85 International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 2, 2021
confidential information regarding the
organisation is, as a result of their unique
commitment and greater involvement, more
significant. Sea Organisation members have
access to membership figures and to the
confidential records of individual public
members. They are also involved in the
management of the organisation. It is worth
noting that the Sea Organisation now
constitutes a very significant part of the total
number of Scientologists worldwide. Because
the number of public Scientologists has
declined at a faster rate than the number of
Sea Organisation members, Sea Organisation
members have come to constitute a
disproportionately large portion of the total
number of Scientologists.xxix
Although the Sea Organisation is, as
mentioned previously, fully distinct from the
general population of Scientologists, it is
common for public Scientologists to
transition into the Sea Organisation. The
retention rate for children born into the Sea
Organisation (to members of the
Organisation) is unclear. Nonetheless, many
Sea Organisation members were born and
educated in the Organisation.xxx The process
of joining the Organisation is onerous and
secretive. Public members go through a
transition and testing period before they are
allowed to join. This period is only cursorily
addressed in primary Scientology sources. Dr.
Stephen Kent has elegantly analysed the
evolution of this training program in
Scientology sources. Space constraints
prevent me from providing a close analysis of
all relevant primary Scientology sources. I,
therefore, reproduce Dr. Kent’s analysis in
the following quoted content. The quotation
describes the training and discipline
programs L. Ron Hubbard put in place when
members were travelling aboard his ship,
from where he managed Scientology for
many years. As mentioned previously, Sea
Organisation refers to the maritime heritage
of Hubbard and senior church management.
Although Scientology and Hubbard himself
routinely overstate(d) Hubbard’s
involvement in the United States military, it
is accurate that Hubbard served in the Navy
during the Second World War. Hubbard’s
experience in the Navy, along with the fact
that vessels in international waters are not
subject to any domestic laws, xxxi explain
Hubbard’s decision to move to his vessel. Dr.
Kent’s analysis reads as follows:
Certainly, by early 1969, Hubbard had in
place two training projects—the Deck
Project Force (DPF) and the Pursers
Project Force (PPF), but he abolished
them on March 25, 1969. Apparently the
DPF had trained Sea Org members on
various ship duties, and the PPF
presumably trained people in areas of
ship finance and supply. Likewise, some
time before early April 1972, Hubbard
had a training program for household
services called the Stewards Project
Force. He also had a program called the
Estates Project Force (EPF), which (as we
must reconstruct from a later document),
did such work as painting and sweeping.
Until the advent of the RPF, the EPF also
received Sea Org members for (what
Scientology called) “retreading.” These
staff needed constant supervision, were
making obvious problems, or were
performing their jobs without enthusiasm.
Apparently, however, Hubbard
reinstituted the DPF, because by early
1972 it had a function beyond mere
training. In addition to new recruits, the
DPF received Sea Org members who
were questioning authority. In the
peculiar logic and language of
Scientology, these people had
“interiorized.” That is to say, “the person
is finding counter-intention in the
environment which coincides with his
own (this is reasonableness), and his
attention becomes directed to his own
confidential information regarding the
organisation is, as a result of their unique
commitment and greater involvement, more
significant. Sea Organisation members have
access to membership figures and to the
confidential records of individual public
members. They are also involved in the
management of the organisation. It is worth
noting that the Sea Organisation now
constitutes a very significant part of the total
number of Scientologists worldwide. Because
the number of public Scientologists has
declined at a faster rate than the number of
Sea Organisation members, Sea Organisation
members have come to constitute a
disproportionately large portion of the total
number of Scientologists.xxix
Although the Sea Organisation is, as
mentioned previously, fully distinct from the
general population of Scientologists, it is
common for public Scientologists to
transition into the Sea Organisation. The
retention rate for children born into the Sea
Organisation (to members of the
Organisation) is unclear. Nonetheless, many
Sea Organisation members were born and
educated in the Organisation.xxx The process
of joining the Organisation is onerous and
secretive. Public members go through a
transition and testing period before they are
allowed to join. This period is only cursorily
addressed in primary Scientology sources. Dr.
Stephen Kent has elegantly analysed the
evolution of this training program in
Scientology sources. Space constraints
prevent me from providing a close analysis of
all relevant primary Scientology sources. I,
therefore, reproduce Dr. Kent’s analysis in
the following quoted content. The quotation
describes the training and discipline
programs L. Ron Hubbard put in place when
members were travelling aboard his ship,
from where he managed Scientology for
many years. As mentioned previously, Sea
Organisation refers to the maritime heritage
of Hubbard and senior church management.
Although Scientology and Hubbard himself
routinely overstate(d) Hubbard’s
involvement in the United States military, it
is accurate that Hubbard served in the Navy
during the Second World War. Hubbard’s
experience in the Navy, along with the fact
that vessels in international waters are not
subject to any domestic laws, xxxi explain
Hubbard’s decision to move to his vessel. Dr.
Kent’s analysis reads as follows:
Certainly, by early 1969, Hubbard had in
place two training projects—the Deck
Project Force (DPF) and the Pursers
Project Force (PPF), but he abolished
them on March 25, 1969. Apparently the
DPF had trained Sea Org members on
various ship duties, and the PPF
presumably trained people in areas of
ship finance and supply. Likewise, some
time before early April 1972, Hubbard
had a training program for household
services called the Stewards Project
Force. He also had a program called the
Estates Project Force (EPF), which (as we
must reconstruct from a later document),
did such work as painting and sweeping.
Until the advent of the RPF, the EPF also
received Sea Org members for (what
Scientology called) “retreading.” These
staff needed constant supervision, were
making obvious problems, or were
performing their jobs without enthusiasm.
Apparently, however, Hubbard
reinstituted the DPF, because by early
1972 it had a function beyond mere
training. In addition to new recruits, the
DPF received Sea Org members who
were questioning authority. In the
peculiar logic and language of
Scientology, these people had
“interiorized.” That is to say, “the person
is finding counter-intention in the
environment which coincides with his
own (this is reasonableness), and his
attention becomes directed to his own
