A SHORT HISTORY OF
THE CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF DIANETIC AUDITORS
by A. E. van Vogt[1]
It seems worthwhile for the outgoing president who, so to speak, saw it all, to provide a brief history of the CADA.
Dianetics began in May, 1950, with the publication of the book: DIANETICS: The Modern Science of Mental Health, by L. Ron Hubbard. After the publication of the book we began to hear of an organization being set up in Elizabeth, N.J., apparently established by Hubbard, himself, where classes were being offered. Several L.A. people went east and took the course. Among these were Russell Schofield and Bradford Shank. Meanwhile, I had received phone calls from Ron, and I was busy setting up what would presently become the Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation of California, Inc.
Shortly after
mid-summer, Hubbard arrived and gave the first course.
It lasted 30 intensive days, and cost $500.
Over 300 persons took the course, and more were signing up
for subsequent courses. It
was in early 1951 that I heard that graduate auditors had formed the
California Association of Dianetic Auditors, a corporation.
The date of incorporation was February 27th,
1951. Apparently
in its formative stages, when Ron was asked to give it his blessing
he did so.
As Director of the [Hubbard] Foundation, I merely took note that Ron was authorizing the association. One of my pre-dianetic friends, Psychologist Charles E. Cook who took Course One for whom I later wrote a text book (THE HYPNOTISM HANDBOOK, still in print, and steadily gaining acceptance in university psychology courses) gave me additional information. What he said was that the elected officers of the CADA had suggested to Ron that the foundation auditors certificate have on it the words: CERTIFIED DIANETIC AUDITOR.
Ron refused. The Foundation certificate was finally sent to graduates of all classes in Los Angeles with the words: HUBBARD DIANETIC AUDITOR.
It is fairly clear now, in view of a number of subsequent actions taken by Ron and his various local aides, that at this stage he had not taken the time to think through the implications of these various pre-emptive actions.EXAMPLE ONE: There were eventually at least a thousand auditors who were given the certificates with Hubbards name as part of the certification; and nothing in the certificate required that they must later obtain a franchise from Ron to audit and pay him a percentage of their earnings for use of the word dianetics and/or the word Hubbard.
EXAMPLE TWO: Rons insistence that the certificate designation be HUBBARD DIANETIC AUDITOR was obviously an attempt to keep his name forever connected to the auditing situation, but showed no awareness that he would later object to anyone using his name unless they also paid him a percentage of their earnings
Insofar as the
CADA is concerned, I attended a few early meetings; but I was not a
member during the first few years and so had very little awareness of
the fight that was going on, the consequence of LRHs
determination that, even though they had certificates as auditors,
other persons had no rights if what they did seemed in his
judgement to conflict with what he wanted to do.
At this time, on the technique and theory level, the system was growing; and it was evident that as a researcher LRH continued to be one of the major geniuses of our period in history.
In Los Angeles,
at the end of 1951, I opened the Hubbard Dianetic Center, a large
eleven room house, and began auditing and lecturing.
And, when the Hubbard Dianetic Foundations Don Purcell
suggested (from Wichita) that it would be to everyones benefit
if I paid the 10% tithe, it was also innocuously worded, that I wrote
his 10% was too high for the benefits promised.
So I sent 5%, but signed no agreements.
Almost before
we could look around, LRH departed from Purcells org in
Wichita, and set up the Church of Scientology in Phoenix, Arizona.
In fact, that was the end of my 5% tithe, since I was not
religiously oriented.
In 1954, at the
urging of James Pinkham, head of the Dianetic section of
Hubbards org, I went to Phoenix and took Ability Course training.
Jim offered the course to me free, but I insisted on paying
the auditors rate: 50%.
While there I
was presented with a very special certificate for my time-consuming
work in settling the legal affairs of the bankrupt Hubbard Dianetic
Research Foundation of California, Inc. without going into bankruptcy.
(All of the previous dianetic foundations in the east
and in Wichita took the simpler bankruptcy route.
But as the only remaining officer in sight, I didnt
wish to be connected with a bankruptcy.)
Meanwhile,
about 1955, I joined the CADA.
It turned out that I was just in time to become involved in a
struggle by the Hubbard supporters in the membership to take over and
make the CADA a subsidiary of LRHs church of Scientology in Los Angeles.
When they lost the vote on that, they departed in a body; and
one of them later became the head of Hubbards org in Los Angeles.
It was this
individual who subsequently filed suit against me, the intention
being to stop me from using the word, Hubbard, in the name Hubbard
Dianetic Center, and to deny me all use of the word dianetics, which
it was stated in the suit belonged exclusively to LRH.
The San
Francisco attorney, who had helped me close down the HDRF, came to
L.A., and we showed the attorney of the local org, my certificates,
and established for him that the CADA was now the oldest surviving
dianetic corporation in the world, all the earlier ones having either
gone into bankruptcy or, like the HDRF, folded legally, with the
permission of the creditors.
That was all
the org attorney needed. He
informed the local Hubbard aide that my situation was legally
unassailable, and resigned from the case.
In 1958,
I think that was the year; definitely by 1959 I was elected
to, and accepted, the presidency of the CADA.
As president,
and continuing auditor the ability project co-audit supervisor
(my auditing and my projects continued on a decreasing scale until
about the mid-sixties) I considered that my job was (1) to
oversee the publication of what was initially the DIANETIC JOURNAL,
and then the Dianetic Journal Notes, and (2) to ensure that the CADA
did all those things necessary to continue going as a corporation.
We maintained a
low profile, admitted new professional members, who had proof of
training from any reliable source, reported on information about
auditing and auditors from various originations including
Hubbards org... and the people who had graduated in the early
1950's grew older. As a
consequence, I decided in January 1981, not to run for the
presidency; and in my place the CADA members elected an active
auditor, who had joined about three years ago.
Within the
Hubbard org, Ethics officers have for years been penalizing people
who were called troublemakers - one such person was suspended because
he questioned the concept of clear.
Such actions make us wonder about the future of the orgs.
Consider:
Hubbard has remarked that the average Thetan - a Scientology term for
the true individual as a sort of spirit - normally, as the saying
goes, drops the body at about earth age 84.
So that 13 years from now, when the Hubbard Thetan makes the
decision to separate Theta from Mest, there will begin,
and continue, within the Hubbard orgs, all maneuvering for power
which has always characterized such periods of an organizations history.
We may picture Ethics officers calling opposing executives
troublemakers and suppressive persons.
And all this will go on and on.
When that hour
arrives, and continues, the existence of a legally incorporated
association like the CADA will, in my opinion, provide a safe and
sane continuation of the basic methods and ideas without any ulterior
motives being involved.
[1].This
history originally appeared in the CADAs
Dianetic Journal Notes Volume 17, Number 2.
Copyright 1982, 2014 - California
Association
of Dianetic
Auditors
Inc. All rights reserved.
(Note
this web-representation of the above article is an EXACT replication
- word for word - of the original article, with only a couple of
grammar problems corrected. - Ronald Allen - Chairman of the
CADA Historical Committee)