Commodore's Messenger Organization

The first Commodore's Messengers were appointed by L. Ron Hubbard in 1968 while he was living aboard the Sea Org's ship Apollo. These messengers were his personal administrative assistants and operated solely under his direction, ensuring that Scientology management was following Hubbard's policies.{{r|miller|pages=301–304}}

The original four messengers were sisters Janis Gillham (aged 11) and Terri Gillham (12), Annie Tidman (12), and Hubbard's youngest daughter Suzette Hubbard (13).{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/scientology-what-happened-in-vegas-part-2-of-3-in-a-special-report-on-the/1048123|title=Scientology: What happened in Vegas, Part 2 of 3 in a special report on the Church of Scientology|work=Tampa Bay Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822173220/http://www.tampabay.com:80/news/scientology/scientology-what-happened-in-vegas-part-2-of-3-in-a-special-report-on-the/1048123 |archive-date=August 22, 2019}}{{r|wright|page=107}} In 1975 while sailing in the Caribbean, due to the heat and humidity, the Messengers devised their uniforms themselves: white shorts, tie tops and platform shoes with knee high socks.{{r|wright|page=107}} Messengers conveyed messages from Hubbard and they were trained to mimic Hubbard's exact tone and mannerisms.{{r|atack|page=246}} According to messenger Tonja Burden, CMO recruits were required to practice specific training routines to attain this skill: "During the Training Routines, myself and two others practiced carrying messages to LRH. We had to listen to a message, repeat it in the same tone, and practice salutes."{{r|atack|page=246}}

Sea Org member Doreen Smith recalled a conversation she had with Hubbard concerning the origins of the CMO and why he had focused on young girls to carry out his personal tasks and deliver his executive orders:

{{blockquote|author=Doreen Smith|text=I once asked him why he chose young girls as messengers ... He said it was an idea he had picked up from Nazi Germany. He said Hitler was a madman, but nevertheless a genius in his own right and the Nazi Youth was one of the smartest ideas he ever had. With young people you had a blank slate and you could write anything you wanted on it and it would be your writing. That was his idea, to take young people and mould them into little Hubbards. He said he had girls because women were more loyal than men.{{r|miller|page=323}} }}

In 1979, the Watchdog Committee (WDC) was created out of senior executives of CMO.

{{Blockquote |text=Long the interface between Hubbard and the rest of the Church, part of the CMO became the senior management body: the Commodore's Messenger Organization International, or CMO Int. But as the Commodore's Messenger Organization was quite obviously connected to the Commodore, they had to find a new title. So the Watchdog Committee (WDC) came into being, in April 1979. It consisted solely of the senior executives of CMO Int. The function of WDC was to 'put senior management back on post.' They did this by absorbing all top management posts. |author=Jon Atack in A Piece of Blue Sky {{r|atack|pp=257-8}} }}

{{Anchor|All Clear Unit}}

In 1981, the All Clear Unit was set up at CMO Int with the purpose of ensuring an "All Clear" for Hubbard to emerge from hiding. As head of the unit, David Miscavige took orders only from Pat Broeker, who was accountable only to Hubbard.{{r|atack|pages=257–264}}

• Michelle Barnett (Shelly Miscavige) became a messenger at age 12. She later married fellow messenger and future Scientology leader David Miscavige.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2014/03/shelly-miscavige-scientology-queen-de-throned|title=Read Why Shelly Miscavige, Once Scientology's Queen, Was Dethroned by Her Husband David |first=Ned |last=Zeman |date=February 20, 2014 |magazine=Vanity Fair}} She has made no public appearances since August 2007.{{cite news|last=Edwards|first=Jim|title=Tour The Compound Where The Missing Wife of Scientology's Leader Might Be Living|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/is-the-missing-wife-of-scientologys-leader-hidden-in-this-spike-fenced-compound-2012-7?op=1|access-date=24 March 2013|newspaper=Business Insider|date=13 July 2012}} The Church of Scientology and the Los Angeles Police Department deny that she is missing.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-xpm-2013-aug-09-la-me-ln-scientology-leaders-wife-found-lapd-closes-missing-persons-case-20130809-story.html|title=Scientology leader's wife located by LAPD after Leah Remini inquiry|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Andrew|last=Blankstein|date=August 9, 2013|access-date=June 23, 2020}}
• Pat Broeker was aboard the Apollo and, along with his wife Anne, were taking care of Hubbard at the time of his death. An order was issued promoting Broeker and his wife to the rank of "Loyal Officer", but that order was later cancelled.
• Janis Gillham, age 11, joined the Sea Organization in January 1968. She regularly attended to Hubbard for the next 11 years, until he went into hiding in 1979. In 2017, she authored Commodore's Messenger: A Child Adrift in the Scientology Sea Organization, and in 2018 Commodore's Messenger Book II: Riding Out The Storms With L. Ron Hubbard.{{Cite web|url=http://tonyortega.org/2017/07/22/janis-gradys-new-book-on-life-in-scientology-jon-atacks-take-and-an-excerpt/#more-41410|title=Janis Grady's new book on life in Scientology: Jon Atack's take, and an excerpt |website=The Underground Bunker|first=Tony|last=Ortega|author-link=Tony Ortega |date=July 22, 2017}}{{multiref2 |1={{cite book |title=Commodore's Messenger: A Child Adrift in the Scientology Sea Organization |first=Janis Gillham |last=Grady |isbn=9781547202195 |year=2017|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform }} |2={{cite book |title=Commodore's Messenger Book II: Riding Out The Storms With L. Ron Hubbard |first=Janis Gillham |last=Grady |isbn=9781721725281 |year=2018|publisher=Outback }} }}
• Terri Gillham later became the executive director of Author Services Inc. and worked closely with David Miscavige.
• Suzette Hubbard, L. Ron Hubbard's youngest daughter, was briefly in the CMO at the age of 13. When she was replaced she went to work on the decks.{{r|wright|page=107}}
• David Miscavige joined the Messengers in 1977 at age 16.{{r|sptimes1998}} After Hubbard's death in 1986, Miscavige assumed the position of head of the Church of Scientology as well as ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion.{{r|wright|page=239}}{{cite book| last=Gallagher |first=Eugene V. |author2=W. Michael Ashcraft |title=Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America | url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontone00gall | url-access=limited | publisher = Greenwood | year = 2006 |pages = [https://archive.org/details/introductiontone00gall/page/n114 98], 120, 173 |isbn=0-275-98717-5}} Miscavige holds the rank of captain of the Sea Organization, and is its highest-ranking member.{{cite book |last=Reitman |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Reitman |title=Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion |title-link=Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion |date=2011 |isbn=9780618883028 |ol=24881847M |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt }}
• Mike Rinder joined the Sea Org at age 18 and worked under Hubbard on the Apollo ship in 1973.{{cite web|url=http://www.mikerindersblog.org/mike-rinder-bio/|title=About Me|work=Mike Rinder's Blog}} He joined the CMO in 1978, later becoming the Church's international spokesperson. Rinder left the Church in 2007, later becoming a prominent critic until his death in 2025.{{cite web | first = Thomas C. Tobin| last = Joe Childs | title = Leaving the Church of Scientology: a huge step| url = http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/article1012520.ece | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090625114003/http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/article1012520.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 25, 2009 | work = St. Petersburg Times | date = 23 June 2009 | access-date = 13 July 2009}}
• Sharone Stainforth, joined the Sea Org in 1967 at age 10, and became one of Hubbard's original messengers on the Apollo. After leaving Scientology, she became a critic of the organization.{{r|wright|page=388}}{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JUUzC31uLk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/1JUUzC31uLk |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Sharone Stainforth (LRH Commodores Messenger at age 10) at the Dublin Offlines Event|date=12 July 2012|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/331356/We-re-the-Brits-who-escaped-Scientology|title=We're the Brits who escaped Scientology|first=Tessa |last=Whittington |date=July 7, 2012 |work=Daily Express}}
• Annie Tidman (also known as Annie Broeker) became a messenger at age 12.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/01/annie_broeker_ann_tidman_scientology.php|title=Death of a Scientologist: Why Annie Broeker, Famous in the Church, Had to Die in Secret|author=Tony Ortega|author-link=Tony Ortega|date=30 January 2012|work=The Village Voice|access-date=26 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802031505/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/01/annie_broeker_ann_tidman_scientology.php|archive-date=2 August 2012|url-status=dead}} She married fellow messenger Pat Broeker and they were among the few people in direct contact with L. Ron Hubbard during his final years.{{cite magazine |url = http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,951938,00.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930094022/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,951938,00.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = September 30, 2007 |title = Mystery of the Vanished Ruler |access-date = 2007-08-10 |date = January 31, 1983 |magazine = Time}} In November 1992, Tidman made an unannounced departure from the group, but returned after Marty Rathbun, then a high ranking member of the Sea Org, intercepted her at the Boston airport. She died in 2011.
• Marc Yager joined the Sea Org in 1974 as a teenager and sailed with Hubbard on Apollo. Yager became a messenger and assisted Hubbard in video production. Yager was appointed Commanding Officer of the Commodore's Messenger Organization, Chairman of the Watchdog Committee, and later, Inspector General for Administration in the Religious Technology Center (RTC).{{cite book |last=Headley |first=Marc |title=Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology |year=2009 |title-link=Blown for Good |publisher=BFG Books |isbn=9780982502204 |page=71}}{{Cite web |title=Declaration of Marc Yager |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Declaration_Marc_Yager_1994.pdf |date=February 7, 1994 |first=Marc |last=Yager |series=Church of Scientology International v. Fishman and Geertz |publisher=US District Court for the Central District of California}}{{r|scobee|p=89|quote=Yager was far more qualified to hold the CO CMO Int/WFC Chairman position than [Scobee] was. Yager had already been on the post for over a decade, he managed all of the Sea Org financial reserves ... and as a teenager, he had worked directly under L. Ron Hubbard as his personal messenger.}}
• Jenna Miscavige Hill joined the CMO at 12.{{cite book |last1=Miscavige Hill |first1=Jenna |title=Beyond Belief |date=2013 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-224847-3 |page=157}}

• A Piece of Blue Sky
• Bare-faced Messiah

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/pieceofblueskysc00atac/ |title=A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed |first=Jon |last=Atack |author-link=Jon Atack |date=1990 |publisher=Lyle Stuart Books |isbn=081840499X |ol=9429654M}}

{{cite book |title=Bare-faced Messiah : The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard |title-link=Bare-faced Messiah |first=Russell |last=Miller |author-link=Russell Miller |ol=26305813M |isbn=0805006540 |date=1987 |publisher=Henry Holt and Company }}

{{Cite book |last=Scobee |first=Amy |author-link=Amy Scobee |title=Scientology — Abuse at the Top |year=2010 |publisher=Scobee Publishing |isbn=9780692008010}}

{{cite web |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/10/25/the-man-behind-scientology/ |title=The Man Behind Scientology |first=Thomas C |last=Tobin |date=October 25, 1998 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991112103750/http://www.sptimes.com/TampaBay/102598/scientologypart1.html |archive-date=November 12, 1999 |publisher=St Petersburg Times }} [https://web.archive.org/web/20000708004553/http://www.sptimes.com/TampaBay/102598/scientologypart2.html Archive page 2], [https://web.archive.org/web/20000307050557/http://www.sptimes.com:80/TampaBay/102598/scientologypart3.html page 3], [https://web.archive.org/web/19991112150417/http://www.sptimes.com:80/TampaBay/102598/scientologypart4.html page 4]

{{cite book |last=Wright |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Wright |title=Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |year=2013 |isbn=9780307700667 |ol=25424776M |title-link=Going Clear (book)}}

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{{Scientology}}

Category:Scientology organizations

Category:Religious organizations established in 1969