Did Scientology Sting the US President, State Department, Congress and Intelligence Community in the Germany/Primary Colors Affair?

On April 2, the New York Times reported, "A United Nations special investigator appointed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights today rejected charges by Scientology that the German Government is using Nazi tactics of persecution and ill treatment against it."

The UN report derided criticisms made by Scientology and contradicted claims the U S State Department made in its annual human rights report criticizing Germany's treatment of Scientology. "This comparison between modern Germany and Nazi Germany is so shocking as to be meaningless and puerile," said Abdelfattah Amor, the Tunis University law professor who compiled the UN report on religious intolerance and discrimination in Germany.

How the US government was stung by one of the world's most bizarre and dangerous cults is a story that weaves its way through the White House of "Let's make a deal" Clinton and then through Hollywood, where John Travolta plays the president in the film Primary Colors. John Travolta, celebrity spokesman for the Scientology cult, went to Washington to promote Scientology just before he began filming his lead role in Primary Colors, according to George Magazine [March]. He told the magazine, "The next day, I met with Clinton. He told me: `Your program sounds great. More than that, I'd really love to help you with your issue over in Germany with Scientology.'"

According to George, "[Clinton] went to the extraordinary length of assigning his national security advisor, Sandy Berger, to be the administration's Scientology point man." Berger even briefed Travolta as he would a senior senator. This began the Clinton/Travolta quid pro quo with Clinton getting a positive portrayal in Primary Colors in exchange for becoming the Scientology cult's advocate against our longstanding ally, Germany.

George also reported that compared to the book the film was based upon, the film is much more sympathetic to Clinton. Primary Colors is about a Clinton-based southern governor who lies, seduces women, and is running for president; the book's depiction of the main character is very critical. A New York Post article quoted Travolta as saying, "You have to be dead not see that the film favors Clinton. More than anything, it promotes what a decent person he is."

For months after the Clinton-Travolta meeting, the State Department uncharacteristically chided Germany in human rights reports and numerous public forums for Germany's treatment of Scientology. The Meet the Press television show recently addressed the Clinton Travolta Primary Colors controversy in an interview with national security advisor Sandy Berger. Host Tim Russert asked Berger, "Did you or the president hope to influence Mr. Travolta, and make `Primary Colors' more favorable to the president?" and "Isn't it unusual for the national security advisor to brief an actor from Hollywood?" Berger told Russert, "Uh, it sounds to me, Tim, like you're getting, you're getting uh, developing your own conspiracy theories here."

Was Travolta's meeting with Clinton a well-planned cult sting operation, an Admistration security screw-up, or both? It is necessary to review some of the vast public record on Scientology for context.

Scientology's headquarters in Los Angeles was the object of the biggest FBI raid in U.S. history, involving almost 150 agents.

In this raid the FBI discovered many secret policy documents authored by Scientology's founder laying out Scientology's real political goals. For example: "The vital targets on which we must invest most of our time are:

(T1) Depopularizing the enemy to the point of obliteration.
(T2) Taking over the control or allegiance of the heads or proprietors of all news media.
(T3) Taking over the control or allegiance of key political figures.
(T4) Taking over the control or allegiance of those who monitor international finance..."

Nine top leaders of Scientology pleaded guilty to burglaries, forgeries, infiltration, obstruction of justice, and other crimes against more than 100 US federal agencies including the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense. In a memorandum to the judge in the case, a US federal prosecutor urged stiff jail sentences for the defendants, stating, "The crime committed by these defendants is of a breadth and scope previously unheard of. No building, office, desk, or file was safe from their snooping and prying. No individual or organization was free from their despicable conspiratorial minds. The tools of their trade were miniature transmitters, lock picks, secret codes, forged credentials and any other device they found necessary to carry out their conspiratorial schemes." [U.S. v. Heldt et al. 688 F.2d. 1238. (D.C. Cir 1980) Cert. Den. 456 U.S. 926 (1982)].

Other secret documents found by the FBI further indicate that Scientology uses religion as a mere facade, a politically useful defense to cloak its true political ambitions and goals. It seems at least Germany has taken seriously our government reports. In his recent UN report, Mr. Amor also said that Germany's measures against Scientology are "simply designed to protect citizens and the liberal democratic order," by assuring the Scientologists do not, among other actions, use "immoral and illegal techniques of psychological manipulation and repression."

It is frightening that a secretive extremist political cult could have executed a machiavellian plan using a Hollywood celebrity spokesperson as bait, to leverage a US president into shaping critical US foreign policy based on easily discovered false information - all without the intelligence or state departments interceding.

But there is more....

The New York Post originally reported that Congressman Michael Forbes was calling for a hearing to bring John Travolta, Scientology officials, and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright before Congress to testify about the deal between the actor and the President. At issue for Congress is the fact that, according to a Washington insider, "A resolution was put before Congress last year to press Germany to recognize the Scientologists. It didn't pass. So when the Clinton Administration lobbied Germany on behalf of the cult, they acted against the express wishes of Congress."

After the Post's article was published, Forbes sent a furious letter to the newspaper denying any intention to call for a hearing. In light of the new UN report, maybe it is now time for such a congressional hearing to begin. Maybe the hearing could also have some bearing on Ken Starr's ongoing grand jury investigation of potential presidential wrongdoing.

What's Next

It is time to begin cleaning up this embarrassing diplomatic mess and the natural loss of public confidence in the competency of our national security agencies. Here is a beginning.

• The State Department should formally apologize to Germany over Clinton's and its own criticism of Germany's treatment of Scientology.

• If the President was not forewarned of Scientology's dangers by the US intelligence community, the State Department, or his administration staffers, these groups owe a public apology to Clinton and the American people.

• Meanwhile even if Clinton was uninformed on national security issues, if he used Travolta for his personal gain while Travolta used Clinton to leverage his cult's covert operations on Germany, Clinton owes the citizens of both the US and Germany an immediate public apology and an explanation. The country likely can forgive "Let's-make-a-deal-Bill" if he was truly uninformed by the proper agencies as to Scientology's real nature, motives, and history. But only if he comes forward quickly in light of the new UN report.

• If Clinton WAS informed about Scientology's history as an extremist political cult, and he bargained the influence of the US presidency to gain a positive personal portrayal in Primary Colors, than his actions are reprehensible. In this case, he has falsely accused a long-time US ally and traded the US's best national security interests for his own personal gain. This is far more serious than the current Lewinski affair.

• Citizens worldwide should boycott Primary Colors for John Travolta's personal involvement in the national security covert operation by the world's most dangerous cult to leverage the president of the world's most powerful country.

For more on the story behind the story and all the recent updates on Cultgate, see Cultgate Updates at cultgate_headlines.html.

For more on the political extremist activities of Scientology, see Scientology as an Extremist Political Movement at extremist.htm.

For more on the criminal activities of Scientology, see Scientology and Criminality at criminality.htm.

For more information both on Scientology celebrities such as John Travolta, Tom Cruise, Ann Archer, Lisa Marie Presley, Jenna Elfman, and Nicole Kidman, and on celebrities who do not view Scientology favorably, see Scientology's Celebrities at Scientology/celebrities.htm.

For more information on Scientology and its occult anti-Christian nature as a religion, see Scientology, Satanism, and the Occult at satanism.htm.

For more information on the other US politicians who have been stung by Scientology's multi-billion dollar influence, see politics.html.

For more information on Scientology in general, see Scientology and Dianetics at dianetics.html.