Airgram: American Consul Tangier to Department of State re: African Development Foundation (October 8, 1969)

Reference messages and miscellaneous data available here suggest that Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, President of “Operation and “Transport Corporation, Limited,” Panama, and “Commodore” of M/V”Apollo,” is the guru of the Scientology movement and probably the promoter of “The American Institute for Human Engineering and Development” and the “African Development Foundation.” A presumed associate of Hubbard, Richard S. Wrigley (ref 2), is currently in Tangier as representative of the latter two organizations.

Mr. Wrigley has called at CAFRAD (known in English as “The African Training and Research Center in Administration for Development”), a regional organization located here which has been receiving support from UNESCO and USAID. Mr. Wrigley sought information on CAFRAD’s activities and then followed up with a letter addressed to CAFRAD’s former director in which he indicated that “The African Development Foundation” was prepared to supply to CAFRAD an expert in human engineering to assist on CAFRAD projects and conduct independent research. A copy of Mr. Wrigiey’s letter is attached. The letterhead of this letter is “Operation and Transportation Corporation, Limited.”

Dr. David Kimble, Research Director of CAFRAD, consulted this Consulate General for background on the organization Mr. Wrigley claims to represent. Dr. Kimble told us that the First Secretary of the Ivory Coast Embassy in Rabat “pressured” the Director of CAFRAD to assist Mr. Wrigley. Dr. Kimble described Mr. Wrigley as extremely smooth and pleasant but very uninformed about African development and very vague about the aims and program of the Foundation he purports to represent. The Consulate General informed Kimble that we have no official guidance on Operation and Transport Corporation and its affiliated activities, but briefed him on substance of reference messages. Judging from Kimble’s own reactions to Mr. Wrigley and his proposal, we do not anticipate that CAFRAD will give Wrigley any serious encouragement. However, we have not seen Department’s reply to Abidjan’s queries and would be glad to pass on to CAFRAD any further information or views that Department may consider appropriate.