$cientology Surrounded By Secrecy, Controversy (St. Peterbsurg Times 13 October, 1993) In 1975, the Church of Scientology used a front company to secretly buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel in downtown Clearwater for $2.3-million.

$cientology Surrounded By Secrecy, Controversy (St. Peterbsurg Times 13 October, 1993) In 1975, the Church of Scientology used a front company to secretly buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel in downtown Clearwater for $2.3-million. Scientology

SCIENTOLOGY SURROUNDED BY SECRECY, CONTROVERSY

St. Petersburg Times (PE) - WEDNESDAY October 13, 1993
By: DAVID BARSTOW
Edition: CITY Section: NATIONAL Page: 3A
Word Count: 744
SERIES: SCIENTOLOGY

In 1975, the "Church" of Scientology used a front company to secretly buy the historic Fort Harrison Hotel in downtown Clearwater for $2.3-million.

There has been controversy ever since.

Shortly after making the hotel its worldwide "spiritual" headquarters, Scientologists issued an internal directive outlining a plan to "fully investigate the Clearwater city and county area so we can distinguish our friends from our enemies and handle as needed." It called for protecting "ourselves against any potential threat by taking control of key points in the Clearwater area."

Scientology documents seized by the FBI in the late 1970s showed that Scientologists had staged a phony hit-and-run accident with former Mayor Gabe Cazares in an attempt to discredit him. Cazares had criticized the group.

The Scientologists also attempted to discredit local reporters and their relatives, obtained private correspondence from the St. Petersburg Times and its lawyers and infiltrated the Clearwater Sun. (The Times won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for its reporting on the "Church" of Scientology.)

Concerned about complaints that the "church" was a cult, the City Commission held hearings in 1982 about the Scientologists [http://www.xenutv.com/hearings/index.htm]. The speakers included Ron DeWolf, the son of Scientology founder and former science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. DeWolf said his father created a "religion" called Scientology to solve tax and legal problems.

"My father only knew how to do one thing and that was destroy people."

Scientologists also believe that man is an immortal being called a "thetan."

An unusual aspect of Scientology is that it keeps many of its teachings secret, even from its members. Students proceed from one level to the next, and learning the higher levels too early is forbidden.

One of these secret, higher levels is called "OT III" for "operating thetan three." On that level, Scientologists learn that 75-million years ago, Xemu, ruler of the galactic confederation, flew selected beings to volcanoes on a planet called Teegeeach, now known as Earth.

Another unusual aspect is the price. "Auditing" can cost $800 an hour. To complete Hubbard's progression of courses, a Scientologist could conceivably spend more than $400,000.

According to court records, the organization pays annual operating expenses in Clearwater of $26-million and sends about $200,000 per week to the mother organization in Los Angeles.

According to a Los Angeles Times story, the governing financial policy behind the "Church" of Scientology, as written by Hubbard, is simple and direct: "MAKE MONEY; MAKE MORE MONEY; MAKE OTHERS PRODUCE SO AS TO MAKE MONEY." [http://www.ezlink.com/~perry/Co$/Christian/latimes.htm]

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