Gerry Armstrong

A former Scientologist, Gerry Armstrong was L. Ron Hubbard's official biographer. As he saw more and mroe discrepancies between the official story of Hubbard's life and the truth revealed in Hubbard's diaries and personal papers, he began to question the need for perpetuating the myths. Eventually, he feared for his safety, and held on to many of the personal papers to preserve his own life. Despite a gag order, he remains an outspoken critic of Scientology.

More about Gerry Armstrong

Guardian Order 3031, The Controller Committee

December 27, 1979: Guardian Order 3031, "The Controller Committee," stresses compliance with the law. Scientology representative Lynn Farny later cites this document as evidence that Fair Game is not practiced by Scientology. However, Robert Vaughn Young testifies that Fair Game DID continue, and says he knows this because he participated in discussions about how to Fair Game Gerry Armstrong.

Gerry Armstrong letter about LRH biography

November 25, 1981: Gerry Armstrong, working on an official biography of Hubbard for Scientology, writes to a fellow high-ranking Scientologist, Cirrus Slevin, expressing concerns about the discrepancies between the official LRH biographies and what he's learning from reading LRH's diaries and other sources: " ... nothing published about LRH, of whom nothing is known, is a fact ... Continuing the claim that [Hubbard] has never erred and never lied is counter-productive. It is an unrealistic position, and too far removed from reality and people for it to be publicly accepted. "

Gerry Armstrong Declaration

December 18, 1983: Declaration of Gerry Armstrong

Scientology OSA staffer defames Gerry Armstrong

October 21, 1996: Scientology OSA staffer Cathy Norman writes a letter to Craig Branch of the Watchman Fellowship containing defamatory information about Gerry Armstrong.

Gerry Armstrong Declaration

August 23, 1998: Gerry Armstrong creates a declaration regarding an incident in March 1998, when he was stopped by the police on a complaint from an unidentified woman that she had "chased" him.

Gerry Armstrong in the News

Datesort icon Title Blurb Tags
January 16, 1988 The Messianic Con Man Gerry Armstrong had been a dedicated member of the Church of Scientology for more than a decade, swept away by its heady promise of superhuman powers and immortality. He had been twice sentenced to long periods in the Rehabilitation Project Force, the Scientologists' Orwellian prison; he had been constantly humiliated and his marriage had been destroyed; yet he remained convinced that L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, was the greatest man who ever lived. That is, until 1980 when Armstrong discovered 21 boxes of Hubbard memorabilia inside a secret base set up by Scientologists in the Californian desert. Gerry Armstrong, L. Ron Hubbard, Press
December 17, 1986 Ex-Scientologist Settles on Fee for Documents A former archivist for the Church of Scientology has agreed to return thousands of pages of confidential church documents in exchange for an undisclosed payment as part of a settlement of his lawsuit against the church, attorneys confirmed Tuesday. The documents, which a Superior Court judge said portray church founder L. Ron Hubbard as "virtually a pathological liar," have been under court seal for nearly four years pending the outcome of Gerald Armstrong's fraud and misrepresentation lawsuit. Armstrong was a 12-year Scientologist who said he left the church disillusioned, taking with him more than 10,000 pages of the late L. Ron Hubbard's papers that purportedly proved that the church founder had misrepresented his military heroism and scientific achievements. Gerry Armstrong, L. Ron Hubbard, lawsuits, Michael Flynn
December 17, 1986 Scientologists Achieve 'Peace' by Settling Suits Ending years of bitter litigation, the Church of Scientology has reached a series of out-of-court settlements in a move church attorneys said Tuesday will mean a lasting "peace" between the church and many of its harshest foes. Among the settlements approved last week was a highly publicized fraud case in Oregon brought by former church member Julie Christofferson-Titchbourne, who had twice won multimillion-dollar judgments against the church that were later overturned. Gerry Armstrong, lawsuits, Michael Flynn
October 17, 1985 Former Scientology Aide Wins Ruling On Church Records The state Supreme Court yesterday allowed a former Church of Scientology official to obtain church records in a suit against the group. The action lifts the court's order of September 10 blocking release of the records of "audits," or examinations, of church members, to Gerald Armstrong, who resigned in 1981 as archivist of the church's Los Angeles branch. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul Breckenridge has said the church declared Armstrong a "suppressive person," and employees spied on him, assaulted him and hit him with a car. assault, Gerry Armstrong, harassment, Press
April 17, 1985 Court Hears Final Scientology Tape Jurors in the Church of Scientology fraud trial Tuesday listened to the last of five hours of surreptitiously-taped conversations in which a former Scientologist talked about a plan to "transform" church leadership by filing suit to take managerial control. In the final two recorded meetings, Armstrong said he "wouldn't touch" an idea posed by his questioner about writing false materials on the letterhead of a private investigator, whom Armstrong believed was pursuing him on behalf of the church. As it turned out, the private investigator was the one making the tapes. Gerry Armstrong, harassment, Press
April 5, 1985 Judge Rules Out Videotapes Aimed At Discrediting Witness An attempt to discredit a witness testifying against the Church of Scientology in a fraud trial hit a snag Thursday when a Portland judge called surreptitiously made videotapes an "amateurish performance" and refused to let them be shown to the jury. "I think they are devastating, devastating against the church," Multnomah Circuit Judge Donald H. Londer said out of the presence of the jury after viewing 108 minutes of tape recorded in a Los Angeles park last November. crimes, defamation, Gerry Armstrong, lawsuits, Press
April 20, 1984 Scientology Founder's Papers Ruled OK For Trial A judge Thursday denied a motion to bar voluminous personal papers of reclusive Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard from being introduced as evidence at the Los angeles trial of a suit against the sect's former archivist. Judge Breckenridge said he will rule on the admissibility of the papers, which number in the thousands and are contained in 21 boxes, on a document-by-document basis. Gerry Armstrong, L. Ron Hubbard, lawsuits, Michael Flynn, Press

Gerry Armstrong in the News

Date Titlesort icon Blurb Tags
August 23, 1998 Gerry Armstrong Declaration Gerry Armstrong creates a declaration regarding an incident in March 1998, when he was stopped by the police on a complaint from an unidentified woman that she had "chased" him. Declaration, Gerry Armstrong
January 26, 1997 Gerry Armstrong Declaration Gerry Armstrong creates a sworn declaration regarding his knowledge of Scientology's history and workings, as well as Scientology's attempts to silence him, relevant to the Ward, Henson, and Erlich cases. Gerry Armstrong
January 24, 1997 Scientology Attorney Threatenes to Prosecute Gerry Armstrong if he Complies with a Subpoena Scientology attorney Andrew Wilson faxes Gerry Armstrong, threatening to prosecute Armstrong for violating a gag agreement if Armstrong produces documents that have been subpoenaed in Grady Ward's case. Gerry Armstrong
January 23, 1997 Gerry Armstrong Receives A Subpoena From Grady Ward Gerry Armstrong receives a subpoena from Grady Ward for production of documents in Ward's case. The following day, Scientology's lawyer will threaten Armstrong with prosecution if Armstrong complies with the subpoena. Gerry Armstrong
October 21, 1996 Scientology OSA staffer defames Gerry Armstrong Scientology OSA staffer Cathy Norman writes a letter to Craig Branch of the Watchman Fellowship containing defamatory information about Gerry Armstrong. Gerry Armstrong
October 17, 1995 Gerry Armstrong Barred from Discussing Scientology An order is filed which will later (on May 2, 1996) prohibit Gerry Armstrong from "voluntarily assisting any person (not a government organ or entity) defending a claim" brought by Scientology and from "discussing with anyone, not a member of [his] immediate family or [his] attorney, Scientology, the Church, and/or any of the Beneficiaries" (which are various Scientology entities). Gerry Armstrong
October 6, 1995 Church Of Scientology V. Gerry Armstrong: Hearing Before Judge Thomas In San Rafael, California Church of Scientology v. Gerry Armstrong: hearing before Judge Thomas in San Rafael, California Gerry Armstrong
December 31, 1992 Scientology Wants Gerry Armstrong Held in Contempt For Testifying in Court Case Scientology asks the court to hold Gerry Armstrong in contempt for providing testimony in a court case; Scientology holds that this is a violation of the 1986 settlement agreement. (The request will later be denied.) Gerry Armstrong
November 1, 1989 Scientology Attorney Lawrence Heller Executes A Declaration Regarding The Armstrong Case Scientology attorney Lawrence Heller executes a declaration regarding the Armstrong case. Gerry Armstrong
December 20, 1984 Hubbard's Personal Papers Temporarily Sealed Judge Lawrence Waddington of California Superior Court granted a temporary restraining order sealing L. Ron Hubbard's personal papers, entered as evidence in the Church's 1982 lawsuit against Gerry Armstrong's case, in response to an emergency lawsuit filed by the Church of Scientology members who claimed their right to privacy would be violated by making the papers public. The papers had been released just hours before the order was granted to reseal them. Gerry Armstrong