being an ultimate puppet master he is even giving a date (mid-July) for his coup.
As you all should know the next phase will be rolling with the punches. I anticipate it with rubbing hands and glee.
Thanks. I left the Church recently and this book reminded me that David Miscavige isn’t the real problem, LRH is.