Project Normandy
Project Normandy was a top secret Church of Scientology operation wherein the church planned to take over the city of Clearwater, Florida, by infiltrating government offices and media centers. Gabe Cazares, who was the mayor of Clearwater at the time, used the term "the occupation of Clearwater"[1] and later characterized it as a "paramilitary operation by a terrorist group".[2]
History
In the 1970s, the Church of Scientology Corporation used a front group, called the "United Churches of Florida", to purchase the Fort Harrison Hotel, for $3 million. The church established their headquarters in the Fort Harrison Hotel, and dubbed it their Flag Land Base.
In 1977, an FBI raid on Scientology headquarters uncovered internal Church of Scientology documents marked "Top Secret" that referred to their secret operation to take over Clearwater, as "Project Normandy". The document states its purpose as "obtain[ing] enough data on the Clearwater area to be able to determine what groups and individuals B1 will need to penetrate and handle in order to establish area control". The document says its "Major Target" is "to fully investigate the Clearwater city and county area so we can distinguish our friends from our enemies and handle as needed".[3]
On November 3, 1979, the Clearwater Sun ran an article with the headline "Scientologists plot city takeover" and later stories claimed that the Scientologists also had international plans to take over the world.[4] The St. Petersburg Times won a Pulitzer Prize for one of their stories that exposed some of the criminal wrongdoings of the Church of Scientology.[1] Cazares also noted that he found it odd that a religious group would resort to using code names for a project to take control of a town, and called the project a "paramilitary operation by a terrorist group".[5]
The Church of Scientology targeted Cazares, attempting to entrap him in a sex scandal.[6][7] Scientology also staged a phony hit-and-run accident with Cazares in an attempt to discredit him. Cazares and his wife sued the Church of Scientology for $1.5 million. The church settled with Cazares in 1986.[8]
See also
- Clearwater Hearings
- Gabe Cazares
- List of Guardian's Office operations
References
- ^ a b Stafford, Charles (1979). "Scientology: An in-depth profile of a new force in Clearwater" (PDF). St Petersburg Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2007. "The 1980 Pulitzer Prize Winner in National Reporting". The Pulitzer Prizes.
- ^ Mark Bunker (November 1, 2012), Scientology: Gabe Cazares Interview, archived from the original on November 11, 2021, retrieved June 19, 2016
- ^ "SECRET POWER PROJECT : 3 NORMANDY Ref. GO Order 261175 LRH "POWER" Target 3". December 5, 1975. Archived from the original on June 10, 2003.
- ^ Leiby, Richard (November 3, 1979). "Scientologists plot city takeover" (PDF). Clearwater Sun. Archived from the original (PDF scan, 1.9MB) on February 8, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
- ^ Gabe Cazares video interview for a Clearwater historical society.[dead link]
- ^ "Mayor Cazares Handling Project". Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ "Speedy Gonzalez". Archived from the original on August 5, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ Donila, Mike; Farley, Robert (September 30, 2006). "Northpinellas: For the disadvantaged and against Scientology". St Petersburg Times. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- v
- t
- e
practices
- Abortion
- Auditing
- Books
- Bridge
- Clear
- Dianetics
- Dianetics (book)
- Disconnection
- E-meter
- Engram
- Ethics and justice
- Glossary
- Implant
- Incident
- Keeping Scientology Working
- Marcab Confederacy
- Marriage
- MEST
- Operating Thetan
- OT VIII
- Reactive mind
- Scientology and religious groups
- Reincarnation
- Sec Check
- Sex
- Silent birth
- Space opera
- Study Technology
- Thetan
- Training routines
- Xenu
controversies
- Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act
- Books critical of Scientology
- Church of Scientology editing on Wikipedia
- Clearwater Hearings
- Death of Elli Perkins
- Death of Kaja Ballo
- Death of Lisa McPherson
- Fair game
- Fishman Affidavit
- Guardian's Office operations
- Keith Henson
- The Internet
- Operation Clambake
- Operation Freakout
- Operation Snow White
- Project Chanology
- Project Normandy
- R2-45
- Psychiatry
- Scientology and Me
- Scientology as a business
- The Secrets of Scientology
- Suppressive person
- Tax status in the US
- The Hole
- The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power
- Timeline
- Hubbard v Vosper
- United States v. Hubbard
- X. and Church of Scientology v. Sweden
- Church of Scientology v. Sweden
- Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology
- Hernandez v. Commissioner
- New Era Publications International ApS v. Carol Publishing Group and Jonathan Caven-Atack
- Church of Scientology of California v. Armstrong
- R. v. Church of Scientology of Toronto
- Church of Scientology Intl. v. Fishman and Geertz
- Hill v. Church of Scientology of Toronto
- Religious Technology Center v Lerma
- Religious Technology Center v. Netcom On-Line Communication Services, Inc.
- Church of Scientology Intl. v. Time Warner, Inc., et al.
- Arenz, Röder and Dagmar v. Germany
- Church of Scientology Moscow v. Russia
- Headley v. Church of Scientology International
(and properties)
- Cadet Org
- Celebrity Centre
- Church of Scientology
- Church of Scientology International
- Guaranty Building
- Church of Spiritual Technology
- Flag Service Organization
- Flag Ship Service Org
- Founding Church of Scientology
- Golden Era Productions (Gold Base)
- Hubbard Association of Scientologists International
- International Association of Scientologists
- Office of Special Affairs
- Religious Technology Center
- Rehabilitation Project Force
- Saint Hill Manor
- Scientology Missions International
- Sea Org
- L. Ron Hubbard
- Mary Sue Hubbard
- David Miscavige
- Shelly Miscavige
- Bob Adams
- John Carmichael
- Tommy Davis
- Jessica Feshbach
- David Gaiman
- Leisa Goodman
- Heber Jentzsch
- Kendrick Moxon
- Karin Pouw
- Mark Rathbun
- Mike Rinder
- Michelle Stith
- Kurt Weiland
organizations
and recruitment
- Association for Better Living and Education
- Applied Scholastics
- Celebrities
- Citizens Commission on Human Rights
- Concerned Businessmen's Association of America
- Criminon
- Cult Awareness Network
- The Delphian School
- Free Zone
- Front groups
- Moxon & Kobrin
- Narconon
- New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project
- Oxford Capacity Analysis
- Safe Environment Fund
- Second Chance Program
- Trademarks
- Volunteer Ministers
- The Way to Happiness Foundation
- World Institute of Scientology Enterprises
- Youth for Human Rights International
culture
- Ali's Smile: Naked Scientology
- Being Tom Cruise
- Bowfinger
- The Bridge
- Going Clear
- film
- Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
- My Scientology Movie
- The Master
- The Profit
- South Park
- "A Token of My Extreme"
- A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant
- We Stand Tall
- Wikibooks
- Wikimedia Commons
- Wikinews
- Wikiquote
- Wikisource
- Wikiversity
- Wiktionary