Believe What You Like

What happened between the Scientologists and the National Association for Mental Health

by C.H. Rolph

Contents

Foreword
1 Introduction
2 The 'Church' of Scientology: a Self-Portrait
3 The Pharisees' View
4 Scientology and Self-defence
5 Fringe Developments
6 Scientologists and the Law I
7 Scientologists and the Law II: the Johnson Smith case
8 The NAMH - and its Critics
9 Scientology attempts a Take-over
10 In the High Court
Appendix: The Judgment

Believe What You Like

What happened between the Scientologists and the National Association for Mental Health.

The 'Church of Scientology' has been at the centre of several public disputes in the course of the past three years. Perhaps the most extraordinary was that involving the National Association for Mental Health. In 1969 scientologists joined the Association in large numbers, though they have denied any attempt to take it over, and attempted to force it to accept as official policy a number of points concerning the treatment of psychiatric patients. When their identity was realised the NAMH expelled them and they sought redress in the High Court in 1971. The dispute is still not resolved.

C.H. Rolph examines the origins, methods, and, so far as possible, the motives of the scientologists, and describes their other encounters with the law, including the libel case against Mr Geoffrey Johnson Smith MP.

The reader is left to decide for himself why sane and intelligent people subscribe to the theories of scientology and accept its status as a church; to decide what the real aims and objectives of the scientologists are; and to judge the propriety of their methods, propaganda and purposes in attempting to gain a majority vote in the council of the NAMH. The scientologists have expressed their views frequently and publicly - now it is for the members of the public 'to believe what you like'.

[photo] C.H. Rolph has been with the New Statesman for the past twenty-five years both as staff writer and more recently as a director. He was actively involved in the debate over the reform of the obscenity laws and published a book on the subject, Books In The Dock; he has published an account of the great Electrical Trades Union ballot rigging case: All Those In Favour. C.H. Rolph is married to Jenifer Wayne, the children's author and former BBC radio scriptwriter-producer. He has three children.

Jacket design by Peter Freeman

£2.25net UK ONLY

First published 1973 by Andre Deutsch Limited
105 Great Russell Street London WC1

Copyright ©1973 by C.H. Rolph
All rights reserved

Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd
Frome and London

ISBN 0 233 96375 8

1997 electronic edition scanned, proofed and HTMLised by David Gerard. I have tried and failed to find information on C.H. Rolph (Cecil Rolph Hewitt, journalist and policeman; born 23rd August 1901, died 10th March 1994). All help, including tracking down the present copyright holders on the book and the author's photo, would be greatly appreciated.