In this writing I will try to be as fair to Scientology as I possibly can.

It is my intention to just relay the truth as I see it without any prejudice.

I have no real vendetta against Scientology although it will seem by what I write that I do. I'm only trying to speak my truth. If there is good to be had out of Scientology, may it become unscrambled from the current Scientology culture and find its way into the world. Also, I will not attempt to quote LRH exactly in his words (unless I specifically indicate that I am quoting him). Instead, I will refer to his teachings solely how my mind recalls them and put them into my own words and my own interpretation.

This will hopefully keep me out of any legal troubles with copyright laws etc. So know that if I interpret any piece of Scientology or LRH writings wrongly, it's due to my imperfect recall or understanding. In other words I am not attempting to relay any part of Scientology teachings or LRH writings exactly as it is written in Scientology.

My subject matter will center around three essential frameworks of Scientology: Responsibility, Control and Freedom.

Responsibility:

Responsibility is a big word in Scientology and used often.

In fact it's used in the acronym, KRC (Knowledge, Responsibility and Control). The Concept is, if you increase any one of these three (K, R or C) the remaining two will increase. Like many of the many other basic Scientology Tidbits of potentially workable technology, this KRC acronym in actual practice is used very little and thought of very little. On staff or Sea Org, you aren't expected to use this. All your time, attention and energy is continually focused, funneled and pounded into making it go right to get the stats up come hell or high water. It's just a whole ramrod atmosphere, using the premise, "You already know it from one of your past life experiences -- so just get it done and get the stats up. Now you are considered fully (Underlined) responsible for anything that goes wrong with getting your stats up, even if the reason was totally due to something out of your sphere of control.

Say for instance, if the electricity shuts off due to a storm and this prevents you from doing your job, it is construed as your fault. That you must have so much counter-intention on getting your job done that you wished for or conjured up something bad to happen to prevent you from doing your job and getting your stats up. If the results of your inability to do the job affected the overall gross income of the organization, it is very likely that you will be severely penalized and accused of being in doubt of Scientology.

I've seen this taken so far as to declare someone to be "in doubt of Scientology" for having a near fatal accident. This is because the accident could have caused embarrassment for the church or caused important stats to somehow go down or caused a great sum of money in hospital bills. This is because he/she is considered fully responsible for having that accident along with its damaging effects on Scientology. When you get declared, "in doubt", you lose any privileges you had (which are very few). You lose the comradery of the other staff. You have to do extensive amends projects. You also have to do something that will be an effective blow to the enemies of Scientology Then you have to get each staff member to sign your petition to allow you back into the group and back into their good graces.

So, as you can see they take this word Responsibility to the far extreme.

Control:

Control is another word that is used very often in Scientology. In fact it is so much part of their culture, it could be considered a religious word or a word that's held at the utmost of importance. The degree which you have good control over others is truly the degree in which you are respected. Not only is it part of the acronym KRC (Knowledge, Responsibility and Control), it is taught in a couple of their most basic classes. As with many things, this probably has the potential of being useful and helpful.

I really don't mean to rag on Scientology. But the kind of control that they continually revert to (for the most part) is force, intimidation, degradation and threats. It's odd, because the kind of people that are on staff, especially those that have been on for several years are usually extremely devoted and dedicated to Scientology And it's stated goal of "Freeing mankind." These people can be worked to a fervor of dedication in only minutes of time, at which point they would be willing to walk to the ends of the earth if asked to do so in the name of their purpose. So it goes without saying that they are very cooperative people and could be controlled easily with calm and encouraging words. So why all the screaming, yelling and chastising??????? Very good question! I can only guess. Your guess is probably every bit as good as mine. But I gotta say, it does seem to be a reflection on the personality of the top leadership of Scientology (Who do, by the way, encourage this kind of leadership in their lower ranks as well as practice this type of leadership themselves, far more often then the softer reasonable type of using inspiration and soliciting cooperation.)

In LRH's bulletins on "Control", he describes "good control" and "bad control", with the adage that any control is better than no control. (not a direct quote). I will describe from my memory how he described good and bad control. (I apologize if my interpretation doesn't go along with yours. Again, this is such a sacred word in Scientology, I feel I need to tread lightly and make it clear, I'm not attempting to say this is the definition.

It's merely my interpretation based on how I recall it after having studied it very often in the past. Plus I'm using regular English words versus Scientology coined words.)

Good control would be getting people to do something by using good public relations to illicit cooperation. Using encouragement with good understanding of the controllee. Behind all this add the intention to have the controllee accomplish exactly what you want to have done without even the slightest doubt that it will not be accomplished forthwith. If the controllee does accomplish that which you intended, then you can be considered to have had "good" control. Bad control would still be getting the controllee to accomplish your intention but only after he has been yelled at in some demeaning way and oppressed. Bad control isn't nearly as effective, as it often leads to blundering mistakes which causes the controllee to not get your intention done fully as you wanted and leads to having to continually harass the controllee to get anything done (or so thinks the bad controller). Again, I'll comment that the dedication level of staff is such that they are willing to continually submit to this type of bad control just for having the honor of being on staff and working towards "the freedom of Mankind", in the only (underlined) group (they believe) that can free mankind. This leads us to our third subject called, "Freedom".

Freedom:

Again, I've got to make it clear, I will be describing Freedom in accordance to how I interpreted it when I was on staff and how I interpreted LRH's writings on the subject. Freedom for the individual was something accomplished slowly but surely as you took the various step by step therapies in Scientology It involved, starting from the basic therapy and going to the higher steps. These steps in very summarized form starting from the lowest to highest involved; A) The feeling one could control his own self by feeling what it's like to be completely controlled by another. B) Freedom of Communication. C) Freedom from problems. D) Freedom from past upsets. E) Freedom from the need to make another person wrong (as in putting another person down in some way). F) Freedom from certain aspects of "hang ups" common to all people. G) Freedom to hold your own space in relation to other people and objects. H) Freedom from mental implants given to you and all people hundreds of thousands of years ago. I) Freedom from the results of a huge major disaster and implant many millions of years ago. J) More freedom from the results in "I" above. K) Complete freedom from the results from letter "I" above, along with freedom from a major incident in one of your vastly distant lifetimes.

The result of all this would be someone who had the kind of total love, compassion and understanding that could be considered Godlike. This individual would have complete joy of creation and total power and control with no mental blocks to ever pull him down again. When I thought of Freedom for mankind, my main concept was they could all be free from those mental implants and resulting hang-ups that held people down in a fog and made him basically, a lost soul, not knowing who he was and being led to believe a lie for the last trillium. I imagined a world that was peaceful and happy due to all humans ridding themselves of all that made him less than whole and purely himself. I believed strongly the concept that man is basically good. Therefore if you take away the mental things that made him incapable of just being his own basic self -- you would truly have a wonderful culture.

My interpretation of one of LRH's bulletins was that Scientology was mankind's only chance to ever become free and no one else has ever figured out how to guide him out of his entrapments until now. And if Scientology fails their mission, mankind will never have a chance ever again. I along with hundreds of other staffers believed this fully, hook, line and sinker.

This will give you a clue why these people are so passionately dedicated and dead serious about their purpose.

Unfortunately those people that I knew who were going up into those highest therapy steps -- the higher they went, the worse off they seemed to get.

They often became quite irritable. Definitely less compassionate. They often just seemed to get colder towards others. Part of their good sociable and caring self was still there definitely but there seemed to be a deep sadness in each one of them that would not go away. This does not make me happy one bit to be saying this because I wanted so much for Scientology to be all that it was cracked up to be. Once doubt started taking hold of my heart, I forced myself to take off my rose-colored glasses and see things as they are -- good or bad. I was determined to see the truth. I would purposefully seek out those that made it to the highest level of Scientology I am not lying to you when I say that in every single case, these individuals were less stable then they used to be (in my opinion).

One for one they seemed to be annoyed within and very little desire to relate with others and let any real friendship in. Or in some cases their life caved in around them. Several got diseases or just extremely ill. I know of at least one that died of cancer. I know another that went out of his way just to say cruel comments to people at every chance he could. I can honestly say this individual was the closest to insanity that I've ever witnessed. He seemed to always suspect the worst of intentions in others. He was the epitome of what I would call a lost soul. To be fair- I have to say, I only had the opportunity of meeting or getting to know about 10 OT VIII's, (the top level) and about 200 or less of people who were on those higher levels -- not having achieved the top yet, and out of these only about 50 I knew before and after their travel into the higher levels. There are thousands that have done these levels so maybe some of them got some real good out of it. I honestly hope so.

Before I allowed my mind to evaluate these people, I always justified and made mental excuses for why these people were not becoming the type of people LRH had described. These justifications involved things like, "He's always irritable because it's hard for him to be surrounded by people who are so less aware and capable as he is." "There's no common reality he feels with others now." "He feels such a tremendous responsibility to free mankind now that he knows the truth, that it's a huge burden." "He's only pretending to be angry so he can light the fire under people and get them hopping and producing more." "Something went wrong and he just needs to get the repair therapies and he'll be fine."

Probably, the scariest thing for me was realizing that there wasn't even one higher level person that I didn't have to make mental excuses and justifications for. (Actually, there was one person who even though had manic depressive mood swings, seemed extremely capable, powerful and had a whole lot of compassion, before and after his higher levels. He seemed to have a deep love and understanding for people. But he later confessed to me that he had just skirted through and around those higher levels, never allowing any of the therapist to ever really know the true answers to the therapy questions. He lied his way through because he was afraid to dig up his past and look at it.)

I also noted that the most powerful, successful , and effective staffers and executives were the people who had not made it to those higher steps in Scientology yet. I saw many a capable exec go to these higher levels and later being removed from their job due to loosing his competency level.

Any Scientology's reading this will say I'm lying through my teeth. I challenge any of you to compare the competency, stability and general happiness level of any individuals before and after those higher levels.

It's truly sad and disappointing.

Conclusion:

I could oh so easily still be in Scientology had I not been willing to take off my rose-colored glasses and allow myself to consider the possibility of Scientology not being exactly what it is cracked up to be.

There is a whole system within Scientology that is designed to keep you from daring to take off those rose-colored glasses and to make you promptly put them back on with extra glue any time you got brave and took them off for a short while. As you will see, the system has everything to do with the subjects at hand; Control, Responsibility and Freedom. The system centers around the "Condition Formulas". You were taught over and over that each part of your life was in a particular condition and there was an already made formula (created by LRH) to get you out of that condition and move up to a higher condition. So, for instance if you viewed your personal life and saw you were making decent headway with getting the step by step therapies or classes in Scientology And it was slowly but sure, you could say your personal condition was in "Normal". If you applied the "normal" formula you should find yourself in "Affluence". Now if ever you disclosed in some way any doubts you were having on Scientology, or if by your actions (i.e.:

messing up on your job), you were seen to be in doubt of Scientology, you would not be able to have any more Scientology advancement until you did the doubt formula and found that Scientology was indeed the only thing that is helping people in truth. Then you do amends and get accepted back with the true believers and you continue, if you are lucky to get your therapies and advancement of the Scientology steps.

With this in mind -- and believe me it is in your mind due to your having done the doubt formula on so many occasions -- you don't want to dare to let your mind stray onto those nasty doubting thoughts, because you don't want to halt that greatly desired enhancement again. Also you know from certain LRH writings that if you lie to the therapist about having doubts or lie or withhold anything in your mind, you will not be able to make any advancement mentally at all, no matter how much therapy is given. So your only recourse to real mental and spiritual advancement is to never have any doubts or bad deeds so there is nothing "bad" to reveal and you can continue successfully to advance up those Scientology steps. Provided no one writes reports on you saying, essentially, that you aren't performing well on your job and you don't seem wholly dedicated so you must be in doubt. The staff are encouraged on a regular basis to take responsibility for their fellow staff members and write reports on them for any and all "wrongnesses"

so that their fellow staff member can be corrected and not worsen into even lower standards or conditions. In fact, if you get found not have written a report on someone whom you witnessed having wrong behavior or speech, you are subject to the same consequences as the guilty party. This keeps everyone on their toes. It also keeps everyone from ever trusting anyone else with their inner feelings about what they feel isn't right about the goings-on in Scientology or within the Organization.

But all is well without too many hitches as long as you keep those rose-colored glasses on and justify fully anything you see or perceive as being wrong. And keep reminding yourself of your purpose to free mankind and fully submerge yourself into your job for all it's worth and give it all you got. Be very cooperative and polite to management. Show your subservience and respect at every opportunity. Always be willing to do all that's asked of you and always find ways to do way more than what is asked so those around you can be continually reassured you are aboard for the long haul so of course have no flickerings of doubt whatsoever.

The sad part is, there were very few Scientology therapists on staff so it was a rare opportunity when you were the lucky staff member to be chosen to get some therapy steps. When those opportunities came around, you'd better have good statistic records to prove you were producing more and more each week. Without those good stat records, the window of opportunity closes and you have to wait for God knows how long for the next window to open. Believe me, this -- plus not being able to have any time off if your production statistics aren't higher than the previous weeks -- gives you a whole lot of incentive to bust through every barrier and dance through any hoops just to get your statistics higher each week.

As you can see, LRH and those using his teachings in management have neatly sewn a water tight method for a) keeping staff loyal and diligent. b) keeping staff working at their utmost abilities and pulling on their creative powers to keep the areas of their responsibility producing ever more higher production statistics each week. c) keeping staff and Scientologists always on their best behavior, knowing any of their comrades are likely to write a report on them for any deviant behavior outside of what was considered acceptable.

So not only is the individual's mind always correcting itself, but staff reports correct him where his mind failed to, and the desire for getting the therapeutic steps and getting time off take care of the rest. Brilliant!!!!!!! I would say this is the work of a genius! But the truly magical key to all this and behind all this is maintaining and feeding the flame of the individuals purpose to free mankind. This in part was achieved by some key LRH bulletins that were required reading before each new class or step in Scientology One of these bulletins in particular had the ability to fully replenish my fire for freeing mankind. I can only assume it in turn did so for 100's of others. Since you must read it before each step (tiny or large) and get someone to ask you questions and pass you on your understanding of it, most Scientology's or staffers will have read it thoroughly, anywhere from 20 to 100 times a year, more or less, depending on his circumstances.

To be fair to Scientology, I must say that most religions and even businesses have various methods of mental compliance (which I'm sure insures the overall success of our society as a whole), None that I've seen however, have such a tightly knitted package. A package that has a built-in self-correcting mechanism at every corner.

I have an old friend who departed from Scientology and the Sea Organization several years ago. He had been on staff in the Sea Organization for over 20 years. I asked him if he would be willing to tell me any of his personal experiences. He was reluctant at first, but as we talked, he opened up, and a very interesting story unfolded. His story shows how the group used these factors of Control, Responsibility and Freedom to manipulate him into submission and agreement to do the RPF (Rehabilitation Project Force). This story took place well over 10 years ago, so there's no way of knowing if this kind of thing is still going on. He spent many years in the RPF. Here is his story in his own words.

Running the RPF requires that you establish; a.) tight control over the person or persons in the RPF. b.) Limits over the responsibility that a person is allowed to have. c.) and of course limiting the freedom the person can exercise over his or her life.

To best show these I will use my first RPF assignment as an example. The most effective method of gaining control over a person is to upset his or her life. When this is done the effect is a feeling of instability, confusion, and unreality of life.

It was about 3pm on the 7th of march, when Julie Roach called me into her office. "Hey Andre, You have been selected to go to a full time training and auditing program." I was excited as being an auditor was a goal I had set for myself long ago. I responded " well great, (I was very happy) what do I need to do?" Julie, had very little facial expressions but today she had a shit eating grin on her face. " You have to go to FOLO (a management building) and get interviewed by Molly Bornstein". She said, "you have to get there right away". So I left the org (short for Organization) and was met by Harry Paskowitz, in the Green Van. " Hey" Andre he called. I looked in his direction, he motioned to me to get in and I did. " I need to go to FOLO right away" I said. He replied, " I was headed there my self." So off we went.

We arrived at FOLO, Harry announced that he had forgotten something and needed to return to the Org. I thought great, after the interview I could just walk back, maybe get something to eat. I entered the building and was greeted by Beth Bueno, who was holding reception. "Hey Andre, what brings you here?" I need to see Molly Bornstein, I replied. Ok, I'll let her know you are here". I waited for about 10 minutes and then Molly appeared, and was very nice and warm and seemed excited. She asked if it was ok if we went to the back, where there was an office that we could use. I agreed. When we arrived there she became very cold and feeling less. She asked, "do you have any idea what is going on?" I said, "No, I was told by Julie Roach that I was going on a full time training program." She said, "Andre, read this". She handed me a telex and when I read it, my heart sank deep into my bowel area, and I was in shock. The telex was from Jon Horwich, and it said, "Andre Tabayoyon is assigned to the RPF immediately". I felt a cold chill all over my body. I looked around and there were 6 large men standing there, whom I recognized as Mike Madias, Ken Huston, John Segota, Keith Scott, Gary Epstein, and Eddie Hansen. They were there to ensure I made it to the RPF immediately.

There my dear is how it is done. You remove the new RPFer from his safe environment, gain his confidence with a story about something he has wanted to do for a long time, compromise his fears by maintaining the friendliest composure. Get him in a secure place where escape is impossible. Get RPFers to secure the person. That was simple right? Well that is the way it was done to me. I never saw it coming. Now, examine how my personal control of my life was taken away, and when I realized it, it was way too late.

Before continuing, I'd like to reiterate, and comment on a few things.

Running the RPF requires that you do three main things. A) Limit and control a person. This also includes establishing strict and confining schedules and keeping information and reporting lines in place. B) Limit the responsibility of the individual by giving the person small tasks that if messed up will not damage the overall operation of the organization. C) And of course limiting his freedom of his basic activities. IE: YOU MAY NOT: Visit with non-RPF persons, possess reading materials, go to movies, watch TV, listen to the radio, have any pleasantry's such as a pretty pillow or stuffed animal, have any kind of entertainment.

Let's examine this a bit closer. A) The most effective method of controlling another's life is to take away the life they currently have and replace it with the one you want them to lead. What occurs when you go to the RPF is you leave your current life and go to another. The thing that stuck out in my mind that I had lost, was my relationship with my wife and son, my mother, and my brothers and sisters. I was no longer in control of these things. When I realized I had lost my wife and child it brought a sharp pain to my heart and I wept internally. The manner in which I was assigned was so fast that I was in one minute working on some auditing skills. Then I was told by Julie Roach that I needed to go to a meeting with some management people. I was eager to go so I went. I arrived there and I was greeted with courtesy. I was asked to wait. After about 5 minuets I was called into an office. Molly Bornstein was there and she showed me a telex from Jon Horwich. It stated I was assigned to the RPF.

My heart sank and I said to myself, "No Way!" However this reaction was already planned for. I stood up and voiced that I would not agree to this. Molly said, "fine", and she exited the room. I was met by 5 very large RPF members. John Segota, Mike Madias, Keith Seat, Ken Scott, Gary Epstein, and Ken Huston. Keith Seat said, "This can be easy or hard, your choice." My mind raced for an escape solution. The thought of using fatal force was ever present. I then realized I was not at war with these people and killing one or two of them, meant self destruction. My mind went blank, and they all must have sensed this as they in one simultaneous movement seized me and put me in a Van. I felt weak and confused,-- dazed by the whole incident. The Van had no windows. When we arrived we were in a chain-linked fenced in area. I looked for the gate and noted it was locked with a pad lock. The two biggest RPFers had a hold of each arm, with both hands. I felt their grip tighten as I looked toward the fence. In an instant we were in the building, walking through a concrete tunnel where there was a wire meshed room, much like the kind you would see in a holding room in a jail. It had no seats and the floor was concrete. I was pushed in the room and the door was shut and locked behind me. My mind was now coming back. I thought of my wife Mary and my son. I thought of my mother, and my brother and sisters. I thought of my recently deceased father. I knew that Mary would have to leave me because I was now an RPFer and to the non-RPF world, I was like a Jew in a German neighborhood during the ethnic cleansing of Berlin. Mary would have to listen to all the garbage that was being said about me. I thought this would surely force her to abandon me. Then I thought of her humiliation, and more over, the pressure she would feel from the group for having lived with me and not noticing the way I was.

I thought they would go after her as well. Then I thought of the suffering that my son would have to go through. The kids of the RPF members were treated poorly by the adults who cared for them. Plus the other children picked and played cruel tricks on them. I couldn't stand the thought of this happening to my son. I stood up and asked the guard that was at the gate to tell the "in-charge", (Bill Barclay at the time) that I wanted to leave the Organization. He smiled and said, "yah right!" After what seemed like a very long time, a girl who I knew and was good friends with (Suzanne Wright) came to the cage and was allowed in with me. I told her that I wanted to leave. She replied that I needed to do the program (meaning RPF program). She said that if I ever wanted to see my wife or son again, I needed to do the program. I said I did not do anything to warrant being assigned to the RPF.

She said in a very calming, almost hypnotic voice, "Well Andre, if you didn't do anything, then why and how did you get into the basement locked in a cage with a guard posted in front of it?" The question raced through my mind. I recalled several of my previous sessions, where I had voiced disagreements with Ron Hubbard, and in one session I recalled expressing thoughts about questioning his sanity. Further, I recalled saying in a session that I had thoughts of doing harm to Hubbard because he was always yelling at me. Then I thought, "But that was my session information and I should not be punished for that." When I refocused on Suzanne, she was looking at me with a smirk on her face and then she said. "No one needs to tell you, Andre, you know why you are here."

I felt my knees go weak. I thought, "It's true, what I had said in session had come back to haunt me!" I weakly said again that I would not do the RPF. Suzanne said, "Well you will go insane, because you know you somehow someway have cause all this to happen." Something about that vast covering of all possible outs, hit me.

I thought, "well, I did say those things." I then remembered something I had read that said that expressing bad thoughts about someone could get you in serious trouble. I felt myself starting to explain why maybe I should do the program. But out of nowhere came a burst of anger. I started cursing at Suzanne, becoming very enraged. I began to call her degrading and filthy names. I was blinded by my rage. Somehow, the guard got her out of the cage and she was off down the hall. Hours passed. I needed to go to the bathroom. I told the guard of this. He walked away and minutes later returned with 3 large RPFers. I was let out and escorted to the bathroom, where the guard and the three RPFers all came in the bathroom with me. It didn't bother me as I had a military background, so not really a big deal. What was humiliating was that I had to leave the stall door open and the largest of the RPFers stood and watched while I went to the bathroom.

I finished and was being escorted back when the guard received a message from another guard. We abruptly went in another direction. We came to the end of a hall. We went into a room that smelled of unwashed bodies. There was bedding on the floor and small piles of folded clothing by each mattress space. I thought, "OK, I'll sleep here and escape later." We arrived at the back of the room where there was a door. The guard unlocked it. It opened outward. The guard told me to go in there so I did. The door shut behind me and was locked! There was a huge pipe going upward and through the ceiling which was about 25 feet high. There were some brackets however, about 12 feet apart. The room was about 10X6. The pipe was about 3 feet from side to side. As hard as I tried, I could not get up that pipe. I was at my end.

I could not stop the whirling thoughts of all the things I had lost. I had no sense of time. Although I do remember it was about 3 p.m. when the whole incident began. It had to be evening but the room was lighted up by one single light bulb and there were no windows. I again had to go to the bathroom so I banged and knocked on the door. No answer! I eventually couldn't hold it any longer so I urinated against the back of the pipe.

That got their attention, and within seconds, the guard was at the door. He came in screaming at the top of his lungs. I could see the other three RPFers and others in the room. I was overwhelmed and just stood there while this person just hammered me with obscenities. I knew what I did was not right. He left. I sat down and had a good cry. When I finished, I somehow felt relieved. I fell asleep and was awakened by Suzanne Wright.

She asked me if I had given any more thoughts as to how I got myself into this trouble. I just looked at her while I tried to collect my thoughts. I heard myself saying, "Yes, this was all created by my own doing." I further went on to say that I really have been needing to do the RPF for a long time now! I couldn't believe those words were coming out of my mouth. She gave me an understanding smile and said, "goodbye". A few minutes later, the door was opened and in walked Wayne Marple. He was very high up in management. He shook my hand and told me that he would personally inform LRH of my decision to do the RPF program. Somehow I felt relieved that now I had done something that would please LRH. I felt that I was a part of the group again, even if it was the lowest level of existence in the Sea Org.

Everyone in the Sea Org, had to read the information that came out about the RPF. In these issues you are given information about the types of people who are sent to the RPF. This was how Sea Org Members would see me now, (A destructive, non-producing, criminally insane psychotic).

The preceding episode of my personal experience is one of hundreds that would follow in the weeks to come. In explaining it, I wanted to show what I and many others went through when our lives in the group were abruptly ended and the transition we went through, and how we were all inserted into a totally new environment, one where our lives were in the hands of the people who were running the RPF. Having gone through the first stage of entering the RPF, it was easy to get others through the first step as well. I truly lost control of my life and turned the controls over to those who were running the RPF. So, I hope this helps make clear, how the control factor is very important in operating the RPF. There are many other control points used by those managing and running the RPF. The one just gone over is the most important.

The next aspect that those running the RPF are faced with is Responsibility. In the Sea Org, this word deals with many things. But when you are discussing RPF, it means, for the individual RPF member, a limited and very small job. One which if messed up will result in little, if any, loss to the group as a whole. This action of limiting responsibility is done so that new RPF members can handle the adjustment from one way of life to the way of life in the RPF. This is very important because there is no set "sentence time" in the RPF. The working rule of thumb as to how long it takes to do the RPF is, "It takes as long as it takes". For one individual, he ended up staying in the RPF for 5 years straight and he didn't ever complete the program. So it is very important to get the new RPFer started on small insignificant tasks. There are some basic responsibilities that were not taken away from new RPFers. These were,--…It was your responsibility to learn how to dig yourself out of the hole you had found yourself in. It is also the responsibility of the new RPFer to, "FOLLOW THE RULES and regulations of the RPF. The new RPFer is charged with the responsibility to fully and completely submit to all interrogatory questions, and to answer all questions regardless of consequences, resulting from answering the questions. The new RPFers are told that answers to questions, which clearly show a violation to local laws, will be reported to local authorities.

Let's review the above. The previous responsibility of going to work, getting daily quotas met, going to study, etc., has now changed to, being held responsible for, following rules, and answering interrogatory questions of incriminating nature.

So, at this point, the person has left one life style, and is being oriented to a new life style. In the first life style, he had control over his activities. In the second, he is being controlled in his activities. His responsibilities have also changed from one level, which included wife and son, mother, brothers and sisters, to just being responsible for menial tasks, and following rules, and answering questions.

Now to continue my story:

I was then moved from the dingy room to a dorm on the seventh floor of a building. When I arrived on the floor, there was an air of business and people were smiling and I heard laughter in the back. I was put in a small room. The door was left open and people walked by not noticing me as they chatted. Then Keith Scott walked in. My heart sank. He then did something I had not expected. He smiled warmly and offered his hand for a shake. I welcomed this and eagerly extended my hand. His grip was firm but warm. I felt a surge of reassurance. He said, "So, you are going to do the program!" I heard my voice say, "yes, I will try." Inside, I was suppressing a rage, that I had not felt since my days of combat in the Vietnam war. My eyes teared-up as they always did when I was enraged. Keith misread this and said, "It's the best we can do". I went blank and faintly felt a tap on my shoulder. Keith's smile came into focus again. He misread me again and told me that I would get a chance to get some sleep once I filled out some papers. He then said the words I had been longing to hear. "Mary and Cassavius (my wife and son), will be by to see you later tonight." I was very happy inside to hear this but didn't show much on the outside.

I began to read the "Rules and Regulations" of the RPF. It said that there was to be "no TV", "no radios", "Vesting time is one hour a day.", "no time off", "occasional overnight sleepover of spouse, (Scientology has its own coined word for this) allowed only after a certain level of trustworthiness was achieved". I said to myself, "this cannot be right! I actually had not broken any civil law, yet these restrictions were like the ones you get if you were convicted of a crime and sentenced to prison. I read further, then my heart stopped. It said, "Is confined to the RPF area until completed with the program." All the original feeling of the assignment returned. I was reeling in confusion. "What had I done to receive this sentence?"

Keith calmly asked, "Are you ok with that?" I could not believe it when I heard myself say, "Yes sir, I can fully get behind this program." I didn't read any further, I just signed. Keith brought out another form and told me to read it carefully. I flipped through the pages and signed. Finally, he brought out the last paper and I just signed it. I was then processed in. I got a mattress, some old sheets and put into a dorm that was 2/3rds full. After I made the bed, Keith said that I should change into the then RPF uniform, (black jeans, and a dark blue tee shirt). I did. Before leaving, Keith told me that dinner was in 30 minutes so I should take a nap and he would come and get me. It seemed like one second before I felt a rough jerk of the bed. It was an irritated Keith. I followed him. He was running. Up to this point we were just walking, but in the rules it stated we had to run everywhere we went. So, we ran down seven flights of stairs to an empty room. Keith told me to wait there. As I waited I heard a thunder of foot steps, and then RPF people poured into the room. They all lined up very quickly. Then Keith ran in, followed by the RPF leader, Bill Barkley. It was just like it was in the military. Someone called out the command, "Attention!" Everyone responded, even myself. I was standing to the rear of the group. Keith motioned to me to get in line so I did. The RPF leader then said that the work on the decks was behind schedule and we needed to pick up the pace. Discipline was issued to the group's leaders, which was to run once around the inside perimeter of the basement. Keith joined in on the running. The term that was used in the RPF for this type of punishment was, "taking a lap". Once everyone came back, it was announced that dinner was only to last 15 minutes, and then we would have to go back to work. This was to make up for the lost time. We were dismissed.

We all ran toward another large room and as we approached, I saw my wife Mary. It was clear that she had been crying, and my son was there. I told her that everything was ok. I never realized what it must have been like for her. Her life was also dramatically changed. She now had the burden of embarrassment, shame, and ridicule, as did my son. These thoughts didn't cross my mind as I ran by. I sat down and Keith came over and told me that I could go visit my wife, but that I needed to go back to work when the rest of the RPFers did. I went over to see Mary. She broke down in tears and asked why I was in the RPF. I still didn't have a clear answer to that question. I told her it was because I needed to handle some things. She said that there was to be a briefing conducted by Wayne Marple and Jack Dirman about myself and Gary Epstein. She said that she had been told that I had been RPFed because I let a Pre-clear (a person who is receiving Scientology therapy but hasn't achieved the state of what is referred to as "Clear") listen to a tape recording I had made of the session I had given him. And because I had edited a tape that I was making for my auditing skills. (Well, all I can say is that I did let Larry Trujillo listen to his tape, but only after he begged and pleaded to listen to it. It wasn't like I sat him down and told him to listen to it. As far as the editing goes, I denied this charge because it was completely false.)

Up to this point, we now see the new RPFer is adjusting to the introduction of very little freedom of movement. He has now become aware that he must stay within the RPF area. He has a very short time to be with his wife. He is also now introduced to the real life changes that has been levied against him. It is important to note that with his movement now being very restricted, the new RPFer will have to make the final change to fully assume the new lifestyle. The lifestyle of an RPFer. And the consequences that this new road brings to him.

Now, getting back to the story; Before I knew it, everyone was rushing back to the room for muster. I barely had a chance to hold my son and give Mary a kiss. I was running, feeling empty and lost. I now was wondering what will become of my Mary and son. I looked back to see her standing there, looking disappointed and burdened. I turned around and joined into the formation of the other runners. We worked for about a half an hour and we put all the tools away. Then we all ran back to the muster area. We were dismissed and then we all ran up seven flights of stairs. Out of breath, I arrived at the seventh floor. There we all went into a large room and there I was given a packet of information. I was told to read through it carefully because when I was done I would be asked questions to check for how well I understood the information.

At this point we can see that our subject has completed the basic level of conversion, which is basically giving up a life style and accepting another.

But now we see an indoctrination process beginning. He has a packet of information and he is required to read it thoroughly for understanding and application. In applying the information, the subject now begins to actually live in the new life style.

Somewhere along the line, the subject decided to do the RPF program. When the decision to do the program was reached, the implanting of the new concepts could occur. And with the acceptance of the new control, responsibility and freedom levels, the stage is set for our subject to be behaviorally modified.

The deceptive devices used to get our subject to this point were very simple; Playing on his trust of LRH, luring him into believing that he caused all that was happening to him (knowing full well that he had given very critical thoughts against LRH), and also, the use of a close friend to get him through the initial shock.

I'm sure I could write a book using Andre's stories of his experiences on the RPF. But for our purposes, what he's covered here, gives a real good clue on what the RPF was like and how the individuals sphere of control, responsibility and freedom was greatly reduced and hampered with.

Andre's words triggered a memory of something I've read in the book entitled, "The Mind Manipulators". I'd like to quote a few things from this book just out of pure interest and speculation:

Pg.92, 1st paragraph:

"There are four distinct aspects to the Soviet brainwashing process: First, sensory and physical deprivation operate to loosen the captive's grasp of reality. Second, social isolation and rejection are designed to create feelings of inferiority in the captive and dependency on his antagonists. Third, interrogation is intended to produce conflicts of guilt and self-hatred that can only be resolved by embracing his captor's Philosophy. And fourth, the punishment of "bad" attitudes and the reward of "good" attitudes is regulated in a closed environment."

The Soviets saw the main value in the brainwashing process to be the extraction of confessions and the public admission of guilt and repentance. The Chinese, however, had loftier ambitions. They planned to combine the process with traditional education techniques as a means to reform the beliefs and attitudes of the entire population.

Professor Robert Jay Lifton described the Chinese program as consisting of "two elements: a)"confession", the exposure and renunciation of past and present "evil"; and b) re-education, the remaking of a man in the Communist image." Unlike the Soviets, the Chinese believed in group manipulation, pitting a small number of converts against a smaller number of holdouts."

Here are a few of the techniques used in the Communist China political prison to accomplish "thought reform". This is found on the same page listed above. (I'm only listing the ones that have an uncanny similarity to the techniques used in the Sea Org, and/or RPF): "1) Isolation from former associates, sources of information and daily routines; 2) An exacting prison regimen that required absolute obedience and humility (eating, sleeping, washing, eliminating, etc., according to strict schedule, doing nothing without permission of the guard.) 3) Creation of an atmosphere in which redemption and freedom were completely contingent on successful reform."

The good news is, (which is found on the next page, #93) "Chinese thought reform and Soviet brainwashing programs are identical in one respect: the effectiveness of their techniques dissipates rapidly when the coercive environment is removed."

Who knows, maybe LRH borrowed some of this technology (since it is very effective) to use it on those disaffected Sea Org members and thus created the RPF!

In conclusion, I would guess LRH had a "field-day", playing with the "control", "responsibilities" and "freedoms" of individuals. My bet is, he really enjoyed toying with these and seeing just how far he could go with them. It's really interesting to see just how far he did go. It certainly gives one pause, to realize how easy it is to control a human being and then to give him a whole new paradigm of responsibilities and freedoms.

My hope in writing this paper is that at least a few Scientologist get a chance to read it, and that it will help them to be brave and take off the rose colored glasses.

Definitions:

Scientology:

An abbreviation for Scientology. Scientology, in my own words:

A religion or philosophy based on the teachings that LRH borrowed from various eastern and western religions, possibly communistic techniques, and some other brilliant minds (including his own brilliant mind). It purportedly has techniques that when applied to an individual, that person will find himself becoming more and more spiritually aware and capable. It is composed of well intentioned individuals, who believe implicitly, that if they follow every word and technique LRH has ever given, they will bring about a new civilization, that is free from insanity, war and criminality. Where every person is free from all hang-ups and who have achieved a great spiritual awakening, with all it's attendant powers.

Preclear:

"A spiritual being who is now on the road to becoming Clear." (The state of Clear is one of the first of the higher levels in Scientology).

Sea Org.:

An abbreviation of the word Sea Organization. In my own words; Sea Org is that body of people and ideals, that are the most dedicated Scientologist's, who have devoted the remainder of their entire life and future lives (for the next billion years), to the freeing of mankind (or humankind if you like), by way of applying Scientology technology to them.

RPFer:

In my own words: An abbreviation for Rehabilitation Project Force. If you add the "er" to it, of course it would mean a person who is in the rehabilitation force doing the steps prescribed to rehabilitate himself, with the end result of becoming a totally dedicated, and productive, good member of the group again. Moreover make himself acceptable to the group again. The RPF is only used as a tool, within the Sea Org itself.

Session:

A precise period of time during which the auditor (therapist) listens to the preclear's ideas about himself. A period in which an auditor and preclear are in a quiet place where they will not be disturbed. The auditor gives the preclear certain and exact commands (or questions) which the preclear can follow (or answer).

PS: I really meant to say some good things about Scientology but every time I was starting to say something good, it would end up being something bad. So I will say this: There are a lot of good things in Scientology There are quite a few of those teachings (borrowed or otherwise) that are very thought- provoking and can help a person understand some basic spiritual principles. I'm sure if I gave it some thought, I could come up with a whole lot of good teachings from Scientology LRH had some really good ideas on management and on organization of a business. I better quit while I'm ahead.

Just form your own opinion. It's fun to let your mind be open to all possibilities.