The 1982 Clearwater Hearings Day 2 - May 6, 1982 Casey Kelly During the three years, Kelly spent at FLAG, he handled Scientology's finances and recruitment. 2-221 was really giving it to other auditors. Specifically, another person, I also -- I felt like I was betraying the people that I was auditing and I didn't want to do it anymore. MR. SHOEMAKER: With the I notice there are at least two observations, at least, the people that come here to Clearwater, many of them are young. You don't see a great number of elderly people. Would that be a fair surmise? Do you have any reason as to why that is the case? Ms. TAVERNA: I think it's always been that.way from -- even when I came in. I think young people are very susceptible to this because it sounds like such a beautiful purpose. Most young people have ideals and they want tochange the world. And when-you come into Scientology -- I've seen people who open the door and they are just like flying for weeks and weeks. They feel they've found something. And they -- young people will recognize the outnesses in this world and they don't know how to change them. And you walk in the door and you find a group of people who have a good purpose and want to change the world -I think they're much more susceptible. And they don't have that much experience in life to know exactly what 2-222 they're getting into. MR. SHOEMAKER: Yes. Since you've left Scientology -- first of all, did they know - I'm sure they do now - but did they know before now MS. TAVERNA: I would say that most of the Scientologists in the world have no idea that I left up until now -- they all know. But when I finally called Brown McKee and started getting answers, I just -- I realized that I didn't have to see any documents. I don't care about Ron Hubbard's past. I realized that I had been absolutely miserable for the past ten years. I hated it. I fought all the staff members. I don't care if it's true or it's not true; I don't want to be part of it. So ---actually forgot the question, but I wanted to say something about it. MR. SHOEMAKER: You answered it very well. The other part - MS. TAVERNA: Oh. MR. SHOEMAKER: -- of it is just basically: Have you had any kind of has anyone tried to put any pressure on you or MS. TAVERNA: Oh, yes, I remember. 2-223 So, what I did was I -- oh, basically -- my sister will tell her story. She was married to someone in the Sea Org. at the time. He was living with us at my sister's house. So, here I was, you know, talking to suppressives and "This fellow's going to get killed. He's going to go in the RPF." We're talking to lawyers. We're talking to the biggest SPs in the world. I don't think any of you really understand how traumatic -- it's unthinkable. So, we were shaking. I was in such fear I couldn't sleep for days. So, we told my sister's. husband because we knew that we were going to be out now. So, he went back and he told them and we since called them and told them we no longer -- I didn't want my name associated with it. We had no harrassment at all. I was very surprised. I did get phone calls from old friends from '66. Students who I haven't heard from since 1965 called me up: "Do you remember me? I want to tell you that you changed my life and I love you." And it's sincere because I did. And he said, "Please, if I can help you, I'm here. And I said, "I want you to know that I'm in fine shape and there's nothing wrong, nothing to handle." But they attempted to have old friends call me up to get to 2-224 me because they knew my button, which is something that you react to, is help. And if I know I can help someone, to kind of go back. But I was already over it and nothing could change me. But the -- I was in terrible fear, but I have had no harrassment. MR. SHOEMAKER: During the process that you were in or-while you were in Scientology, did anyone attempt to use the information you provided through the auditing process., when you were audited, against you to - MS. TAVERNA: No. MR. LeCHER: Are you - MR. SHOEMAKER: Mayor, give me just a second and I'll be finished. Were you aware of what's been referred to as the Fair Game Policy? MS. TAVERNA: Oh, yes. That was in effect when I was on staff. MR. SHOEMAKER: And that was up until you said you just left -- when did you leave Clearwater? MS. TAVERNA: Well, I left Clearwater in December of 1979, and I officially left, mentally, Scientology --no -- two weeks ago. Two months I'm out of the organization. 2-225 MR. SHOEMAKER: So, up until two months ago, you were still an active Scientologist MS. TAVERNA: Yes. MR. SHOEMAKER: -- and as far as you know, the Fair Game Policy was still in effect? MS. TAVERNA: Oh, I don't know. I don't know if it was in effect as of two months ago; I really don't know. I meant, I have seen it in effect. I don't know currently if it is. I assume it is. It's in effect through actions because I know things are done to people. And I know Scientologists will do anything they have to to protect Scientology. And I remember feeling that way, and I have compassion for them because I was so misled that I felt it was justifiable -- it was justified to stop a Suppressive Person who wants to harm good people. And I believe it will always be in effect; that policy will never be out of effect in actions. It was probably cancelled officially. MR. SHOEMAKER: One more question and, then, I'll stop. MS. TAVERNA: Okay. MR. SHOEMAKER: And really, I do appreciate listening to you. I think it's really been an educational 2-226 process for all of us. In the auditing process, is there -- and this kind of relates -- let me ask two questions. Were there any types of clinics provided for people that were ill or had cuts or scratches or headaches or anything like that, or anyone that had a toothache or any problem or something like that at any of the -- any organizations where you came and stayed for the counseling and so forth) MS. TAVERNA: No. There was a Medical officer; he had a first aid kit. And if you needed a dentist, you would -- you know, you could go to a dentist. MR. SHOEMAKER: Would he prescribe drugs? MS. TAVERNA: I don't know. He never did with me. He prescribed -- I saw him prescribe vitamins. He prescribed vitaEins for me when I was sick. I don't remember what they were. He told me to take this and that.Basically, nutritional things: what to eat, take Calmag every day for your nerves. MR. SHOEMAKER: I understand that in the auditing process that there was a procedure or there was a policy not to provide auditing for somebody that was diagnosed as terminally ill? MS. TAVERNA: Yes. 2-227 MR. SHOEMAKER: Were you -- did they ever explain the reason or why that policy was MS. TAVERNA: In the early days when I was in Scientology, I just assumed that Dianetics would handle anything. I MR. SHOEMAKER: Yeah. MS. TAVERNA: -- mean, there was all talk about cancer. But then, I saw so many of my friends die of cancer who had the highest level of auditing. And I, well, my boyfriend died, and he couldn't get any auditing. So, I know it's not allowed. MR. SHOEMAKER: Yeah. MS. TAVERNA: I assumed that it was because the person was dying and, if you audited them, Scientology could be connected to the failure.' And the person dying, it would be a bad promotional activity to audit someone who was going to die because I don't think it had any chance of saving them. MR. SHOEMAKER: Thank you. MR. LeCHER: As the Mayor of the city, I'd like to think about the image that you have of the city. And I when you mention Rome, you get a certain mental image; when you mention Salt Lake City, you get another image. And I guess you get a totally different one when you 2-228 mention Dachau. What did you think of when you were going to come to Clearwater, when you first arrived? And what did you think of Clearwater after you escaped? You mentioned the word "hell" before. Does that have any connotation with our city? MS. TAVERNA: What I thought of Clearwater was just so horrible; I couldn't believe that anyone lived here. I -- I hated everything about the city. I heard the name and the association was with misery and pain, and I said it was ugly and horrible. And it just meant pain and misery to me. I said I would never come back here for the rest of my life or look at.I got almost physically ill when I looked at pictures of it. I would get tremors for about a month after if I got a brochure and looked at the Fort Harrison. And I noticed something interesting last night. I was on the balcony of where I am staying, and I looked at the beach and I said, "It's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been in." And I'm looking through new eyes. And I said, "What did I think was so horrible?" It was being in an atmosphere that was so ugly and so suppressive. 2-229 I don't think of it -- I mean, I might still have a little funny feeling about Clearwater, but I know it's not that way now. MR. LeCHER: Thank you. If you stay a couple of more days here, you'll love it, too. MS. TAVERNA: Okay. MR. LeCHER: Thank you very much. You've been very good, very cooperative, and a very brave lady. MS. TAVERNA: Thank you. MR. FLYNN: Mayor, can we take a-ten-minute recess? MR. LeCHER: Yes. (Whereupon, a recess was taken.) (Whereupon, the hearing resumed.) MR. LeCHER: Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, members of the Commission, staff, consultants, citizens. We are going to listen to this young man and we are going to try to run through it as rapidly as possible, but also to be as thorough as possible because we do have a City Commission meeting starting in about an hour. And we are going to get started with this young man. And his name is Casey Kelley. Mr. Kelley, will you please be sworn in. 2-230 CASEY KELLEY, a witness herein, having first been duly sworn by a Clerk for the City of Clearwater, was examined and testified as follows: MR. FLYNN: Mayor, before he begins, I would just like to offer two items into evidence as the next exhibits. One is a book, All About Radiation, which was discussed this morning, a copy of which this Commission looked at by a nuclear physicist and a medical doctor, which has been purchased within the last twenty-four hours from the Fort Harrison and Scientology buildings here in Clearwater. The next is the book, Dianetics: -The Modern Science of Mental Health, which will be offered into evidence at this point, and the purpose for which I will state at another time. (The book, All About Radiation, was marked as Exhibit No. 28, as of this date; The book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, was marker as Exhibit No. 29, as of this date.) MR. LeCHER: Okay. Thank you. Mr. Kelley, I'd like to ask you the five standard questions that I'm asking of every witness before they testify. 2-231 Number one is: Are you appearing here today and testifying under oath voluntarily? MR. KELLEY: Yes. MR. LeCHER: Number two: Have you been paid by anyone for your testimony, other than expenses for coming to Clearwater? MR. KELLEY: No. MR. LeCHER: Number three: Do you have a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology? MR. KELLEY: Not at this time. MR. LeCHER: Number four: Does the Church of Scientology have a lawsuit against you? MR. KELLEY: I hope not. No, they don't. MR. LeCHER: I hope not, too. Number-five: Has anyone suggested to you that you should state anything but the truth or has anyone suggested that you should change your testimony for any reason? MR. KELLEY: No. MR. LeCHER: Thank you. Mr. Kelley, you have an outline I'd like you to follow and, then, get into it in your own words. MR. KELLEY: All right. The first thing, I'm terrified. I've never spoken 2-232 in public in my life. MR. LeCHER: Well, calm down. MR. KELLEY: Let me just MR. LeCHER: We can ask you questions, if you'd prefer. MR. FLYNN: He'll MR. KELLEY: Let me -- let me - MR. FLYNN: try and get started - MR. KELLEY: begin on some of the background information here. I joined the Sea Org. in March of 1977 when I was going to Florida State University. I was eighteen at the time. I got to Flag Land Base - MR. LeCHER: Could you speak a little louder? I don't think they can hear you. Pull the mike a little closer. MR. KELLEY: Okay. I got to the Flag Land Base the day after Christmas 1977, and left here in October of 1980. I'm currently enlisted in the United States Navy. I had several jobs when I was here at Clearwater. My main one was the job title called Technical Arrivals Data in Charge. It's kind of a lofty title, which meant 2-233 I had -- I have no knowledge of criminal activities in the Cl earwater area or any other area, actually. These are some of the things that I was doing on the job. When I was the Technical Arrivals Data MR. LeCHER: Excuse me. Did you say you have no knowledge or new knowledge? MR. KELLEY: No knowledge. MR. LeCHER: No knowledge. MR. KELLEY: No knowledge, none. MR. SHOEMAKER: Would-you give that title again, please, Mr. Kelley? MR. KELLEY: Technical Arrivals Data in Charge. MR. SHOEMAKER: Thank you. MR. KELLEY: One of the things they tend to do is pay you in title. My job was -- I kept the accounts I kept anaccount record for every person that was on public lines at Flag, which is somewhere around five thousand names. I would go to treasury and go through every invoice that was written, and I had an accurate list of people who had made an advanced payment to the Flag Land Base. And the reason I did that was we would find out who had paid fully for a service and, then, we -- our office would call them to get them to show up at Clear 2-234 water to do that service. It's -~-- especially with Scientologists, there's a lot of people that can afford to pay for these services but don't have the time to show up. So, what we would do is our office would call them and try to get them to show up earlier than they had anticipated or just get them to show up. I personally took a lot of flak from these guys. And then after they showed up, then we could deliver the service and then sell them more. You can't sell them any more if they haven't done what they already paid for. we also used this list to sell books because they used to pay a percentage of the book sale to the staff member that sold the book. So, there were some people selling books. I could go into that later. I was familiar with the ways that they got their money into the Clearwater Organization, but I wasn't directly involved with it. I wasn't -- I was in disagreement with the way they made some of their money: the high-pressure sales techniques that they used. I never -- I never - and I still don't - I never could tolerate that, the way they -- boy, "You've done your service and" -- drop the net. And people having to sell things and mortgage things seemingly against their will, 2-235 or with great reservations -- reservations, not really wanting to but knowing that because Scientology is such a good thing, that's what they really should do next. Anyway, back -- one of the ways that they make -that the Clearwater Church makes money is they have three tours out, and almost all the time. They call it regging, making money. There's three tours out most all the time. There's one on the East coast, one on the West coast, and one in Europe. And they'll go from one city, either for a week, week and-a-half, two weeks, and then go the next one. And they make a lot of money that way. Especially in Europe, they make a lot of money in Europe. Since I'm talking about money., we'll go down to that. The highest single week gross income that we made when I was here was 2.3 million dollars. And that's tax free. MR. HATCHETT: Tax free. MR. KELLEY: Well -MR. LeCHER: Well, we know all about MR. KELLEY: You know all about tax free, right?. I think that's one of the reasons why I'm possibly here. That was a good week. I would guess that the average weekly gross income while I was there, or at least while I was on this TAD 2-236 post, was anywhere between four and five hundred thousand dollars. I don't know where all that money went.. The people that do don't tell. It goes to what' s called Sea Org. Reserves, which is kind of a MR. LeCHER: Who knows that? MR. KELLEY: The people that are on the Sea Org. Reserves Committee. And that's a very few elite people. Those guys are people that have been in Scientology for a long time, usually. And they're pretty cloak and dagger. They don't -- they play their cards pretty close to their chest. In 1980, when Scientology worldwide bought a whole bunch of buildings around the world -- they. bought somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-five million dollars worth of buildings around the world, and they paid cash for all of them. Those were all -- they didn't rent anything, because there was no point in renting anything; that was just money down the tubes. They believe in buying them. The person that was in charge of the Sea Org. Reserves, the SOR Chief, came to Flag Service Organization - you know, it was across the street - to one of our staff meetings one Friday night, and he talked to us about it. Because the Flag Ship organization, which is - 2-237 or the Flag Service Organization is the organization here in Clearwater that delivers the services. They're the ones that do the auditing for the public people, and they sell the services. They make a majority of the money. Worldwide, they make a majority of the money. He came to our -- one of our staff meetings, and this is a quote - Mr. Hinklenberg said - "All these buildings we bought make a dent in the reserves." The key word there is "dent." He said it made a dent in the reserves. He didn't tell us -- I mean, a dent could be two percent to seventy-five percent. He didn't say the exact percentage of the dent. Twentyfive million dollars, I would think I don't know. I don't know how much was in the reserves, he wouldn't tell us. One of-the other things that I found very interesting is they have -- they don't keep more -- any more than $40,000.00 in any one bank in the Pinellas County area. Or in the bay area, they use banks in Tampa. So, consequently, I know that they have -- I would guess at least thirty bank accounts around the area, because I've seen the treasury office and they have a stack of checkbooks, you know. They're a stack of checkbooks this high. For example, the Clearwater bank account would be 2-238 used for, say, tours. And the Barnet Bank down the street would be used for phones, for example. They have it broken up so it's easier to keep track where that money's going. When I was in the FSO, we used to get a stat sheet out. We used to give a stat sheet to the Flag Bureau, which is the management organization in the West coast building. And they manage all Scientology organizations worldwide. And they publish the statistics. And usually, the organization in Clearwater's income is equal to that of the rest of the world put together. All Scientology organizations put together usually fall short of this place. And. that is a lot of money. There are a lot of other Scientology organizations, also; I don't know how many there are. There's a bunch of them, including the big ones in Los Xhig'eles. You know, our gross income here quite often was more. I'll talk down here if you -- some of my knowledge about the Guardian's Office. In early '78 - I chuckle about this now - I was in charge of religious image. And they had a religious image checklist that I was supposed to follow and to help get in, help to upgrade the religious image of our buildings and our personnel around Clearwater. I was working for the Assistant 2-239 Guardian for Public Relations, who, at that time, was Miss Nancy Risi, who I know you're familiar with. MR. LeCHER: Yes, I remember her. MR. KELLEY: A couple of things that I was in charge -- that I was supposed to do was get certificates, minister certificates, you know - Larry Lattimore made them, that sort of thing - up where people could see them if they wandered into Clearwater or any one of the buildings. You know, they'd see someone who was a minister sitting there. Or crosses -- I was also supposed to build those eight-point crosses, which Is next to impossible. I was also supposed to talk to our staff members and public about upgrading their image around town. You know, it was kind of hard to tell some of these people anything, yod- know, "Your jeans have frazzies on them." I felt kind of -it was kind of 4 wishy-washy job, and I wasn't real enthused about it because I didn't have the power. I was working as a minor staff member trying to do a major job. And I got it as a full-time job, and I did it maybe a couple of hours a week. I'd go around and do my checklist and find out where everything was not the way it was supposed to be, basically. And Miss Risi used to jump on me about it. What could I 2-240 do? It wasn't my job. Anyway, one of the things: We used to have Guardian's Office briefings about fairly frequently, especially, when things were getting hot with Mr. Tenney and his band every now and then, when he was raising such a fuss here. We used to get these briefings from the Guardian's office, and they were usually pretty interesting. They would always make it sound like we were winning. And one of the things that I remember was when they had the Jonestown tragedy in Guyana -- I wasn't really aware of what was going on out there. I didn't know they were a religious cult, because when you say "cult" to a Scientologist, he automatically turns you off, thinking that you don't know what you're talking about, thinking that you're anti-Scientology as soon as you say the word "cult," religious cult, dangerous cult, whatever. So, one of the things that they told us was that "You've got to keep in touch with your families during, this Guyana thing, because they're going to get all concerned about you being in a religious cult." They told us to keep writing those good roads, fair weather letters. Whenever you had trouble at home, you were next