[Archive 2009-11-13] Blown for Good author discusses life inside international headquarters of Scientology

Historical archive — originally published 2009-11-13. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Wikinews interviewed author Marc Headley about his new book Blown for Good, and asked him about life inside the international headquarters of Scientology known as "Gold Base", located in Gilman Hot Springs near Hemet, California. Headley joined the organization at age seven when his mother became a member, and worked at Scientology's international management headquarters for several years before leaving in 2005.

Blown for Good was released November 5, and is available at www.blownforgood.com. Headley worked as an employee of Scientology for 15 years. While an employee of the Scientology headquarters located in Riverside County, California, Headley had the experience of practicing Scientology counseling services called "auditing" with Scientologist Tom Cruise, shortly after the actor had completed work on the film Days of Thunder. In 1990, Cruise was training to become proficient in the Scientology auditing techniques, and Headley was selected to become the actor's auditing partner. Cruise and Headley worked together for three weeks, while the actor was practicing his Scientology techniques known as the "Upper Indoctrination Training Routines". Headley says he was chosen to work with Cruise because he was a young staff member who was less likely to leave and discuss the actor's Scientology experiences with the media.

The book provides details of what life was like for the author inside the organization's headquarters. The inner flap of the book includes a map of the "International Headquarters of Scientology; Gilman Hot Springs, California". Headley writes that under the direction of Scientology leader David Miscavige, employees who signed billion-year contracts routinely put in 100-hour weeks of work for minimal pay. According to Headley, possible discipline faced by the Scientology employees for perceived mistakes included being separated from family as part of the Scientology policy of "disconnection", being declared a "suppressive person", or being sent to the "Rehabilitation Project Force", a program where Scientologists were assigned harsh labor.

Headley's tasks while working at the Scientology compound Gold Base included dealing with audiovisual equipment used for organization presentations and speeches by Miscavige, and supervising production of thousands of audiotapes of lectures given by Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard. From 1989 to 2005 Headley worked at the Scientology film production studio on scripts for movies which would be used to instruct new members of the organization on its practices. He faced repercussions from Miscavige if he could not meet production quotas. Headley asserts that he was physically abused by Miscavige, a claim made previously by other former Scientology officials in a series of investigative articles published in the St. Petersburg Times.

The book gives background on a 9-minute long video of Tom Cruise, leaked to the Internet in January 2008, that featured the actor discussing his views on Scientology. The Church of Scientology's attempts to remove the leaked video from the Internet motivated the group Anonymous to focus its efforts against the organization. Headley writes that initially the promotional video about Cruise was supposed to feature celebrities including Will Smith speaking about the actor, but Miscavige instead insisted Cruise should simply talk about himself. According to Headley, Scientology employees were made to watch videos of Cruise which had been spliced together from the actor's appearances in the media.

Headley describes a form of Miscavige's management previously related in the St. Petersburg Times, where the Scientology leader made his staff play musical chairs to the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody". Miscavige told 70 Scientology executives that they were to compete for chairs, and that only the last individual left after several rounds would remain at the compound, while the other executives would be assigned to remote locations. After a dramatic competition with multiple staffers in tears that they would be separated from their families, Miscavige stated no one would be removed from the compound.

In 2005, Headley left the Scientology compound in Hemet on a motorcycle, and fell off his vehicle after being chased by Scientology security guards. Riverside County police helped Headley escape from the Scientology security. Headley traveled to Kansas City to meet his father. He was later joined by his wife Claire who had also worked at the Gold Base compound.

Headley filed suit against Scientology in January 2009. In the legal case, he asserts that Scientology violated United States labor law with regard to his treatment while an employee of the organization. Headley and his lawyer Barry Van Sickle succeeded against attempts by the organization to get the suit dismissed. Headley's lawsuit is set to begin in U.S. federal court in November 2010.

((Wikinews)) The foreword to Blown for Good is by Mark Rathbun, a former high-ranking Scientology official and recent critic who has gone public with statements that Scientology's leader David Miscavige has been physically abusive towards organization staff members. Rathbun notes that he almost emailed you to suggest someone else write the foreword, commenting, "his views of some of Scientology founder Hubbard's writings and my views differed greatly." (L. Ron Hubbard was the founder of Scientology.) How do your views differ from Rathbun's? Why did you select Mark Rathbun to write the foreword to your book?

Marc Headley: While I respect the right for people to believe whatever they want, I myself do not believe that L. Ron Hubbard did anything besides take what other people had already written and revised or repacked it for his own use.

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