Operation Snow White

Operation Snow White (translated: Operation Snow White ) was the Scientology- internal designation of a project in the 1970s that aimed at the largest infiltration of the US government in history. As part of this operation, Scientology officials infiltrated government offices, conducted wiretapping and stole documents, particularly from within the Internal Revenue Service . Eleven senior Scientology executives, including Mary Sue Hubbard , the wife of Founder L. Ron Hubbard and second in the organizational structure, have been convicted in federal courts of fraud, breaking into government buildings, and theft of documents and government property (United States vs. Mary Sue Hubbard et al., 493 F. Supp. 209 (DDC 1979)).

background

The Snow White Program was written by L. Ron Hubbard in an attempt to prevent unfavorable reports on Scientology, its organization, or himself, with particular attention to Interpol and the Internal Revenue Service. Whether the crimes committed by Scientology executives in this context were based on a misunderstanding of said guidelines or simply represented the exact execution of Hubbard's orders is a matter of dispute between supporters and critics of Scientology.

Investigation results

In addition to evidence of illegal activities directed against the US government, searches by the FBI of Scientology facilities in 1977 also provided evidence of other illegal activities by the organization against alleged enemies of Scientology. These included, for example, documents relating to " Operation Freakout ", a conspiracy in which the author Paulette Cooper was to be accused, among other things, of false bomb threats. Fake accident escape allegations against Gabe Cazares, Mayor of Clearwater, Florida, were also found.

People involved

Mary Sue Hubbard , Cindy Raymond , Gerald Bennett Wolfe , Henning Heldt , Duke Snider , Gregory Willardson , Richard Weigand, Mitchell Herman , Sharon Thomas , Jane Kember and Mo Budlong , all senior Scientologists, were sentenced to prison terms, while attorney Kendrick Moxon served as Unaccounted for co-conspirators for providing false handwriting samples to the FBI. Moxon has served as the organization's senior corporate attorney since 1999. L. Ron Hubbard was also named as an unindicted co-conspirator by the prosecution.

Effects of the affair

Scientology claims that the Guardian Office (Scientology's secret service) acted contrary to its mandate and without the knowledge of the cult's management; the Guardian Office was subsequently dissolved and everyone involved in the affair or who knew about it was expelled from the church.

Effects in Canada

As part of the investigation against the organization in the neighboring state of Canada (Operation Snow White case, investigations into the Church of Scientology ), further document thefts from public and private institutions as well as details of covert operations in Canada were revealed, as a result of which seven members and the Church of Scientology was convicted in two cases for "violation of public trust" (Criminal Breach of the Public Trust) (R. v. Church of Scientology of Toronto).