A group of concerned Calgarians ex-Scientologists and parents of youngsters of the various mind-warping, brainwashing cults such as Hare Krishna and the Unification Church (Moonies), have got together and formed an organization. Its main functions will be to combat such cults, to help parents cope with and understand the situation when their children fall prey to them and, where possible, to rescue the victims and help them get their heads back together. They held their first meeting recently, with 17 people ...

The Church of Scientology is an organization that fervidly shuns investigations. When probed, it attacks the investigators. When criticized, it makes the critics pay. Church attempts to stifle investigations and criticism include lawsuits, harassment, frameups and attempts to have critics jailed, or at least enjoined from talking about Scientology. If there is "a long-term threat" to Scientology, founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote in a confidential memorandum to his staff, "you are to immediately evaluate and originate a black PR campaign to ...

Eleven high officials and agents of the Church of Scientology, including the wife of founder L. Ron Hubbard, were charged here yesterday in an allegedly widespread conspiracy to plant spies in government agencies, break into government offices, steal official documents and bug government meetings. Much of the evidence outlined against the church's officials in the 28-count criminal indictment appears to be based on the church's own internal memorandums and other documents. The memorandums directed church operatives to "use any method" in ...

Since its founding by a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard in 1954, Scientology has been among the growth stocks on the self-help market: a quasireligious, quasiscientific cult that has attracted three million U.S. followers (some highly touted celebrities among them) and estimated annual revenues in the hundreds of millions, much of it tax-exempt. Until recently Scientology's only certifiable vice was eccentricity, but within a week a federal grand jury in Washington is expected to hand down a bulging sheaf ...

The church of Scientology held an unusual press reception yesterday to introduce two of its top officials who the church says will be indicted for alleged crimes against the government. Standing around fruit punch, soft drinks, cookies and open-faced sandwiches, church lawyer Philip J. Hirschkop told assembled reporters that the predicted indictments are part of a government effort "to break the back" of the church. Hirschkop said that a total of 12 church members - including Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of ...

LOS ANGELES, July 6 (AP) — The Government won a major victory in its battle with the Church of Scientology when a judge ruled yesterday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's seizure of thousands of church documents was legal. Federal District Judge Malcom M. Lucas rejected allegations by church attorneys that the F.B.I. had exceeded the scope of a search warrant in the seizures last July 8. Federal attorneys said that the ruling, unless appealed, cleared the way for the documents ...

Washington DC — Secret documents from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency were discovered when offices of the Church of Scientology in the United States were raided by federal agents last year, according to reports published here yesterday. The reports said that apparently original Internal Revenue Service documents were found during the raids, as well as confidential letters between members of the U.S. Cabinet. Also, it was discovered the church kept an enemies list, which included files on Senator Edward Kennedy, ...

The Church of Scientology, in its efforts to investigate and attack its "enemies," kept files on five Washington federal judges, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, other congressmen, Jacqueline Onassis, the Better Business Bureau and the American Medical Association, according to Scientology documents in the possession of federal investigators. The Scientologists' files, summarized in a 525-page inventory filed in court by the federal government, were in many cases marked "Eyes Only," "Top Secret," "Enemy Names" and "Battle Plans." Their contents were coded with ...

Having discovered that there is nothing quite like advertising for keeping an idea alive, the Churches of Scientology in 21 markets will begin on Monday a TV ad campaign for "Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health," a 28-year-old book written by the church's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Collectively they will be spending about $650,000 during the remainder of the year, on the TV and on radio and magazine advertising, according to George Chelekis, public relations director of the New York ...

In the fall of 1971, author Paulette Cooper came out with a book called "The Scandal of Scientology" and, then, according to her lawyers, friends, family and lawyers, the following things happened to her: She received repeated telephone calls from anonymous people who threatened to kill her. Letters were posted on her neighbors' doors telling them she had venereal disease and should be evicted from her apartment. Her publisher was sued and harassed to the point that he withdrew the ...

CLEARWATER — The Church of Scientology has given Pinellas County their records showing how the church spends its money, but those records are being kept confidential under a court protective order. The records were turned over to county attorneys Monday in preparation for a civil trial that begins today to determine whether the church's Clearwater property should be tax-exempt. he property in question in the lawsuit — which deals specifically with 1976 taxes — is the former Fort Harrison Hotel and ...

Toronto ON — Members of Hare Krishna, Unification Church and the Church of Scientology paraded outside Queen's Park yesterday to protest against what they call a witchhunt by the Ontario Government. About 80 protesters carried placards saying, Don't Kill My Religion and Investigate Abuses Not Churches. They were objecting to remarks made March 2 in the Legislature by Health Minister Dennis Timbrell, who said his ministry was considering legislation to impose control over such groups. Mr. Timbrell said that one of ...

RON L. Hubbard, the American born founder of the Church of Scientology, who turned Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, into the world headquarters of the movement, was sentenced in his absence to four years in prison and fined 35,000 Francs for fraud by the Paris Criminal Court last week.

Toronto ON — Toronto firemen were fighting a fire which broke out in the basement of the Church of Scientology at Avenue Road and Bernard Avenue early this morning. The fire, which firemen described as a two-alarm blaze was still out of control at 1 a.m., an hour after firemen were called. No injuries were reported. Ten fire trucks were sent to the scene. Southbound buses on Avenue Road were rerouted along Bedford Avenue. Mario Greco Jr., 21, the owner of ...

Dear SOS: While living in Winnipeg, a friend talked me into enrolling in a course run by the Church of Scientology. It cost me $350. After registering, I talked with several people and found out that continuation of the course in which I was interested would cost me thousands of dollars and would entail trips all over Canada and the U.S. So I quit, and asked the Church of Scientology to make good on its promise to refund my money. It ...

A long-time member of the Church of Scientology says she was driven out of her job with the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) because of membership in the controversial church. Emylee Lynne Miller in an affidavit prepared for the church, said U.S. Attorney Paul Figley and DCA counsel Richard Whalen "intimidated" her and Interrogated her "under considerable pressure . . ." The Miller case arose after the DCA denied the church access to information in its files The Church of Scientology has ...