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In 1967, L. Ron Hubbard issued a Policy Letter entitled "Penalties for Lower Conditions". In it he set out the punishments to be meted out to Scientologists who cause problems for organised Scientology. The four "lower conditions" in which a person could be found were: Liability, Treason, Doubt and Enemy. The punishment for being in a condition of "Enemy" was:

"SP Order. Fair game. May be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed."

"SP Order" or "SP Declare" means a formal Ethics Order issued by the Church of Scientology declaring that a person is a "Suppressive Person" or an enemy of Scientology. For example, see Caroline Letkeman's Suppressive Person Declare (Page 1, 2).

WHY WOULD THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY BE WILLING TO IMPLEMENT A FAIR GAME POLICY?

Before we continue, it's worth spending a moment to ask how it is that an organisation which claims to be a church could even conceive of robbing, injuring, tricking, suing (as a means of retribution), lying to and destroying people, let alone make such actions formal policy.

A clue may be found in a document written by Hubbard on 6 March 1974 and issued after his death as an Office of Special Affairs Network Order on 5 April 1988. Entitled "Strategic Info",(Page 2) the document indicates that Hubbard identified Scientology with the European Resistance movement of World War II - justifying Scientology's actions on the basis that they were fighting an enemy (psychiatry) like Hitler, the author of the Holocaust.

Hubbard first identifies Scientology's enemies:

"Psychiatrists urged these measures on Hitler and carried them out." He asserts that the Rockefellers financed the beginnings of German psychiatry and were responsible for a declining US population due to "sterilizations, abortions and other measures."

The balance of the document "Strategic Info" is a long quotation about the Holocaust. Hubbard makes this telling point:

"Special attention is drawn to the last sentence of the quote as it confirms current strategic planning."

The last sentence of the quotation reads:

"With hindsight, however, it is clear that in the eyes of the European Resistance this massacre more than anything else legitimised, indeed sanctified, their action."

There you have it: Hubbard wrote and spoke about psychiatrists as the enemy of Scientology and of mankind, guilty of all manner of crimes, including the Holocaust. It seems that he believed, and taught, that the actions of Scientology (such as "fair game") were legitimised, even sanctified, by the alleged crimes of psychiatry.

WAS "FAIR GAME" CANCELLED IN 1968?

Hubbard issued a Policy Letter in October 1968 entitled "Cancellation of Fair Game". That Policy Letter stated:

"The practice of declaring people FAIR GAME will cease. FAIR GAME may not appear on any Ethics Order. It causes bad public relations.

This P/L does not cancel any policy on the treatment or handling of an SP."

That was the end of it, according to the Church of Scientology. A statement on Scientology's website puts the church's current Public Relations position:

"The term does not appear in the scriptures of Scientology and has not existed since 1968. In fact, its only use since then is not by the Church at all, but by a handful of anti-Scientology apostates and their attorneys who have exploited it in efforts to generate anti-Scientology prejudice in the media or courtroom."

Well, that's not quite true. In 1989, for example, 21 years after fair game was supposedly cancelled, the Church of Scientology argued (unsuccesfully) before the California Court of Appeals that fair game was a "religious practice" and was protected by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of California. Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology (1989) 212 Cal.App.3d 872, 260 Cal.Rptr. 331

Andreas Heldal-Lund, owner of xenu.net, has a 1989 manual for the Scientology course "PTS/SP Course - How to Confront and Shatter Suppression" (you might recall the title of the course - Tom Cruise mentioned it in that video). At page 128 of that manual is a document to be signed by ex-Scientologists seeking a refund from the church. That document states:

"The ex-student should realize this makes him Fair Game and outside our Justice Codes. He may not have recourse of any kind beyond refund. And after signing can only return to Scientology as per policy on Fair Game."

WAS "FAIR GAME" AN INNOCUOUS WITHDRAWAL OF THE CHURCH'S SUPPORT AND PROTECTION?

The Church of Scientology would have us believe that the "fair game" direction issued by Hubbard - that Suppressive Persons "(m)ay be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed" - was misconstrued.

It's not easy to reconcile the terms of the 1967 Policy Letter with the church's current position on what the "fair game" policy was. The Public Relations statement says:

"The term meant that apostate members could not seek protection or refuge under the Church’s internal ethics or justice codes. It had been intentionally and grossly misinterpreted by apostates, when all it meant was that those expelled from the Church could no longer take advantage of the internal ecclesiastical support and justice procedures churches of Scientology provide to resolve disputes and upsets among parishioners. They would have to make their own way, unaided, with the justice procedures of the society as their only recourse."

The statement goes on to say:

"The truth is that Church management never has and never would tolerate illegal or unethical actions to be committed in the Church’s name. The scriptures of Scientology are replete with admonitions to its adherents to build their lives on foundations of honesty and integrity. The commission of dishonesties or harmful acts against another is the road to personal misery and destruction of positive interpersonal relationships."

In short, Scientology's position is: Fair Game was never as bad as the critics say it was, and it was cancelled anyway in 1968 because it was being misunderstood and misconstrued. Logically, it follows from Scientology's argument that a declared SP could seek protection or refuge under the Church's internal ethics or justice codes, and could take advantage of Scientology's internal ecclesiastical support and justice procedures. But, that's not the case.

Keep reading and decide for yourself whether Scientology's "fair game" policy was canceled in 1968 and whether the policy has been grossly misconstrued. One word of warning before we start to look at a few examples (out of many) of actual fair game: these true stories are so outrageous that a natural response is to think, "Nah. This is fiction." For this reason, links are provided wherever possible to court documents, particularly judgments, and other source materials.

FAIR GAME IN 1969

Gene Allard

Gene Allard, a staff member in the Sea Organisation, told his superior in May or June 1969 that he wanted to leave the church. Here's what happened next:

"A chaplain of the Church came to see him. Lawrence Krieger, the highest ranking justice official of the Church in California, told (Allard) that if he left without permission, he would be fair game and 'You know we'll come and find you and we'll bring you back, and we'll deal with you in whatever way is necessary.'"

Allard left the church, taking some financial documents directly to the Internal Revenue Service. The Church of Scientology falsely accused Allard of stealing money and travellers cheques. Allard was charged over the alleged theft, but the charges were later dismissed. Allard successfully sued the church for malicious prosecution.

The appellate court found:

Inferences can be drawn that the Church, through its agents, was carrying out its own policy of fair game in its actions against (Allard). Given that view of the evidence, which as a reviewing court we must accept, there is substantial evidence proving that (the Church) maliciously prosecuted (Allard). Allard v. Church of Scientology 212 Cal.App.3d 889, (1976) 58 Cal.App.3d 439, 444, 129 Cal.Rptr.797

FAIR GAME IN THE 1970'S

Paulette Cooper

"In 1968, I was a struggling New York freelance writer, searching for an investigative story that would make a difference. By choosing to expose a then relatively unknown organization called Scientology (and Scientology’s companion, Dianetics), I ended up facing fifteen years in jail, had nineteen lawsuits filed against me, did fifty days of depositions, was the almost victim of a murder, the subject of five anonymous smear letters and endured almost constant and continual harassment for more than a dozen years." Paulette Cooper, Looking over my shoulder, The Inside Account of the Story That Almost Killed Me

A fair game operation enacted in 1976 against Paulette Cooper, entitled "Operation Freakout", had as its major goal that she be "incarcerated in a mental institution or jail or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks." Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (This document was discovered by the FBI during raids on the Church of Scientology offices in 1977 and was an exhibit in the trial of Hubbard's wife, Mary Sue and others). Church staff framed Paulette for sending bomb threats to the Church of Scientology and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. She was subsequently indicted on three counts (two of sending two bomb threats through the mail and one for perjury for denying sending the threats).

Larry Wollersheim

Larry first came into contact with the Church of Scientology in 1969, after "fair game" was supposedly cancelled. The California Court of Appeals held in 1989:

"Evidence was introduced that, at least during the time relevant to Wollersheim's case, "fair game" was a practice of retribution Scientology threatened to inflict on "suppressives," which included people who left the organization or anyone who could pose a threat to the organization. Once someone was identified as a "suppressive," all Scientologists were authorized to do anything to "neutralize" that individual -- economically, politically, and psychologically.

After Wollersheim left the organization Scientology leaders initiated a "fair game" campaign which among other things was calculated to destroy Wollersheim's photography enterprise. They instructed some Scientology members to leave Wollersheim's employ, told others not to place any new orders with him and to renege on bills they owed on previous purchases from the business. This strategy shortly drove Wollersheim's photography business into bankruptcy. His mental condition deteriorated further and he ended up under psychiatric care."

The Court drew parallels between Scientology's "fair game" policy and the medieval Inquisition:

"We do not mean to suggest Scientology's retributive program as described in the evidence of this case represented a full-scale modern day "inquisition." Nevertheless, there are some parallels in purpose and effect. "Fair game" like the "inquisition" targeted "heretics" who threatened the dogma and institutional integrity of the mother church. Once "proven" to be a "heretic," an individual was to be neutralized. In medieval times neutralization often meant incarceration, torture, and death... As described in the evidence at this trial the "fair game" policy neutralized the "heretic" by stripping this person of his or her economic, political and psychological power." Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology (1989) 212 Cal.App.3d 872, 260 Cal.Rptr. 331 (Upheld by the US Supreme Court, 7 March 1994)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA V Criminal No. 78-401 MARY SUE HUBBARD, et al. STIPULATION OF EVIDENCE

http://www.cosvm.org/stipofev.htm

Mary Sue Hubbard

Quote: ...we have no problem concluding the state has a compelling secular interest in discouraging these practices... Accordingly, we hold the freedom of religion guaranties of the United States and California Constitutions do not immunize these practices from civil liability for any injuries they cause to "targets" such as Wollersheim.

FAIR GAME IN THE 1980'S

GEORGES FENECH

FAIR GAME IN THE 1990'S

Casey Hill

Next article is Scientology - Seclusion.

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