Archives for October 2008

>As many people know, Omar Garrison was working on a biography of L.
>Rom Hubbard back in the early 1980s that was completely sanctioned by
>Hubbard and by organized scientology.
>
>In fact Gerry Armstrong was actually assigned to and working with Omar
>back then with the approval of both Hubbard and organized scientology.
>And, Gerry was part of that Mission Corporate Category Sortout (MCCS)
>mission that was run by Miscavige with Gerry’s primary part of it
>being to assist Omar with his research so that the biography could be
>written.

Actually, I was on MCCS as “MCCS 2nd,” plus on the Hubbard biography
and archive projects concurrently. Laurel Sullivan was my senior on
both the mission and my biography and archive projects.

The biography project and MCCS related, because, of course, they both
concerned Hubbard personally and legally, but they were really two
separate entities. Sometime in mid 1980, other Missionaires assigned
to the mission took over my MCCS functions and I started to work full
time on the biography/archive projects. I continued to courier MCCS
materials to and from Hubbard’s attorney, and meet with him about the
biography project, and I stayed informed on MCCS because I worked so
closely with Laurel in so many areas and projects. But I wouldn’t call
my assistance to Omar or other biography project activities part of
MCCS.

>
>I remember going to Los Angeles from the Guardian’s Office World Wide
>in England and meeting Gerry when he was on that mission. Gerry showed
>me around, including showing me the twenty-some sets of file cabinets
>that included Hubbard’s own files to be used in writing the biography.

I remember 4 or 5 file cabinets, but there was a lot more Hubbard
stuff on shelves and in boxes, so it might have seemed like 20 file
cabinets.

>I remember talking with Gerry then and coming away with the knowledge
>that he was really into this, was a really good guy, was very
>knowledgeable and really wanted to get the biography written.
>
>Well there is a great deal of published information of what happened
>next after Gerry found out how false Hubbard’s claims about himself
>were and how false statements from organized scientology about
>Hubbard’s “accomplishments” were. Needless to say Gerry was abused
>when he pointed this out and had to flee for his own safety. Decades
>of litigation, harassment and other abuses by organized scientology
>against Gerry have still not stopped Gerry from speaking out the truth
>and doing the best he can to defend himself and loved ones.
>
>But outside of two postings I have done on XSO and entrubulation.org
>previously and some small mentions I have included in another post and
>in my affidavit, I have never seen anything written covering what
>actually happened with the biography Omar was writing on Hubbard. As
>XSO is not a public forum and as enturbulation is down for the moment,
>I thought I would again put this on the record, this time with some
>more details.

It’s very timely Larry. Caroline and I have just put up another bunch
of Armstrong I trial transcripts, which include testimony by Omar and
Laurel about the biography project, and also MCCS. Start here:
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/archives/date/1984/05
May 23 through June 1 are all newly webbed.

>
>Omar actually completed the biography and wanted to have it published
>or at least be paid for same. The title was “L. Ron Hubbard – His
>Life, His Loves and His Letters”.
>
>In late 82/1983 a meeting was held with Hubbard’s representatives from
>“Author Services” and Omar about the finished book and it was a
>disaster with Miscavige blowing up and Omar refusing to deal with him.
>
>Suddenly Miscavige and those who did his bidding at Author Services
>were confronted with the fact that Miscavige and his people totally
>blew the meeting with Omar and it was very possible that Omar would go
>elsewhere to get the book published. The main trouble with that for
>Miscavige was that the book was truthful and a complete embarrassment
>to both Hubbard and organized scientology.
>
>One thing Miscavige knew at that point is that his abusive style of
>dealing with others was not going to work here and he suddenly needed
>someone without an abusive nature to negotiate with Omar and get the
>rights to the book from Omar.
>
>I and Vaughn Young were picked for this task. A meeting was quickly
>set up for this negotiation between Omar and his attorney on Omar’s
>side and myself, Vaughn and three of Hubbard’s top attorneys on “our”
>side. The attorneys were Sherman Lenske his brother Steve Lenske and
>Barry Litt. The meeting was held at the Lenskes’ law office.
>
>The entire day was set aside for this negation by all parties.
>
>I remember how seriously Author Services was taking this as it was
>about to become a huge flap for them because of Miscavige’s inability
>to deal with people in a sane fashion when things were contentious.
>
>The three attorneys, Vaughn and I got together early for the meeting
>to go over last minute preparations. I had spent most of the previous
>day getting briefed on their failed meeting, what we would be willing
>to pay and “drilling” with my junior in Special Unit Heber Jentsch to
>prepare for my talking with Omar.
>
>Barry Litt was advising me to stay calm if Omar started insulting us
>or Hubbard or organized scientology in general as it did come up in
>the meeting with Author Services causing them to blow up and lose any
>chance of getting the book rights from Omar. I told Barry not to worry
>as things like that did not affect me, that I didn’t “hate” Omar and
>that I just wanted this done successfully. I told him in a joking
>fashion that he would lose his cool well before I ever would so he
>should just watch out for himself and not me. I mentioned this as we
>were tested on this very point in the meeting which I thought was
>funny and which I will cover later.
>
>Omar and his attorney showed up and we began the meeting in the
>morning. It went all morning, through a big lunch and most of the
>afternoon. Bottom line is that it got very hostile between the
>attorneys from both sides. Omar then started getting very critical of
>Hubbard and scientology and said words to the effect that all
>scientologists were brainwashed with present company (Vaughn and I)
>excepted. I thought that was funny actually. Omar was pretty smooth.
>
>Then Omar dropped “the bomb”. He said that Hubbard and organized
>scientology were criminals, they abused the courts and had even paid
>off judges. He used as an example the then recent probate case that
>Hubbard ended up winning against his son Nibbs. Omar said that
>Hubbard’s legal representatives in that case were incompetent and
>should have lost the case due to their incompetence. He said that the
>only reason that they did not lose the case was that the judge was
>paid off.
>
>The whole time Omar was talking about this case I was biting my lip
>trying not to laugh. That was because Barry Litt, the attorney on my
>right, was the main attorney arguing that case for Hubbard. Sure
>enough Barry jumps up and shouts to Omar “Now wait a minute” and
>starts to say how wrong Omar was. I had to kick Barry’s leg hard under
>the table to get him to sit down and shut up. I found that funny as
>Barry had just earlier briefed me how I had to keep my cool and it was
>he that blew up just as I had joked he would.
>
>I took this as the right time to call a temporary halt to the meeting
>and asked Omar to walk with me out of the room. Omar complained
>bitterly about the attorneys. I told him that I was sure we would work
>out something fair today and get it all done. We had a very nice and
>friendly chat alone.
>
>Then we broke for lunch at a really fancy restaurant and I just kept
>it pleasant. I had Omar pick the wine for us as he was a self
>proclaimed wine expert (I know Sea Org at lunch with wine – go
>figure!!!).
>
>Anyway after lunch we resume the meeting at the Lenskes’ office and
>finally get a deal worked out. I got from Omar exclusive publishing
>rights as well as ownership of the manuscript with what was supposedly
>the only copy. We signed a contract with Omar that day and I paid him.
>I forget how much it was but I think it was low six digits.
>
>I then drove to Author Services with the contract and the manuscript
>and turned it over to Norman Starkey for Miscavige. Again, the title
>was “L. Ron Hubbard – His Life, His Loves and His Letters”.
>
>The book was killed right there and then never to be seen again.
>
>I now regret that we were successful here as so much truth could have
>been out about Hubbard some 25 years ago that was suppressed, never to
>be seen.

Ironically, following Scientology paying Omar not to publish his book,
a tremendous amount of the same body of truth, or documents, was
admitted into evidence, or at least identified and examined, in my
1984 trial. It wasn’t the literary presentation of the facts of
Hubbard’s life that the documents contradicted, as Omar said or would
have said it, but the legal presentation made that tremendous set of
facts even more useful.

The documents that were exhibits in Scientology v. Armstrong I also
ended up motivating and playing a part in the three Hubbard
biographies that did get published: Bare Faced Messiah, Messiah or
Madman, and A Piece of Blue Sky. Again ironically these same documents
have also undoubtedly played a part in Scientology *not* publishing
the authorized biography Dan Sherman has been working on for 20 some
odd years.

>At the time I actually did not know the great depth of the
>lies about Hubbard promoted both by him and organized scientology.

It’s very different, isn’t it, reading Hubbard and listening to him
now that you know he’s a liar? And to know that a smart jurist,
Breckenridge, had in his judgment found Hubbard to be a pathological
liar, and that the Court of Appeal had affirmed that judgment.
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a1/breckenridge-decision.html
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/50grand/legal/a1/appeal/283cal.rptr.917.html
Those things will get you spotting lies like they were spots in space.

>
>I just thought it would be good if this were now in writing publicly.

Thanks.

>
>Larry Brennan – SME

© Gerry Armstrong
http://www.gerryarmstrong.org

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