HelluvaHoax!
Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on
At that time it was not entirely unusual to see the dark underbelly of CoS up close. I was a HelluvaHighSchool student when I first got dazzled with Clear & OT....and was recruited to go in the S.O. for full time training/auditing up to Class VIII, OT 7 and to work with Ron. It didn't quite work as promised, but I did immediately get shipped off to the ship (not Flag) where Jerry McDonald, Fred Payer and others gave me an instant and entirely different impression of Scientology than I had from reading the books and doing HAS. It was a nightmarish environment and I often thought it would be a good idea to try to escape by diving overboard and trying to swim to safety (true).
My first assignment after some admin training got me shipped to a major org where I was posted. What I most remember is "Captain" Fred Payer storming around the org in his deadly-serious way, fully uniformed, with a gun. The level of intimidation and threat was dense.
I left very shortly after that. (but was recruited into S.O. again later which is another freaky story with Captain Bill and another cosmic cartoon cast)
It is remarkable to consider the type of personality that Ron & CoS found most suitable for the highest ranking positions. Brutality was always a key factor (unless they were a money source). The lineage of Hubbard's hand-picked commanders & deputies is a veritable who's who of criminals and sociopaths leading directly to David Miscavige. The genetic line has not been even slightly altered or mutated. The breed is pure.
