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.
_RECOMMENDATION:_
For information.
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