Scientology Critical Information Directory

This site is best viewed using a highly standards-compliant browser

Don Larson

Former scientologist.


FACTnet (1998): "Jesse Prince Tape Seven"

L: Mike Eldridge. What other executives that have left Scientology would have knowledge about criminal activities in the oganization?

J: Don Larson.

L: Don Larson. What type of?

J: Financial.

L: Financial, like moving money to foreign countries?

J: Moving money, extorting money, blackmailing [...]

Jon Atack (1990): "A Piece of Blue Sky"

Then International Finance Police Ethics Officer Don Larson walked in and started berating Valerie. He screamed abuse at her, and ordered his underlings to remove Manfred Stansfield, who refused to leave. Larson accused them both of "squirreling," and told Manfred he was Suppressive. Manfred returned the insult, to which Larson replied "You're a fucking SP [Suppressive]. Get out."

Declaration of Don Larson (29 September 1988)

2. Between June of 1982 and March of 1983, I was head of the International Finance Police (IFP) of the Church of Scientology.

3. During the period I was head of the International Finance Police, the top executives of Scientology were enraged at the Mission holders for embarrassing them by airing their grievances. In response, IFP was directed to extort money from the Missions by threatening them with the fair game policy if they failed to satisfy the demands for money. I participated in making the threats, as did my deputies.

Don Larson in BBC Panorama (1987): "The Road to Total Freedom" @ XenuTV

Forbes (1986): "The prophet and profits of Scientology" by Richard Behar

Now things really started hopping. The messengers and their agents - more formally, the Commodore's Messenger Organization, or CMO - soon took two major steps. One was an extensive two-year purge of the organization that drove away hundreds of longtime adherents. It was not hard. "Wild paranoia permeates the whole organization." says Don Larson, who served as the church's $25-per-week "finance ethics officer," for which read "enforcer." Larson claims he alone brought nearly 300 recalcitrant Scientologists to "Rehabilitation Project Forces" at Scientology centers around the world over a period of 14 months, until his own detention and departure in late 1983. "I was the hatchet man," says Larson. "I was responsible for all sorts of Gestapo-type stuff."

[...]

The other move was to step up the flow of money dramatically. Among Larson's duties were levying fines on wealthy auditing subjects, whose intimate auditing sessions had been transcribed in writing, and forcibly dunning mission holders (franchisees) for millions of additional dollars for Hubbard agents. "In 1983," says Larson, "I manipulated a half-million-dollar inheritance out of Bob B... He was naive as hell. D.M. (David Miscavige) called me up in the middle of the night [about Bob B...] He wanted the money.