Operation Clambake & Joe Cisar present:
Early Scientology / Dianetics - 1950
In what is believed to be the first concerted action against the science of mental health set forth by L. Ron Hubbard in the best-selling "Dianetics" (Hermitage House), the American Psychological Association, meeting last week in State College, Pennsylvania, unanimously adopted a resolution cautioning its 8,000 members against utilizing the techniques of dianetics except in scientific test of its "validity."
Meanwhile, Hermitage House has announced that "Dianetics -- What it Means to You," an official publication of the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, will be published late in the coming winter at $2.
In regard to the original title, which was published this spring, the following resolution was adopted by the American Psychological Association: "While suspending judgment concerning the eventual validity of the claims made by the author of 'Dianetics,' the association calls attention to the fact that these claims are not supported by empirical evidence of the sort required for the establishment of scientific generalizations. In the public interest, the association, in the absence of such evidence, recommends to its members that the use of the techniques peculiar to Dianetics be limited to scientific investigations designed to test the validity of its claims."
This criticism, however, is not expected to diminish the wave of interest in the subject which has swept the country where, Hermitage House says, some 750 non-professional dianetics clubs have sprung up. Interest is running particularly high on the west coast, where, PW's Hollywood correspondents report, "clearing" has become the number one indoor sport, and where thousands of people have flocked to hear Mr. Hubbard lecture. The author says that he is ready to furnish proof of his claims to the American Psychological Association, according to the New York Times, as he has already to other associations.
Hermitage House reports that since its publication May 15, 55,000 copies of "Dianetics" have been sold, that the book is being translated into French, German, Japanese, the Scandinavian languages, and that several British publishers are bidding for it.