------------------------------------------------------------------- F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated) a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library 601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA BBS 303 530-1942 FAX 303 530-2950 Office 303 473-0111 This document is part of an electronic lending library and preservational electronic archive. F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ===================================================================== CAN files multi-million dollar suit against Scientology The Cult Awareness Network filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit last month against Scientology, its law firm, its Illinois church and eleven members of the Church of Scientology. The lawsuit charges the defendants have brought a series of unfounded lawsuits against CAN for the purpose of interfering with CAN's regular activ- ities by making it necessary for CAN to devote a large portion of its time to defending the lawsuits, and expend its resources on the suits instead of its edu- cational programs. ú The ultimate purpose of the suits is believed to be to cause CAN to go into bankruptcy. The suit also charges that the defendants have sought "to disrupt and interfere with the ability and right of CAN, its members and the members of its affiliate organizations to freely and voluntarily assemble together and associate with each other." The case was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The defendants named in the suit are the Church of Scientology International, its law firm of Bowles and Moxon, the Church of Scientology of Illinois, and individual Scientologists Andrew Bagley, Glenn Barton, Gregory Bashaw, Charles Benedetti, Valon Mitchell Cross, Samuel Demeter, Joe Lewis, Marion Melberg, Larry Miller, David Schram, and Lynn Ward. CAN cites as facts to support the legal complaint over forty-five legal cases and dozens of human rights com- plaints by Scientologists that have been brought since 1991 against CAN, and/or its affiliates and individual members. All the individual Scientolo- gists being sued have at one time or another sued CAN and/or its Illinois affiliate in either state or federal court in Illinois. None of the Scientologists' lawsuits and complaints have succeeded. Some are still active. Over 30 cases have been concluded, however; and CAN and/or its affiliates and individual CAN mem- bers have prevailed in all the cases - with either the cases being voluntarily withdrawn by the Scientologists who brought them or a court order being issued in favor of the CAN defendants and against the Scientology plaintiffs. CAN's lawsuit specifically charges that the Church of Scientology Interna- tional "has officiously intermeddled in all of the lawsuits and complaints" brought by Scientologists against CAN, and that the Church of Scientology International, "by its own means and through defendant Bowles & Moxon, has provided plaintiffs in the aforesaid lawsuits and complaints with draft and final pleadings that have been filed in court and with the human rights com- missions, and with other legal assis- tance." The suit further maintains that the Church of Scientology International and Bowles & Moxon provided finan- cial assistance in the prosecution of the suits and complaints against CAN. CAN is being represented by John M. Beal and George N. Vurdelja, Jr. o:- INDEX Branch Davidians ..................3 Christian Fellowship ...............3 Church Universal and Triumphant ..........................4 LaRouche, Lyndon ................5 MOVE .......................................2 Rajneesh ..................................3 Scientology .........................1,2 page 2 cult awareness neh~ork news February 1994 LEGAL Talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael wins Scientology suit A jury in Ann Arbor, Mich., has rejected a $72 million lawsuit filed by a Scientologist against talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael. Dorothy Dickerson's lawsuit claimed that Raphael and the Sally Jessy Raphael Show invaded her priva- cy and caused her emotional distress by broadcasting a secretly taped conversa- tion between her and her children. Dickerson said the tape made her look foolish. Raphael and her show's producers received the tape from one of Dickerson's children, who had taped the conversation. In the tape, she tells her children that she makes only $5,000 a year and loves washing dishes for Scientology. Two of Dickerson's daughters, Valda Gratias and Emma Urban, appeared on the show, saying their mother had been brainwashed by Scientologists. The producers invited Dickerson and other Scientologists to be on the show, but they declined. "We are obviously delighted. We feel this is a complete vindication, not only for the Sally Jessy Raphael Show, but more importantly for the rights of all Americans," Raphael and her attor- ney said in a written release after the decision. Attorneys for Dickerson say they likely will appeal the jury's decision. The Cult Awareness Network was originally named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but a judge ordered CAN dis- missed from the case in 1992. (From "Jury dismisses 'Sally' Scien- tology suit," the New York Post, Dec. 4, 1993, p. 19.) -.*o Scientologist Chick Corea sues German state Jazz pianist Chick Corea has filed a religious discrimination suit against the German state of Baden-Wuerttenberg, because government officials cancelled a concert he was to perform last year in Stuttgart. Corea is a member of the Church of Scientology. Government officials ordered the cancellation, saying that Scientology is a cult that brainwashes its members. Corea's lawsuit does not ask for money. (From "Pianist claims discrimina- tion," The [San Bemardino, Calif.] Sun, Dec. 22, 1993.) o.*o Court in Italy convicts 73 Scientolo_clists A court in Milan, Italy, has overturned the acquittals of 73 members of the church of Scientology on charges of con- spiracy, extortion, and criminal action against minors and the infirm. The court further sentenced the Scientologists to terms ranging from three months to four and a half years, depending on each Sci- entologist's offenses. The Scientologists had been acquit- ted by a lower court in July 1991. Deputy Attorney General Annamaria Caruso, who handled the appeal for the government, told the court, "We are not here to put the religious faith of the Church of Scientology on trial, 'but a group of people who were certainly members of that church and in whose name crimes were committed." The court also sentenced several individuals for tax evasion. (From "Judgement made against the 'church' of Scientology," La Repubbli- ca, Nov. 10, 1993.) o**o Federal judge allows MOVE lawsuits against Philadelphia A federal judge has given relatives of two slain members of MOVE, a mil- itant environmental/political group, the right to sue the city of Philadelphia. The two lawsuits accuse the city of excessive force in a siege of MOVE headquarters in 1985. City officials used a helicopter to drop a smoke bomb on the house that served as MOVE headquarters in an attempt to force MOVE members out after they ignored previous eviction efforts. The bomb caused the house to catch on fire, burn- ing it and more than 60 neighboring houses to the ground. Eleven MOVE members died in the fire. The city's assault took place after neighborhood residents repeatedly complained about MOVE members using guns to threaten and intimidate them. The city decided to try to smoke the MOVE members out because they had built a gunport-equipped bunker on the top of their house. City officials allowed the fire to burn, but it unexpectedly caught neigh- boring houses on fire. Before long the fire was burning out of control. It even- tually destroyed two city blocks. The city rebuilt the homes that were destroyed, except for the MOVE home. (From "Court: City may be target of MOVE suits" by Craig R. McCoy, Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan. 5, 1994, p B1.) ,:o February '1994 cult awareness network news page3 LEGAL British court says women should be extradited to U.S. The British High Court has all but cleared the way for two followers of the late Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh to be extradited to the United States to stand trial on charges that they conspired to kill a U.S. attomey. Sally-Ann Croft and Susan Hagan deny charges that during the early 1980s they plotted to kill Charles Turn- er for trying to have Rajneesh deported from the United States. Turner suc- ceeded in the deportation, and the mur- der plot against him was never carried out. Several years elapsed from the time of the alleged plot and the implications of Croft and Hagan in it. They were implicated by four other followers of Rajneesh who had been accused of var- ious felonies while members of Rajneeshpurum, a former Rajneesh commune in Oregon. They implicated Croft and Hagan in the plot during plea bargaining sessions with prosecutors. By then, the two British women had returned to Great Britain, and the Unit- ed States asked that they be extradited to stand trial on the conspiracy charges. Great Britain's Home Secretary agreed to the request. The women appealed that decision, and in December Great Britain's High Court ruled that the Home Secretary had acted properly in deciding that the women should be extradited. The women have one more chance to avoid extradition. In its ruling, the High Court granted the women leave to appeal to the House of Lords. Both women are free on bond. (From "Court gives go-ahead for deportation of cult women," The [Lon- don] Times, Dec. 16, 1993.) Fellowship church hit by another sex allegation A member of the Christian Fellow- ship Church of Waukegan, I11., has been accused of sexually abusing 3- and 6- year-old sisters in a playroom at the organization's complex. He is the fourth church member to face sex-relat- ed criminal charges. Michael T. Larson, 26, of Waukegan, is free on bond but may not go to the church or contact its minor members. He faces four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and a prison sen- tence of up to 14 years if convicted. The charges against Larson are the latest in a series of cases that have raised questions about the church, which was founded by the Rev. L. R. Davis. In July 1992 Davis was con- victed of molesting a 14-year-old church member. He was sentenced to 31 years in prison. Two other Christian Fellowship min- isters pleaded guilty on related charges. They were sentenced to probation. More than 10 years ago the News- Sun, a Waukegan daily newspaper, pub- lished a series of stories alleging Davis manipulated followers in homosexual activities and Davis and other church leaders abused minors. Davis vehe- mently denied the allegations and sued the newspaper. That case was settled out of court after several years of legal wrangling. Prosecutors later filed perjury charges against Davis, citing evidence from Davis' criminal trial and alleging continued on page 6 Davidians go on trial in Houston The murder and conspiracy trial of 11 members of the Branch Davidians has begun in federal court in Houston. The 11 followers of the late David Koresh are accused of being part of a broad conspiracy to kill federal agents during a raid on the Davidjan com- pound outside of Waco, Texas, Feb. 28, 1993. Four federal agents died and 20 were wounded after they came under withering gunfire from inside the com- pound. Several Davidians also died in the gunfight. The failed raid led to a 51-day stand- off which ended when the compound apparently was set ablaze on Koresh's orders. About 80 people, including at least 17 children, died in the inferno that followed. Authorities maintain some were murdered on Koresh's orders. According to medical examin- ers, Koresh, whose body was found in the ashes, died of a gunshot wound. Most of the defendants in the murder trial escaped the blaze by jumping from windows. Two of them had left the compound during the standoff and were immediately arrested. A third was not at the compound at the time of the raid. He surrendered afterward. The raid was launched because investigators believed that the Davidi- ans were illegally stockpiling guns and ammunition. In their indictments and pre-trial motions, government lawyers asked for permission to show jurors some 11 tons of ammunition and grenades that were recovered from the compound. A firearms expert from the FBI testified that hundreds of firearms, including 48 illegal fully automatic weapons, and millions of rounds of ammunition were found in the ruins of Mr. Carreel. Prosecutors argue that the Davidians continued on page 6 page4 cult awareness network news February 1994 NEWS UPDATE CUT gets go-ahead for major development in Montana After seven years of legal battles, the state of Montana is allowing the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) to proceed with huge develop- ment plans, including building a bomb shelter network and starting work on a pair of small towns in Paradise Valley. Ironically, CUT is undertaking this multimillion dollar commitment at a time it claims it is financially strapped. CUT leader Elizabeth Clare Prophet is making a desperate plea to members for money. One town, in the heart of critical wildlife winter range north of Gardiner, Mont., would house about 530 perma- nent church employees, an equal num- ber of students at the church's Summit University, and about 2,500 people on "average peak days" like religious holi- days. That development would be the church's headquarters and would have light industrial, agricultural and educa- tion facilities as well as housing. The other town, called Golden Age Village, would be in a small valley west of Emigrant, Mont. Today it is a trailer park. The church expects about 300 of its members would live there. It also hopes to build other facilities there, including a school for up to 350 people. The church's 750-person bomb shel- ter is in a high mountain meadow in critical grizzly bear habitat. Broken fuel tanks there polluted groundwater in 1990 and spurred a state lawsuit. Now the state says CUT can bury new tanks there if it follows new rules. The environment impact statement that cleared the way for CUT's devel- opments was severely criticized by con- servationisis and other church critics. One aspect of the church's develop- ment, the use of geothermal energy to heat buildings, is still unresolved. Environmentalists and officials in nearby Yellowstone National Park fear use of the church's geothermal well could harm the park's thermal features, such as geysers. They also fear granting approval to tap geothermal energy would set a precedent for other developers. To receive permission to use geot- hermal energy in its developments, the church would have to go through another environmental review process, which could last many months. CUT lost its tax-exempt status in 1992, and Prophet claims legal fees and penalties to the Internal Revenue Ser- vice (IRS) are costing the church $100,000 a month and pose "a chal- lenge to our very existence." A trial over the church's appeal of the IRS decision is scheduled for June 14, 1994. The IRS revoked CUT's tax-exempt status because of concerns over illegal weapons purchases by high-ranking members, money-making commercial enterprises and the alleged use of CUT money to pay a personal debt owed by Prophet. (From "Church gets green light" by Scott McMillion, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Nov. 30, 1993, p.1.; "CUT trying to boost donations," an Associat- ed Press story and "Court date set in case; CUT proposal is rejected" by Karin Ronnow, both appearing in The [Livingston, Mont.] Enterprise, Dec. 17, 1993.) CUT member shoots at police, dies after police return fire Police in Emigrant, Mont., shot and killed a member of the Church Univer- sal and Triumphant (CUT) at a trailer park where church members live after he allegedly shot at them. Milch Mandell, 34, was killed after police went to his trailer in response to a complaint by a woman who said she had had an altercation with him. Man- dell had reportedly been trying to evict the woman from the trailer he owned. About a week earlier, the woman told police that he had assaulted her 14- year-old daughter. A warrant for his arrest was issued, and Park County Sheriff Charley Johnson went to Man- dell's house. After a Montana Highway Patrol officer arrived for support, John- son approached Mandell's trailer. He told Mandell of the warrant, but Man- dell "came out onto the porch of the trailer with a large sword and com- manded the officers to leave," said Park County Attorney William Nels Swan- dal. Mandell then pointed a gun at John- son and the highway patrolman, and they ducked behind their squad cars and radioed for more help. Three more officers arrived. According to Swandal, the officers tried negotiating with Mandell, but he "became extremely angry, leveled he pistol directly at the officers and fired. Officers returned fire, killing the indi- vidual." Mandell purportedly waved the sword and prayed to Archangel Michael. CUT members use swords in various aspects of worship, acknowledged church spokesperson Murray Steinman. The church sells a sword for $60 man- ufactured in Taiwan that members use in daily prayers to Archangel Michael, according to church critic Hank Rate. Mandell's sword was not one of these 18" swords. (From "Slain man fired on officers first," The Billings Gazette, Dec. 23, 1993.; and "Angels and swords" by Karin Ronnow, The [Livingston, Mont.] Enterprise, Dec. 29, 1993.) ø**o February 1994 cult awareness network news page 5 NEWS UPDATE I Illinois senate studies cults on college campuses The Illinois State Senate recently held hearings in both Springfield and Chicago on the problem of cults on col- lege campuses. Steven Shoemaker, a Presbyterian minister from Champaign, Ill., who monitors cult activities at Illinois col- lege campuses, told members of the Senate Education Committee that cults should be taken seriously even though he felt few students join cultic groups. Spokespersons for the Unification Church of Sun Myung Moon and the International Church of Christ founded by Kip McKean (often called the Boston Church of Christ movement) defended critisisms of their group to the committee, maintaining that the gov- ernment has no right to put restraints on religion. Andrew Baccus, a Unification Church member, maintained the Cult Awareness Network was behind the hearings, and that most of the Unifica- tion Church critics are former members whose views have been manipulated by de-programmers. Morton Kaplan, a professor at the University of Chicago involved with the Unification Church through its Pro- fessors World Peace Academy falsely portrayed the Cult Awareness Network as an organization involved in criminal acts. Many former cult members described how they were recmi.ted into destructive cults on Illinois state campuses and used the campuses to recruit others. Much of the discussion centered on the International Church of Christ, which has been recruiting on many col- lege campuses. Sen. Frank Watson (R- Greenville), committee chairman, said the cult issue caught his interest after Bob Walters, a former state representa- tive, told him that his daughter had joined the International Church of Christ after being recruited in her col- lege dormitory. Cynthia Kisser, executive director of the Cult Awareness Network, gave tes- timony on the calls about cults that CAN has received from campuses around the country. She reported that dozens of colleges and universities pro- vide educational materials and pro- grams on cults to students and faculty. She offered suggestions to the commit- tee on educational materials that make no references to any destructive groups by name and that are suitable for use on college campuses, including CAN's brochure, "Could this Happen to You." (From "State senate looks into 'cults' on campuses" by Andrew Her- rmann, Chicago Sun-Times, Dec. 8, 1993; "Hearing into cults on campuses sparks religious freedom debate" by Frank James, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 8, 1993, and CAN research.) LaRouche gets out of prison, wins federal election money Lyndon LaRouche was paroled from federal prison Jan. 26, five years after receiving a 15-year sentence for mail fraud and conspiracy. LaRouche, 71, has been imprisoned at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. Under the terms of his parole, LaRouche will be under the supervision of a federal probation officer until Jan. 26, 2004, when his original 15-year sentence would have expired. LaRouche is a former communist- turned-right winger who has run for president of the United States in each election since 1976. He was convicted in 1988 on 11 mail fraud charges and one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by deliberate- ly defaulting on $30 million in loans from campaign supporters, many senior citizens. LaRouche's release from federal prison isn't the only good news he has recently received. The U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court decision allowing him to collect federal match- ing funds to pay for the 1992 presiden- tial campaign he ran from his prison cell. LaRouche's attorney said at least $500,000 is at stake. The Federal Election Commis- sion had disallowed payments to LaRouche's 1992 campaign because he engaged in fraud and abuse in seeking matching funds for his earlier cam- paigns. He also owes the federal gov- ernment $146,000 in federal election money from his 1988 campaign, according to a government audit of LaRouche's 1988 campaign spending. But the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the FEC should have granted LaRouche the matching funds for 1992. The Supreme Court let that decision stand. "This is one more illustration of the sieve-like quality of our campaign finance laws, that a convicted felon is eligible for federal matching funds," said Ellen Miller, director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a public inter- est group that monitors campaign fund- ing issues. According to the American Associa- tion of Retired Persons, much of the private campaign money LaRouche receives comes from retirees. AARP commissioned the federal election com- mission to search its database for dona- tions of at least $200, the minimum amount that candidates must itemize, for the 1992 presidential campaign. That search showed that retirees donat- ed nearly as much money to LaRouche as they did to former President Bush and President Bill Clinton combined. In Illinois, leaders of the state Democratic Party have decided to allow 21 LaRouche supporters to remain on the party's March primary ballots. They continued on page 6 page 6 cult awareness network news February 1994 Davidians go on trial, rehearsed plans to kill the agents. The 11 defendants have 16 attorneys. They are all arguing that their clients fired on the agents in self-defense. In their opening arguments, prosecu- tors told jurors, whose identities are being kept anonymous by the court, that Koresh expected his followers "to kill for God." They also said that Kore- sh's followers killed their wounded after the raid. "People who were too wounded to fight were executed; put out of their misery," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray continued from page 3 Jahn told jurors. Jahn said he would show that Koresh taught his followers to do battle in the name of God and stockpiled weapons to carry out his prophecy. "David Koresh's theology was the theology of death," Jahn said. "If you want to die for God, you must be will- ing to kill for God." Defense attorneys blamed the deaths on a federal agency that "declared war on its citizens." Attorney Dan Cogdell said his client, Clive Doyle, didn't know "an AR-I 5 (semi-automatic rifle) from a BB." Attorneys for the other defendants made similar statements, arguing that their clients were forced to fire on the agents in self-defense. The trial is expected to last at least two months. Prosecutors say they plan to call 140 witnesses. Special Agent Eric V. Evers, one of the first witnesses who testified in the courtroom, posi- tively identified Livingston Fagan, a 34-year-old defendant, as the man who shot him during the Feb. 28 raid. Philip Arnold, a religious scholar from Houston who was a consultant both to federal authorities and Koresh's attorney during the standoff, said the defendants "are now looking in the Bible every day, studying to find out how this trial fits into the prophecy. From their point of view, every event since Feb. 281h was prophesied in the Bible; the initial raid, the long standoff, the eventual assault and the sad results. "From the Davidian viewpoint, this will be a trial, not of Davidians, but of the U.S. justice system. To their point of view, this is God's trial of the world." (From numerous news reports in January 1994 including "An opportuni- ty for the Branch Davidians" by Sue Anne Pressley, The Washington Post, Jan. 9, 1994; "Koresh taught followers to 'kill for God,' jury told," an Associ- ated Press release which appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Jan. 13, 1994; "Prosecutors blast Koresh theology as trial begins," an Associated Press release which appeared in The [Arling- ton Heights, Ill.] Daily HeraM, Jan. 13, 1994; and "Branch Davidians go to trial" by Sue Anne Pressley, The Chica- go Sun-Times, Jan. 10, 1994, p.18.) Fellowship church, oon.nued page 3 that Davis had lied under oath regard- ing his sexual activities in a deposition for the civil lawsuit. But the perjury charges were, dismissed because that part of the deposition was not used to settle the libel case. A quirk in state law says that if information given in a deposition is not used, there cannot be perjury. Prosecutors appealed that ruling, but a state appellate court recently upheld the lower court ruling. "What this decision says is that it is OK to lie in a discovery deposition as long as the deposition is not used at a trial," said Lake County State's Attor- ney Michael J. Waller, who prosecuted Davis. "I think that is bad law that should be corrected. The whole pur- pose of civil discovery is to find out what the facts are and to get at the truth." (From "Appeals court clears Davis of perjury" by Robert Enstad, Chicago Tribune, Dec. 28, 1993; and "More sex abuse allegations surface at Waukegan church" by Jim Allen, The [Arlington Heights, I11.] Daily Herald, Jan. 7, 1994, Sec. l, p.4.) LaRouche gets out of prison, continued from page 5 had been considering trying to knock the LaRouche candidates off the ballot by challenging their election petitions. Instead, party officials decided to launch an information campaign to educate Democratic Party voters about LaRouche's political views and his criminal background. That decision was influenced by what happened in Illinois in 1986. Sev- eral LaRouche candidates got onto the March primary ballot then, so badly splitting the Democratic Party that gubernatorial candidate Adlai Steven- son III started his own party rather than run with LaRouche candidates. One of the LaRouche candidates had won a spot on the Democratic ticket as lieu- tenant governor. Another won a spot as secretary of state. Stevenson and the LaRouche candidates lost. LaRouche still has a tight cadre of fanatical followers who continue to maintain that LaRouche and others of his supporters who also have received felony convictions, are victims of a government scheme to eliminate the LaRouche party from politics. Former LaRouche followers main- tain that LaRouche forced them to work long hours while subjected to high- pressure indoctrination techniques. (From "LaRouche wins parole in January," an Associated Press story, The Chicago Tribune, Dec. 1, 1993, Section 1, p. 18; "Door left ajar for LaRouche matching funds" by Charles R. Babcock, The Washington Post, Nov. 30, 1993, p. A7; "Retirees fall into LaRouche's camp" by Irena von Zahn, Loudoun Times-Mirror [Leesburg, Va.], Oct. 27, 1993, p. A3. and "LaRouche candidates to stay on Democratic bal- lot'' by Rick Pearson, The Chicago Tri- bune, Dec. 21, 1993, section 2, p.1, and CAN research.) ø**ø February 1994 cult awareness network news page7 FEATURE ARTICLE Lack of sleep a powerful tool of coercive groups Sleep deprivation coupled with sug- gestion are powerful tools of coercion persuasion, according to Dr. Louis J. West, a featured speaker at last Novem- ber's 1993 Cult Awareness Network national conference. West began examining sleep depri- vation as a tool of coercion in the 1950's, when for the United States Air Force he conducted research into "brainwashing" of American pilots who had been captured by the Chinese dur- ing the Korean War, and who were "persuaded" to make false confessions of germ warfare. He is now a professor West said that many cult members are more like prisoners than people realize. of psychiatry at the University of Cali- fornia, Los Angeles, where he has been a faculty member since 1969, including 20 years as chairman of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences. West told workshop attendees that modern research confirms something that has been known for hundreds of years: that persons who are severely deprived of sleep can suffer intense physical and psychological problems. He noted that insomnia resulting in mental symptoms is a prominent theme in Shakespeare's 16th century play Macbeth. During the Spanish Inquisi- tion of the 15th and early 161h cen- turies, there was a technique called "Tortura Insomnii," that involved keep- ing prisoners awake over long periods of time. West said the "Tortura Insomnii" "was especially effective in extracting confessions" from people who denied that they were witches, possessed by demons, or in league with the devil. Victims of the torture often confessed because they began to hallucinate, and eventually came to believe the accusa- tions. The combination of lack of sleep and suggestions of guilt by the torturers was too much for the victims to over- come. Similar treatment was also too much for American pilots who had been cap- tured and tortured by Chinese or North Korean troops during the Korean War to withstand. For propaganda purposes, the Chinese broadcast confessions by American pilots who said they had been shot down while dropping "germ bombs" over North Korea. But no such attacks ever occurred, and West and other doctors were commissioned to study the repatriated prisoners to find out why they had confessed to crimes they did not commit. West said he and other researchers first wondered whether the confessions resulted from physical tortures such as putting bamboo splinters under the vic- tims' tingemails or from threats of exe- cution. They also considered the possi- bility that the Chinese had administered hallucinogenic drugs or practiced hyp- nosis or some form of Pavlovian condi- tioning on the prisoners. "It turned out to be none of the above," West said. "To get these men, heroes, some of them ace flyers from World War II, to confess to things they hadn't done, they used sleep depriva- tion as the primary instrument to manipulate their brains. The Chinese didn't really know how it worked, but the empirical data were there, going back to the Inquisition and before, and well known to police states everywhere. "By the end of the period of sleep- lessness and interrogation and sugges- tions of guilt, some of the pilots even came to believe that the germ warfare accusations might be true. Their capac- Dr. Louis J. West ity to recall what they had done, and their ability to test reality, had been suf- ficiently impaired so that they were at the mercy of their interrogators and the suggestions that their interrogators were making about reality." West said that such effects of sleep deprivation can show up quickly, even in a few days. He cited cases in which persons have confessed to crimes even though they did not commit them. The reason? Round-the-clock police interro- gations and repeated accusations by the interrogators convinced the innocent prisoner that he was guilty. How does all this relate to the cult phenomenon? West said that many cult members are more like prisoners than outsiders realize. Fear of retribution for leaving the cult, threats of harm to the cult members' family, and other forms continued on page 8 A complete copy of this presenta- tion is available on audio or video tape from the Cult Awareness Net- work. Audio tape cost is $6.00 + 1.00 shipping, Video tape is $22.00 (shipping included). Send a check to CAN Conference Tapes, 2421 W. Pratt Blvd., Suite 1173, Chicago, 1L 60645. page 8 cult awareness network news February 1994 Lack of sleep, continued from pge 7 of coercion "can be as powerful as a gun to the head;' West said. Many cults practice sleep depriva- tion on their members. In extreme cases, where people are deprived of all sleep for days at a time, a person's per- ception of the physical world actually changes. West said studies show that under such circumstances, people will first see movements that aren't there; then they will see fixed lines as wavy. If the sleep deprivation lasts long enough, the person will have hallucinations, even seeing and conversing with people invisible to others. But even reduced amounts of sleep as opposed to total lack of sleep can affect a person, West said. Partial sleep deficiencies, in which a person who ordinarily would be sleeping seven or eight hours a night is permitted perhaps only three or four hours of sleep, can, over weeks or months, make a person less capable of independent reasoning, thought or judgement. West said numerous studies of per- sons subjected to chronic sleep defi- ciencies show that skills that require creativity, originality, problem-solving and judgment all suffer. "People can keep going but they may become extremely compliant if they suffer chronic sleep loss," West said. "They might do things they never would have done if they had had full sleep ." Why is this so? No one is sure. West said researchers don't understand exactly why people need sleep. He said some researchers speculate that sleep helps the brain rid itself of certain metabolites that build up during wake- fulness. Others believe that sleep restores certain proteins or other brain chemicals that are depleted during the day, thus preparing the brain for anoth- er round of wakefulness. In West's view, both processes take place. This is suggested by two different kinds of sleep that researchers have identified: slow wave sleep, when the brain's metabolism is very slow, and fast wave (emergent style I, or REM sleep), when the brain's metabolism is fast and rapid eye movements can be measured. The brain rhythmically alter- nates between the two types of sleep at about 90-minute intervals. Dreams occur during REM sleep. West said that if a person is deprived of sleep chronically but not totally, more and more of the sleep becomes slow wave, until a person dreams little or not at all. When allowed to sleep normally again, a person will spend a much higher proportion of time dream- ing, as if making up for the deficit caused by the sleep deprivation. This suggests to him that during slow wave sleep, the brain is detoxify- ing itself. During dream states neurons are receiving fresh supplies of protein substances needed for memory, judg- ment, thought and other higher-level brain functions. This may be why per- sons who do not get sufficient sleep eventually may suffer losses in creativ- ity, analytical skills and judgement, West said. Such losses could well con- tribute to a person's susceptibility to nefarious cultic influences often described as "mind control". YES, I want to help by making a tax-deductible donation to The Cult Awareness Network. Your gift of $30 or more helps support the work of the CAN National Office and brings you the newsletter for one year. [] SUBSCRIBER $30 ($40 in U.S. currency Canada& abroad) [] I'M A FORMER CULT MEMBER. 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