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FBI

The H-Files

FBI files on L Ron Hubbard


FROM THE FILES OF THE FBI #153

OPTIONAL FORM NO. 10 5010-106
MAY 1962 EDITION
GSA GEN. REG. NO. 27

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
Memorandum

TO : Mr. DeLoach

DATE: 3-20-64

FROM : M.A. Jones

SUBJECT: FOUNDING CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY
1812 19TH STREET, NORTHWEST
WASHINGTON, D.C.

On the afternoon of March 18, 1964, [BLACKED OUT] and [BLACKED OUT] all affiliated with the captioned group, visited Bureau Headquarters and spoke to SA [BLACKED OUT] of the Crime Research Section.

Their spokesman, [BLACKED OUT] said that their purpose in visiting the Bureau was to determine how they can tell a communist from any other individual. [BLACKED OUT] indicated that she feels that the only agency of the Federal government which is not infiltrated by communists is the FBI. She feels most people in America are being brainwashed" to accept communist ideas and that they would like to combat this trend through their church. They advised that their church has a system of psychoanalyzing through the use of their "E-meter" machine which will help to determine who are subversives and who are not.

They were informed that such a matter should be left to the jurisdiction of an appropriate agency, the FBI, and the loyalty program was explained to them in detail. They had a number of questions regarding communism and were advised that the best thing they could do would be to educate themselves on the nature of communism. They were referred to the Director's books in this regard and were advised that no private individual should come to conclusions with respect to whether or not another person was a subversive. They were informed concerning the role of the FBI as an investigative agency and that the Bureau had been in this field for a number of years. They were told that when any other Federal agency requested information concerning individuals they were furnished with whatever was pertinent in FBI files. It was clearly indicated that the FBI makes no decisions nor does it evaluate the character of any individual, publication or organization.

Bufiles reflect that this group has prompted numerous inquiries of the Bureau. It was founded in New Jersey in 1950 by Lafayette Ron Hubbard and it has been described as being concerned with the treatment of psychosomatic ills through "Dianetic therapy" which is allegedly a system of healing involving no drugs or surgery. It claims

JWO'B:smg
(4)

[page 2]

M.A. Jones to DeLoach Memo
RE: Founding Church of Scientology

to be a science which instills self-confidence and assists individuals in removing mental problems and maintain human ability. Hubbard, the founder and president, has been described as "hopelessly insane" by his wife in suing for a divorce and the "Washington Times Herald" of 4-24-51, in mentioning the divorce proceedings, stated that "competent medical advisors recommended that Hubbard be committed to a sanitarium for psychiatric observation and treatment of a mental ailment, paranoid schizophrenia."

On January 4, 1963, representatives of the Food and Drug Administration seized "E-meter" devices from the District of Columbia headquarters of Hubbard's organization. The meters were seized on the grounds that they were misbranded. The current issue of "The Saturday Evening Post" contains an article regarding this seizure and Hubbard who maintains headquarters in England. It described Hubbard as having become wealthy from the proceeds of his church and he receives 10 per cent of all fees generated through examinations conducted by persons trained to use his "E-meter" machines.

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