The Herald (Melbourne), Wed 15 Feb 1967, p2

SCIENTOLOGISTS' CIRCULAR

Group in move to lift ban

Scientology, banned and branded an "evil practice with evil techniques" 16 months ago, is trying to make a comeback.

Two circular letters have been sent so far to all State Members of Parliament pointing out "anomalies" in the report by Mr Kevin Anderson, QC, which condemned scientology.

Seven scientologists have formed a group known as the Committee for Legal Recognition in Victoria of the Religious Faith Known as Scientology.

Insurance salesman Mr Ivan Griffiths, 43, of Bogong Av., Glen Waverley, a member of the committee, said this today.

"We have a few other moves which we can make. It is not opportune at this moment to broadcast them.

"What we want to do is to obtain a good sane and rational look at scientology and a review of the situation."

"Panic move"

He claimed the banning of scientology in Victoria was "rather a panic move."

Mr Griffiths, in the latest letter to the MPs, says: "The continuing migration of scientologists into exile is still going on in 1967. The first group for this year have already preferred exile to living in the State of Victoria where that basic human right - freedom of religion - is suppressed."

He adds: "Of those who previously chose to leave Victoria, a total of 12 have been publicly declared to have attained, stably and permanently the state of Clear."

Asked today for an explanation of the scientologists' expression "state of Clear," Mr Griffiths defined it as "a person that has knowing and willing cause over his environment."

"Illusory"

Mr Griffiths' letter said the Board of Inquiry's report called the state of Clear "illusory" and "not attainable by scientology practices."

He said that about 250 scientologists had left Victoria for other States or England.

In England they went to the castle occupied by the world scientology headquarters under Lafayette Ronald Hubbard at East Grinstead, Sussex.

After the Victorian inquiry, a British newspaper labelled Hubbard a phony.

It revealed his claim to a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Sequoia University was false because no such university existed.

Hubbard took out writs against the paper but did not sue. Instead, in an advertisement in The Times he resigned "in protest" his Ph.D. degree because of the nuclear and psychiatric damage done to society by people calling themselves "Doctor."


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