Teletype: FBI Director to Legal Attache Bonn Subject: SITOL (March 23, 1985)

THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS INQUIRIES FROM CITIZENS TO THE BUREAU RE THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY (COS) DATING FROM THE 1960’s.

IN MAY 1976, TWO MEMBERS OF COS IMPERSONATED IRS AGENTS AND GAINED ACCESS TO THE USA’S OFFICE IN WASH., D.C. THEY WERE DISCOVERED IN THE ACT OF REPRODUCING GOV. DOCUMENTS. THIS INCIDENT PRECIPITATED A MASSIVE INVESTIGATION BY THE FBI AGAINST VARIOUS OFFICIALS Of THE COS (SITOL) FOR VIOLATIONS RANGING FROM THEFT OF GOV. PROPERTY TO AIDING AND ABETTING.DURING OUR INVESTIGATION WE SEARCHED TWO COS OFFICES (CAL. AND WASH. D.C.) IN JULY, 1977, AND CONFISCATED OVER 20,000 DOCUMENTS.

IN OCT., 1979 NINE OFFICIALS OF THE COS WERE CONVICTED FOR DIRECTING A CONSPIRACY TO STEAL GOV. DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE COS. IN DEC., 1980, TWO MORE OFFICIALS WERE CONVICTED. THE INDIVIDUALS CONVICTED WERE MARY SUE HUBBARD; JANE KEMBER; HENNING HELDT; DUKE SNIDER; GREGORY WILLARDSON; RICHARD WEIGAND; MITCHELL HERMANN; CINDY RAYMOND; GERALD WOLFE; SHARON THOMAS AND MORRIS BUDLONG.

AS A RESULT OF OUR INVESTIGATION, L. RON HUBBARD, FOUNDER OF COS, REQUESTED ALL THE INFO FROM OUR FILES ON COS AND HIMSELF. THE COS THEN INSTITUTED AN APPEAL ACTION AGAINST THE FBI FOR ALL THE INFO WITHHELD.

THERE ARE SEVERAL CIVIL ACTIONS BY THE COS CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS. THE DOJ AND,FBI ARE DEFENDANTS IN AT LEAST TWO OF THOSE CIVIL ACTIONS. BOTH ACTIONS INVOLVING THE DOJ AND FBI ARE CASES SEEKING EQUITABLE RELIEF IN THE FORK OF INJUNCTIONS PROHIBITING THE FBI AND DOJ FROM HARASSING AND INTERFERING WITH THE CHURCH’S EXERCISE OF THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.

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