Omar Garrison

Dear Jesse:

In my November 9 communication¹, I mentioned that I would deal later with fact errors about me in your article,² and I’m doing so now. I excerpted the section of the article that concerns me, and commented where I thought correction or clarification was needed.

JP: I began to recall being on the other side of the fence when Gerry Armstrong had to defend himself against Scientology style black ops for years.

What I had to defend against was war. It is understandable that the Scientologists waged Scientology style war; but because it is solely Scientologists, and their mercenaries, of course, who are waging it, and all in the cause of Scientology and in application of Scientology scriptural directives, it is proper to call what I had to defend against “war,” the Scientologists’ war on me.

Black ops are an essential option and channel in the Scientologists’ war machine. Again, because the Scientologists are the entities running the black ops, they’re properly Scientology black ops, rather than Scientology style black ops. If the Catholic Church has a war machine, and its black ops department got a writer’s finger prints on a sheet of paper and sent a threat letter to the Pope to get her falsely charged criminally, that would be a Scientology style black op. Or if the Catholic Church’s black ops department, with the Pope’s blessing and guidance, trained and drilled a priest to get close to some guy by pretending to be friendly, truthful and loving but really being an enemy, lying to the guy, covertly hostile to him and working for his destruction; then the priest and the Pope’s other agents covertly and unlawfully videotape their victim and pay a crooked cop for a license to do so; then the Pope and the whole Catholic Church hierarchy lie about their priest’s and their victim’s actions and words and even bear false witness against him in legal proceedings around the world; then the whole Catholic Church hierarchy conspires to frame the guy and have him criminally prosecuted; and then the whole Catholic Church hierarchy get their parishioners to join in the hate, the lies and the framing; that would be a Scientology style black op.

I am still the victim of the Scientologists’ black ops, which comprise an aspect of the war they wage on different fronts and channels. Certain aspects are very visible, so are not really black ops, even though the visible parts are targets on programs that contain black ops department targets as well. The Scientologists’ legal operations in their war on me are largely visible, even if their black and invisible ops might determine judicial outcomes; e.g., judge-, witness-, jury-, attorney-tampering. Much of what I had to defend against, and spent my time defending against during the years you were part of the Scientologists’ war effort, was their lawfare machine. Despite being in the throes of litigation, of course, someone doesn’t have to lose the awareness that Scientologists comprise an intelligence cult and always have black ops targeting people, certainly their adversaries in the legal arena.

In any case, you were in the Scientology hierarchy during some of the years when I defended against the actions of the Scientologists and their collaborators in their war on me. This would be the 1980’s into the early 1990’s.

JP: Scientology sued Jerry for absconding with 22 banker boxes of personal documents and artifacts of L Ron Hubbard.

No. I did not abscond as you describe it. I did abscond, in that I blew, I deserted –from post, from serving Hubbard, from the Sea Org, and from Scientology. To abscond is to depart in a sudden and secret manner, which I did. I absconded because, if I had not absconded but let my seniors know I was planning to leave, the Scientologists would have locked me up, and would have Lisa McPhersoned me. Although I absconded, I did not, however, abscond with 22 banker boxes of Hubbard materials. I did not abscond with any Hubbard materials, certainly not the materials that became central to the Scientologists’ initial lawsuit against me.

I absconded on December 12, 1981 with my wife Jocelyn. I obtained the documents that were the subject of the first Scientology v. Armstrong suit in late spring, early summer 1982. I obtained them from Omar Garrison, legally and with his permission, for the purpose of sending them to my attorneys for safety and for my defense in the war I knew the Scientologists were bringing to me. The Scientologists filed their suit on August 2, 1982.

The Scientologists did not sue me for absconding with 22 banker boxes of Hubbard materials. They sued me for the actions I took while on post in Hubbard’s Personal PR Bureau as his Archivist/Researcher and as the “research assistant” identified in the contract between AOSH Pubs DK and Omar Garrison for Garrison to write Hubbard’s biography. I provided materials from Hubbard’s personal archive and from other sources to Garrison in 1980 and 1981 pursuant to this contract, which had been negotiated and written by Hubbard’s personal attorney Alan Wertheimer. The Scientologists sued me for “conversion,” claiming that while working with Hubbard’s materials inside the cult, I converted them to my own use. The Scientologists even claimed that I converted to my own use the “xerographic and photographic paper and chemicals,” which I had purchased and consumed making copies of biographical materials for Garrison.

The Scientologists, using CSC as the plaintiff, also falsely claimed in their complaint that the documents in Hubbard’s archive were CSC’s personal property, not that they were Hubbard’s. On that false basis, the Scientologists could claim that CSC never gave me permission to provide anything to Garrison. I was able to show by Garrison’s contract, by my communications back and forth with Hubbard, and by other evidence, that I had the necessary permissions to provide Garrison Hubbard’s materials. And I was able to show that I had Garrison’s permission to provide some of these materials to my attorneys.

The Scientologists know all this, and know what the judge at my trial in LA Superior Court in 1984 specifically ruled about the chain of possession of the subject documents and my permissions to do with them what I did.

Judge Breckenridge: The court has found the facts essentially as set forth in defendant’s trial brief, which as modified, is attached as an appendix to this memorandum. In addition the court finds that while working for L.R. Hubbard (hereinafter referred to as LRH), the defendant also had an informal employer-employee relationship with plaintiff Church, but had permission and authority from plaintiffs and LRH to provide Omar Garrison with every document or object that was made available to Mr. Garrison, and further, had permission from Omar Garrison to take and deliver to his attorneys the documents and materials which were subsequently delivered to them and thenceforth into the custody of the County Clerk.³

That judgment was affirmed on appeal in 1991.⁴ The Scientologists and their collaborators continue to lie about my lawful possession of Hubbard’s materials, and get others to lie for them. Marty Rathbun, who, under cult head David Miscavige, ran the Scientology v. Armstrong litigation, and who knows the judgment in the case very well, continued this lie in his 2013 book Memoirs of a Scientology Warrior.

MR: Armstrong became increasingly paranoid under pressure and finally got spooked enough to go to Flynn for help. Armstrong also brought with him several boxes of biography archives he had lifted from the church; documents that demonstrated to him that Hubbard’s personal biography, promoted by the church, was full of holes. Memoirs (p. 193)

To “lift” as Rathbun is using the term here means to steal, or pilfer. If there had been 22 bankers boxes, or even one banker’s box, they all would have required lifting as in raising them to a higher position, even if I had lifted them from a shelf above my head. Lord knows, I have lifted many bankers boxes, including bankers boxes of what could be called “biography archives.” Rathbun knows, bemoaningly perhaps, but without a doubt, that I did not lift Hubbard’s documents as the Scientologists claimed. Rathbun also knows that the LA Superior Court adjudged that I did not lift, as in steal or pilfer, the subject documents. Rathbun knowingly serves Miscavige’s purposes by forwarding this lie he knows is a lie. You are serving Miscavige’s purposes by forwarding this lie; probably, I would hope, without knowing it is a lie.

Lawrence Wright did the same thing in his 2011 article in The New Yorker, stating as fact that while in the cult working on the Hubbard biography I had copied the subject documents “without permission” and that the Miller, Atack and Corydon books “all rely on stolen materials,” referring to the materials that had come out through my litigation. In The New Yorker, Wright repeated the Scientologists’ relentless black PR line despite my providing him and the fact checking crew the facts well before publication. I requested that the magazine correct these false statements, which are defamation per se, and I showed by showers of facts and docs that Wright was wrong. I had an enormously wondrous exchange with The New Yorker’s general counsel, and came away with one heck of a story, but the magazine, despite knowing they were wrong, and with no evidence, just kept on proclaiming they were right. It had to be I’d run into an agenda item.

You don’t have to go the way of The New Yorker, however. It is weird when you consider that this is such an important point in people’s psyches that some with no clue write about it, and so do writers who do have a clue. I correct the record when it’s possible, but the Scientologists and their knowing and unknowing collaborators just keep the black PR coming.

JP: I’m not trying to retell the story of Jerry Armstrong here but ultimately, Scientology paid Jerry a settlement of $800.000 in exchange for his promise not to copy or discloses the content of the banker boxes he’d taken.

But you are retelling my story here, and again, I had not taken banker boxes. As far as I am concerned, the Scientologists paid me to dismiss my legal claims, my causes of action, against them before trial of these claims, then set in March 1987. My causes of action were for fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, libel, breach of contract, and tortious interference with contract. These arose from my 12 ½ years as a Scientologist victim of Hubbard and his cultists inside his Scientology cult, and from my 5 years as their wog victim of their fair game policy and actions after I left their cult. My dismissal of my claims was lawful for the Scientologists to settle with me.

The Scientologists and their collaborators claim in their attacks that what they paid me for was my agreement, on penalty of $50,000 per utterance, to maintain total silence about my experiences or knowledge relating to Scientology, Hubbard, orgs, groups, related entities, directors, officers, employees, volunteers, attorneys, etc., etc. Because Scientology is both a religion and a criminal conspiracy against rights, this is, clearly, to anyone with a clue, unlawful. It lawfully impermissibly violates the US Constitution, US laws, and international human rights charters. Therefore, these conditions cannot be what the Scientologists paid for.

The Scientologists could, probably lawfully, pay me whatever they wanted for any reason. The reason, however, could be unlawful, or unlawful in part. A litigation party could lawfully pay an opposing party to dismiss his legal claims; but that party could not, for example, pay another party, lawfully, to assassinate someone, a third party, as a condition of settlement. If such a contractual arrangement is lawful, the party who failed to execute the assassination contract could be punished for breach of contract. A very similar fact and legal situation exists in the Scientology v. Armstrong case.

JP: What the hell was in those boxes? It’s a fascinating, well documented cock up of what happened when author Omar Garrison and his research assistant  Gerry Armstrong verified L Ron’s actual education and military record history among other  subjects. In a nutshell, too much of the information they were able to factually verify of L Ron’s past was contemptuously contrary to the yarn L Ron spun for his devout adherents and any other ear that could hear. Gerry Armstrong went on to violate his agreement with Scientology hundreds of times and is still perused by Scientology’s attach dog legal machine.

Yes, I have violated the Scientologists’ condition that compels that I be completely silent about my now 45+ years of Scientology-related experiences and knowledge. I have violated that condition hundreds of thousands of times. I have even disclosed the content of the documents that were the subject of the Scientology v. Armstrong case, and I have copied documents that had once been in the case. But the key terms in the condition that I constantly violate are my experiences and knowledge, which cannot be but religious. And yes, I am still pursued and attacked by the Scientologists and their collaborators.

JP: I know something about this because I was present and informed about Jerry’s legal troubles with Scientology as they was happening.  I recall being present when the conditions of the settlement agreement between Gerry Armstrong and Scientology (Which in effect included whatever was best for Author Services Inc, ASI) was negotiated.

As I wrote earlier, I was not present when the conditions of the Scientologists’ contract were negotiated. The existence and nature of negotiation is a factor in establishing a contract’s unconscionability. Mike Flynn presented the contract to me as a done deal. There was then no further negotiation regarding the conditions that I objected to and knew were impossible to comply with because Flynn stated that those conditions were “unenforceable,” “not worth the paper they’re printed on.” This was reasonable, and I am only more certain after all these years and throughout the Scientologists’ efforts to enforce their conditions that it is true.

JP: From 1983 until the settlement in 1986, I would receive on a daily basis, usually sometime between 6-8 pm, intelligence reports  generated by staff of Special Project Operations (ASI), OSA and RTC concerning secret and illegal operations by Scientology against Jerry, his lawyer Michael Flynn, and other plaintiffs represented by Michael Flynn’s firm.

This is what I would like to interview you about.

In whatever communications I’ve had with you since you left the cult, this is the first time you’ve mentioned your involvement to that degree in the war on me. I’m surprised by that.

JP: The operations against Jerry’s lawyer included having knowledge of someone putting water in the gas tank of an airplane piloted by Michael Flynn with his son on board.

This became the subject of a case the Scientologists brought against Flynn in US District Court in LA. I believe it was dismissed as part of the December 1986 “global settlement.” I don’t recall Rathbun mentioning the airplane case in his Memoirs. Your knowledge could be helpful.

JP: There was instant access into the lives of people who were deemed enemy’s Scientology through well paid and placed private investigators.  These professionals sold their services to their Scientology paymasters because they had the latest modern bugging technology that was confirmed US CIA grade technology. Scientology was able to buy the services of ex-police, ex-FBI and other agency. Phone records were a fruitful source of information. Through illegally obtaining phone records Scientology always seemed to be a step ahead of their perceived enemies.  ASI lead attorney was Earle Cooley. A big part of his job as legal council was to made sure we rode a fine line to separate church principles from the illegal activities sanctioned by the same principles.

There were years of board room meeting at ASI to figure out how to get rid of Jerry Armstrong, L Ron junior, David Mayo and a few other people who had devoted their lives in servitude to L Ron and his grand ideas.

These ASI board room meetings are important, because the universal crime in Scientology is the conspiracy against rights. ASI, Hubbard’s personal for-profit company, was directing Scientology Church employees to get rid of people.

ASI board room meetings were, of course, after the “disbanding” of the Guardian’s Office. The Scientologists blamed all of their myriad public policy violations on the GO, in all sorts of legal filings, but most importantly in the submission to the IRS on which their 1993 tax exemption is based. You were doing at ASI exactly what the GO did in their war room meetings – figure out how to get rid of knowledgeable people who told the truth about Hubbard, Scientology and Scientologists.

JP: All of these devoted people turned out to be Suppressive Persons all along according to the instructions from L Ron via his publishing organization ASI. It was new management’s job to hunt them down and get them put in jail. Some may recall during the early to mid 1980’s L Ron got a bug up his ass and thought he had the power to have people criminally prosecuted for disobeying or being out of step with what he wanted. This is way past just having a stick up your ass, he really wanted this done and some people did get set up and went to jail.  It was required protocol to hate and contribute to the destruction of men and women that I had never met or laid eyes on. We would be sitting in the board room at L Ron’s Author Services organization reading advice’s from L Ron calling for the heads of staff he felt offended him somehow. Listening to Miscavige and other staff figuring out ever clever ways to get rid of the people who were aggravating poor L Ron. As we sat there making up plans to attach the very same people who were at L Ron’s side doing everything in their power to do his will. L Ron never wavered when it came to annihilating the oldest and closest devote adherents he had. There is no retirement in the business of Scientology. Ron taught his prodigy to quickly and quietly get rid of the most loyal staff members without remorse.

There were banker boxes full of “advises” from L Ron spewing hate filled vitriol about Jerry. The information that Jerry provided to Russell Miller and Jon Attack about L Ron’s actual history did in fact exposed his underbelly and pulled back the curtains on his imaginary life he expected others to believe.

Now is a great time to make those bankers boxes known about, in as much detail as you can recall. There’s another volume: Ron the Vitriologist.

JP: During the negotiations to settle with Jerry Armstrong the settlement was intentionally construed to make it too easy for anyone to claim Jerry had violated his agreement with Scientology. Those who were present knew this settlement, that still plagues Jerry today was not done in good faith. The actual intent of the settlement was to cause Jerry to be incarcerated for violation of his settlement agreement and that is exactly what has happened. The other factor is this; Jerry didn’t want to take any of Scientology’s money and he didn’t want to settle. He was in effect forced to settle by his own lawyer Michael Flynn. Michael Flynn and his whole family had been hounded by Scientology hired thugs and they were tired of it. Flynn was also the attorney of record for other ex-Scientologist in a civil class action lawsuit….you get the idea.

That’s not really true. I was willing to settle with the Scientologists. I have no problem with taking their money. The Scientologists did not know what I would be receiving to dismiss my claims. They paid a lump sum to Flynn and he distributed it to his clients as agreed between him and us. I had no compulsion to not settle and instead to force a trial of my claims. I had already exposed Hubbard and the Scientologists. The amount that the Scientologists paid me to avoid a trial was reasonable, and I have never complained about that sum. I was not, however, willing to never discuss my experiences or knowledge, nor to be the Scientologists’ punching bag with no right to defend myself. I knew the Scientologists’ contract was unconscionably one-sided, and I considered it another act of fair game, not a sincere effort to end the conflict between us. I would urge you to listen to my discussion of the settlement in Berlin in 2011:

JP: We had them right where we wanted. Each person received a settlement but Jerry was the only hold out. We even knew about the deteriorating relationship between Jerry Armstrong and lawyer Michael Flynn because we were the ones causing the confusion. In the end Jerry was forced to settle or be attached by his own attorney who wanted out and had been working on contingency anyway. There are standard legal agreements a plaintiff makes with a lawyer who takes on a case on contingency. The rule and agreement that comes into play is the plaintiff will agree to settle the case if there a reasonable offer on the table. Jerry was obligated to accept the settlement.

No, this isn’t the way it was. You Scientologists didn’t really have me where you wanted me. You didn’t know which way I’d go. I was not bound by any rule of contingency fee agreements that obligated me to settle, and nothing relating to this concept came up in my discussions with Mike Flynn or anyone else at the time of the settlement. As I said, the reasonable monetary offer to settle the case I had known and accepted. The impossible, unconscionable, unconstitutional and unlawful, but severable, conditions that the Scientologists have been judicially enforcing against me I had not known about. There was no deteriorating relationship between Flynn and me that I was even slightly aware of. What you were doing, and knew others were doing, to cause what you believe was a deteriorating relationship between Flynn and me is very relevant in a number of contexts. The remaining Scientologists and their collaborators still do not have me right where they want. They all need to stop wanting to have me where I won’t be.

JP: Someone can say that better than me but you get the idea, Jerry was forced to settle, then he was set up to violate the settlement whereby Scientology would recover its money times three and if possible get him arrested and put in jail.

I was under mind-altering duress to sign the Scientologists’ settlement agreement, but not from the contingency nature of Flynn’s and my attorney-client relationship. Again, the video I think best explains the situation and the pressures at the time of the settlement.

JP: After years of acting like I hated people I’d never met or seen with my eyes like Jerry Armstrong took some getting use to. Getting Jerry had been en grained in my mind. Even after being out of the cult for some years. I remember the first time I talked with Jerry years after I had left the cult. On a physical level I felt uncomfortable being around him or even engaging in personal or meaningful conversation. On a certain level I was afraid of Jerry and this made no sense. None of that changed the facts of how all of this made me feel emotionally. In L Ron’s alternative reality, it was considered a flaw to openly show or express emotion or empathy. We were all just ever replaceable characters in L Ron’s movie. Suffice to say I didn’t foster or encourage a speaking relationship with Jerry because I didn’t want to. The problem is this is how Scientology technology is designed to protect itself in the minds of its own.

Long before I testified in a court of law as an expert witness, Jerry had already been there doing that, the same as I would do later. The real truth is when I met Jerry I had not entirely overcome the misconceptions and false information I’d learned about him through the years. I was dismissive of Jerry and didn’t fully appreciate, let alone realize the personal sacrifice and contribution he made when he exposed L Ron for being the lying ass clown he was.

That was the 1980’s. Now I’m dealing with what the Scientologists have done and are doing in retaliation for what I did then. This is where you can help.

JP: It was only after reading the Russell Miller book with fresh eyes that I finally better understanding and more fully appreciated the work Jerry did.

The work I’m doing now is what is important. The war did not end when Hubbard was exposed as a liar, and it is in the war, in which you participated, that your testimony of times, places, forms and events is wanted.

JP: Since I’ve read the books again with fresh eyes so much has changed. I know I was Jerry when I woke up from the spell and stopped lying for and protecting Scientology. That meant it was my turn to be persecuted by juvenile intelligence tactics, endlessly financed on behalf of dead L Ron. These days both Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder are Jerry too! No one owes or is obligated to me for anything and ultimately it may not matter what I think but I will say this. I don’t monitor Scientology activities anymore like I use to. That being said, It sure does make me smile when someone sends me something about Mike Rinder speaking out. He’s even been known to refer to Scientology as a cult. This is the guy who was the public face of Scientology for years!  My heart goes out to him and his new family. These days Mike doesn’t mince words when tells people about Scientology, what a turnaround bless him. Marty Rathbun is probably the most knowledgeable person in existence when it comes to how Scientology plays ball in a law suit. From what I can tell he and his wife are progressing excellently with their lawsuit against Scientology, you have my blessing for that.

Rathbun and Rinder still support the Miscavige Scientologists in their war on me, and people connected to me. Rathbun and Rinder need to shift their misplaced allegiance from that most unjust cause to their victims.

Please correct the fact errors about me I’ve pointed out in your article. And I look forward to debriefing you about your Scientology v. Armstrong war stories, experiences and knowledge.

Thank you.

Notes