Veda
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Probably a lot of work and digging...but curious when and where these 2 crossed paths.
Bill Franks.....was the CO of FCDC when I got on lines at age 17, in 1972?
Jeannie Franks was there...as were several other original OT 7s.....all Sea Org....but out of uniform except a couple...
I never talked to Franks...but to say hello maybe a couple times.
Don't know when Franks became ED Int.....or what Marty Rathbun was doing at the time...
Perhaps they could have been on the Apollo at the same time?
Marty Rathbun wasn't on the Apollo. Mike Rinder was, however.
Don't remember when Franks was kicked out exactly either.....
But the rumor floating around PAC at the time....(for us public) was that Franks had been a CIA plant.
That really tickled me......that anyone would think that....or swallow that one.
But of course....my blinders stayed on.....and I didn't blink about Franks being pilloried...
Below are some re-posts from ESMB which may provide some additional background.
By 1981, L. Ron Hubbard had decided to remove Mary Sue, who was headed for prison, and this was accomplished by, first, ordering that the CMO [Commodore's Messenger Org] would be senior to the G.O. [Guardians Office]. At the time, Hubbard was concerned about his own well being and comfort, with continuing to bleed Scientology of as much money as possible, which would go into his private overseas bank accounts, and with avoiding process servers, grand juries, and judges. The "shredding party" had just taken place, the purpose of which was to destroy all evidence of Hubbard having ordered anything illegal.
15 years earlier, in 1966, Hubbard had announced that he had "resigned" as "Executive Director" of Scientology, and was entirely concerned with research and writing. He did this while starting the Guardians Office, which he secretly ran and, also, a year later, becoming the "Commodore" of the Sea Organization.
The following is an excerpt from the 1987 book, 'Messiah or Madman?', and gives some idea of the amount of secrecy and intrigue involved in Scientology. [See the 'Bolivar' "pink legs" Policy Letter of 1967 for some insight into this mindset.] It is based on interviews with Franks done in the mid 1980s.
Around 1981, Bill Franks had been appointed by Hubbard as "Executive Director," but what exactly did that mean?:
When... Mary Sue's defense was seen as futile, and the legal heat was being directed increasingly at Hubbard himself, Hubbard ordered a 'palace coup' by his 'kids' (his youthful messengers)...
David Miscavige 'handled' Mary Sue Hubbard, and Bill Franks was assigned to 'handle' the head of the Guardian's Office, Jane Kember.
The entire old G.O. was headed for jail. Hubbard ordered his messengers to set up a 'Watchdog Committee'.
In early 1981 Hubbard also created a new post of Executive Director International. This was announced to be a resumption of the post 'vacated by L. Ron Hubbard in 1966'. The new appointment to Executive Director was Bill Franks...
It was presented to Franks that he would be assuming all of Hubbard's administrative functions. However, Bill told me years later, after leaving the Church, that he had since concluded that Hubbard set him up in order to help him rid himself of Jane Kember...
What was actually happening at the time of the mission holders' meeting was that Bill had been 'put in charge' as an additional façade for Hubbard. Bill was supposed to have 'instinctively' understood that he was merely to be window dressing. Hubbard was still in control while operating through new additional facades, consisting of the mysterious WDC and Franks. These fronts were designed to protect Hubbard from criminal prosecution that had already consumed his previous façade, consisting of his wife and her G.O. clique.
Hubbard had not counted on Bill Franks and the mission holders' backlash reaction against what he [Bill Franks] considered 'G.O. type abuses'.
Franks naively believed that Hubbard had genuinely stepped down, leaving him in the top spot. Bill's reform efforts were constantly getting derailed by these 'kids' however (secretly implementing Hubbard's intent), so he feared that they would go on to commit crimes similar to the G.O bunch...
David Miscavige 'handled' Mary Sue Hubbard, and Bill Franks was assigned to 'handle' the head of the Guardian's Office, Jane Kember.
The entire old G.O. was headed for jail. Hubbard ordered his messengers to set up a 'Watchdog Committee'.
In early 1981 Hubbard also created a new post of Executive Director International. This was announced to be a resumption of the post 'vacated by L. Ron Hubbard in 1966'. The new appointment to Executive Director was Bill Franks...
It was presented to Franks that he would be assuming all of Hubbard's administrative functions. However, Bill told me years later, after leaving the Church, that he had since concluded that Hubbard set him up in order to help him rid himself of Jane Kember...
What was actually happening at the time of the mission holders' meeting was that Bill had been 'put in charge' as an additional façade for Hubbard. Bill was supposed to have 'instinctively' understood that he was merely to be window dressing. Hubbard was still in control while operating through new additional facades, consisting of the mysterious WDC and Franks. These fronts were designed to protect Hubbard from criminal prosecution that had already consumed his previous façade, consisting of his wife and her G.O. clique.
Hubbard had not counted on Bill Franks and the mission holders' backlash reaction against what he [Bill Franks] considered 'G.O. type abuses'.
Franks naively believed that Hubbard had genuinely stepped down, leaving him in the top spot. Bill's reform efforts were constantly getting derailed by these 'kids' however (secretly implementing Hubbard's intent), so he feared that they would go on to commit crimes similar to the G.O bunch...
So the mission holders were rebelling, but had no idea that they were rebelling against Hubbard, but Hubbard knew, and reacted fiercely.
__________
As for Marty's recent response to Vinaire, off hand, I've no explanation for it.
Perhaps this will bring back memories of the good old days of the early 1990s when all of "Ron's kids" were pals and getting along just fine:
Scientology's leadership sing 'We Stand Tall'.