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CITY OF CLEARWATER COMMISSION HEARINGS RE: THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY |
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EXHIBIT IX: AFFIDAVIT OF THOMAS JEFFERSON 1. In 1969, I was a member of the Professional Golfers Association (PGA). At that time I lived with my wife, Dorothy, and our children. 2. My initial contact with scientology was on or about December 1970 at the Las Vegas Mission. I was told that a Mission was part of the scientology organization. 3. During my initial visits to scientology in December, 1970, I was told by Frank Freedman, who was Commanding Officer, that scientology would be beneficial to me in the following ways:
5. I was told on or about December 1970 that these results were primarily brought about by the use of a procedure developed by L. Ron Hubbard called "auditing". 6. I learned later that auditing was basically an interrogation session which consisted of the following:
7. I was told that all information disclosed during auditing sessions would be confidential and that it would improve my life as indicated in paragraph 5 above. I was further induced to under take and pay for auditing through representations, orally and in the policies and literature of scientology, that Hubbard was a nuclear physicist with degrees from Princeton and George Washington and that scientology was both a science and a legitimate religion established as a non-profit organization dedicated to the good of the individual and mankind. Between December 1970 and March 1971, all of the foregoing promises and representations were made to me. On or about March 1971 the Commanding Officer of the Las Vegas Mission represented to me that I would receive auditing without charge, if I agreed to sign a "Billion Year" contract with the "Sea Org". I was told that the "Sea Org" consisted of a fleet of ships which directed and controlled scientology. I was also told that the leader of scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, was a superior being with supra-human abilities. 8. The Billion Year Sea Org contract. required me to train on the ship, the "Bolivar", which was based in Los Angeles. During the training period I would receive the following benefits:
9. It was during this period that I began auditing. My primary auditor at this time was Frank Freedman. 10. Based on the representations made to me, I disclosed my "overts" in auditing. I told my auditor everything he asked during the "rundowns" of my life. When I couldn't think of any more "overts", I was told that I had to remember overts from past lives and that thoughts that I experienced in auditing were actually thoughts or "overts" from past lives. At times I would make up an "overt" in order to terminate the auditing session because of mental and emotional exhaustion. I gradually began to believe that I was an evil person with many "overts" from past lives. I was told that in order to remove these "overts" I had to precisely follow the "technology" of scientology without condition or doubt. In particular I had to continue auditing. I felt myself coming more and more under their control. 11. At the end of 1970 I was sent to the Celebrity Center in Los Angeles to recruit other PGA golfers. I was told the Celebrity Center is an org whose purpose is to proselytize wealthy persons I worked at the Celebrity Center 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week and was not paid. 12. At the end of 1971 I ran out of money and left scientology. Early in 1972 I was declared "fair game" by Frank Freedman. Freedman told me I was beyond all protection of scientologists and told me that they could do anything they wanted against me. Eddy Walters, a friend and fellow scientologist of mine at that time, told me that Freedman had told him that I was an "enemy" ,and "fair game". Preedman took many of my belongings which I had paid for. 13. I was told by Freedman that to have the "fair game" policy dropped I would have to "pay off my contract", which he said was $18,000. 14. Because of the unknown fear instilled in me by the organization, my addiction to auditing, and the written policy that the subject of "fair game" could be "tricked", "lied to", "sued", or "destroyed", I worked for a year and paid off the contract. 15. Between 1973 and March 1979 I worked part time and took auditing at the Las Vegas Org for which I paid an additional approximately $20,000. 16. I left scientology in March 1979 because I had lost over $63,000, (including about $25,000 expended while in the Sea Org) and nine years of my life and received nothing in return. The facts set forth in the foregoing affidavit of which I have personal knowledge are true. Facts of which I do not have personal knowledge, I believe to be true upon my best information and belief. Signed under the pains and penalties of perjury this __ day of ___, 1980. Thomas Jefferson
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