Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology Subject: Atack Talks! - Denmark July 1995 (fwd) From: Joe Harrington Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 01:31:50 -0400 (EDT) Scientology in Russia - July 1995 I have just returned from a conference in Denmark where I had the good fortune to meet delegates from Russia. Most of my conversations were with Alexander Dvorkin, who has been appointed by the Russian Orthodox Church to monitor cults. Alexander Dvorkin speaks excellent English and would be pleased to hear from media representatives. In November 1994, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church denounced the teachings of Scientology publicly. The Patriach and the Council of Bishops excommunicated all members of Scientology and various other cult groups, including the Boston Movement, the Krishnas, the Moonies and the Children of God. Despite threats no legal action has been taken against the Patriarch. The impact of Scientology upon Russia has been considerable. Former vice-president, Alexander Rutskov, in a newspaper interview given before his revolt against president Yeltsin quoted extensively from Hubbard's Dianetics. According to Dvorkin, Scientology organizations boast that 14,000 people have taken the Dianetic Book Auditors Course in Moscow alone. Scientology has one or two hours of air time on national Radio Russia every day. Scientology and Dianetics are often featured on national tv programmes from both Moscow and St. Petersburg. I interviewed Mikhail Medvedev, a newspaper editor from the city of Perm. Perm is a city of 1.5 million and is the provincial capital. Mayor Vladimir Fil has become an enthusiatic convert to scientology and about 18 months ago, representatives of the city bureaucracy went into training with the Hubbard College of Administration. Subsequently heads of industry and particularly of military factories undertook the Hubbard College training. Some 28 factories have undertaken Scientology training for their employees. The mayor of Perm, Vladimir Fil, has signed a decree to the effect that the whole city administration should be trained by Hubbard College. The deputy mayor, A. Guriev, is also a scientologist. When an article was published in the Perm newspaper, the head of the provincial tv station, Gregori Volchek, wrote a defence of scientology. Hubbard College represents itself as a purely scientific administrative technology to be used for financial and industrial training. It is not a religious or spiritual practice. Hubbard College promotes itself as a world-leading, scientifically proven system, and claims to have been used by many western businesses. Allegedly, Hubbard College has claimed to have increased production in a confectionery factory 1,000 fold (!), but supporting evidence for this has not been forthcoming. It is rumoured that one military factory paid 300 million roubles for training. Perm is divided into five districts. The administration of one of the districts, headed by Ms A. Sedinina, is being trained in Scientology methods. An American representative of Hubbard College was presented with the keys of the City this Spring. Several programmes in the city already use scientology administrative procedures. Heads of most of the largest industries have taken the training, including a military factory which produces motors for aeroplanes. According to Medvedev, Dianetics has been promoted as the "science of spiritual and mental health", and the only system which can cure schizophrenia. No studies have been produced to substantiate this claim. Medvedev signed a petition sent to the mayor by scientists, doctors and academics. Mayor Fil refused to talk to the petitioners, saying that he didn't really care what Hubbard believed in, even if it turned out to be Satan. His interest was in the system. Medvedev is concerned that Scientology might be a ready replacement for communism. Already speeches have been made to the City Council promising the resolution of all social problems. Alexander Dvorkin says that Scientology operates through the Church of Scientology, the Dianetic Centre, the L. Ron Hubbard Foundation, the Hubbard College of Administration and two companies set up by former head of the Guardian's Office, David Gaiman. Issue 261 of the UK Auditor magazine shows that New Era Publications is also active in Russia. David Gaiman and his wife Sheila (also formerly an executive of the Guardian's Office) have been involved for some time in exporting the Purification Rundown to Russia. The programme is being advocated for children suffering from radiation sickness after Chernobyl. Apparently the Gaimans have state permission to utilise a vitamin programme. Dvorkin says that after the programme, several children were covered in sores and blisters. According to Dvorkin, at least one clinic has considerable dissent among the staff as a consequence of the programme. At the Vasilievskoye sanatorium, the chief physician is insisting that all of the staff undertake the Purification Rundown. The Gaimans are also taking in commercial clients at the usual rate (about $1,000). This approach to the 'New Russians' - those with enough money to buy western goods and services - is also being used through mediterranean cruises. Travel agents sell cruises and aboard ship the New Russians are put through Scientology courses. In March of this year, Dvorkin visited Ekaterinburg - formerly Sverdlovsk - in the Urals. Hubbard College representatives have received security clearance to train staff at the largest military plant in the city - the "mechanoptical plant", under the direction of E. Yalamov. While denying links with the Church of Scientology, Hubbard College reprentatives admit to paying money to Los Angeles. The Director of the military factory was due to go to Los Angeles a week later for further training. It is rumoured that Scientology is also courting the military arm of the Russian Space Agency. It has also been claimed that the governor of Novgorod province has taken scientology training. The Hubbard College of Administration is rapidly moving through Russian industry. For example, the Moven plant in Moscow introduced the Hubbard system to its 1,000 workers. The factory makes fans. Director Mironov wanted anyone who was fired from the factory to be blacklisted for seven years in the industry. With his death in May, the factory seems to be abandoning the system. The Russian operation seems to be directed from both Los Angeles and East Grinstead. A campaign to place books into Russian libraries was promoted in the UK Auditor issue 256. Scott Chaplin, who is the Bookstore Officer Saint Hill heads this library campaign. A project headed by Scientologist Debbie Mace, to take scientology teaching materials from Saint Hill in England into Russia was featured in the UK Auditor 262. In Auditor 258, David Gaiman thanked Saint Hill for backing the Purification project in Russia. In issue 17 of the UK OT Committee's newsletter What's Up, Sheila Gaiman, far from claiming that the programme was secular, spoke of Russians "taking their first step up the Bridge". The Hubbard College of Administration may be an outreach of the UK Hubbard College of Administration, based in East Grinstead (at 31a the High St). The "command lines" into Russia are unclear, but the Hubbard College of Administration is certainly on the list of Scientology Organizations in The Scientology Handbook. There it is given as a part of the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE). WISE is a Sea Organization group, and therefore definitely part of the non-secular arm of Scientology. It is inevitable that to use the "technology", the Hubbard College of Administration has a license from the Religious Technology Center, which is "a nonprofit religious corporation". The first clause of the RTC licensing agreement refers to Scientology as "an applied religious philosophy and as a religion". Arbitration of this contract is through Scientology's "International Justice Chief". Clause eleven of the contract says "I understand and acknowledge that the Service is designed to give spiritual aid, [and] is not medical treatment". A few years ago, employees of a California corporation called Applied Materials brought suit because they were being asked to undertake religious courses as an aspect of their work training. The case didn't reach court, but the principle holds - all Scientology and Dianetic materials are held to be scriptural: "In the Scientology religion, the scriptures are all the spoken and written words of L. Ron Hubbard." (The Corporations of Scientology, 1989, Church of Scientology International, p.24). The Russian counter-cult movement is in need of information and funds. There is also a great need for the public and the media to be informed of the situation in Russia. Please pass this release on. Alexander Dvorkin can be contacted by fax on 7-095-209-6815. He can also be contacted through a co-worker on email: tikhonbr@glas.apc.org. Jon Atack --