What are the essential elements to build a complete Scientology history/biography?

[Mike Laws]

Paul,

Here's the problem I have on this; if I get too "authorative" on things, I get attacked for no docs. There are no meaningful docs outside the COS on a lot of this stuff, and it was kept secure so that people can't blow with it. I have found a happy medium where I state that something is rumor or unverified, or I know it to be true, making certain that I be precise in such descriptions. People trust it not depending if they find me credible. But it seems to be a happy medium that doesn't create too much noise.

There are no docs outside for this. From my time in RTC 1992-98, I was aware that things were done to PB and AB to de-power them because "LRH did not know how dirty PB was". Since coming out, one of the things I researched was the last minute change to the LRH will, speaking with people privately, now out, about details. The COS spent a huge amount of money validating the signature on the final will to proof it up against being contested. This loyal officer hand written original, to my understanding, was one of the more recent examples of his writing that showed the progression as he aged, so was used in the authentication. None of this goes to LRH state of mind at death, or if he was even aware of what he was signing or the content of the new will. I have not spent time researching whether PB was dirty or how he was dirty beyond the generally known sex, gambling, alcohol and money laundering details and rumors that also exist on DM who supposedly shared in the fun times. None of this violates any trusts, don't know if you are looking for anything different.

[Mike Laws]

Paul, only other thought was, again ... to my understanding, LRH was so increasingly isolated and paranoid towards the end that PB and DM were the dominant of the few "trusted" allies, but he had doubts, concerns or misgivings on their honesty, character and intentions. More so on DM than PB, but he had worries about BP as well. However his circumstances resulted in him being unable/unwilling/incapable or creating other relationships. Towards the end everything was being done for him, I don't even know if he was physically capable of getting in a car, driving to Int and telling others to kick DM out. All communication was filtered through DM and PB. There was also the issue of being an un-indited co-conspirator and the feds looking to put him in Jail.

[scooter]

Which brings up an interesting area of speculation for me at least - what was the "hook" that got and kept DM in the cult?

Janet Reitman touches on this and suggests that it's that $cientology "handled" DM's asthma. But I believe there'd be a lot more to it than just that.

From what I've read here and elsewhere, DM joined up for all the "right" reasons and definitely wanted to help others in the beginning of His career, despite what I've seen by folks over in MartyWorld who have concluded DM is a Whole-Track a-hole. I don't deny that as a possibility but I remained unconvinced with the amount of early-life evidence they have.

$cientology experienced an enormous period of growth in the late 80s when DM had consolidated power - I was at FSO in 87-88 and the place was doing very well financially and personnel-wise. One of the greatest contributors to its then-expansion was the San Francisco mission, which was funneling large amounts of chiropractors to FSO after taking a lot of money off them for mission services.

We poor org staff were very envious of the SF mission staff at FSO as they were well-paid and the mission had its own apartment at the Hacienda where all its staff stayed, and they weren't crammed in 4 or more to a room like the rest of us were. This was long after DM supposedly ruined all the mission network.

DM also personally wooed Tom Cruise back into the cult and turned him into an amazing asset for it (for a while at least anyway.) I'm sure that a lot of other major "wins" for the cult were DM's ideas that he ruthlessly pushed through into reality despite the costs.

That DM is now a monster running amok is something I have no dispute with at all. To say that He was always like that and has been poisoning the Holy Grail ever since He clawed His way to the top of the Co$ food-chain is deluded at best and certainly never (to my knowledge) backed by dox. I'd love to get a well-rounded picture of the human being David Miscavige.

My major criticism of Him is His management style. If He had been able to have empathy with His juniors and encourage them rather than belittle and ultimately torture them, the result would be a lot different. I personally believe that that alone has been His downfall as He has "blown off" the incredible talent that He was surrounded with like Jeff Hawkins and Marc Headley etc.. I'm personally glad He did that because otherwise I'd still be "traveling" the Bridge to Total Delusion as I'm sure would many of us here.

So I for one would love to hear about the pre-cult DM and also about those formative years He spent in the cult before He began the climb to the top. That I believe would be the foundation of any successful bio. on the man DM, not the urban myth we have been regaled with by those with their own agendas at stake. That I think is an absolute necessity to fully understand what the hell happened.

[GoNuclear]

Maybe no one here but, Luciano, Capone, Bonnano, Stalin.

Exactly! And all 4 of them were evil SOB's as well. However, for every Luciano, Capone, and Bonnano, at the top of the heap of mobsters, making millions of dollars and staying ahead of both the law as well as other mobsters that would gun them down ... there are perhaps hundreds of SOB's just as evil, sitting in prison doing a life sentence, having never made a tiny fraction of the money that any of those 3 made or being promoted to high position in the mob. As far as Stalin ... again, far, far, far more wannabee dictators than those that ever got close to the top ... and plenty were just as evil as Stalin, but not nearly as saavy. That they got to the top of the heap makes them interesting characters to study, not that they were just evil.

Pete

[paradox]

Wow, thanks, I haven't had a chance to read this before. ....

My pleasure, Mike. There's also this, from the scientology-cult.com site, written up by the "Gang of Five" which is essentially pretty much the same information, including the "phone booth putsch" (my phrasing for the incident) but more directly from some of those who were personally involved i.e. early messengers. You're likely already familiar with it. I'm assuming this gang is the same gang mentioned in one of the SP Times rundown series i.e. the Las Vegas crew.

Secret History of David Miscavige