Tony Ortega, an expert on Scientology and author of "The Unbreakable Miss Lovely," dives deep into Operation Snow White. The discussion reveals Scientology's covert operations, including espionage tactics used against the IRS and U.S. attorneys. Ortega shares gripping stories of undercover agents, intense FBI investigations, and the dramatic raid of July 8, 1977, which uncovered dark secrets. The episode also explores the church's legal battles and media resilience, highlighting the lengths they go to maintain their image and protect their members.
The Church of Scientology's Operation Snow White involved extensive espionage tactics, including infiltration and document theft from government agencies.
Despite major legal challenges and convictions of its leaders, the Church effectively managed public perception to maintain its religious status.
Deep dives
The Secret Espionage Operation
In the early 1970s, the Church of Scientology initiated an ambitious espionage operation named Snow White, aimed at infiltrating government agencies to retrieve potentially damaging information about its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. The operation kicked off with agents like Don Alverzo, who had gained a reputation for daring exploits and expertise in covert operations, collaborating with handlers like Michael Meisner in Washington, D.C. Under Alverzo’s direction, the team successfully bugged meetings at the Internal Revenue Service headquarters to gather crucial insights, demonstrating their ability to execute high-level infiltrations with ease. This infiltration included the remarkable act of stealing 30,000 pages of documents from various government offices, showcasing the extent of their operational capabilities within various state and federal agencies.
Project Horn and the Unraveling Concealment Tactics
As the Snow White operation progressed, the Church encountered a dilemma: how to utilize the stolen intelligence without revealing the illicit means through which it was acquired. Recognizing this predicament, Meisner led Project Horn, which involved collecting information about rival organizations while fabricating legitimacy through created cover stories. This plan included obtaining documents from other religious groups and sharing them under the guise of anonymous tips, albeit with no actual success. The relentless theft continued, steering attention towards government officials like Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Doddle, leading to nefarious strategies aimed at damaging their reputations and undermining their credibility.
The Fallout and Lasting Impact
Operation Snow White ultimately drew the scrutiny of law enforcement, culminating in a major FBI raid on the Church's headquarters in 1977, which unearthed extensive files detailing illegal activities and plots against individuals, including journalists and government officials. The church's leadership attempted to distance themselves from the operation by rebranding the Guardian's office in response to the fallout, yet many of its tactics remained ingrained in their practices. Despite significant convictions for top officials and widespread media attention addressing their unethical operations, the Church of Scientology continued to thrive, escaping substantial repercussions. This survival is attributed to their effective media strategy, showcasing how the institution maneuvered public perception and maintained its religious status amid serious allegations and legal challenges.
Scientology spies were trained in all covert operations techniques: surveillance, recruiting agents, infiltrating enemy lines, and blackmail. However, a suspicious librarian and a determined FBI agent brought the largest single spy operation in US government history to an end.