Clearwater
Sun
November 4, 1979
"Curtain of secrecy descends on sect"
by Alan
Gutwein-Gunther
CLEARWATER - The
lid clamped down hard Saturday at Scientology's headquarters, as church
officials chased a reporter through the streets and ordered other church
members not to talk to the press.
The
church had publicized an afternoon open house, but visitors found
themselves quickly escorted into a closed room if they tried to wander
anywhere in the building.
Nancy
Reitze, publicity director for the church, wouldn't answer any
questions.
No,
she said, a reporter could not roam the building and talk to anyone
about what it was like to be a Scientologist. The reporter replied
he'd just have to stand on public property and catch people as they were
passing by.
Frustrated, the reporter turned the corner outside the building.
He gave directions to a passing motorist. the coast looked
clear. A young woman with books in her arms was approaching, and
she was asked whether she had been reading the newspapers lately.
"No! Not here, you don't!" Ms. Reitze yelled as
she rounded the corner.
The
young woman walked away.
The
reporter pretended he was returning to his car. He looked over his
shoulder and dashed three blocks behind some buildings to emerge
breathless by a wall of shrubbery that shielded him from view of the
headquarters.
"Excuse me, sir," he started, but again, he was interrupted by
a breathless Ms. Reitze.
"Look, love, you've got to make a living, sure. But not at
the expense of the church," she said. She was asked what the
harm would be in simply allowing people to speak for themselves.
"Later. Not now. Not today," Ms. Reitze
replied. "Right now this is a national issue, and I'm
responsible for the church's comment."
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