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Brain-Washing

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Oct 7, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/7/96

BRAIN-WASHING:
A SYNTHESIS OF THE ROMANTIC DYSTOPIA
ON PSYCHOPOLITICS

by Anonymous, September 1996

It is my good fortune to work in the used and
rare book field in a moderately large city in
the Pacific Northwest. Over the years I have
seen many strange and wonderful titles. This
is a tale of one of them, a book I never
thought I would see once much less twice, and
some suggestions as to its true origin.

All my life I have been interested in belief
and control systems: among the groups I
have investigated at length is the Church
of Scientology.

The literature of Dianetics and Scientology,
pro and con, is extensive. Add to this the
tremendous debates occurring on the Internet
and an impressive library of legal documents
filed around the world and it is quite possible
one could spend a lifetime defending, attacking
or simply studying the legacy of L. Ron
Hubbard. This brief essay concerns a specific
piece of Dianetic/Scientology literature
titled "Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the
Russian Textbook on Psychopolitics."

The author will assume some familiarity on the
part of the reader regarding Dianetics,
Scientology, Hubbard, etc.: the text of "Brain-
Washing" has been posted in full to the
newsgroup alt.religion.scientology and is
likely archived somewhere. In brief, "Brain-
Washing" presents itself as an address by
Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria to American students
at the Lenin University on the use of
psychiatry as a means of social control.

"L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman" by Bent
Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard Jr. quotes from
"Brain-Washing" at length and postulates on its
source. According to Corydon and Hubbard, the
book first appeared in 1955. The official line
was that it had been "slipped under the door of
a Scientology org" (org being an abbreviation
for organization). Hubbard Jr., however,
states: "Dad wrote every word of it. Barbara
Bryan and my wife typed the manuscript off his
dictation." John Sanborne, editor of Hubbard
Sr.'s books since the early 1950s, confirms
that Hubbard dictated the book in 1955.
Corydon also writes "The manual was later
actually being distributed by such groups as
the John Birch Society."

"Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron
Hubbard" by Russell Miller adds that the
Federal Bureau of Investigations's Central
Research Section, upon being presented with a
copy of "Brain-Washing" by Hubbard, concluded
its authenticity was doubtful and did not
acknowledge receipt of the pamphlet.

In November 1963 the government of Victoria,
Australia appointed a Board of Inquiry into
Scientology. The Hubbard Association of
Scientologists International provided the Board
with its literature, including "Brain-
Washing." The Board attributed the pamphlet to
Hubbard and quoted at length in the October
1965 report as an example of the "evil" of
Scientology.

The testimony of Hubbard Jr. and Sandborne,
combined with the well documented history of
deception on the part of Hubbard Sr., suggests
that in fact "Brain-Washing" was written by
Hubbard Sr. and is not what it presents itself
to be. This is the conclusion of Corydon,
Hubbard Jr, Miller, of Jon Atack in his book "A
Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and
L. Ron Hubbard Exposed" and the majority of
Scientology critics on the Internet.

I never imagined I would actually see a copy
of "Brain-Washing." But to my great surprise I
found a copy for sale in a drawer of paper
ephemera at a former employer's book store,
along with other older Scientology material. I
photocopied it immediately, then put it on
display. Not long after I bought the book:
failing to capture such a rare bird for my
ideological garden would have haunted me
forever.

The book opens with an Editorial Note by one
Charles Stickley (Atack suggests this too is L.
Ron Hubbard), wherein we are told there are two
groups "entirely above suspicion" who were
antipathetic to the Soviet programme presented
in "Brain-Washing." These are "the Christian
Scientists and the Dianeticists. Christian
Science is an American Religion, intensely
patriotic. Dianetics is the only entirely
American developers in the field of the human
mind." It was published as a public service by
the Hubbard College of Scientology in Sussex,
England.

The Editorial Note does little to add to our
knowledge of the source of "Brain-Washing." To
quote in full the first two paragraphs:

This book is a synthesis of information
gathered through observation,
discussion, investigation and
experience over the last ten years.

I cannot entirely vouch for its
authenticity. Disclosure of the
sources form which it is drawn would
undoubtedly lead to great difficulties
for them. And in matters of this kind
the Soviet is not accustomed to the
issuance of validations.

The city I live in is not small, and the
bookstores I have worked allowed me to handle
thousands of books. Nonetheless, I was
speechless when one day two men brought in a
box of books for sale on behalf of an older
relative, and tucked among the worthless
paperbacks was a second - and significantly
different - edition of "Brain-Washing." This
time I bought it immediately: working in a used
book store has its advantages.

The second copy of "Brain-Washing" I bought was
published by Kenneth Goff of Englewood,
Colorado. This undated edition contains much
more information as to the source of "Brain-
Washing" than the Scientology edition.

Kenneth Goff claimed to have been a member of
the Communist Party from 2 May 1936 to 10
October 1939. He states that in 1939 he
appeared before the Un-American Activities
Committee in Washington D. C. (chaired at the
time by Martin Dies), and that his testimony
can be found in Volume Nine of that year's
Congressional Report. However, if he did
testify, his name is not mentioned and the
themes presented in "Brain-Washing" do not
appear. Goff wrote "Still 'tis our Ancient
Foe," in which he claimed "The Frankenstein of
Communism is the product of the Jewish Mind."
Goff died of a heart attack in 1943.

During his membership in the Communist Party,
Goff attended the Eugene Debs Labor School in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (which is also not
mentioned in the House Reports of the Un-
American Activities Committee). Speaking of
"Brain-Washing" in an Editorial Note, Goff
states: "This book was used in underground
schools, and contains the address of Beria to
the American students in the Lenin University
prior to 1936. The text in the book in general
is from the Communist Manual of Instructions of
Psychological Warfare, and was used in America
for the training of Communist cadre. The only
revision in this book is the summary, which was
added by the Communists after the atomic bomb
came into being."

The two editions of the book are nearly
identical. The typeface, size, page count,
covers and over-all look of the books have only
minor variations. The significant differences
in the two editions can be found only in a line-
by-line, word-by-word comparison.

Page 3 paragraph 5 of the Goff edition
reads:
To achieve these goals the
psychopolitician must crush
every "home-grown" variety of
mental healing in America.
Actual teachings of James, Eddy
and Pentecostal Bible faith
healers amongst your misguided
people must be swept aside.

Page 3 paragraph 5 of the Scientology
edition reads:

To achieve these goals the
psychopolitician must crush
every "home-grown" variety of
mental healing in America.
Actual teachings of Freud,
James, Eddy and others amongst your
misguided peoples must be swept away.

Page 49 paragraph 4 of the Goff edition
reads:

The psychopolitical operative should
also spare no expense in smashing out
of existence, by whatever means, any
actual healing group, such as that of
acupuncture, in China; such as
Christian Science, Dianetics and faith
healing, in the United States; such as
Catholicism in Italy and Spain; and the
practical psychological groups of
England.

Page 49 paragraph 3 of the Scientology
edition reads:

The psychopolitical operative should
also spare no expense in smashing out
of existence, by whatever means, any
actual healing group, such as that of
acupuncture in China; such as Christian
Science and Dianetics, in the United
States; such as Catholicism in Italy
and Spain; and the practical psychology
groups of England.

Page 58 paragraph 5 of the Goff edition
reads:

Given any slightest encouragement,
public support would swing on an
instant all mental healing into the
hands of the churches. And there are
Churches waiting to receive it, clever
churches. That terrible monster the
Roman Catholic Church still dominates
mental healing heavily throughout the
Christian world and their well schooled
priests are always at work to turn the
public their way. Among Fundamentalist
and Pentecostal groups healing
campaigns are conducted, which, because
of their results, win many to the cult
of Christianity. In the field of pure
healing the Church of Christ Science of
Boston, Massachusetts excels in
commanding the public favor and
operates many sanitariums. All these
must be swept aside. They must be
ridiculed and defamed and every cure
they advertise must be asserted as a
hoax. [...]

Page 58 paragraph 5 of the Scientology
edition reads:

Given any slightest encouragement,
public support would swing on an
instant all mental healing into the
hands of the churches. And there are
Churches waiting to receive it, clever
churches. That terrible monster the
Roman Catholic Church still dominates
mental healing heavily throughout the
Christian world and their well schooled
priests are always at work to turn the
public their way. In the field of pure
mental healing the Church of Christ
Science of Boston, Massachusetts excels
in commanding the public favour and
operates many sanitoriums. All these
must be swept aside. They must be
ridiculed and defamed and every cure
they advertise must be asserted as a
hoax. [...]

In March 1996 I had the chance to examine yet
another edition of this book, one transcribed
and posted on the Internet by Martin Hunt.
This edition was also published by
Scientologists, but includes several neologism
and Scientology terms not found in my
copies.

And yet another edition of the book is quoted
in "Vampire Killer 2000." This time the title
is "The Soviet Art of Brainwashing: A Synthesis
of the Russian Textbook on Psycho-politics" and
is attributed to Kenneth Goff. Here, Beria is
the Head of the Lenin School of Psycho-politics
and speaks to a group of American/Marxist
Psychology students in 1933.

And yet _another_ edition of the book is listed
in the catalog of A-Albionic Research:
"Brainwashing: A Synthesis of the Russian
Textbook on Psychopolitics; Psychopolitics and
the Suppression of Man and Civilization." This
edition is attributed to Kenneth Goff, and to
"Stalin's head of the KGB," and to L. Ron
Hubbard (all in the same sentence). It was
published in 1988.

L. Ron Hubbard, like most people, on occasion
told lies for personal gain. But was "Brain-
Washing" one of his lies, an attempt to ride
the demon engine of McCarthyism? By comparing
the facts - and the lies - surrounding "Brain-
Washing," an alternative origin appears in
which everyone, even L. Ron Hubbard, gets to
tell a little bit of the truth.

"Vampire Killer 2000" places "Brain-Washing" in
1933. Goff claims to have encountered it
between 1936 and 1939, and that an appendix had
been added after that time. It is attributed
to Hubbard in 1955. Later on it is published
by the John Birch Society and still later by A-
Albionic Research. When was the book written?
The time of origin of the book appears fluid,
covering no less and perhaps more than fifty
years.

The Goff edition speaks favorably of
Pentecostal religion and faith healing: one
wonders what denomination Goff was. Goff also
states that earlier editions did not mention
atomic warfare, which was included in later
editions. The early Scientology edition does
not include references to faith healing, and
later editions add Scientology terms. The
contents of the book also appear fluid,
reflecting the personal interests and the
times of the publisher.

The mailable origin and content of "Brain-
Washing" suggest very strongly that it is a
dystopian romance, a work of fiction that
presents itself as fact to give urgency to its
theme.

Dystopian works presented as fiction, such as
"Gulliver's Travels" and "1984," have a ready
place in literature. But when a dystopia is
presented as fact, and some people accept it as
a fact, its place is very different from that
of literature. Dystopian fiction is traceable
to a single source and is focused in its
subject: dystopia presented as fact is molded
to fit the agenda of the place and time it
appears (or re-appears). Dystopian fiction is
recognized as legitimate literature under names
including satire, humor and commentary:
dystopia presented as fact is not generally
recognized as a literary form, although like
the folk-lore it most resembles it has a very
long history.

"Brain-Washing" is not the only dystopian
romance. Generations have lived and died
believing "The Protocol of the Elders of Zion"
to be the actual meeting notes of the
conspiracy that rules the world. "The Occult
Technology of Power," "Silent Weapons for Quiet
Wars," "Report from Stone Mountain" and "MJ-12"
are more recent examples of the same literary
form: social criticism presented as historic
fact.

If "Brain-Washing" is a dystopian romance, it
(like folklore) will have many origins and
many forms. How can the claims surrounding it
be best assimilated? While I have found many
blossoms of this book, I have yet to see its
roots and have doubts they will ever be
uncovered. My comparing the different
editions of "Brain-Washing," a chronological
series of incarnations is suggested.

The book appears some time in the 1930s, and is
used by (if not written by) Kenneth Goff to
speak against Communism and for Pentecostal
Christianity. Later he adds an afterward on
atomic bombs, to update the red menace. When
L. Ron Hubbard had need of the book in the
1950s, he reads it into a transcription machine
as if he 'wrote' it. Initially he removes
references to Pentecostal Christianity and
faith healing and does not speak entirely
unkindly of Freud; later on he demonizes
psychiatry more than Communism. The John Birch
Society uses the book for their ends, as do
the Vampire Killers. Hubbard did indeed
"write" "Brain-Washing" - but so did Kenneth
Goff, the John Birch Society, the authors of
Vampire Killers 2000 and probably many others.

Were it possible to trace the branches of
"Brain-Washing" to a common trunk, it would
likely be planted in the old soil that
nourished the "Protocols" and every other
urban legend you've ever encountered.
Criticisms of social control mechanisms told
as fact, whatever agenda they may serve, are
ancient and universal. Those who have need of
the dystopian romance as a literary form can
pull out its skeleton, dress it in contemporary
flesh and send it on its way. "Brain-Washing"
belongs to us all.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
About the author:
The author is familiar with the fashion by
which the Church of Scientology meets its
critics, and wishes to remain anonymous.
No correspondance will be answered. The
author is also familiar with the process of
writing something, distributing it and having
people believe it: magically, what once was
only words becomes reality. In that spirit, let
it be known the author is an independently
wealthy person living in excellent health and
happiness in a beautiful house surrounded by
wonderful people and interesting books.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please feel encouraged to reprint, distribute
and archive this text in any form, including
in print, the Internet, BBS, tape, CD, film,
video, books, magazines, newspapers, in
translation, etc, with or without credit
given. Thank you.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Chronological Bibliography:

House Report No. 2: Investigation of Un-
American Activities and Propaganda / Report of
the Special Committee on Un-American Activities
Pursuant to H. Res. 282 (75th Congress) January
3, 1939.

House Report No. 8: Printing the Report on Un-
American Activities, January 30, 1939.

House Report No. 22: Continue Investigation of
Un-American Activities, February 2, 1939.

House Report No. 34: Investigation of Un-
American Activities, Expenses, February 9, 1939.

House Report No. 2233: Investigation of Un-
American Activities and Propaganda / Report of
the Committee on Un-American Activities
Pursuant to H. Res. 5 (79th Congress) June 7,
1946.

House Report No. 2742: Investigation of Un-
American Activities and Propaganda / Report of
the Committee on Un-American Activities
Pursuant to H. Res. 5 (79th Congress) January
2, 1947.

Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian
Textbook on Psychopolitics by Beria. Kenneth
Goff, Englewood (no date)

Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian
Textbook on Psychopolitics by Beria. Hubbard
College of Scientology, Sussex 1955

L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? by Bent
Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. Lyle Stuart
Inc. Secaucus NJ 1987 ISBN 0-8184-0444-2

Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron
Hubbard by Russell Miller. Henry Holt and
Company New York 1987 ISBN 0-8050-0654-0

Brainwashing: A Synthesis of the Russian
Textbook on Psychopolitics; Psychopolitics and
the Suppression of Man and Civilization by
Kenneth Goff. A-Albionic 1988

Vampire Killer 2000, edited (written?) by Jack
McLamb. Published by Police Against The New
World Order.

A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and
L. Ron Hubbard Exposed by Jon Atack, Lyle
Stuart Inc. Secaucus NJ 1990 ISBN 0-685-45110-0

Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian
Textbook on Psychopolitics by Beria. Martin
Hunt, 1996

Anonymous

unread,

Oct 8, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/8/96

Keith Henson

unread,

Oct 8, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/8/96

Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to whoever
did this one. Keith Henson

Anonymous

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Oct 8, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/8/96

to alt.religion...@myriad.alias.net

Perry Scott

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Oct 8, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/8/96

Keith Henson (hkhe...@netcom.com) wrote:
: Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to whoever

: did this one. Keith Henson

Yes, it does come out of the woodwork. And again. And again...

Good piece, though.

Perry Scott
Co$ Escapee

Martin G. V. Hunt

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Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

Huge Cajones Remailer (nob...@huge.cajones.com) writes:
> BRAIN-WASHING:
> A SYNTHESIS OF THE ROMANTIC DYSTOPIA
> ON PSYCHOPOLITICS
>
> by Anonymous, September 1996
>
> It is my good fortune to work in the used and
> rare book field in a moderately large city in
> the Pacific Northwest. Over the years I have
> seen many strange and wonderful titles. This
> is a tale of one of them, a book I never
> thought I would see once much less twice, and
> some suggestions as to its true origin.

Full pubs data, please? It looks like a clean-up job of
Hubbard's "brainwashing manual"

> All my life I have been interested in belief
> and control systems: among the groups I
> have investigated at length is the Church
> of Scientology.
>
> The literature of Dianetics and Scientology,
> pro and con, is extensive. Add to this the

^^^
Can you cite *one single* reference that is pro scn, that is not:
1. written by Hubbard, (his bios, WiS, etc.)
2. written by a brainwashed scn, (Travolta gives his wins)
3. published by scientology itself, or (SAA publishing, Bridge, etc.)
4. bought and paid for by scn. (Garrison, et al)

Just one will do; if it's a large book, perhaps you could claim,
with some reason, an "extensive" pro liturature. As it is, all
independant books I've ever seen or heard of are negative, without
exception.

> tremendous debates occurring on the Internet
> and an impressive library of legal documents
> filed around the world and it is quite possible
> one could spend a lifetime defending, attacking
> or simply studying the legacy of L. Ron
> Hubbard.

You couldn't really spend a lifetime defending him; no reasonable
defence of this man, or his cult, is possible - given his history.

> This brief essay concerns a specific
> piece of Dianetic/Scientology literature
> titled "Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the
> Russian Textbook on Psychopolitics."

Which Corydon delivers a convincing case in his book was written
by Hubbard himself.

> The author will assume some familiarity on the
> part of the reader regarding Dianetics,
> Scientology, Hubbard, etc.: the text of "Brain-
> Washing" has been posted in full to the
> newsgroup alt.religion.scientology and is
> likely archived somewhere. In brief, "Brain-
> Washing" presents itself as an address by
> Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria to American students
> at the Lenin University on the use of
> psychiatry as a means of social control.

See my booklist at: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~av282

> "L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman" by Bent
> Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard Jr. quotes from
> "Brain-Washing" at length and postulates on its
> source. According to Corydon and Hubbard, the
> book first appeared in 1955. The official line
> was that it had been "slipped under the door of
> a Scientology org" (org being an abbreviation
> for organization). Hubbard Jr., however,
> states: "Dad wrote every word of it. Barbara
> Bryan and my wife typed the manuscript off his
> dictation." John Sanborne, editor of Hubbard
> Sr.'s books since the early 1950s, confirms
> that Hubbard dictated the book in 1955.
> Corydon also writes "The manual was later
> actually being distributed by such groups as
> the John Birch Society."

Corydon also mentions the genesis of the book, when Hubbard got
the idea, shouted "eureka!", so to speak, and started writing it.

> "Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron
> Hubbard" by Russell Miller adds that the
> Federal Bureau of Investigations's Central
> Research Section, upon being presented with a
> copy of "Brain-Washing" by Hubbard, concluded
> its authenticity was doubtful and did not
> acknowledge receipt of the pamphlet.

And a copy was planted in the Library of Congress, according to Corydon.
But the real evidence that Hubbard wrote it is right there, in the booklet;
"published at saint hill", mine says. And it mentions, get this, Dianetics!
It uses many Hubbardisms, which I cover in my brief study of the book (up on
the web along with the copy I typed in).

> In November 1963 the government of Victoria,
> Australia appointed a Board of Inquiry into
> Scientology. The Hubbard Association of
> Scientologists International provided the Board
> with its literature, including "Brain-
> Washing." The Board attributed the pamphlet to
> Hubbard and quoted at length in the October
> 1965 report as an example of the "evil" of
> Scientology.

And they started the practice, carried on with Corydon, of substituting
certain words in the propaganda piece to make the ideas, so similar to
scientology, stand out in relief.

> The testimony of Hubbard Jr. and Sandborne,
> combined with the well documented history of
> deception on the part of Hubbard Sr., suggests
> that in fact "Brain-Washing" was written by
> Hubbard Sr. and is not what it presents itself
> to be. This is the conclusion of Corydon,
> Hubbard Jr, Miller, of Jon Atack in his book "A
> Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and
> L. Ron Hubbard Exposed" and the majority of
> Scientology critics on the Internet.

It was my conclusion, too, after reading through the thing a couple
times. It's so much like any of Hubbard's rantings, than any ex-scn
can see for themselves that Hubbard authored it. It would make a good
text to run through a stylometric analysis; but it's easy to spot
the Hubbardisms, not only words, but concepts (the dynamics, etc)
as well.

> I never imagined I would actually see a copy
> of "Brain-Washing." But to my great surprise I
> found a copy for sale in a drawer of paper
> ephemera at a former employer's book store,
> along with other older Scientology material. I
> photocopied it immediately, then put it on
> display. Not long after I bought the book:
> failing to capture such a rare bird for my
> ideological garden would have haunted me
> forever.

It's quite a find, yes.

> The book opens with an Editorial Note by one
> Charles Stickley (Atack suggests this too is L.

Missing in some versions.

Never heard of this copy; there's two differnet editions
on the web, one on Ignaz' site, one on Jeff's. Without more
confirmation, I don't buy your version.

--
Cogito, ergo sum.

Art Online oil paintings: http://www.islandnet.com/~martinh/homepage.html
Scientology FAQs: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~av282

Martin G. V. Hunt

unread,

Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

Don't be too sure about that. I think it may be a load of BS after the
first 1/3rd; it's certainly completely unsubstatiated, and I'm not about
to swallow it. It's in direct contradiction to other references.

Martin G. V. Hunt

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Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

Keith Henson (hkhe...@netcom.com) writes:
> Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to whoever
> did this one. Keith Henson

Better be careful; what he says directly contradicts references in
Corydon, which he seems to have neglected to mention, such as when
and where the brainwashing manual had it's genesis in Hubbard's feverish
mind.

He starts off with a roughly accurste line, then takes a wild dive South;
I'm not saying he's FOS yet, but it is unsubstantiated after the first
1/3rd of his long article.

Martin G. V. Hunt

unread,

Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

Huge Cajones Remailer (nob...@huge.cajones.com) writes:

> by Anonymous, September 1996
^^^^^^^^^
Uh-huh. God knows, it's dangerous to review pamphlets.

> The second copy of "Brain-Washing" I bought was
> published by Kenneth Goff of Englewood,
> Colorado. This undated edition contains much
> more information as to the source of "Brain-
> Washing" than the Scientology edition.

This is the first I've heard of it; without seeing a copy and getting
some reasonable date on it, it's worthless. It could easily be a figment
of Mr. Anonymous' imagination, or it could possibly be a shore story
pamphlet done up more recently, but I suspect the former.

From Corydon:

"John Sanborne, the editor of Hubbard's books in the nineteen-fifties, was
there in 1955 at the *Manual's* inception:"

"I suggested it. Just kidding around on his front porch. Slygo Avenue
in Silver Springs, Maryland. Talking about how we are going to get these
psychiatrists. I said, "What we need to do is take over their subject.
What we need to put out is a manual of psych-military something or other...
as coming from the communists, and then put a lot of psychiatry in it.
"And we're sitting there, with our chairs tipped back on the front
porch, tipped against the house, with our feet up on the realing, and
all of a sudden he came on on his chair and he grabs me.
"And I thought, "I've had it!"
"And he said, "That's it!"
"Then he disappeared into this little front room which was sort of a
bedroom and study, and you could hear him in there dictating this book.

-page 108, "L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?", newly revised and updated
paperback edition. Why should we believe you when you introduce things to
"prove" Hubbard didn't write what he so patently did? Also, why did you
neglect this vital quote as to source, and completely fail to answer to
it?

> Kenneth Goff claimed to have been a member of
> the Communist Party from 2 May 1936 to 10
> October 1939. He states that in 1939 he
> appeared before the Un-American Activities
> Committee in Washington D. C. (chaired at the
> time by Martin Dies), and that his testimony
> can be found in Volume Nine of that year's
> Congressional Report. However, if he did

And I bet he did exist. But what evidence is there that he wrote Hubbard's
Manual?

> testify, his name is not mentioned and the
> themes presented in "Brain-Washing" do not
> appear. Goff wrote "Still 'tis our Ancient
> Foe," in which he claimed "The Frankenstein of
> Communism is the product of the Jewish Mind."
> Goff died of a heart attack in 1943.
>
> During his membership in the Communist Party,
> Goff attended the Eugene Debs Labor School in
> Milwaukee, Wisconsin (which is also not
> mentioned in the House Reports of the Un-
> American Activities Committee). Speaking of
> "Brain-Washing" in an Editorial Note, Goff
> states: "This book was used in underground
> schools, and contains the address of Beria to
> the American students in the Lenin University
> prior to 1936. The text in the book in general
> is from the Communist Manual of Instructions of
> Psychological Warfare, and was used in America
> for the training of Communist cadre. The only
> revision in this book is the summary, which was
> added by the Communists after the atomic bomb
> came into being."

Uh huh; and the references to Dianetics? Were those in it too?

How about the others of Hubbard's ideas? And other Hubbardisms?

^^^^^^^^^

Doesn't that rather disagree with the dates you mention above?

Uh-huh; why did I think you would get around to that?

You're FOS.

> And yet another edition of the book is quoted
> in "Vampire Killer 2000." This time the title
> is "The Soviet Art of Brainwashing: A Synthesis
> of the Russian Textbook on Psycho-politics" and
> is attributed to Kenneth Goff. Here, Beria is
> the Head of the Lenin School of Psycho-politics
> and speaks to a group of American/Marxist
> Psychology students in 1933.
>
> And yet _another_ edition of the book is listed
> in the catalog of A-Albionic Research:
> "Brainwashing: A Synthesis of the Russian
> Textbook on Psychopolitics; Psychopolitics and
> the Suppression of Man and Civilization." This
> edition is attributed to Kenneth Goff, and to
> "Stalin's head of the KGB," and to L. Ron
> Hubbard (all in the same sentence). It was
> published in 1988.

And where did you come across all these "editions", pray tell?

You neglected to mention that at the start. You start off with how
hard it is to come by, then throw a plethora of editions at us
in an apparent attempt to "prove" hubbard didn't write this piece
of trash. Sorry, I'm not buying, but I see you fooled a couple others
here, so my hat's off to you.

> L. Ron Hubbard, like most people, on occasion
> told lies for personal gain. But was "Brain-
> Washing" one of his lies, an attempt to ride
> the demon engine of McCarthyism? By comparing
> the facts - and the lies - surrounding "Brain-
> Washing," an alternative origin appears in
> which everyone, even L. Ron Hubbard, gets to
> tell a little bit of the truth.
>
> "Vampire Killer 2000" places "Brain-Washing" in
> 1933. Goff claims to have encountered it
> between 1936 and 1939, and that an appendix had

And tehse editions mention Dianetics? Hello? You actually expect us
to believe this? Can you cite a single reference for Dianetics'
existence prior to 1950? No, I didn't think so. Very convenient.

> been added after that time. It is attributed
> to Hubbard in 1955. Later on it is published
> by the John Birch Society and still later by A-

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This part is true; you've made a clever concoction of truth and lies,
and it looks like the result is a slick product meant to deliver the PR line
that Hubbard was not the author. You've even throw in a few critical
remarks, to show you're believeable. But you wholly neglect to meniotn
vital things, such as:

1. how did you come into so many differnet versions.
2. why dodn't you mention the other passages of the Manual which use
blatant Hubbardisms.
3. why dodn't you even attempt to answer Corydon
4. logical inconsistenices as to date, the mention of Dianetics.

This is a brief list; I'm sure a detailed analysis of your shore-story
by Jon Atack, for example, would turn up many other inconsistencies.

> Albionic Research. When was the book written?
> The time of origin of the book appears fluid,
> covering no less and perhaps more than fifty
> years.
>
> The Goff edition speaks favorably of
> Pentecostal religion and faith healing: one
> wonders what denomination Goff was. Goff also
> states that earlier editions did not mention
> atomic warfare, which was included in later
> editions. The early Scientology edition does
> not include references to faith healing, and
> later editions add Scientology terms. The
> contents of the book also appear fluid,
> reflecting the personal interests and the
> times of the publisher.

Didn't you just list and quote all the differences between versions?
Now you're coming up with more.

> The mailable origin and content of "Brain-
> Washing" suggest very strongly that it is a
> dystopian romance, a work of fiction that
> presents itself as fact to give urgency to its
> theme.

BS; the content suggets Hubbard, through and through. Even if we didn't
have reputable cites as to the origin of this nasty bit of work which
scn has long endeavored to divorce from Hubbard, we could do a very cogent
style analysis that would give a strong argument about it's authorship.

Your "analysis" is full of holes, and you're FOS.

> Dystopian works presented as fiction, such as
> "Gulliver's Travels" and "1984," have a ready
> place in literature. But when a dystopia is
> presented as fact, and some people accept it as
> a fact, its place is very different from that
> of literature. Dystopian fiction is traceable
> to a single source and is focused in its
> subject: dystopia presented as fact is molded
> to fit the agenda of the place and time it
> appears (or re-appears). Dystopian fiction is
> recognized as legitimate literature under names
> including satire, humor and commentary:
> dystopia presented as fact is not generally
> recognized as a literary form, although like
> the folk-lore it most resembles it has a very
> long history.
>
> "Brain-Washing" is not the only dystopian
> romance.

It's not even; you're setting up completely unreasonable presumptions.

> Generations have lived and died
> believing "The Protocol of the Elders of Zion"
> to be the actual meeting notes of the
> conspiracy that rules the world. "The Occult
> Technology of Power," "Silent Weapons for Quiet
> Wars," "Report from Stone Mountain" and "MJ-12"
> are more recent examples of the same literary
> form: social criticism presented as historic
> fact.
>
> If "Brain-Washing" is a dystopian romance, it
> (like folklore) will have many origins and
> many forms. How can the claims surrounding it
> be best assimilated? While I have found many
> blossoms of this book, I have yet to see its
> roots and have doubts they will ever be
> uncovered. My comparing the different
> editions of "Brain-Washing," a chronological
> series of incarnations is suggested.
>
> The book appears some time in the 1930s, and is
> used by (if not written by) Kenneth Goff to

Didn't you say above you couldn't acertain the date? Now, you've got
"Dianetics" extant in the 1930s. Bullshit.

Clever, slick bullshit, though; this is the best OSA PR crap lies
I've seen in a while; you must be a writer for Freedom.

> speak against Communism and for Pentecostal
> Christianity. Later he adds an afterward on
> atomic bombs, to update the red menace. When
> L. Ron Hubbard had need of the book in the
> 1950s, he reads it into a transcription machine
> as if he 'wrote' it. Initially he removes
> references to Pentecostal Christianity and
> faith healing and does not speak entirely
> unkindly of Freud; later on he demonizes
> psychiatry more than Communism. The John Birch

You said above that the hypothetical G edition had "Dianetics" in it,
you lying sack of shit.

> Society uses the book for their ends, as do
> the Vampire Killers. Hubbard did indeed
> "write" "Brain-Washing" - but so did Kenneth
> Goff, the John Birch Society, the authors of
> Vampire Killers 2000 and probably many others.

Hubbard wrote it entire, and I've yet to see any evidence anywhere
or anything otherwise, your "editions" regardless.

How come no one has ever turned up these editions but yourself? Well-
known archivists don't have them; the Library of Congress doesn't have
them; only *you*.

> Were it possible to trace the branches of
> "Brain-Washing" to a common trunk, it would
> likely be planted in the old soil that
> nourished the "Protocols" and every other
> urban legend you've ever encountered.
> Criticisms of social control mechanisms told
> as fact, whatever agenda they may serve, are
> ancient and universal. Those who have need of
> the dystopian romance as a literary form can
> pull out its skeleton, dress it in contemporary
> flesh and send it on its way. "Brain-Washing"
> belongs to us all.

Brainwashing belongs to Hubbard; it is his work, in his words, created
entire in 1955, with many 1955 references and allusions, and scientology
ideas.

> The author is familiar with the fashion by
> which the Church of Scientology meets its
> critics, and wishes to remain anonymous.

Don't do them any favours; they'd give you a big wet kiss for this bit
of propaganda! They've been trying for years to distance Hubbard and
the Manual, and you're working right along with them.

Care to show all your unexplained "new editions" that turned up at your
feet or show them to someone who could authenticate them?

Care to send us photocopies?

Care to put up .gifs of some of the title pages and covers, or mail
photos of the covers and some of the pages?

Care to back up your ludicrous story in any way whatsoever?

> No correspondance will be answered. The

Yes, and who are we supposed to send it to, you anonymous fuck?
How can you ignore non-existent correspondence? It must be your
OT Powerz.

> author is also familiar with the process of
> writing something, distributing it and having
> people believe it: magically, what once was
> only words becomes reality. In that spirit, let

Not in this reality, bub.

> it be known the author is an independently
> wealthy person living in excellent health and
> happiness in a beautiful house surrounded by
> wonderful people and interesting books.

Yeah, right; more likely a poor sap slaving away in a cramped office in
LA, pumping out propaganda for scn.

Hope this doesn't get you landed in the RPF when you get shot full
of holes big enough to drive cars through, but I'm not convinced your PR
piece is worth an in-depth analysis by someone who has the time and
expertise...they'd probably laugh you off, and deem it so unbelieveable
as to be not worth their precious time, unfortunately.

> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - > Please feel encouraged to reprint, distribute
> and archive this text in any form, including
> in print, the Internet, BBS, tape, CD, film,
> video, books, magazines, newspapers, in
> translation, etc, with or without credit
> given. Thank you.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> Chronological Bibliography:

And make sure, whoever does, to include some actual references from
Corydon to refute these absurd claims.

What's the use of this reference list? You don't cite any referecnes above,
just make it up as you go along...and these aren't even mentioned, for the
most part:

> House Report No. 2: Investigation of Un-
> American Activities and Propaganda / Report of
> the Special Committee on Un-American Activities
> Pursuant to H. Res. 282 (75th Congress) January
> 3, 1939.
>
> House Report No. 8: Printing the Report on Un-
> American Activities, January 30, 1939.
>
> House Report No. 22: Continue Investigation of
> Un-American Activities, February 2, 1939.
>
> House Report No. 34: Investigation of Un-
> American Activities, Expenses, February 9, 1939.
>
> House Report No. 2233: Investigation of Un-
> American Activities and Propaganda / Report of
> the Committee on Un-American Activities
> Pursuant to H. Res. 5 (79th Congress) June 7,
> 1946.
>
> House Report No. 2742: Investigation of Un-
> American Activities and Propaganda / Report of
> the Committee on Un-American Activities
> Pursuant to H. Res. 5 (79th Congress) January
> 2, 1947.

Can you offer one shred of evidence that this even exists?:

> Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian
> Textbook on Psychopolitics by Beria. Kenneth
> Goff, Englewood (no date)

And you're claiming that my edition and yours are so very
different of this one, while sneakily suggesting I added in
Hubbardisms. My copy I made the photocopies from (Jeff, did
you get the photocopy?) and Jeff's copy, and the copies used
by Attack and other are all substantially identical. I note the
cover of mine was very worn, and it was obviously dated.

This edition, without the Hubbardisms, does not exist:

> Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian
> Textbook on Psychopolitics by Beria. Hubbard
> College of Scientology, Sussex 1955
>
> L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? by Bent
> Corydon and L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. Lyle Stuart
> Inc. Secaucus NJ 1987 ISBN 0-8184-0444-2
>
> Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron
> Hubbard by Russell Miller. Henry Holt and
> Company New York 1987 ISBN 0-8050-0654-0

Who's this published by, yet another cult front group? Or
is this a figment,as well?:

> Brainwashing: A Synthesis of the Russian
> Textbook on Psychopolitics; Psychopolitics and
> the Suppression of Man and Civilization by
> Kenneth Goff. A-Albionic 1988
>
> Vampire Killer 2000, edited (written?) by Jack
> McLamb. Published by Police Against The New
> World Order.
>
> A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and
> L. Ron Hubbard Exposed by Jon Atack, Lyle
> Stuart Inc. Secaucus NJ 1990 ISBN 0-685-45110-0

No, sorry; I didn't author a thing, idiot. You can have a photocopy if
you send me postage...for your "collection" of fables.

> Brain-Washing: A Synthesis of the Russian
> Textbook on Psychopolitics by Beria. Martin
> Hunt, 1996

Nice try, OSA; but Bzzzzt! Come back and try again, you hear? Maybe
you'll become more credible with the passage of time, anonymous fuck. :-)

Keith Henson

unread,

Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

Martin G. V. Hunt (av...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) wrote:

: Keith Henson (hkhe...@netcom.com) writes:
: > Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to whoever
: > did this one. Keith Henson

: Better be careful; what he says directly contradicts references in
: Corydon, which he seems to have neglected to mention, such as when
: and where the brainwashing manual had it's genesis in Hubbard's feverish
: mind.

I thought the article substantiated this view. The major point I got
was that Hubbard lifted more than his usual scoop from other sources,
i.e., plagerized more than even normal for him.

: He starts off with a roughly accurste line, then takes a wild dive South;

: I'm not saying he's FOS yet, but it is unsubstantiated after the first
: 1/3rd of his long article.

I suppose anything is possible, but *I* sure thought the article was
quite unfavorable to Hubbard. Keith Henson

spbill

unread,

Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

In article <53g9lc$6...@freenet-news.carleton.ca>,

av...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Martin G. V. Hunt) wrote:
>
>Perry Scott (pe...@fc.hp.com) writes:
>> Keith Henson (hkhe...@netcom.com) wrote:

>> : Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to
>> : whoever did this one. Keith Henson
>>

>> Yes, it does come out of the woodwork. And again. And again...
>>
>> Good piece, though.
>
>Don't be too sure about that. I think it may be a load of BS after
>the first 1/3rd; it's certainly completely unsubstatiated, and I'm
>not about to swallow it. It's in direct contradiction to other
>references.

Hubbard was really into Brain-Washing during the fifties.

For example, in HCOB: TECHNICAL BULLETIN OF July 22nd 1956 the old man
was bragging about how effective his tech was for brainwashing people:

"4. We now know more about psychiatry than psychiatrists. We can BW
faster than the Russians (20 seconds to total amnesia against three
years to slightly confused loyalty).

5. We can undo whatever psychiatrists do, even the tougher grade
from away back. We can therefore undo a BW in 25 to 75 hours."

(In the above LRH quote, the letters "BW" stand for Brain Wash)

It would appear that much of scientology's tech is based on Hubbard's
research into brainwashing techniques. Today the church maintains
they only use the tech for good purposes though.

spbill

Your SP Declare is waiting for you at the end of the Bridge.
Sign up now for your next step.

John Mark Ockerbloom

unread,

Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

An anonymous poster writes about the various editions of
"Brainwashing" that he encountered, and considers some
possible origins. Their (admittedly speculative) conclusion is

>The book appears some time in the 1930s, and is
>used by (if not written by) Kenneth Goff to
>speak against Communism and for Pentecostal
>Christianity. Later he adds an afterward on
>atomic bombs, to update the red menace. When
>L. Ron Hubbard had need of the book in the
>1950s, he reads it into a transcription machine
>as if he 'wrote' it.

The poster makes some interesting points, but ultimately does not make
a convincing case for a pre-Hubbard origin for the text.

When researching the origins of this book for The On-Line Books Page,
I did a search of WorldCat to find out what versions were out there.
WorldCat is a subscription-based database of thousands of on-line
library catalogs; if a book has made it into any university or major
public library system in North America, chances are it's in WorldCat.

WorldCat does reveal that the "brainwashing" text is indeed now being
disseminated in various forms by different (and usually somewhat paranoid)
organizations, and that there are editions that credit Goff as the editor.
However, there is *no* edition listed in WorldCat that's dated earlier
than 1955, the year that Hubbard released his version of the text.

The editions that bear Goff's name either are undated or post-date
1943, which was the year Goff died. The attributions made to Goff in
the editions themselves are also dubious, as can be seen by the
example quotes that our anonymous poster supplies.

See, for instance:

>Kenneth Goff claimed to have been a member of
>the Communist Party from 2 May 1936 to 10
>October 1939. He states that in 1939 he
>appeared before the Un-American Activities
>Committee in Washington D. C. (chaired at the
>time by Martin Dies), and that his testimony
>can be found in Volume Nine of that year's
>Congressional Report. However, if he did
>testify, his name is not mentioned and the
>themes presented in "Brain-Washing" do not
>appear.

So there is no public record that Goff ever actually testified
as to the contents of the manual; and furthermore, the assertion
the book makes that he testified at all is not borne out by the record.

Dave Bird---St Hippo of Augustine

unread,

Oct 9, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/9/96

In article <53gs37$o...@casaba.srv.cs.cmu.edu>, John Mark Ockerbloom
<sp...@cs.cmu.edu> writes

>
>The poster makes some interesting points, but ultimately does not make
>a convincing case for a pre-Hubbard origin for the text.
>
>When researching the origins of this book for The On-Line Books Page,
>I did a search of WorldCat to find out what versions were out there.
>WorldCat is a subscription-based database of thousands of on-line
>library catalogs; if a book has made it into any university or major
>public library system in North America, chances are it's in WorldCat.

I believe we have been subject to a very clever troll. It is
arguably _possible_ that the book existed pre-Hubbard, and that
the widespread use of Scientology jargon and mentions of
Scientology/Dianetics were a later addition. But the writer
says a few passages and a bit of vocabluary are different.
The problem is that the WHOLE THING in its concepts and
structures derives at a basic level from Hubbard's very
idiosyncratic mental pathologies. I very much doubt
that an ANALYSIS so idiomatically his could be merely
a re-editing of an existing work.

--
Regards, Woof Woof, Glug Glug--
X E M U * Who Drowned theJUDGe's Dog ?
s p 4 \ |\ answers on ( alt.religion.scientology
/~~~~~~~ @----, and on page (/clam/faq/woofglug.html
-;'^';,_,-;^; : : : : : : http://www.xemu.demon.co.uk/index.html
_____________________________________*****_<--server has changed___
OT8 Cognition:"Source is the 8th Dynamic"[LRon Hubbard is God]BWAAH!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

William Barwell

unread,

Oct 12, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/12/96

In article <hkhensonD...@netcom.com>,

Keith Henson <hkhe...@netcom.com> wrote:
>Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to whoever
>did this one. Keith Henson
>

Fascinating. Hubbard reworked something a bit and palmed it off
as something it wasn't, having tweeked it for his own purposes.

Pope Charles
SubGenius Pope Of Houston
Slack!

William Barwell

unread,

Oct 12, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/12/96

In article <53g9if$6...@freenet-news.carleton.ca>,

Martin G. V. Hunt <av...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA> wrote:
>
>Keith Henson (hkhe...@netcom.com) writes:

>> Wow! Interesting stuff does come out of the woodwork. Thanks to whoever
>> did this one. Keith Henson
>

>Better be careful; what he says directly contradicts references in
>Corydon, which he seems to have neglected to mention, such as when
>and where the brainwashing manual had it's genesis in Hubbard's feverish
>mind.
>

>He starts off with a roughly accurste line, then takes a wild dive South;
>I'm not saying he's FOS yet, but it is unsubstantiated after the first
>1/3rd of his long article.
>

I think it highly probable that this is for real. Stuff like this has
been passed on through rightwinged circles for years and a lot of obscure
nonsense does stay in circualtion in small press runs for years.
This rings true. That Hubbard would grab hold of something like this.
tweak it and send it on is not impossible.

Laird Wilcox is a man who some years ago started a large archive of right
winged extremist literature. His institute was attempting to do this for
benefit of researchers and historians. I lost track years ago of his
efforts but have recently seen mentions of him on various parts of the
net. It would be interesting to see if he could be contacted and the
basics of any of this confirmed.
I believe he or rather his institute has a net presence somewhere.

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