EXCLUSIVE – Leaked internal documents from Scientology’s ‘Office of Special Affairs’ (OSA) reveal Church officials engaged in an extensive intelligence-gathering operation against dozens of UK politicians and civil servants in an effort to establish who might be considered a ‘threat’ to the controversial organisation.

The document outlines the lives and careers of 60 government officials spanning 70 years, and notes any involvement they have had in Scientology’s affairs. It is understood the document was produced c.2007, when Scientology were dealing with journalist John Sweeney’s BBC Panorama investigation, and was used as part of the Church’s strategy to counter criticism and avoid public scrutiny.

It lists politicians such as Lord Balneil, a Scottish Conservative peer who died last year, who is described as “connected to Jones, Clerk to East Grinstead Council” – the town in which Scientology’s UK Saint Hill headquarters is located.

Titled ‘GLOSSARY OF NAMES IN U.K. PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE FILES’, the document proves Scientology holds records on those holding public office in the United Kingdom, and is understood to have been a companion to thousands of reports made by OSA for the purposes of ‘Fair Game’, a well-documented policy of harassment and intimidation inflicted upon former members and critics.

Such policies were laid out by founder L. Ron Hubbard before his death in 1986 and instruct Scientologists on how to handle politicians and government agencies, to which he had a less than favourable view. “No government bum ever acts on his own initiative: Governments today are simply like prostitutes—they are used,” he wrote in OSA Network Order No. 61, ‘Intelligence Filing’.

In Hubbard Communications Office (HCO) Policy Letter (PL) ‘Dept of Govt Affairs’, dated 15th August 1960, Hubbard outlines “The object of the Department is to broaden the impact of Scientology upon governments and other organizations and is to conduct itself so as to make the name and repute of Scientology better and more forceful. […] In the face of danger from Govts or courts there are only two errors one can make: (a) do nothing and (b) defend.”

It continues, “The goal of the Department is to bring the government and hostile philosophies or societies into a state of complete compliance with the goals of Scientology. This is done by high level ability to control and in its absence by low level ability to overwhelm. Introvert such agencies. Control such agencies”

Hubbard also instructed the creation of a ‘Department of Official Affairs’ in HCO PL 13 March 1961, whose purpose is “The bettering of the public representation, legal position and government acceptance of Scientology”.

This policy lays out a list of actions for the department to carry out and includes “bringing continuous pressure to bear on governments to create pro-Scientology legislation and to discourage anti-Scientology legislation of groups opposing Scientology.”

How? Hubbard explains. “The action of bringing about a pro-Scientology government consists of making a friend of the most highly placed government person one can reach, even placing Scientologists in domestic and clerical posts close to him and seeing to it that Scientology resolves his troubles and case.”

This document provides evidence of how Scientology has engaged in a mass intelligence-gathering exercise as a crucial first step towards bringing about a ‘pro-Scientology government’. For instance, it mentions Charles Pannell, a Labour peer who served in Harold Wilson’s government. The document notes “Jan 69 spoke on Scientology in Hansard,” which designates him a person of interest to the Church. Hansard is the UK Parliament’s official records archive held in Westminster.

Also mentioned is Richard J. Fries, the former Chief Charity Commissioner Civil Society describes as “responsible for modernisation of the Charity Commission and implementation of the 1993 Charities Act.” He was head of the Charity Commission when Scientology applied for charity status in 1996. Several other Charity Commissioners and civil servants feature in the document, which suggests Scientology went to great efforts to establish specific individuals who could be targeted in their campaign for recognition. Their application was rejected in 1999 after it was determined “Scientology does not benefit the public.”

To give further context, Scientology has been widely reported for its use of dirty tricks – for example in Australian journalist Steve Cannane’s book ‘Fair Game’ and BBC Panorama’s two-part documentary hosted by John Sweeney. These dirty tricks extend to government agencies with policies such as OSA Network Order No. 39, titled ‘Wilful False Reports’ dictating how to use things like Freedom of Information Act requests to “construct a data bank of all documents and cross-index to get all documents in their possession” so as to ‘dead agent’ officials, a Scientology term for stifling criticism by publicly discrediting critics.

And the extent to which intelligence must be gathered? OSA Network Order No. 44, ‘Intelligence, Its Role’ says “The state of an org, the rumors at the courthouse, the visit of a government inspector, a report of a scream for lots of refunds, the threats of an expulsion recipient, the glee on the faces of students, these and thousands more, all serve as indicators that point to a possible need of defensive Intelligence”

This is the level Scientology goes to to investigate its critics and influence decision-makers.

Here is the original document in searchable text format, which dates from c.2007. A more recently up-to-date version would currently be in use by the Church with information on East Grinstead Town Councillors, Mayors and officials at Mid-Sussex District and West Sussex County Councils, as well as Members of Parliament such as Mims Davis, who attended last year’s International Association of Scientologists event at Saint Hill.

GLOSSARY OF NAMES IN U.K. PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE FILES

You can download the document in full as a PDF below.

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