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.
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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.
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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.
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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
