Dear Michael -

I appreciate you concern about the facility being affiliated with the Church[sic] of Scientology, but the local head of the church[sic] has said numerous times that Narconon Stonehawk has no affiliation with the church. What's more if there is any change in ownership (like I stipulated in the article) there will be approval required by the Pennfield Township Zoning Board of Appeals. The purpose of this article was not to revisit the controversy (which has already been covered to a great extent...) it was to update the community on the building's progress. It's already been approved.

Thank you for your e-mail and for reading the Enquirer,
John

Michael Reuss
Honorary Kid

From: Michael Reuss <michaelreuss@attbi.com>
Subject: My Respose to Reply from J. Vander Meer of the Battle Creek Enquirer
Organization: International Association of Afghanistani Party Dance Instructors
Message-ID: <bdasjuk15d0erffgb52od5j28lnqsg3i55@4ax.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 04:27:39 GMT

Dear Mr. Vander Meer,

The issue for me is not what operatives and supporters of the Church of Scientology tell you, but whether the people of Battle Creek can depend upon your newspaper to present facts instead of self-serving misrepresentations, when it comes to Narconon and the Church of Scientology.

As I mentioned in my letter, the local head of the Church of Scientology, not to mention the international management of the Church of Scientology have all been trained to lie. They are lying to you with regard to these issues. When you knowingly publish their lies, without question, you become complicit in those lies.

I again hope to persuade you to actually report the truth.

Here is another piece of evidence which unequivocally links Narconon with the Church of Scientology. And it comes from an unimpeachable source, Scientology's very own secret tax agreement with the IRS, which was signed in 1993, permanently sealed, but then leaked to the Wall Street Journal a few years ago.

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"Section VIII. Definitions

For purposes of this Agreement:

A. "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the regulations thereunder, as amended from time to time.

B. "Entity" includes any corporation, limited liability company, trust, association, committee, partnership, or unincorporated organization, as well as any "person" (other than an individual), as defined in Treas. Reg. sec. 301.7701-1 through -4.

C. An entity is a "Scientology-related entity" if that entity is described in one or more of the paragraphs set forth below:

1. An entity is a Scientology-related entity if it is a signatory to this Agreement or is identified in section III., paragraphs B. or C. or section IV., paragraph D.2. of this Agreement or Exhibits III-1 through III-35 of this Agreement.

...[snip]...

4. The social benefit and other public benefit entities discussed at pages 1-28 through 1-42 of the June submission along with all subsidiaries, subordinate chapters, subordinate organizations, or sublicensees thereof (e.g., organizations that are permitted to use particular names, copyrights, service marks, and/or technologies) are Scientology-related entities. Thus, for example, Citizens Commission on Human Rights, National Commission on Law Enforcement and Social Justice, Scientology Defense Fund Trust, Association for the Better Living and Education, Applied Scholastics Incorporated,

*Narconon International* [emphasis added],

The Way to Happiness Foundation, and the Foundation for Religious Freedom are Scientology-related entities. Pages 1-28 through 1-42 are attached as Exhibit VIII-2 to this Agreement."

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This IRS agreement document makes it clear that payments to Narconon are fully tax deductible, under the Church of Scientology's umbrella of so-called "religious" or charitable entities.

Also, from the web site http://www.xenu.com/archive/narconon/ I offer you the following:

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Lt Col Mark Jones was Narconon's first Director, serving in that position through the 1970s until the organisation was restructured around 1983. In 1995 he submitted an extraordinary sworn declaration, supported by documentation, that (at least until the early 1980s) Narconon was wholly controlled by the Church of Scientology. He states:

"In or about 1971 I was approached by Arthur Maren who was the Assistant Guardian for Public Relations in the United States branch of the Guardian's Office of the Church of Scientology. Maren asked if I was willing to set up a Narconon office and establish programs under the direction of the Guardian Office ...

"Throughout my period as director of Narconon, I reported to the Guardian's Office. Meetings were held at regular intervals at which the executives of the Guardian's Office determined the affairs of Narconon. All Narconon activities including the disposition of Narconon finances were approved by the Church of Scientology Assistant Guardian for Public Relations and the Assistant Guardian for Finance, Henning Heldt. From the time I became involved until I ultimately resigned, the Guardian Office controlled all directorships of Narconon, although Narconon was held out to be independent of the Church of Scientology"

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I hope you will please consider doing a follow-up or a retraction of the erroneous statements from your previous article.

Respectfully,

Michael Reuss

Michael Reuss
Honorary Kid