FBI File No.: 62-1176581
July 3, 1985
Honorable Slade Gorton
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510Dear Senator Gorton:
Your communication to the Acting Assistant Attorney General Phillip D. Brady, on behalf of members of the Church of Scientology of Washington State, has been referred to the FBI and brought to my attention.
The FBI has received other inquiries on this subject, and I want to stress that we are not involved in any attempt to destroy the Church of Scientology. In those cases where a violation of Federal law falling within the FBI’s investigative responsibility has occurred, we always strive to investigate such situations with complete fairness to all parties involved. The facts are then presented to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office, which determines the prosecutive merits of the case.
The videotape referenced in the material you enclosed on this subject has been provided by the Church as an exhibit to various pleadings filed in litigation with the Department of Justice, and it fails to substantiate claims of a counter-intelligence program directed against that group.
I hope this information will be of assistance to you in responding to your constituents.
Sincerely,
/s/
William M. Baker
Assistant Director
Office of Congressional and Public Affairs[…]
NOTE: Senator Gorton wrote to Mr. Brady regarding alleged undercover Government activities directed against the Church of Scientology. Similar reply has been given in response to other inquiries regarding this matter. That reply was coordinated with [redacted] CID, and SA [redacted] LCD, who advised that the videotape referenced was made by the Church of Scientology itself. Transcripts of it which were provided by the Church as exhibits to various pleadings filed in litigation wit the Department of Justice fail to substantiate the claim of a counter intelligence program directed against them.
Honorable Lawton Chiles
NOTE: Senator Chiles wrote to Judge Webster on behalf of 28 of his constituents seeking information concerning allegations that the Federal Government was attempting to discredit and disrupt the management of the Church of Scientology. Reply coordinated with SA [redacted]CID, and SA [redacted] LCD, who advised that the videotape referenced by many of the constituents was made by the Church of Scientology itself. Transcripts of it which were provided by the Church as exhibits to various pleadings filed in litigation with the Department of Justice fail to substantiate the claims of a counterintelligence program directed against them. [redacted]