Finders/CIA/children/Russia

[Stuart.B...@mci.com]

<<<<The following is presented FYI as interesting background...no comment
by me at this time...>>>>

alt.society.neutopia
[1] Finders article in Unclassified (Part 1)
wmin...@delphi.com

PART I

Unclassified, No. 35, Winter, 1995, Pages 19-21.

"The Finders: The CIA and the Cult of Marion David Pettie"

Wendell L. Minnick

They're creepy and they're kooky, they're mysterious and
they're spooky, but they're not the Addams family - they're the
Finders. Kooky and spooky indeed, with ties ranging from the
CIA, wacky New Age groups, computer hackers, and child porn.
Based in Washington, D.C. the Finders have managed to build up
quite a mysterious aura.
But the mystery has eroded over the years. In February 1987
the Finders made the front page of major newspapers across the
country. Two members, Michael Holwell and Douglas E. Ammerman,
were arrested in Tallahassee Florida with a van and six Finders
children. Police were called to the scene after a concerned
citizen noticed half nude children being escorted around a park
by two well dressed men wearing ties. After a few questions and
inspection of the van, the two Finders were placed under arrest
for suspected child abuse.
Tallahassee police contacted the Washington, D.C.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) concerning the two men. MPD
officers, backed by FBI and Customs agents, raided the Finders
warehouse and dorm. Leaked stories to the press weaved tales of
child pornography and Satanism involving a goat sacrifice with
children (the Finders refer to it as "Goatgate"). The press went
wild.
Then the unexpected happened. The case was dropped by
Federal authorities. Florida officials found themselves
dumbfounded by the action, and charges were discarded in Florida.
The Finders went back to whatever it is Finders do. The
press felt burned by the incident and stories on the group were
discouraged by editors. In December 1993 the Finders found
themselves back in the news. A disheartened Customs agent who
participated in the raids released documents detailing CIA
involvement in the termination of the Justice Department
investigation.
The documents described Finders interest in child abduction,
pornography, terrorism, bank secrecy, and explosives. Customs
documents detailed a gruesome collection of photographs taken at
the Finders farm involving children and the sacrifice of a goat.
"The photos portrayed the execution, disembowelment, skinning and
dismemberment of the goats at the hands of the children. This
included the removal of the testes of a male goat, the discovery
of a female goat's womb and the baby goats inside the womb, and
the presentation of a goats head to one of the children."
Finders showed an interest in local child care organizations
in the D.C. area. Finders also answered ads for babysitters and
tutors with the intention of gathering information on private
families. For what purpose was undetermined.
Child abduction and procurement was worldwide. "One telex
specifically ordered the purchases of two children from Hong Kong
to be arranged through a contact in the Chinese embassy there."
At the time of the raid Justice agents discovered a Chinese
student living with the Finders. Wang Geng-xin was a graduate
student in the Anatomy Department at Georgetown University. His
involvement has not been clarified.
One of the most damaging and disturbing aspects of the
Customs documents was the CIA's involvement with the Finders and
the CIA's termination of the criminal investigation. "The
investigation into the activity of the Finders had become a CIA
internal matter. The MPD report has been classified SECRET." A
Finder passport discovered during the raid included travel to
Moscow, North Korea, and Vietnam from 1956 to 1975. State
Department officials declared the "travel was legitimate and to
terminate further investigation."
The one line that crucifies the CIA and the Finders on the
same cross startles the imagination: "CIA made one contact and
admitted to owning the Finders organization as a front for a
domestic computer training operation, but that it had gone bad."
The 1993 release of these documents caused a minor furor in
Congress, FBI, and the CIA, but nothing more was done about the
Finders.
Even the family of Finders cult leader, Marion David Pettie,
now 75, has ties with the CIA. After Pettie left the Air Force
as a Master Sergeant in 1956, his wife joined the CIA as a
support secretary from 1957 to 1961. Serving for the CIA chief
of station in Frankfurt, Germany, and for the chief of security
in Washington. One of Pettie's sons, George Pettie, served in
the CIA's Air America in Vietnam.
Though there is no concrete evidence Pettie worked for the
CIA there is a questionable unsigned "Investigative Leads" memo
describing Pettie's relationship with the CIA. This document
claims Pettie was recruited in 1946 by Charles E. Marsh and sent
to Baltimore for counterintelligence training. In 1954 Pettie
recruited Eric Heiberg who later served as international student
director at Georgetown University and "talent spotter at
Georgetown University." Heiberg, who admits knowing Pettie,
denies ever serving as a CIA talent spotter. Pettie did attend
Georgetown from February 1956 to July 1956 in the School of
Language and Linguistics. However, the document claims Pettie
received "intelligence training" at Georgetown. Further, Pettie
attended a "USAF intelligence training school in Frankfurt...from
1956-1957." After this Pettie roamed Europe recruiting "a
network of agents." Including a trip to Moscow with Dr. Keith
Arnold who was "recruited in 1958 in Paris." The document moves
into the 1960s and 1970s where Pettie became involved in the
"beat movement."
At some point in the 1960s Pettie created a commune of
hippies on his farm near Culpeper, Virginia. The commune evolved
into a cult centered on his persona. The document claims Pettie
continued having strong ties to the intelligence community, but
the details are muddled in the hippie drug culture described at
length.
Around 1980 the cult abandoned the communal hippy lifestyle
by embracing technology and business. The membership varied
between thirty to forty members. They became engrossed in
computer technology and business practices.
Pettie maintained a bizarre living arrangement. Male and
female members were separated in different living quarters.
Pettie's girlfriend, Barbara "Bonnie" Sylvester, was given a
dominant role over the cult. According to journalist Andrei
Codrescu, who interviewed "Bonnie" during this time, the sexual
practices were odd. "Coupling was forbidden and sex was a favor
granted from above. When a woman felt the need for company she
called one of the men from the bunks below to comfort her. Men
were rotated to prevent attachments but nonetheless certain men
were called more often than others." The Customs documents
validate Finders odd sexual behavior, "The information was
specific in describing 'blood rituals' and sexual orgies
involving children."
Codrescu also described Finders globe trotting, "they sent
groups [of Finders] to various places they picked arbitrarily on
a globe in the Situation Room, with instructions to work various
jobs and bring back a certain sum of money." The CIA is also
mentioned, "the male founder [Pettie]...had once been in the CIA,
which is why the [the Finders] were also known as the DCIA
(Divine Central Intelligence Agency)."
alt.society.neutopia
[1] Finders (Part 2)
wmin...@delphi.com

PART II

Unclassified, No. 35, Winter 1995

"The Finders: The CIA and the Cult of Marion David Pettie."

Wendell Minnick

"Bonnie" died in January 1982 when she refused to be taken
to the hospital for appendicitis. When she died Pettie and the
Finders went into a funk. Long self criticism sessions became
the norm for the Finders. Pettie decided to impregnate the
female members of the group to continue the Finders tradition to
another generation.
The next time the Finders made the news was in Florida when
two members were arrested with a van full of children propagated
on Pettie's orders. Going where is not clear.
The cult, according to the Cult Awareness Network, has a
pyramid authoritarian leadership structure. Pettie demands
unquestioned loyalty, rewarding his followers with his wisdom.
Members are required to give a substantial financial amount to
the group. Pettie encourages his followers to send cruel, often
vulgar, letters to their parents and friends. This is meant to
dissolve outside relationships, and develop an "us versus them"
mentality. Finders indulge in self criticism discussions which
result in feelings of guilt and worthlessness that are subdued by
Pettie's wisdom. This is often referred to as "transference," a
counseling term in which a cult members burden is lifted onto the
shoulders of the cult leader. The member feels both relief and
loyalty. Members are kept busy working on both productive and
frivolous projects. This keeps members too busy to question
their involvement, and results in both physical and mental
exhaustion. Once a Finder leaves the group, members make threats
by phone.
The Finders are dysfunctional adults who need a benevolent
father figure long into adulthood. Despite this simple truth,
another perspective might be worthy of consideration. Daniel
Brandt, founder of Namebase, had some curious encounters with the
Finders during the early 1980s. Though a critic of the Finders,
Brandt argues, "If I had a choice between flipping burgers or
being a Finder, I'd be a Finder." Simply put, without the
Finders, these people are losers.
Finder philosophy is based on game playing. In fact, the
Finders refer to Pettie as the Game Caller, the Student, and the
Stroller. Using the globe as their game board, Finders travel
the world playing out Pettie's games. Finders express their
philosophy with little mottos. "The name of the game is Do what
thou wilt," and "Maximum Freedom Minimum Guilt." According to
one active member, Ted Reiss, "The essence of the games is to
have an interesting, adventurous life. Goatgate was an exciting
adventure, although it was a costly one for the group, in money
and in lost members."
Charges of Satanism stem from the Finders playing out the
role of witches and warlocks for fun. Many of the games involve
word games that are nothing more than lies told to gain the
confidence of the unsuspecting. These games can be likened to
playing musical chairs on the Titanic.
Today the Finders are as active as ever, but number only
eleven members, including Pettie. Members include Ronald L.
Alleman, Stanley Berns, Mary Grogan, Christian (Kris) Herbst,
Kristin Knauth, Theodore G. Reiss, Allen Schoen, Stuart Miles
Silverstone, Randolph Winn, and Steve Usdin.
Knauth and Grogan are the only female members in the group.
Knauth, age 35, was once married to Usdin, and has been a member
since 1982. Grogan, age 46, dating Winn, is the newest member of
the group. Winn is described as a "computer whiz." Reiss works
in the Academic Computer Center at Georgetown University where he
helped develop an Internet World Wide Web page. Kris Herbst
works in the Global Press office in the National Press Building.
Alleman ("Lucky") is a former Navy serviceman who claims he
served in a SEAL team in Vietnam. Many consider Alleman the
bully of the group whom Pettie uses to intimidate members and
potential troublemakers. However, a former member described
Alleman as a "drunk who can't even get out of bed in the morning,
much less a threat."
Usdin is second in command after Pettie. Described as the
"crown prince" of the Finders who would take over upon Pettie's
death. Usdin travels between Russia and Japan on Finders
business. His control over most of the Finder front
organizations appears total.
Finders "word games" or "word play" can be seen in their
business practices. Many of the front companies are in the
National Press Building. They include AAA-1 Information Finders,
Bio World, Emergency Services, Global Press, Graphics News
Services, and Information Bank. The most active fronts are
Global Press and Information Bank. The Finders have managed to
establish Global Press and Centre for Information Research in
Moscow with Valery Bardin and Kirill Tchashchin.
Some of the Finders are members of the National Press Club.
Several years ago a few of the Finders were able to convince
someone working for CMP Publications to allow Finders to list
themselves as representatives of CMP, a respected publisher of
computer and high technology magazines. Later, the Finders
established their membership under Global Press. CMP
Publications discovered only later that Global Press members Kris
Herbst and Steve Usdin were Finders. CMP issued a stern denial
of any knowledge of a Finders-CMP connection, "none of these
individuals were ever authorized to register as CMP
representatives with the National Press Club."
This was not the first time the Finders were able to
humiliate a major corporation for their own gain. During the
1987 scandal it was discovered that Future Enterprises, a
computer training company with contracts with the CIA, had a
Finder working for them. According to representative Joseph S.
Marinich, the company was unaware Robert Gardner Terrell was a
Finder and once the discovery was made his employment was
terminated.
alt.society.neutopia
[1] Finders (Part 3)
wmin...@delphi.com

PART III

Unclassified, No. 35, Winter, 1995

Finders: The CIA and the Cult of Marion David Pettie

Wendell Minnick

Today, along with several former Finders, Terrell, a former
IRS employee now living in Florida, is suing the Finders to
regain money and property invested while a member.
The most recent example of Finders embarrassing a major
corporation surrounds S.W.I.F.T. Services in Culpeper, Virginia.
S.W.I.F.T. stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank and
Financial Telecommunication. This is an automated system for
transferring data among financial institutions (e.g. money
transfer, bank statements, warning messages). The Finders have
created a mirror company called "Swift Services" in the same
town. According to the phone company Swift Services is listed
under four Finders - Knauth, Pettie, Silverstone, and Usdin.
Why the Finders mock a major corporation like S.W.I.F.T.
might be answered by examining the Customs documents. "Another
telex expressed an interest in bank secrecy situations. Other
documents identified interests in high-tech transfers to the
United Kingdom." When an outsider attempts to locate S.W.I.F.T.
by dialing information, they get Swift Services. What progresses
after that is uncertain.
If CMP, Future Enterprises, and S.W.I.F.T. feel abused by
Finders word games they should study the experience of journalist
Jan Pudlow who covered the 1987 scandal for the Tallahassee
Democrat. Pudlow complained, "If the Finders told me today that
they were coordinating the second coming of Christ and there was
Jesus at their right hand I still wouldn't want to get a quote
from them." The Finders sense of "wit is being deceitful and
downright lying."
Attempts to interview the Finders for this article were met
with bizarre responses. At one point the Finders reproduced my
business card with the name of Ronald L. Alleman. Complete with
the original logo, the card stated that Alleman was the author of
The Mind of the Spook (Global Press, 1996). The card included
the Finders address and phone number, along with the motto
"Investigation Uber Alles."
Anyone looking for Alleman might consider going to Culpeper.
The Finders purchased the Culpeper theater and congregate there.
Locals walk by to notice business men working on computers and
discussing unknown projects. Finders have three fronts in
Culpeper: Finders International, International Press Club, and
Swift Services. These fronts appear to be at least five years
old. In 1991 Steve Usdin, Finders International, International
Press Club, and Swift Services began sharing the same office and
phone number in Culpeper.
Also located at the same address was the office of former
Congressman D. French Slaughter (Republican). Slaughter's
possible involvement raises some interesting questions.
Slaughter served on three committees which would have been of
interest to the Finders: Judiciary (economic and commercial law),
Science, Space and Technology, and Small Business (procurement).
In 1991 Slaughter announced he would leave office due to his
health.
The future of the Finders is grim. Pettie's advance age,
the loss of members, and lawsuits by former members will take
their toll. When Pettie dies his secrets will be buried with
him. Present members of the group have discussed erecting a
monument to Pettie in Culpeper after his death. Perhaps it
should read, "I was not a kook, but a spook."
END ARTICLE
alt.society.neutopia
[1] Finders - Supplemental - Russia/Global Press front
wmin...@delphi.com

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