Scientology Critical Information Directory

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Office of Special Affairs (formerly "Guardian's Office")

«Office of Special Affairs. The "dirty work" department, the cult's KGB. Took over from the GO, Guardian's Office, when the GO's leaders went to jail for infiltrating government offices, stealing and altering official files that put the cult in a bad light. Also called GOSA as a pun on GO+OSA, and as a means of putting the lie to the constant PR refrain that "we've reformed; we're no longer criminals". Yeah, right. Only the name changed, in fact; the dirty tricks and harassment operations continue to this day. Just ask any of the ARS regulars for examples; many have first-hand experience. OSA Int is now located at the HGB.» — The ARS Acronym/Terminology FAQ v3.5 by Martin Hunt.

German Documentary (1999): "Missing in Happy Valley" (dubbed in English, transcript at Rick A. Ross Institute)

Off-camera commentator: This document clearly shows what assignments are waiting for OSA agents: infiltration, bribery, buying information, burglary, blackmail.

Frank Oliver: The investigations person, you hardly ever see them. They're the ones in the shadows. They sift through the dirt, look for bodies in the basements of their enemies and critics. They try everything it takes to make things turn out good for Scientology in the end and to make things impossible for the enemy. That's how it works. They work with each other.

Off-camera commentator:Re: phone calls. OSA is also involved in monitoring telephones. We have a list of telephone numbers called from a public telephone booth in Miami. The assignment was to observe these in order to investigate the callers. [...]

Perry Scott: "OSA Network Order"

The Office of Special Affairs is Scientology's Secret Service. OSA is officially the Church's "terminal" [communications point] for non-Scientologists, including government, the media, and the general public. Internally known as "Department 20", OSA is charged with favorable Public Relations (PR), investigating threats to Scientology, and then "handling" [neutralizing] those threats.

Department 20 was responsible for Operation Snow White, an ill-advised scheme to purge US Government files of "Black" information against Scientology. Scientology was caught in the late 1970s, and many Scientologists in the Guardian Office (Department 20's name at the time) went to prison. Mary Sue Hubbard, Worldwide Guardian and wife of L. Ron Hubbard, was denounced by the Church and declared a Suppressive Person in a sham attempt by Scientology to "come clean". In fact, Mary Sue Hubbard lives quite comfortably and free from standard Suppressive Person "handling" by the Church, and may perhaps be the beneficiary of a secret deal which transferred Hubbard's copyrights to the Religious Technology Corporation.

The Guardian (Feb. 1980): "Scientology's bizarre manual of dirty tricks"

A memorandum dated March 9, 1970, addressed to the "Guardian World Wide," Jane Kember — the cult's senior administrative executive, who is based at East Grinstead — gives a "list" of "the successful and unsuccessful actions used by (Scientology) intelligence."

Successful actions include:

1. The use of false letterheads to gather information.

2. "Using 2D [a Scientology term meaning sex] on someone high in the government to seduce them over to our side. This particular action was not started as an Int action, but was more personal."

3. "Infiltrating an enemy group with the end to getting documents. These can either be about their own plans, or what they have on us."

4. "Anonymous third partying. Particularly the internal revenue service appears to follow up every tip-off they get."

5. "Direct theft of documents."

6. "Impersonating a reporter over the phone to get information." [...]

    Chris Owen: "Scientology's Secret Service"
Uniquely for a "religion", the Church of Scientology has since 1955 organised systematic intelligence activities, including on occasions bugging, burglary, forgery, framing, infiltration and intimidation. Such activities are conducted alongside and in support of a sophisticated PR machine which specialises in producing distasteful personal attacks on those perceived as being opponents of Scientology.

These activities have been run through three agencies within the Church of Scientology: the Hubbard Communications Office, or HCO (from 1955-66); the Guardian Office or GO (1966-83), and its successor, the Office of Special Affairs or OSA (1983 to present). These pages expose aspects of all three organisations, the dirty tricks which have been carried out at the behest of Scientology's leaders and the philosophy which lies behind Scientology's extreme sensitivity to criticism.

Margery Wakefield (1991): "Understanding Scientology - OSA (Office of Special Affairs) — The Secret CIA of Scientology"

Hubbard claimed that a group of twelve men associated with the World Bank had set up psychiatry and the mental health movement as a vehicle to undermine and destroy the West. And this twelve-man conspiracy was the real source of all opposition to Scientology.

In the drill, the student has to tell a lie, which is then challenged by a coach, who works with the student until the student becomes able to "lie facily."

The ability to lie convincingly is used by the Scientologist in a variety of situations, including the giving of courtroom testimony. A Scientologist feels no obligation to be truthful in a "wog" court, even under oath. Again, this is because the Scientologist is operating under a higher law, that of the "greatest good for the greatest number of dynamics."

True, not every church comes with its own information and intelligence agency, illustrated instructions for burglary, espionage training, and its own corps of highly trained secret agents.

It is the siege mentality of Scientology, the idea of "us" against "them," that helps to maintain a high degree of unity within the cult.

Jon Atack: "Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard: The Total Freedom Trap"

The large amounts of money demanded by Hubbard, and the severe treatment meted out to his followers, inevitably led to public concern. Enforced "disconnection" has torn many families apart. Scientology was castigated by a government inquiry in Victoria, Australia, in December 1965. In February the following year, Lord Balniel requested that the British parliament launch an Inquiry — Hubbard responded by setting up the Guardian s Office, and reinforcing his policy of "noisy investigation" into anyone who criticised Scientology. As Hubbard said, "The DEFENSE of anything is UNTENABLE. The only way to defend anything is to ATTACK."

The Guardian's Office attacked without pause.

The Guardian's Office (GO) existed to promote Scientology, to attack critics, and to keep members in line. The GO acted as an intelligence agency, infiltrating newspapers, psychiatric hospitals and even government agencies; and as an internal police force, silencing defectors. Very few former Scientologists have spoken out against the organization, knowing that every detail of their lives is kept in their Scientology "ethics files". There is much irrefutable evidence that these files have been used against former members. The Guardian's Office grew into a daunting force with 1,100 staff by 1982.

Gary Weber: "Memoirs of an Ex-Guardian"

I asked about Mayor Gabe Cazares and asked if the rumor was true about the GO staging a hit and run on him. She said "yes." I asked, "why was the mayor being set up?" Doris only wanted to answer yes or no questions but knew she had to tell me something more. "He is an SP and had to be removed from office."

Tory Christman: "The OSA 101 training course"

I read it and it spoke of this being a top-secret project, unknown by most all of Scientology staff. It spoke of how anyone signing this could never, ever, ever talking to anyone EVER about any of this. I couldn't tell my auditor, an ethics officer, any of the staff of C of S, many of the execs. This was a top, top-secret project. I was worried this sounded like it may be similar to the old GO (Guardian's Office) type of stuff, which of course ended up with 9 people going to jail, the entire GO being disbanded

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