From bobpenny@delphi.com Thu Apr 13 14:27:51 BST 1995 SUICIDE RESEARCH UPDATE April 12, 1995 FACTNet continues to receive hundreds of reports concerning suicides, attempted suicides, episodes of psychosis and neurosis, child abuse, and other casualties related to Scientology practices. This work is so important that there are only three things FACTNet is now working on: 1. defending the library against Scientology attacks, 2. collecting more casualty reports, and 3. finishing two other research reports that we promised. The best reports are coming from the personal recollections of auditors, former GO/OSA staff, and former high level executives. The reports describe cover-ups of Scientology members becoming psychotic or suicidal, committing suicide or otherwise suffering from abuses while receiving Scientology's services. The reports are far too numerous to be ignored any longer by readers of a.r.s., participants in the free zone, and the networks of former members these groups are connected to. I personally have read almost every report and my concern grows daily for the harm that still seems to be going on in Scientology. Just recently, I read some new reports from former high level flag auditors. What they describe is criminal. Even though I have been hardened by years of talking to parents who have lost their children and by the constant OSA/GO attacks on myself, I still often come close to tears as I read the stream of new reports. Reading all the suicide and attempted suicide reports which have somehow squeezed through Scientology's security machine, which I believe are only a fraction of the actual abuse, has forced me to re-question the plausibility of Scientology's story about the death of L. Ron Hubbard. I think it is time to open a dialog on the Internet. The question is, "was anything true in Scientology's story about Hubbard's death?" Did L Ron Hubbard commit suicide? At the time of his death, was he mentally incompetent as a result of his own experiments? Was he too sick to make competent decisions? Was he under undue influence from David Miscavige when he transferred control of more than a billion dollars in assets from his own family to Miscavige? FACTNet wants to thank all of you who have sent us your reports. To those of you who have information or still have more information to send, I beg you to do it now for several reasons. 1. The number, consistency, and seriousness of these reports creates a moral and humanitarian imperative for current and former members to provide all the information they have to Factnet's investigation. Many countries have laws similar to California's Restatement of Agency, Section 395(f), "An agent [staff members are agents] is privileged to reveal information confidentially acquired by him in the course of his agency in the protection of a SUPERIOR interest of himself or a third party." I believe these reports demonstrate such a superior interest. 2. Only by reassembling all of our personal recollections will it become possible to pierce any possible Scientology cover-up and prevent potential calamities in the future. Those of you who need a copy of our investigation questionnaire, go to our ftp site at rmii.com (ftp/pub2/factnet) or call our BBS at (303) 530-1942 and download the file called CHRON5.TXT. 3. Several governments investigating Scientology have taken the utmost interest in these reports and will bring or are bringing their considerable investigatory resources into the equation. WHY HAVE THESE REPORTS BEEN HIDDEN SO LONG? It is a miracle in many ways that the number of reports covered in FACTNet's questionnaire have squeezed through the cracks of Scientology's secrecy structure. Scientology members are forbidden to talk to each other about anything negative that happens to them while undergoing Scientology techniques. The Scientology staff who are allowed to talk to about the negative effects of Scientology techniques are forbidden to disclose the true nature, severity, or number of Scientology-related casualties to anyone but one or two other individuals whose primary job is to suppress this type of information. Members who may accidentally hear such reports are deceived into rationalizing that something was wrong with the individual or that the path through the secret levels is a narrow and perilous "wall of fire" and casualties are to be expected. Consequently, members have no idea they are being used as guinea pigs for dangerous psychological control experiments and no idea that many people before them have suffered dire harm because of them. WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH THE INFORMATION The information will be used for comprehensive summary reports which may have the following uses: - government or private agencies responsible for protecting the public safety and mental health, - agencies that protect the public from criminal activities, - ongoing civil or criminal litigation in cases of wrongful death or other charges, and - investigative media reporters seeking to call the public's attention to possible danger in these matters. If you wish to restrict the use of the information you submit to us, you need to specify those restrictions in your report. WHAT TO DO Send any information you have about Scientology's abuse of its members or others to Scientology Investigation c/o F.A.C.T.Net Inc., 601 16th. C-217, Golden CO 80403, USA. Phone your report to 1-303-650-3650 or e-mail it to factnet@rmii.com. You may also leave email (and see lots of other good stuff) on the FACTNet BBS at (303) 530-1942. Please note that because of the volume of reports, we are not handling any reports or requests by phone. All reports or requests for additional information must be written. Distribute copies of our investigation questionnaire (CHRON5.TXT) to every Scientology organization close to your home, every former Scientologist in your mailing list and anyone else you think could help. Electronically post the questionnaire and this document on every computer bulletin board (BBS) that discusses Scientology or its front organizations. Thank you in advance for your reports, Lawrence Wollersheim For the Board of Directors of FACTNet Inc.