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us 09
---
title: "Understanding Scientology — us-09"
source: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/wakefield/us-09.html
retrieved: 2026-06-28
---
Understanding Scientology, by Margery
Wakefield
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Chapter 9
## The Sea Org -- "For the Next Billion Years..."
All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness
to die and a proclivity for action; all of them, irrespective of the
doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism,
enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatred and intolerance; all of them are
capable of releasing a powerful flow of activity in certain departments
of life; all of them demand blind faith and singlehearted allegiance.
-- The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer
I, ___________________ DO HEREBY AGREE to enter into
employment with the SEA ORGANIZATION and, being of sound mind, do fully
realize and agree to abide by its purpose which is to get ETHICS IN on
this PLANET AND UNIVERSE and, fully and without reservation, subscribe
to the discipline, mores and conditions of this group and pledge to
abide by them.
THEREFORE, I CONTRACT MYSELF TO THE SEA ORGANIZATION FOR THE NEXT
BILLION YEARS.
-- Contract of employment of the Sea Organization
On the Scientology "upper level" called OT III, the Scientologist
learns the great secret of "this sector of the universe," which is that
75,000,000 years ago an evil dictator named Xenu, in an effort to solve
the overpopulation problem in the galaxy, shot and froze thousands of
thetans, shipped them to earth, and glued them together in massive
nuclear explosions on volcanos in Hawaii and Las Palmas. Remember?
Actually there was more to the story. Xenu's brigade of soldiers
were called the Loyal Officers. After Xenu had finished implanting all
the frozen souls blown up on the two volcanos,
...the Loyal Officers revolted and captured Xenu. He was imprisoned
in a mountain top on planet Earth (on the island of Madiera) and placed
inside a wire cage with an eternal battery (where he remains today). In
the battle between the Loyal Officers and Xenu's renegades, most of
these planets were turned into billiard balls. Earth was a radioactive
cinder, and became known as "The Evil Place."
That's why nobody ever comes here except renegades and criminals who
are dumped here....
The entire concept of the Sea Org was said by Hubbard to be "a
regathering of the Loyal Officers." This time he and his most trusted
officers would not fail. They would "decontaminate" Earth, and later
this
entire sector of the Galaxy, from the devastation inflicted by Xenu and
his renegades. (1)
The motto of the Sea Org (organization) is "We Come Back." Every Sea
Org member believes in his heart that he or she is a member of an
ancient organization which once before tried to save the earth, but
failed.
They believe, as Hubbard has told them, that this is their last
chance. If they fail now to rescue this planet from certain impending
nuclear devastation, then it will be too late. The souls on this planet
will be doomed for trillions of years into the future.
Sea Org members believe themselves to be "the cream of the cream of
Scientology." In a bulletin called "The Sea Organization," Hubbard
writes:
If almost any person in the Sea Organization were to appear in a
Scientology group or Org he would be lionized, red-carpeted and
Very-Important-Personed beyond belief.
For the Sea Organization is composed of the "aristocracy" of
Scientology.
These people, alone and on their own are all stars in the sky of
their areas.
It is like one of the old regiments of gentlemen where any private
would be, in another but common regiment, a colonel...
The Sea Organization is composed of people who alone would excite
great admiration but who together, well organized, can actually get the
job done.
And although our lowest deck hand could be a "duke" only all of us
together could get on with the job.
And that's how and why ... the Sea Organization came into being and
why we are here....
Life in the Sea Org has never been easy. Members work hours that
would seem impossible to an ordinary mortal. Pay is low, rewards are
few, but there is the satisfaction of knowing that one is working for
the salvation of souls and rescue of the planet.
"Stiff ethics" has always been the norm in the Sea Org. The
practices of overboarding, security checks, confinement in chain lockers
or bilge tanks served on the ships as ethics remedies to bring the
recalcitrant or dissatisfied into line. There is no reason to believe
that things are much different now.
Overboarding was begun by Hubbard after one of the Sea Org members
on the Apollo mistakenly untied the wrong hawser, setting the huge ship
adrift in a foreign harbor. That unfortunate person was immediately
tossed over the side of the ship on Hubbard's order. From that time on,
overboarding became a regular practice on the ship.
One witness describes this practice:
Students and crew were lined up on deck in the early hours every
morning. They waited to hear whether they were on the day's list of