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Letter: L. Ron Hubbard to BBB Director, Washington DC (November 16, 1957)

Caroline

Patron Meritorious
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L. Ron Hubbard

November 16, 1957

1812 19th Street, N. W.
Washington 9, D. C.
Better Business Bureau
of Metropolitan Washington
507 Perpetual Building
Washington 4, D. C.

Attn: Mr. Leland S. McCarthy
Managing Director

Dear Mr. McCarthy:

Included are proper resumes of all organisations which I have managed or operated and financial statements to demonstrate their activity. I include the Distribution Center, Inc., although I do not manage it but since my wife is a member of its board.

None of these organisations has any debts of magnitude and have a good reputation for paying their bills when due.

I am married and have three small children. I am a member of the Explorer's Club and Capital Yacht Club. Washington. D. C. has been my home since boyhood. I served as an officer in the Navy during the war and was honorably discharged. I attended high school at Woodward Prep here in D. C., and studied nuclear physics at George Washington University. After the war on the G.I. Bill I attended school in California and received a Ph.D, from Sequoia University, an adult education school of the City of Los Angeles. I am primarily a writer of science fiction and technical material on the mind and am a registered minister with the government.

While companies using my name and work have existed in many states and may have good or bad credit, I have had no business connection with them. They have often conceived it to be to their advantage to represent such connection and I have had to take severe action from time to time to deny that connection. I have found myself powerless to prevent the use of my name and work in many cases. I am not financially situated so as to bear the vast legal expenses necessary to such denial.

The policy of the Founding Church in business matters is to refund all donations or charges to anyone who believes he has chosen wrongly in joining the Church. This has no exceptions.

The principal business of the Church, beyond its services each Sunday and its Thursday night meeting, is the training of persons to handle people and congregations and to communicate better. The ministers of all allied state churches are trained by us. They are further trained and usually ordained by their state churches. We ordain locally only those we need in our work and only after a severe training program and thorough

Better Business Bureau
November 16, 1957
page 2

examination on St. John and other religious matters. We charge about $1.00 per hour for coaching and ordinarily contract for many hours at a time. The usual total fees charged persons for this training average out at less than $500 over long time periods. Counseling of private individuals is done by ministers for $10 per hour. All counseling is aimed at bettering their social responses.

Our goal as an organisation is to increase Man's socialness, to improve his awareness and better his social conduct.

As in any Church our beliefs are quite definite but unlike many, we force them on none.
I trust, Mr. McCarthy, that this will improve your understanding of our activities and business standing.

We spend $100, 000 a year with local businessmen and any will tell you we are good credit and prompt pay.

It would be disturbing if the BBB of my own city, Washington, had only a vague notion of my activities after nearly half a century of good citizenship on my part.

Sincerely,
(Signed)
L. Ron Hubbard

Enclosures

Hubbard Association of Scientologists, International (Phoenix)
Principal office: 1812 19th Street N. W., Washington D. C.
Incorporated May 19, 1954, Arizona (non-profit)
Incorporators: Kenneth D. Barrett, Ralph K. Swanson, Louie L. Zussman
Present directors: INACTIVE. All dates paid.

Hubbard Association of Scientologists. International (D. C. )
Principal office: 1812 19th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
Incorporated June 1957, D. C. (non-profit)
Incorporators: L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Sue Hubbard. Richard F. Steves.
Present directors: L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Sue Hubbard, Richard F. Steves.
A religious fellowship of members.

Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation (Phoenix)
Principal office: 1812 19th Street. N. W., Washington, D. C.
(mail address: P. O. Box 242, Silver Spring, Md. )
Incorporated October 22, 1954, Arizona (non-profit)
Incorporators: James A. Struckmeyer. L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Sue Hubbard, James F. Pinkham, Milien Belknap.
Present directors:
Corporation INACTIVE. AU debts paid.

Distribution Center, Inc.
Principal office: 1812 19th Street, N.W., Washington, D. C.
(mail address: P. O. Box 242, Silver Spring, Md. )
Incorporated October 15, 1956, Maryland (profit)
Incorporator a: Donald G. Breeding. Marilynn E. Routsong, Judith H. Breeding.
Present directors: Mary Sue Hubbard, Marilynn E. Routsong, Judith H. Breeding.
Does mail service and book mailing for various companies in Washington and Maryland.

Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, D. C.
Principal office: 1812 19th Street. N. W., Washington, D. C.
Incorporated July 21, 1955, D. C. (non-profit) as "Founding Church of Man's Religion"; changed by amendment to "Founding Church of Scientology" in September of 1955.
Incorporators: William H. Young, Charles B. Keaton, L. Ron Hubbard.
Present trustees: L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Sue Hubbard, Richard F. Steves.
Operates the Academy of Scientology and the Hubbard Guidance Center.
Does not issue degrees.
Does not treat or heal illnesses.
Specializes in increasing socialness and ability.
Acts as the main office for churches in the various states.
Holds services each Sunday evening for its congregation.
Creed enclosed.
 
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Caroline

Patron Meritorious
L. Ron Hubbard said:
Our goal as an organisation is to increase Man's socialness, to improve his awareness and better his social conduct.
Social engineering much?

Reminds me of Hubbard's early definition of Dianetics:

Ability-1-Major-1955_0023.jpg


Here's the rest of Ability 1 with Hubbard's infamous Manual on the Dissemination of Material.

Hubbard's fib about living in Washington DC for "nearly half a century of good citizenship" may be why this letter didn't make the cut in Scientology's official timeline.
 
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