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controversial Church of Scientology which had purchased the buildings.
At first he denied that the hotel would become a Scientology center;
he said that the hotel would be open to all churches for conferences and
retreats. However, the next day he said that if Scientology failed to
bring religious harmony to all religions, then the hotel would become a
center for Scientologists. And a few days later he admitted that the
center was to be used exclusively for Scientology training.
After telling the people of Clearwater that Scientologists were
nice, friendly people who wanted to fit in with the community,
Scientology launched lawsuits against Gabe Cazares and the St. Pete
Times, both of whom responded with countersuits of their own
against the "church."
Hubbard, meanwhile, was ensconced in a suite of apartments in the
nearby town of Dunedin. But not for long. He engaged the services of a
local tailor, who happened to be a science fiction fan. In the course of
conversation, Hubbard revealed his identity. The tailor spread the news
to his wife and friends, and before long a reporter showed up outside
Hubbard's door. Panic stricken, Hubbard immediately fled the scene with
two aides who drove him to safety in Washington, D.C.
The Ft. Harrison Hotel was being advertised as the "Mecca of
Technical Perfection," and was becoming a place where well-to-do
Scientologists from all over the world could come and receive the very
best that Scientology had to offer.
The public preclears would fly in from Los Angeles, Zurich,
Frankfurt or Mexico City. They would pay the huge fees, play backgammon,
swim, sunbathe, listen to tapes by Hubbard, and be given special PR
briefings by a
smartly uniformed host or attractive PR girls....
Diners in the Hour Glass Restaurant, which is part of the Ft.
Harrison Hotel, were, and are to this day, served by waiters with black
suits, bow ties, and crisp white shirts. The talk would usually drift to
the great wins each was having in his auditing. (2)
The Guardian's Office was also hard at work in Clearwater. Gabe
Cazares, who had by now become an official enemy of the "church," was
the subject of an extensive investigation referred to by the G.O. as
"Operation Taco-Less."
The G.O. investigation of Cazares is of interest because it shows to
what lengths Scientology will go in investigating anyone they perceive
to be an "enemy."
In the write-up of this "operation," the major target was stated as:
To insure that all investigative leads and strings left unpulled on
Mayor Cazares are followed up on to discover further data about him
which when released will ruin his political career and remove/restrain
him as an opponent of Scientology....
Some of the steps included in their investigation of Cazares were:
- Compile a list of all clubs, associations, organizations, etc.
which Gabe is or has been a member of or which he publicly supports.
Obtain membership lists to these groups.
- Compile a list of all the people who have written letters in the
press in support of Cazares. Investigate any people who show up in both
of these lists.
- Conduct interviews under suitable guise with people at Bedford
Air Force Base in Massachusetts to see what can be dug up about Cazares.
- Obtain property records in El Paso to see which property is
owned by Cazares or his wife. Interview the inhabitants of the house to
see what can be learned about the Cazares.
- Locate and investigate all of Cazares' relatives, including
Arthur, Joseph and Edmond Cazares (brothers), and Cora P., Marjorie
C. and Solidad A. (sisters). They should be investigated to find any
scandal or criminal backgrounds they or their family may have.
- Investigate any unknown property deals of Gabe or his wife.
- Check the backgrounds of Gabe's parents in Mexico and the
circumstances of their coming to this country.
- Check the name of Gabe's first wife, when and where divorced and
why.
- Check grammar and high school records of Gabe.
- Check all financial disclosure forms for the disbursement of his
campaign funds. Check campaign contributors. Insure that he keeps within
the letter of the law regarding contributions.
- Obtain a copy of Gabe's military records.
- Check political backgrounds and affiliations of all Cazares'
campaign staff, looking for people with Commie or heavy leftist
backgrounds, or with backgrounds which will discredit Cazares.
- Obtain marriage records for the first marriage of Cazares' wife,
and also the records of the divorce.
Apparently, the G.O. didn't come up with much as a result of this
investigation, so they changed their tack. A plan was made to frame
Cazares in a hit-and-run accident designed to ruin his political career,
which it nearly did.
It was known that Cazares was to attend a Mayors' Conference in
Washington, D.C. He was met at the airport by a young man posing as a
reporter and his female friend. Both were Scientologists. The female, a
G.O. agent named Sharon Thomas, volunteered to show Gabe the sights of