title: Scientology controversies

text: Since its inception in 1954, the Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of controversies, including its stance on psychiatry, Scientology's legitimacy as a religion, the Church's aggressive attitude in dealing with its perceived enemies and critics, allegations of mistreatment of members, and predatory financial practices; for example, the high cost of religious training and perceived exploitative practices. When mainstream media outlets have reported alleged abuses, representatives of the church have tended to deny such allegations.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The church maintains strict control over the use of its symbols, names and religious texts. Although U.S. intellectual property law allows for "fair use" of material for commentary, parody, educational purposes, etc., critics of the church such as Gerry Armstrong have argued the church unfairly and illegally uses the legal system to suppress "fair" uses, including suppressing any mention of the space opera aspects of the religion, including the story of Xenu.


title: Scientology controversies

text: One example critics cited is a 1995 lawsuit against the "Washington Post" newspaper "et al." The Religious Technology Center (RTC), the corporation controlling L. Ron Hubbard's copyrighted materials, sued to prevent a "Post" reporter from describing church teachings at the center of another lawsuit, claiming copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and the circulation of their "advanced technology" teachings would cause "devastating, cataclysmic spiritual harm" to those not prepared. In her judgment in favor of the "Post", Judge Leonie Brinkema noted:


title: Scientology controversies

text: Actress Leah Remini, a former Scientologist and vocal critic of the organization, filed a missing person report regarding Michele Miscavige, wife of David Miscavige, with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 2013. According to a story in "The Los Angeles Times" based on information from an anonymous LAPD source, the LAPD contacted Miscavige and subsequently closed the case.


title: Scientology controversies

text: There have been a number of controversies between Scientology and psychiatry since the founding of the Church of Scientology in 1952. Scientology is publicly, and often vehemently, opposed to both psychiatry and psychology. Scientologists view psychiatry as a barbaric and corrupt profession and encourage alternative care based on spiritual healing. According to the Church of Scientology, psychiatry has a long history of improper and abusive care. The group's views have been disputed, criticized and condemned by experts in the medical and scientific community and been a source of public controversy.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church of Scientology's objection to secular ideas about mental health are religious in nature, based on the conviction that humans are essentially divine beings who have been marred by negative experiences acquired over several lifetimes. Scientology also purports that the secular perception of what is mentally normal is not based on science, a contradiction to the claims of psychiatry and psychology.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church founded an anti-psychiatry organization called Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which operates a museum in Hollywood, California, called . The museum is dedicated to criticizing what it describes as "an industry driven entirely by profit". It has a variety of displays and exhibits that highlight physical psychiatric treatments, such as restraints, psychoactive drugs, electroconvulsive therapy and psychosurgery (including lobotomy, a procedure abandoned in the 1960s).


title: Scientology controversies

text: Scientology has a reputation for hostile action toward anyone who criticizes it in a public forum; executives within the organization have proclaimed Scientology is "not a turn-the-other-cheek religion". Journalists, politicians, former Scientologists and various anti-cult groups have made accusations of wrongdoing against Scientology since the 1960s, and Scientology has targeted these critics—almost without exception—for retaliation, in the form of lawsuits and public counter-accusations of personal wrongdoing. Many of Scientology's critics have also reported they were subjected to threats and harassment in their private lives.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The organization's actions reflect a formal policy for dealing with criticism instituted by L. Ron Hubbard, called "attack the attacker". Hubbard codified this policy in the latter half of the 1960s in response to government investigations into the organization. In 1966, Hubbard wrote a criticism of the organization's behavior and noted the "correct procedure" for attacking enemies of Scientology:


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 2007 a BBC documentary on Scientology by reporter John Sweeney came under scrutiny by Scientologists. Sweeney alleged "While making our BBC Panorama film "Scientology and Me" I have been shouted at, spied on, had my hotel invaded at midnight, denounced as a 'bigot' by star Scientologists, brain-washed—that is how it felt to me—in a mock up of a Nazi-style torture chamber and chased round the streets of Los Angeles by sinister strangers". This resulted in a video being distributed by Scientologists of a shouting match between Sweeney and Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis. The church has reportedly released a DVD accusing the BBC of organising a demonstration outside a Scientology office in London, during which "terrorist death threats" were made against Scientologists. The BBC described the allegations as "clearly laughable and utter nonsense". Sandy Smith, the BBC programme's producer, commented the church of Scientology has "no way of dealing with any kind of criticism at all".


title: Scientology controversies

text: Hubbard detailed his rules for attacking critics in a number of policy letters, including one often quoted by critics as "the Fair Game policy". This allowed those who had been declared enemies of the Church, called "suppressive persons" (SPs), "May be deprived of property or injured by any means...May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed". (taken from HCOPL October 18, 1967 Issue IV, "Penalties for Lower Conditions")


title: Scientology controversies

text: The aforementioned policy was canceled and replaced by HCOPL July 21, 1968, "Penalties for Lower Conditions". The wordings "May be deprived of property or injured by any means... May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed", are not found in this reference. Scientology critics argue only the term but not the practice was removed. To support this contention, they refer to "HCO Policy Letter of October 21, 1968" which says, "The practice of declaring people FAIR GAME will cease. FAIR GAME may not appear on any Ethics Order. It causes bad public relations. This P/L does not cancel any policy on the treatment or handling of a SP."


title: Scientology controversies

text: According to a book by Omar Garrison, HCOPL March 7, 1969, was created under pressure from the government of New Zealand. Garrison quotes from the HCOPL, "We are going in the direction of mild ethics and involvement with the Society". Garrison then states, "It was partly on the basis of these policy reforms that the New Zealand Commission of Inquiry recommended that no legislative action be taken against Scientology". The source of Omar Garrison for this is most likely the Dumbleton-Powles Report, additional data and quotations are found in this report.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 1977, top officials of Scientology's "Guardian's Office", an internal security force run by Hubbard's wife, Mary Sue Hubbard, admitted that fair game was policy in the GO. ("U.S. v. Kember", Budlong Sentencing Memorandum – Undated, 1981).


title: Scientology controversies

text: In separate cases in 1979 and 1984, attorneys for Scientology argued the Fair Game policy was in fact a core belief of Scientology and as such deserved protection as religious expression.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In the 1970s, Hubbard continued to codify the policy of "attacking the attacker" and assigned a term to be used frequently within Scientology: "dead agenting". Used as a verb, "dead agenting" is described by Hubbard as a technique for countering negative accusations against Scientology by diverting the critical statements and making counter-accusations against the accuser; in other words, to "attack the attacker". Hubbard defined the PR (public relations) policy on "dead agenting" in a 1974 bulletin:


title: Scientology controversies

text: The phrase comes from a misunderstanding of the chapter on espionage in "The Art of War". The Scientology-sponsored website religiousfreedomwatch.org features depictions of so-called "anti-religious extremists", most of them critics of Scientology. Featuring photos of the critics and claimed evidence of their personal wrongdoing (sometimes very vague; for example: "Documentation received by Religious Freedom Watch shows that [Kristi] Wachter paid an individual to carry out a specific project for her, and also instructed this individual to lie about what he was doing in case he was caught"). The "Religious Freedom Watch" site is often cited by alt.religion.scientology users as a contemporary example of "dead agenting".


title: Scientology controversies

text: Dead agenting has also been carried out by flier campaigns against some critics—using so-called "DA fliers". Bonnie Woods, an ex-member who began counseling people involved with Scientology and their families, became a target along with her husband in 1993 when the Church of Scientology started a leaflet operation denouncing her as a "hate campaigner" with demonstrators outside their home and around East Grinstead. After a long battle of libel suits, in 1999, the church agreed to issue an apology and to pay £55,000 damages and £100,000 in legal costs to the Woods.


title: Scientology controversies

text: "R2-45" is the name given by L. Ron Hubbard to what he described as "an enormously effective process for exteriorization but its use is frowned upon by this society at this time". In Scientology doctrine, exteriorization refers to the separation of the thetan (soul) from the body. According to the author Stewart Lamont, Hubbard defined R2-45 as a process by which exteriorization could be produced by shooting a person in the head with a .45 revolver.


title: Scientology controversies

text: While no "R2-45 letters" have been published, orders to use R2-45 on specific individuals were published in a prominent Scientology magazine. On March 6, 1968, Hubbard issued an internal memo titled "Racket Exposed", in which he denounced twelve people as "Enemies of mankind, the planet and all life", and ordered "Any Sea Org member contacting any of them is to use Auditing Process R2-45." The memo was subsequently reproduced, with another name added, in the Church of Scientology's internal journal, "The Auditor". Another four people were named in a second R2-45 order published in "The Auditor" later in 1968.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Much of the controversy surrounding Scientology is reflected in the long list of legal incidents associated with the organization including the criminal convictions of core members of the Scientology organization.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 1978, a number of Scientologists, including L. Ron Hubbard's wife Mary Sue Hubbard (who was second in command in the organization at the time), were convicted of perpetrating what was at the time the largest incident of domestic espionage in the history of the United States, called "Operation Snow White". This involved infiltrating, wiretapping, and stealing documents from the offices of Federal attorneys and the Internal Revenue Service. The judge who convicted Mary Sue Hubbard and ten accomplices described their attempt to plead freedom of religion in defense:


title: Scientology controversies

text: Eleven church staff members, including Mary Sue Hubbard and other highly placed officials, pleaded guilty or were convicted in federal court based on evidence seized in the raids and received sentences from two to six years (some suspended).


title: Scientology controversies

text: Other noteworthy incidents involving criminal accusations and prosecutions against the Church of Scientology include:


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 2007, a 25-year-old woman from Sydney was charged with murdering her father and sister and seriously injuring her mother. Her parents had prevented her from seeking the psychiatric treatment she needed because of their Scientology beliefs.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 2012, Debbie Cook, who ran the "spiritual Mecca" for seventeen years, came forward and accused the church of repeated accounts of "screaming, slapping" and being "made to stand in a trash and water's poured over you" in efforts to confess her sins. This was all done in "The Hole", located at Scientology's International base in Hemet, California. She claims that she was taken there against her will and forced to stay for seven weeks. The church states that she "voluntarily" participated in their program of "religious discipline". "" is a 2016–2017 A&E documentary series that investigates abuses of the Church of Scientology by interviewing of former members.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The most widely publicized death of one of the organization's members was that of 36-year-old Lisa McPherson while in the care of Scientologists at the Scientology-owned Fort Harrison Hotel, in Clearwater, Florida, in 1995. McPherson, at the time, was displaying symptoms suggesting she was struggling with mental illness; in one case, she removed all of her clothes after being involved in a minor traffic accident, later remarking she had done so in hopes of obtaining counseling. The Church, however, intervened to prevent McPherson from receiving psychiatric treatment and to keep her in Church custody. Records show that she was then placed in a Scientology program, the Introspection Rundown, which was forced isolation used to handle a psychotic episode. Weeks later, she was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital. The autopsy identified multiple hematomas (bruises), an abrasion on the nose, and lesions that were consistent with "insect/animal bites". An autopsy showed that she had died of a pulmonary embolism.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Florida authorities filed criminal charges against the Church of Scientology, who denied any responsibility for McPherson's death and vigorously contested the charges. The prosecuting attorneys ultimately dropped the criminal case. After four years, a $100 million civil lawsuit filed by Lisa McPherson's family was settled in 2004. The suit resulted in an injunction against the distribution of a film critical of Scientology, "The Profit", which the Church claimed was meant to influence the jury. The terms of the settlement were sealed by the court.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Another crime that received substantial news coverage involved the death of Elli Perkins. This included an installment on the CBS investigative news program "48 Hours".


title: Scientology controversies

text: Perkins was a mother of two, a professional glass artist, and a Scientologist who lived in Western New York. She was a senior auditor at the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, New York. When her then 24-year-old son Jeremy began to show strange and disturbing behavior, Elli did not seek out psychiatric care but used treatment in accordance with Scientology. Scientologists believe that psychiatry "doesn't work."


title: Scientology controversies

text: First, the family sent Jeremy to Scientology's Sea Org in California. He returned home some months later because Sea Org had not helped. Found trespassing outside the University at Buffalo on August 14, 2001, Jeremy was arrested and remanded to a local hospital after a court-ordered psychiatric exam confirmed that he had a diagnosis of schizophrenia.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Elli Perkins later convinced the court to release her son into her custody so she could seek alternatives to psychiatry. She also refused any treatment with anti-psychotic medications. Defense attorney John Nuchereno said that Jeremy's condition declined over the summer of 2002. He was no longer able to work in the family business. The Church of Scientology ceased efforts to cure Jeremy and classified him as a level III "Potential Trouble Source".


title: Scientology controversies

text: In the fall of 2002, the family consulted Dr. Conrad Maulfair, an osteopathic physician and Scientologist. Maulfair concluded that Jeremy needed to be purged of certain chemical toxins in his body. Maulfair said he needed to be "energized" through vitamin therapy.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Jeremy became suspicious of his mother; he thought the vitamins were poisoning him. In February 2003, Elli took Jeremy to see Albert Brown, a self-taught "natural healer". Elli planned to send Jeremy to live with Brown for treatment. He was to leave for Brown's on March 13, 2003, but days beforehand began to act more aggressively. On the 13th, after a shower he retrieved a steak knife and tried to slit his wrists. Unsuccessful, Jeremy found his mother in the kitchen and attacked her as she spoke to a friend on the phone. Autopsy reports showed that Elli Perkins was stabbed 77 times.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Jeremy was charged with second degree murder but found not responsible by reason of mental disease. On January 29, 2004, after NY State Office of Mental Health exams, he was assessed "Dangerously Mentally Ill" and committed to a secure facility. Jeremy is on psychotropic medications, which court psychiatrists state have not cured him, but have stabilized his condition.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In March 2006, an advertisement in "LA Weekly" blamed the Church of Scientology for Perkins' violent death. The "48 Hours" segment on Perkins' death aired on October 28, 2006. Afterward, CBS reported they had received complaints from Scientologists.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Noah Lottick was an American student of Russian studies who committed suicide on May 11, 1990, by jumping from a 10th-floor hotel window, clutching his only remaining money in his hands. After his death, a controversy arose revolving around his parents' concern over his membership in the Church of Scientology.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Noah Lottick had taken Scientology courses, for which he paid . Lottick's friends and family remarked that after taking these courses he began to act strangely. They stated to "Time" magazine that he told them that his Scientologist teachers were telepathic, and that his father's heart attack was purely psychosomatic. His parents said that he visited their home five days before his death, claiming they were spreading "false rumors" about him.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Lottick's suicide was profiled in a "Time" cover story that was highly critical of Scientology, "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power", which received the Gerald Loeb Award, and later appeared in "Reader's Digest".


title: Scientology controversies

text: Lottick's father, Dr. Edward Lottick, stated that his initial impression of Scientology was that it was similar to Dale Carnegie's techniques. However, after his son's death, his opinion was that the organization is a "school for psychopaths". He blamed Scientology for his son's death, although no direct connection was determined. After Dr. Lottick's remarks were published in the media, the Church of Scientology haggled with him over that Noah had allegedly paid to the Church and not utilized for services. The Church claimed Lottick had intended this to be a donation.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church of Scientology sued Richard Behar and "Time" magazine for $416 million. Dr. and Mrs. Lottick submitted affidavits affirming "the accuracy of each statement in the article", and stating that Dr. Lottick had "concluded that Scientology therapies were manipulations". They said that no Scientology staff members attended the funeral of their son. All counts against Behar and "Time" were later dismissed. Lottick's father cited his son's suicide as his motivation for researching cults, in his article describing a survey of physicians that he presented to the Pennsylvania State Medical Society.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church of Scientology issued a press release denying any responsibility for Lottick's suicide. Spokesperson Mike Rinder was quoted in the "St. Petersburg Times" as saying that Lottick had an argument with his parents four days before his death. Rinder stated, "I think Ed Lottick should look in the mirror ... I think Ed Lottick made his son's life intolerable."


title: Scientology controversies

text: The controversy about the existence of cultic brainwashing has become one of the most polarizing issues among cult followers, academic researchers of cults, and cult critics. Parties disagree about the existence of a social process attempting coercive influence, and also disagree about the existence of the social outcome—that people become influenced against their will.


title: Scientology controversies

text: One alleged example of the Church's possible brainwashing tactics is the Rehabilitation Project Force, to which church staff are assigned to work off alleged wrongdoings under conditions that many critics characterize as degrading. Some of these allegations are presented in Stephen Kent's "Brainwashing in Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF)". Articles that claim to rebut those charges include Juha Pentikäinen's The Church of Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Board is not concerned to find that the scientology techniques are brainwashing techniques as practiced, so it is understood, in some communist-controlled countries. Scientology techniques are, nevertheless, a kind of brainwashing...The astonishing feature of Scientology is that its techniques and propagation resemble very closely those set out in a book entitled "Brain-washing", advertised and sold by the HASI.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church of Scientology has been criticized for their practice of "disconnection" in which Scientologists are directed to sever all contact with family members or friends who criticize the faith. Critics including ex-members and relatives of existing members say that this practice has divided many families. The disconnection policy is considered by critics to be further evidence that the Church is a cult. By making its members entirely dependent upon a social network entirely within the organization, critics assert that Scientologists are kept from exposure to critical perspectives on the church and are put in a situation that makes it extremely difficult for members to leave the church, since apostates will be shunned by the Church and have already been cut off from family and friends.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church of Scientology acknowledges that its members are strongly discouraged from associating with "enemies of Scientology", and likens the disconnection policy to the practice of shunning in religions such as the Amish. However, there is a consensus of religious scholars who oppose Scientology's practice:


title: Scientology controversies

text: "I just think it would be better for all concerned if they just let them go ahead and get out and everyone goes their own way, and not make such a big deal of it, the policy hurts everybody." J. Gordon Melton, Institute for the Study of American Religion, Santa Barbara, California.


title: Scientology controversies

text: "It has to do with feeling threatened because you're not that big. You do everything you can to keep unity in the group." F.K. Flinn, Washington University in St. Louis.


title: Scientology controversies

text: "Some people I've talked to, they just wanted to go on with their lives and they wanted to be in touch with their daughter or son or parent. The shunning was just painful. And I don't know what it was accomplishing. And the very terms they use are scary, aren't they?" Newton Maloney, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Andre Tabayoyon, a former Scientologist and Sea Org staffer, testified in a 1994 affidavit that money from not-for-profit Scientology organizations and labor from those organizations (including the Rehabilitation Project Force) had gone to provide special facilities for Scientology celebrities, which were not available to other Scientologists:A Sea Org staffer...was taken along to do personal cooking for Tom Cruise and Miscavige at the expense of Scientology not for profit religious organizations. This left only 3 cooks at Gold to cook for 800 people three times a day... apartment cottages were built for the use of John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Edgar Winter, Priscilla Presley, and other Scientology celebrities who are carefully prevented from finding out the real truth about the Scientology organization ... Miscavige decided to redo the meadow in beautiful flowers; Tens of thousands of dollars were spent on the project so that Cruise and Kidman could romp there. However, Miscavige inspected the project and didn't like it. So the whole meadow was plowed up, destroyed, replowed and sown with plain grass.Tabayoyon's account of the planting of the meadow was supported by another former Scientologist, Maureen Bolstad, who said that a couple of dozen Scientologists including herself were put to work on a rainy night through dawn on the project. "We were told that we needed to plant a field and that it was to help Tom impress Nicole... but for some mysterious reason it wasn't considered acceptable by Mr. Miscavige. So the project was rejected and they redid it".


title: Scientology controversies

text: The nature of Scientology is hotly debated in many countries. The Church of Scientology pursues an extensive public relations campaign arguing Scientology is a "bona fide" religion. The organization cites a number of studies and experts who support their position. Critics point out most cited studies were commissioned by Scientology to produce the desired results.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Many countries (including Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom), while not prohibiting or limiting the activities of the Church of Scientology, have rejected its applications for tax-exempt, charitable status or recognition as a religious organization; it has been variously judged to be a commercial enterprise or a dangerous cult.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Scientology is legally accepted as a religion in the United States and Australia, and enjoys the constitutional protections afforded to religious practice in each country. In October 1993, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service recognized the Church as an "organization operated exclusively for religious and charitable purposes". The Church offers the tax exemption as proof that it is a religion. (This subject is examined in the article on the Church of Scientology).


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 1982, the High Court of Australia ruled the State Government of Victoria lacked the right to declare the Church of Scientology was not a religion. The Court found the issue of belief to be the central feature of religion, regardless of the presence of charlatanism: "Charlatanism is a necessary price of religious freedom, and if a self-proclaimed teacher persuades others to believe in a religion which he propounds, lack of sincerity or integrity on his part is not incompatible with the religious character of the beliefs, practices and observances accepted by his followers."


title: Scientology controversies

text: Other countries to have recognized Scientology as a religion include Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, and New Zealand. The debate continues until today, with a new generation of critics continuing to question Scientology's legitimacy as a religion.


title: Scientology controversies

text: While the oft-cited rumor Hubbard made a bar bet with Robert A. Heinlein he could start a cult is unproven, many witnesses have reported Hubbard making statements in their presence starting a religion would be a good way to make money. These statements have led many to believe Hubbard hid his true intentions and was motivated solely by potential financial rewards.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Editor Sam Merwin, for example, recalled a meeting: "I always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money—he used to say he thought the best way to do it would be to start a cult." (December 1946) Writer and publisher Lloyd Arthur Eshbach reported Hubbard saying "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is." Writer Theodore Sturgeon reported Hubbard made a similar statement at the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Likewise, writer Sam Moskowitz reported in an affidavit during an Eastern Science Fiction Association meeting on November 11, 1948, Hubbard had said "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion." Milton A. Rothman also reported to his son Tony Rothman he heard Hubbard make exactly that claim at a science fiction convention. In 1998, an A&E documentary titled "Inside Scientology" shows Lyle Stuart reporting Hubbard stated repeatedly to make money, "you start a religion."


title: Scientology controversies

text: According to "The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction", ed. Brian Ash, Harmony Books, 1977:...[Hubbard] began making statements to the effect that any writer who really wished to make money should stop writing and develop [a] religion, or devise a new psychiatric method. Harlan Ellison's version ("Time Out", UK, No 332) is that Hubbard is reputed to have told [John W.] Campbell, "I'm going to invent a religion that's going to make me a fortune. I'm tired of writing for a penny a word". Sam Moskowitz, a chronicler of science fiction, has reported that he himself heard Hubbard make a similar statement, but there is no first-hand evidence.The following letter, written by L. Ron Hubbard, was discovered by the FBI during its raid on Scientology headquarters. The letter shows Hubbard turned Scientology into a "religion" for financial reasons:


title: Scientology controversies

text: The arrangements that have been made seem a good temporary measure. On a longer look, however, something more equitable will have to be organized. I am not quite sure what we would call the place – probably not a clinic – but I am sure that it ought to be a company, independent of the HAS but fed by the HAS. We don't want a clinic. We want one in operation but not in name. Perhaps we could call it a Spiritual Guidance Center. Think up its name, will you. And we could put in nice desks and our boys in neat blue with diplomas on the walls and 1. knock psychotherapy into history and 2. make enough money to shine up my operating scope and 3. keep the HAS solvent. It is a problem of practical business. I await your reaction on the religion angle. In my opinion, we couldn't get worse public opinion than we have had or have less customers with what we've got to sell. A religious charter would be necessary in Pennsylvania or NJ to make it stick. But I sure could make it stick. We're treating the present time beingness, psychotherapy treats the past and the brain. And brother, that's religion, not mental science.


title: Scientology controversies

text: An article by Professor Benjamin Beith-Hallahmi documents the secular aspects of Scientology from Scientology's own writings.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The Church has taken steps to suppress the Free Zone, the term for a variety of groups and individuals who practice Scientology outside the strictures of the Church of Scientology proper, and shut down dissenters when possible. The CoS has used copyright and trademark laws to attack various Free Zone groups. Accordingly, the Free Zone avoids the use of officially trademarked Scientology words, including 'Scientology' itself. In 2000, the Religious Technology Center unsuccessfully attempted to gain the Web domain www.scientologie.org from the World Intellectual Property Organization, in a legal action against the Free Zone. "Skeptic Magazine" described the Free Zone as: "...a group founded by ex-Scientologists to promote L. Ron Hubbard's ideas independent of the COS [Church of Scientology]." A "Miami Herald" article wrote that ex-Scientologists joined the Free Zone because they felt that Church of Scientology leadership had: "...strayed from Hubbard's original teachings." One Free Zone Scientologist identified as "Safe" was quoted in "Salon" as saying: "The Church of Scientology does not want its control over its members to be found out by the public and it doesn't want its members to know that they can get scientology outside of the Church of Scientology."


title: Scientology controversies

text: In the past many critics of Scientology have claimed they were harassed by frivolous and vexatious lawsuits.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Paulette Cooper was falsely accused of felony charges as she had been framed by the Church of Scientology's Guardian's Office. Furthermore, her personal life had been intruded upon by Scientologists who had attempted to kill her and/or draw her to suicide in a covert plan known as Operation Freakout brought to light after FBI investigations into other matters (See Operation Snow White).


title: Scientology controversies

text: A prominent example of litigation of its critics is the Church of Scientology's $416 million libel lawsuit against Time Warner as a result of their publication of a highly critical magazine article "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" by Richard Behar. A public campaign by the Church of Scientology accordingly ensued in an attempt to defame this Time Magazine publication. (See Church of Scientology's response)


title: Scientology controversies

text: Gareth Alan Cales is being harassed by the Church of Scientology, including false charges against him and his friends.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Similarly, the Church of Scientology's legal battle with Gerry Armstrong in "Church of Scientology v. Gerald Armstrong" spanned two decades and involved a $10 million claim against Armstrong.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 2008, the 20-year-old daughter of Olav Gunnar Ballo, a Norwegian member of parliament, had taken a personality test organized by Scientologists in Nice, and received very negative feedback from it. A few hours later she committed suicide. French police started an investigation of the Scientology church. In the wake of the Ballo suicide linked to the personality test, the spokesman for the church in Norway called the link at accusation deeply unfair, and pointing out that the daughter had previously suffered eating disorders and psychiatric troubles.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The personality test has been condemned by the psychologist Rudy Myrvang. He called the test a recruitment tool, aimed at breaking down a person so that the Scientologists can build the test-taker back up.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Based on the 1993 IRS decision granting Scientology tax-exempt status, the U.S. Department of State formally criticized Germany for discriminating against Scientologists and began to note Scientologists' complaints of harassment and discrimination in its annual Human Rights Reports, starting from the 1993 report. Since then, the U.S. Department of State has repeatedly expressed its concerns over the violation of Scientologists' individual rights posed by "sect filters", whereby potential employees are required to divulge any association with Scientology before they are considered for a job. It has also warned that companies and artists associated with Scientology may be subject to "government-approved discrimination and boycotts" in Germany. Past targets of such boycotts have included Tom Cruise and jazz pianist Chick Corea.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In 1997, an open letter to then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, published as a newspaper advertisement in the "International Herald Tribune", drew parallels between the "organized oppression" of Scientologists in Germany and Nazi policies espoused by Germany in the 1930s. The letter was signed by Dustin Hoffman, Goldie Hawn, and a number of other Hollywood celebrities and executives. Commenting on the matter, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State criticized Germany's treatment of Scientologists and said that Scientologists were indeed discriminated against in Germany, but condemned any comparisons of this treatment to the Nazis' treatment of Jews as extremely inappropriate, an opinion echoed by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights.


title: Scientology controversies

text: German officials sharply rejected the accusations. They said that Germany guarantees the freedom of religion, but characterized Scientology as a profit-making enterprise, rather than a religion, and emphasized that precisely because of Germany's Nazi past, Germany took a determined stance against all "radical cults and sects, including right-wing Nazi groups", and not just against Scientology. According to a 1997 "Time" magazine article, most Germans consider Scientology a subversive organization, with pollsters reporting 70% popular support for banning Scientology in Germany.


title: Scientology controversies

text: In late 1997, the United States granted asylum to a German Scientologist, Antje Victore, who claimed she would be subject to religious persecution in her homeland. In 2000, the German "Stern" magazine published a report asserting that several rejection letters which the woman had submitted as part of her asylum application—ostensibly from potential employers who were rejecting her because she was a Scientologist—had in fact been written by fellow Scientologists at her request and that of the Office of Special Affairs and that she was in personal financial trouble and about to go on trial for tax evasion at the time she applied for asylum. On a 2000 visit to Clearwater, Florida, Ursula Caberta of the Scientology Task Force for the Hamburg Interior Authority likewise alleged that the asylum case had been part of an "orchestrated effort" by Scientology undertaken "for political gain", and "a spectacular abuse of the U.S. system". German expatriate Scientologists resident in Clearwater, in turn, accused Caberta of stoking a "hate campaign" in Germany that had "ruined the lives and fortunes of scores of Scientologists" and maintained that Scientologists had not "exaggerated their plight for political gain in the United States". Mark Rathbun, a top Church of Scientology official, said that although Scientology had not orchestrated the case, "there would have been nothing improper if it had".


title: Scientology controversies

text: In an effort to adhere to Wikipedia policy, the Arbitration Committee of the English Wikipedia decided in late-May 2009 to restrict editing from Church of Scientology IP addresses, to prevent self-serving edits by editors within CoS-administered networks. A "host of anti-Scientologist editors" were topic-banned as well. The committee concluded that both sides had "gamed policy" and resorted to "battlefield tactics", with articles on living persons being the "worst casualties".


title: Scientology controversies

text: Scientology's response to accusations of criminal behavior has been twofold; the church is under attack by an organized conspiracy, and each of the church's critics is hiding a private criminal past. In the first instance, the Church of Scientology has repeatedly stated that it is engaged in an ongoing battle against a massive, worldwide conspiracy whose sole purpose is to "destroy the Scientology religion." Thus, aggressive measures and legal actions are the only way the church has been able to survive in a hostile environment; they sometimes liken themselves to the early Mormons who took up arms and organized militia to defend themselves from persecution.


title: Scientology controversies

text: The church asserts that the core of the organized anti-Scientology movement is the psychiatric profession, in league with deprogrammers and certain government bodies (including elements within the FBI and the government of Germany.) These conspirators have allegedly attacked Scientology since the earliest days of the church, with the shared goal of creating a docile, mind-controlled population. As an official Scientology website explains:


title: Scientology controversies

text: On the other hand, L. Ron Hubbard has proclaimed that all critics of Scientology are criminals. Hubbard wrote on numerous occasions that all of Scientology's opponents are seeking to hide their own criminal histories, and the proper course of action to stop these attacks is to "expose" the hidden crimes of the attackers. The Church of Scientology does not deny that it vigorously seeks to "expose" its critics and enemies; it maintains that all of its critics have criminal histories, and they encourage hatred and "bigotry" against Scientology. Hubbard's belief that all critics of Scientology are criminals was summarized in a policy letter written in 1967:


title: Scientology controversies

text: Scientology claims that it continues to expand and prosper despite all efforts to prevent it from growing; critics claim that the Church's own statistics contradict its story of continuing growth.


title: Scientology controversies

text: Analyses of Scientology's counter-accusations and actions against its critics are available on a number of websites, including the critical archive Operation Clambake.


title: Scientology controversies

text: On January 22, 2013, attorneys for the organization, as well as some of its members, reacted toward the CNN News Group, threatening legal action for its airing of a story covering the release of a book published by Lawrence Wright, entitled "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief", published earlier the same year. CNN News Group then chose to publish the correspondence, with confidential information redacted, on its web site. The threats were not followed up by lawsuits.


title: Bess Truman

text: Elizabeth Virginia Truman ("née" Wallace; February 13, 1885October 18, 1982) was the wife of President Harry S. Truman and the first lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953. She also served as the second lady of the United States from January to April 1945. She currently holds the record of longest-lived First Lady and longest-lived Second Lady, at .


title: Bess Truman

text: She was born in Independence, Missouri, where she kept a home her entire life. She had known Harry since they were children, though she did not return his affections until adulthood. She was strongly affected by the suicide of her father when she was 18 years old, which shaped her opinions about privacy from the public eye and the responsibilities of a spouse. Bess and Harry married in 1919, and Bess would spend the following years managing the Truman household and working in her husband's offices as his political career advanced. She was apprehensive about Harry becoming vice president in 1944, and she was deeply upset when he ascended to the presidency the following year.


title: Bess Truman

text: As first lady, Bess avoided social obligations and media attention whenever possible, and she made regular excursions to her home in Independence. She chose not to continue in the regular press conferences carried out by her predecessor Eleanor Roosevelt, believing that her responsibility as a wife was to keep her opinions private. Her influence on her husband's presidency came about in their private conversations, as he would consult her about most major decisions during his presidency. She was also prominent in his reelection campaign, making regular appearances for crowds as he toured the United States. She was greatly relieved when Harry chose not to run for another term in 1952. After her tenure as first lady, Bess lived in retirement at her home in Independence until her death in 1982.


title: Bess Truman

text: Truman was generally popular among her contemporaries, but her lifelong devotion to privacy has allowed for limited historical analysis. She refused to provide information about herself or her beliefs to journalists during her lifetime, and she destroyed many of her letters after leaving the White House. There is no historical consensus on her performance as first lady or to what extent she influenced her husband's presidency.


title: Bess Truman

text: Elizabeth Virginia Wallace was born on February 13, 1885 in Independence, Missouri to Margaret Elizabeth Gates and David Willock Wallace. Margaret was the daughter of a businessman, and David was a local politician. She was the eldest of four with three younger brothers (Frank, George, and David), and she was known as Bessie during her childhood. A sister died in infancy. Bess had a reputation as a tomboy as a child due in part to her propensity for sports, including golf, tennis, horseback riding, shot put, basketball, baseball, and ice skating. She practiced dance and etiquette, and she attended town balls and hayrides of the town's aristocracy.


title: Bess Truman

text: In 1903, when Bess was 18, her father died by suicide. According to biographer David McCullough, the cause for his suicide is unknown, with speculation ranging from depression to mounting debts. Bess would spend the following hours pacing silently in her backyard, first alone and then joined by her closest friend Mary Paxton. David's suicide was scandalous, and the family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a year to avoid the community's attention. Bess would attempt to keep this part of her life a secret. After her father's death, Bess took responsibility for raising her younger brothers, and the family moved into the home of her maternal grandparents. Bess' mother became a lifelong recluse, and the ordeal imprinted upon Bess the belief that a husband and wife should be close partners in everything they do. She would refuse to speak about her father for the rest of her life.


title: Bess Truman

text: After graduating from Independence High School (now known as William Chrisman High School) she studied at Miss Barstow's Finishing School for Girls in Kansas City, Missouri. Bess played on the women's basketball team, and she studied literature and the French language. As a young woman, Bess enjoyed expressing herself through her fashion and hats; a friend was quoted "Bess always had more stylish hats than the rest of us did, or she wore them with more style." After returning from school, she resumed her role as the head of the family, and she became involved with the community through her bridge club and her charity work with the Needlework Guild. It was at this time that she began going by Bess rather than Bessie.


title: Bess Truman

text: Harry S. Truman met Bess soon after his family moved to Independence in 1890, and the two attended school together until graduation. Many factors kept them from forming a closer bond in school, including their differences in social class and religion, Harry's time-consuming job at a drugstore, and Harry's inability to participate in athletics with Bess due to his thick glasses.They would sometimes study Latin together, and he would often volunteer to carry her books, but they did not become close friends.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess would have many suitors in the years after high school, but none would win her love. In 1910, long after their time in school, Harry volunteered to return a cake plate to the Wallaces as an excuse to speak to Bess. They reconnected from their school days and began a courtship. Harry was insecure about his lack of money, and he attempted to impress Bess by purchasing tickets to shows and building her a tennis court. Bess' mother disapproved of the relationship.


title: Bess Truman

text: Harry proposed in 1911 in a long letter that he later admitted was clumsily written, but Bess turned him down. He later said that he intended to propose again, but when he did he wanted to be earning more money than a farmer did. They became informally engaged in November 1913, though Harry still doubted himself regarding his finances. Over the following years, Harry traveled the United States while working in mining and petroleum, and the couple kept a regular correspondence. Bess wished to marry before Harry departed to fight in World War I in 1917, but he refused to risk making her a young widow. She worked to support the war effort while he was gone by selling war bonds, and she served on a committee for entertaining soldiers.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess and Harry married on June 28, 1919, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Independence. The newlyweds honeymooned in Chicago and Detroit, and then they made their home at Gates Mansion so Bess could care for her mother. During their marriage, Bess would try in vain to teach her husband the etiquette with which she had been raised. Their only child, Margaret, was born in 1924. Bess' two previous pregnancies had ended in miscarriages. Bess would be the primary authority figure in Margaret's life, while Harry would spoil her.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess held several jobs working with her husband, which provided more income for the Truman family. She was accounts manager at Truman-Jacobsen Haberdashery from 1919 to 1922, when the business went bankrupt. After Harry was elected county judge in the eastern district of Jackson County, she worked as his aide from 1922 to 1924 and from 1926 to 1934. Corruption and violence were prominent in Jackson County politics at the time, and working with her husband in his early political career caused her great distress, including one instance in which they feared a plot to kidnap their young daughter. Beyond political work, Bess also managed household affairs, including finances and child rearing. In her social life, Bess helped found the Junior Service League of Independence and a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.


title: Bess Truman

text: When Harry was elected as a Senator from Missouri in 1934, Bess stayed in Missouri with her mother for the first year. After visiting him, she decided to stay, and the family moved to Washington, D.C. While Congress was in session during the first half of the year, they would live in rented apartments in Washington. When the session ended, they would return to Independence for the rest of the year. While her husband was in the Senate, Bess became a member of the Congressional Club, the PEO Sisterhood, the H Street United Service Organization, and the Red Cross work of the Senate Wives Club. She joined her husband's staff as a clerk, answering personal mail and editing committee reports when he became Chairman of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. She developed relationships with the wives of senators and cabinet members, though she did not attend meetings of senators' wives, as she found them boring. During her husband's political career, she would help him write his speeches, though she refused to give any of her own.


title: Bess Truman

text: In 1944, Harry was offered the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States. He had not sought the position, and it was a surprise to the Trumans when it was offered. When the position had previously been suggested to him, he had dismissed the idea out of concern for Bess and Margaret. When Harry accepted the role of Vice President to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bess was not entirely pleased. She wanted to return to their life in Missouri, but she also feared that Roosevelt would die, making her husband the President. Bess' position on Harry's staff was controversial during the campaign, but he retained her during the campaign and during his vice presidency. After the Democratic ticket won the election and Harry was sworn in as vice president, Bess became Second Lady of the United States. She found herself saddled with the associated social responsibilities, attending many events as a representative of the Roosevelts, often multiple times in one day. Bess served as second lady for 82 days before President Roosevelt died and her husband ascended to the presidency.


title: Bess Truman

text: President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, immediately making Harry Truman the President of the United States and Bess Truman the First Lady of the United States. Bess reportedly wept when she first heard the news. After making arrangements for her mother, Bess' first act as first lady was to give her condolences to the widowed Eleanor Roosevelt shortly before attending her husband's inauguration. They moved into the Blair House on April 16, allowing Eleanor time to vacate the White House, and they occupied the White House on May 7. Bess had only limited social responsibilities during her first months as first lady, as the nation was in the midst of World War II and in mourning of President Roosevelt. She stayed in the White House until the end of the month before making her first return trip to Independence.


title: Bess Truman

text: After the end of World War II, Bess was responsible for restoring the White House social season, and she organized the White House's receptions and events. She was inspired by the history of the White House and that of the Monroe administration in particular. She chose to host a more limited social season in response to postwar food shortages, replacing large dinners with informal luncheons. She emphasized courteousness and respect for all of her guests, including political opponents and others that she disliked. Bess received about one hundred letters each day, and she spent much time replying to each one. She also maintained some social obligations in Washington society, including regular attendance of luncheons in her honor.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess felt great anxiety at public events and wished to avoid being the center of attention. She underwent a humiliating experience a few weeks into her tenure as first lady when she was asked to christen airplanes by striking champagne bottles against them. The first bottle had not been scored to allow for an easy break, causing Bess to ineffectually strike the bottle against the plane's hull several times amid a crowd of spectators and reporters. Harry would tease her about this event, and she would eventually join the family in laughing at the footage.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess found the White House's lack of privacy distasteful. As her husband put it later, she was "not especially interested" in the "formalities and pomp or the artificiality" that surrounded the presidential family. Though she steadfastly fulfilled the social obligations of her position, she did only what she thought was necessary. She resisted any changes to her lifestyle, often handling bookkeeping, dusting, and other chores on her own, though she did enjoy having a waitstaff. She dressed simply, preferring long gowns and suits rather than more elaborate dresses. When the White House was rebuilt during Harry's second term, the family lived in Blair House and kept their social life to a minimum. The responsibility of finding new venues for larger events fell to Bess.


title: Bess Truman

text: The contrast with Bess's activist predecessor Eleanor Roosevelt was considerable. Unlike Roosevelt, Bess held only one press conference after many requests from the media. Inquiries to the first lady consisted of written questions in advance and the written replies were mostly monosyllabic along with many "no comments". When asked why she did not want to give press conferences she replied "I am not the one who is elected. I have nothing to say to the public." Bess did not support advancing women's role in politics, and she believed that there would never be a woman president. She is quoted as saying that a woman's role in public is to "sit beside her husband, be silent, and make sure her hat is on straight". Bess's response to whether she wanted her daughter Margaret to become president was "most definitely not." Her reply to what she wanted to do after her husband left office was "return to Independence". By the time her tenure as first lady ended, only a quarter of the authorized reporters bothered to attend.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess maintained a limited association with women journalists on the advice of her husband's press secretary, but she did not provide them with information. She did allow reporters to have mimeographed copies of her schedule, becoming the first first lady to do so. Part of the reason for her reclusive behavior may have been a fear that her father's suicide would be publicized, though it would not be public knowledge until after her death. Press briefings would often be given on Bess' behalf by long time first lady social secretary Edith Benham Helm and Bess' personal secretary Reathel Odum. Her limited interaction with the media surprised many journalists that had grown accustomed to regular coverage of her predecessor. Others approved of her behavior, feeling that her predecessor had overstepped in the role of first lady.


title: Bess Truman

text: Privately, Bess was an unofficial advisor to her husband. She never told him what to do as President, but she often offered her opinion on matters he was unsure of. Bess would also assist Harry with his speeches, including his speech on the Truman Doctrine. In addition to speeches, Bess reviewed and commented on Harry's work at the end of every day, and played an influential role in his 1948 campaign. Harry would later say that he asked her input on major issues, including the Marshall Plan and entry into the Korean War. Many of Bess' ideas became government initiatives, including the use of theatrical companies abroad to improve foreign relations and the involvement of the National Institutes of Health in an effort to combat disease. She was also the one to suggest appointing Charlie Ross as the White House Press Secretary.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess was involved with a controversy while she was first lady in attending a reception for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The organization had refused to allow Hazel Scott, a black pianist, to perform at DAR Constitution Hall, and Bess' attendance was seen as an endorsement of this stance. Scott's husband, Representative Adam Clayton Powell, was banned from the White House after calling Bess the "Last Lady of the Land". Bess caused a similar controversy when she attended a play at George Washington University despite an ongoing protest of the ban on black audience members. Bess felt that a first lady's actions should not address political issues, and she considered her personal time to be entirely separate from her political role. She was upset with being compared to segregationists, furthering her resolve to avoid the public for the rest of her husband's presidency.


title: Bess Truman

text: As First Lady, Bess served as Honorary President of the Girl Scouts, the Woman's National Democratic Club, and the Washington Animal Rescue League. She was Honorary Chairman of the American Red Cross. She worked with various organizations, but she never adopted a group or cause to focus on, as many First Ladies do. She was active in her husband's reelection campaign in 1948, traveling the country with Harry in a whistle-stop train tour in which he introduced her to crowds as his "Boss". Her presence, along with that of her daughter, contributed to Harry's image as a family man. She also sat in on and contributed to meetings among his advisors. Four years later, when Harry was uncertain about another reelection campaign, Bess' desire to return home was a major factor in his decision not to run. When Harry announced that he would not run for reelection in 1952, one of Bess' friends described her as trying not to show how gleeful she was. After her retirement, however, she would say that she enjoyed the culture and political happenings of Washington.


title: Bess Truman

text: Despite criticism of her regular absences from Washington, she spent a significant amount of time as first lady in Independence. Bess allowed her daughter to fulfill the social responsibilities of the first lady during her absences. Even when she was in Washington, most of her time was dedicated to her family. She continued to care for her mother until the latter's death in 1952. When Bess was in Washington, she held a weekly Spanish language class for her and her local friends. She also hosted her bridge club from home in Independence, bringing them out to the White House and leading them on a tour of Washington.


title: Bess Truman

text: During the first months of her husband's presidency, Bess felt neglected. She made Harry aware of these feelings, but his schedule prevented them from spending as much time together as they were accustomed to. This caused a great argument between the couple in December 1945 after Harry arrived for Christmas. After returning to Washington, he wrote her a harshly worded letter only to call Margaret and have her burn it before Bess could read it. The couple reconciled after this incident, and Harry ensured that she had an increased role in his administration. White House staff and visitors often described the Trumans as a close family. Their close relationship as a family was apparent such that the staff affectionately dubbed Harry, Bess, and Margaret the "Three Musketeers".


title: Bess Truman

text: After leaving the White House in 1953, the Trumans went back to Independence and the family home at 219 North Delaware Street, where the former president worked on building his library and writing his memoirs. Upon arriving home, they were met with a large crowd of admirers, which Bess thoroughly enjoyed. In 1955, The Trumans went on vacation at a resort owned by Edwin W. Pauley in Coconut Island, Hawaii. That summer, they went on a road trip across the continental United States, but they were impeded by the attention they received everywhere they went.


title: Bess Truman

text: The Trumans toured Europe in 1956 and again in 1958. Bess fully recovered following a 1959 mastectomy in which doctors removed a large, but benign, tumor. The Trumans made their first return to the White House in 1961 on the invitation of the Kennedys. When President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into law in 1965, the Trumans were the first senior citizens to receive Medicare cards, presented to them by Johnson at the Truman Library. At the time of her husband's death in 1972 at age 88, she was 87, making them the oldest couple having occupied the White House at that time.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess was dismayed in the 1972 presidential election, as she opposed the left-wing policies of 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern, and she felt that Thomas Eagleton had been unfairly treated when he was removed from the 1972 Democratic ticket. She agreed to be the honorary chairman of Eagleton's Senate reelection campaign in 1974, and she held a similar position for James W. Symington in 1976. She also supported Congressional candidate Ike Skelton due to the close relations of their families. While Harry's presidency had been heavily scrutinized after leaving office, Bess lived long enough to see a historical reassessment in the 1970s that portrayed him in a more positive light. Jimmy Carter sought her endorsement in the 1980 presidential election, though he did not receive it.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess continued to live quietly in Independence for the last decade of her life, being visited by her daughter and grandchildren. She received many visitors in Independence, sometimes upwards of a hundred in one week, and she often demonstrated a keen memory for names and details about people she had met in the past. Arthritis necessitated that she use a wheelchair in her final years, and she continued in her less active hobbies, reading mystery novels and closely following the Kansas City Royals. She would also reread an old love letter from her husband every day.


title: Bess Truman

text: Bess died on October 18, 1982, from congestive heart failure at the age of 97, and a private funeral service was held on October 21. Afterwards, she was buried beside her husband in the courtyard of the Harry S. Truman Library in Independence, Missouri. She remains the longest-lived First Lady in United States history at 97, followed by Rosalynn Carter at 95, Nancy Reagan and Lady Bird Johnson at 94, Betty Ford at 93, and Barbara Bush at 92. Truman is also the longest lived Second Lady in United States history.


title: Bess Truman

text: Truman kept a low profile during her tenure as first lady, and commentators often emphasized how little was known about her. Many contemporary reports about her contained inaccuracies and misrepresentations based on the very little that reporters could glean. Her refusal to discuss her political beliefs led the public to believe that she had no strong opinions of her own.Bess destroyed many of her own correspondences after leaving the White House with the intention of making historical analysis of her life more difficult. Most of her surviving correspondences are those that were preserved by her daughter. She made only one television appearance, also on the initiative of her daughter. Much of the historic record about Bess is derived from a biography written by her daughter and letters written to her by Harry. For this reason, historical analysis of Bess Truman varies considerably. Siena Research Institute polling ranked her as the 11th best out of 37 first ladies in 1993, but its subsequent edition in 2003 ranked her as 20th best out of 38.


title: Bess Truman

text: She was often contrasted with her predecessor, Eleanor Roosevelt. While Roosevelt was active in politics and an influential public figure, Bess' influence was largely felt behind the scenes at the White House. She would chide her husband when he lost his temper, to the point where her "you didn't have to say that" became an inside joke among the White House staff. Bess was popular among the staff, with whom she enjoyed friendly relations in contrast to her shy personality in public. Her input may have influenced her husband's decision making, but the extent of her role is lost to history.


title: The I-Land

text: The I-Land is an American science fiction thriller streaming television miniseries created by Anthony Salter. The series is executive produced by Neil LaBute, Chad Oakes and Mike Frislev. The series stars Kate Bosworth, Natalie Martinez, Ronald Peet, Kyle Schmid, Gilles Geary, Sibylla Deen, Anthony Lee Medina, Kota Eberhardt, Michelle Veintimilla and Alex Pettyfer. It was released on September 12, 2019 on Netflix.


title: The I-Land

text: The series was poorly received with review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 8% approval rating for the first season with an average rating of 3/10, based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bafflingly bad, the only mystery is how "The I-Land" got made in the first place."


title: The I-Land

text: Ten people wake up on the beach of what appears to be a deserted tropical island. None of them have any memory of who they are or how they got there, and each takes on the name that is printed on their clothes tags. The group make initial attempts to band together, but differing priorities and strong personalities cause some of them to clash. In particular, Chase, who wants to investigate the island, doesn't get along with KC, who is suspicious of Chase's ability to find resources, and Brody, who attempts to rape Chase.


title: The I-Land

text: When Brody is murdered, the group assume Chase is responsible and knock her unconscious. Chase wakes up in a futuristic Texas correctional prison facility, where she learns that she and the other nine people are violent crime prisoners, and are part of a "rehabilitation simulation". Their minds have been put in the computer simulation of the island to test if they'll resume old behavioral patterns. Anyone who dies in the simulation dies in real life. Chase is returned to the island simulation, where the avatars of two prison marshals arrive to deliberately cause the group to fight and split up. Additionally, the prisoners' memories start to return, which causes further friction and confusion.


title: The I-Land

text: On September 28, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a series order for a seven-episode first season. Neil LaBute was set to serve as co-director, writer and showrunner for the miniseries along with directorial credits from Jonathan Scarfe and writing credits from Lucy Teitler. Executive producers were expected to include LaBute, Chad Oakes, and Mike Frislev with Lucy Teitler and Jonathan Scarfe serving as co-executive producers and Kate Bosworth acting as a producer. Production companies involved with the miniseries were slated to consist of Nomadic Pictures Entertainment. The production company reportedly spent a budget of $14 million for the first season, with each episode costing $2 million. On August 20, 2019, it was reported that the miniseries was set to be released on September 12, 2019.


title: The I-Land

text: Alongside the series order announcement, it was confirmed that Kate Bosworth, Natalie Martinez, and Alex Pettyfer would star in the miniseries. In October 2018, it was announced that Kyle Schmid had been cast in a starring role. In December 2018, it was reported that Clara Wong had joined the cast in a recurring capacity. In August 2019, Gilles Geary joined the main cast. In the same month, it was confirmed that Michelle Veintimilla, Kota Eberhardt, Sibylla Deen, Ronald Peet and Anthony Lee Medina would star in the miniseries.


title: The I-Land

text: Filming for the first miniseries took place in Pinewood Indomina Studios, Dominican Republic, San Pedro De Macoris and Las Terrenas, Samaná, Dominican Republic from October 15, 2018 to December 19, 2018.


title: The I-Land

text: On August 20, 2019, the teaser trailer for the miniseries was released. On August 29, 2019, the official trailer for the miniseries was released.


title: The I-Land

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 8% approval rating for the first season with an average rating of 3/10, based on 12 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Bafflingly bad, the only mystery is how "The I-Land" got made in the first place."


title: The I-Land

text: Tim Surette, writing for "TV Guide", gave the miniseries a rating of 0.5/5, summarizing that it "is an astonishingly dumb seven-episode mystery-box limited series about 10 people who wake up on a deserted tropical island with no memory of who they are or how they got there. But that central conceit is quickly resolved by Episode 3, as "The I-Land" spins out of control, rolls over, and wraps itself around an entirely new and equally stupid story."


title: The I-Land

text: Writing for "The Hollywood Reporter", Daniel Fienberg compared the miniseries to the series "Lost" "only with a fundamental misunderstanding of how "Lost" handled character development, mythology, flashback structure, theme and ensemble-building." He also wrote that "no aspect of "The I-Land" works, and every bad aspect builds on the bad aspects before in a way that makes it pretty clear that nobody involved could have been under any misapprehensions about the quality of the endeavor."


title: The I-Land

text: At "Paste", Allison Keene said "I have watched some truly, truly bad series in my day, but few that went off the rails this hard this fast. But man, what a ride. Cannibals, climate change, rogue simulations, for-profit prisons, a game with no rules and no logic … what an embarrassment of riches. Or just an embarrassment. We’ll go with that last one."


title: The I-Land

text: In his "Stream It Or Skip It" review, Joel Keller at Decider stated that the miniseries should be skipped and summarizes that ""The I-Land"‘s clunky dialogue and generic characters make us care very little about why these ten jerks are on this island. And, yes, they’re all pretty much jerks."


title: The I-Land

text: Jack Seale at "The Guardian" gave the miniseries one out of five stars and summarizes that "This is sci-fi without a vision, a genre piece that doesn’t know how its own genre works. "The I-Land" is begging to be forgotten."


title: The I-Land

text: Writing for RogerEbert.com, Brian Tallerico summarized that "The ‘I’ stands for Idiotic. If you put a group of teenagers in a room and showed them a few episodes of "LOST" and "Westworld" before asking them to write their own program, they might come up with "The I-Land,"" and that "It is a bafflingly horrible sci-fi show, the kind of project that leaves your jaw on the floor, not unlike the first time you saw Tommy Wiseau’s "The Room.""


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom he won three Stanley Cup championships and five Eastern Conference championships in 17 postseason campaigns. He also won two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games, as well as several other medals with Team Canada in other international competitions. Brodeur is widely regarded as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. In 2017, he was named by the league as one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players", and the following year, he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur holds numerous NHL and franchise records among goaltenders; he ranks as the league's all-time regular season leader in wins (691), losses (397), shutouts (125), and games played (1,266). He won at least 30 games in twelve straight seasons between 1995–96 and 2007–08 and is the only goaltender in NHL history with eight 40-win seasons. He is a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, a five-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner, a ten-time NHL All-Star, and a Calder Memorial Trophy winner. He is one of only 12 NHL goaltenders to score a goal in the regular season and only the second to do so in the playoffs; his three goals are the most of any NHL goaltender.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur used a hybrid style of goaltending by standing up more than typical butterfly style goaltenders, though he adapted to more modern techniques at the latter stage of his career. He was known for his puck handling, his positional play, and his reflexes, especially with his glove hand. Brodeur's prowess at puck handling was so well known that it led in part to the NHL changing its rules regarding where goaltenders were allowed to handle the puck outside of the goal crease, adding what is known as "the Brodeur rule". He announced his retirement in the middle of the 2014–15 season after a brief stint with the St. Louis Blues, having played in seven games with the team. He is the current executive vice president of business development for the Devils.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur was born on May 6, 1972, in Montreal. He is one of five children of Denis and Mireille Brodeur. Denis played in the 1956 Olympics for Team Canada and won a bronze medal. After his playing career, Denis was a longtime photographer for the Montreal Canadiens. For more than 20 years, he attended all Montreal games and practices, and when Martin was old enough, he came along. Brodeur idolized Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur started playing hockey as a forward. His goaltending career began when his coach asked him if he wanted to play as a backup at the position in a youth tournament. Brodeur explained:


title: Martin Brodeur

text: When he was 12 years old, Brodeur briefly intended to stop playing hockey, after he had been removed from his team's lineup for not showing up at a game. Following a conversation with his brother Claude, though, he decided to continue playing. When receiving goaltending instructions in his teens, Brodeur was taught a variety of different styles, ranging from butterfly to stand-up, and paid attention to the technique of others playing the position. He attended a camp run by retired Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, who encouraged the use of multiple methods; Brodeur believes that the concept made him "a student of the game." In the 1989–90 season, he made it to the Quebec Major Junior League. While playing with the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser, Brodeur made the QMJHL All-Rookie team in 1989–90 and the QMJHL Second All-Star Team in 1991–92. Brodeur was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (20th overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 1991–92 NHL season, Brodeur spent most of his time with Saint-Hyacinthe in the QMJHL, but was called up to the NHL on an emergency basis for four games when New Jersey goaltenders Chris Terreri and Craig Billington became injured. Brodeur won his NHL debut against the Boston Bruins, 4–2, and played in one playoff game that season. Brodeur spent the following season with the Utica Devils of the American Hockey League (AHL). However, in the 1993–94 season, Brodeur returned to the NHL permanently and gained recognition when he won the Calder Trophy, an annual award for the best rookie in the NHL. He led the Devils to the second-best record in the league and the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs, where they lost to the New York Rangers in seven games. He finished second in goals against average (GAA) (2.40) and fourth in save percentage (.915) in 47 games played during the regular season, helping him eventually land the starting job over Terreri.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 1994–95 NHL season, which was shortened to 48 games due to an extended lockout, the Devils finished tied for ninth overall, fifth in their conference. With the leadership of Brodeur, they defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round, shutting them out in three of their four wins. In the second round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brodeur gave up only nine goals and helped the Devils defeat the Penguins in five games. In the third round, the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, giving them their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in franchise history, against the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings. The strong play of Brodeur and the Devils' "trap" method of defence made the series lopsided in favour of New Jersey, who swept the Red Wings 4 games to 0 while holding them to just seven goals in four games. Brodeur won a Stanley Cup in only his second full season in the NHL. After the victory, he was quoted as saying:


title: Martin Brodeur

text: After a year of success, the Devils were in the middle of the pack for most of the 1995–96 season and barely missed the playoffs. Brodeur played in 74 of his team's 82 games, setting a single-season record for most minutes played by a goaltender, while having the second-most shutouts (6) in the league. He was named the starter in the All-Star Game for the Eastern Conference and stopped all 12 shots he faced. He finished fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top goaltender. Brodeur also played on Team Canada during the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, where Canada lost to the United States in the gold medal finals.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 1996–97 season, the Devils finished third in the NHL. Brodeur was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, was named to the All-Star team, and had the lowest goals against average by a goaltender in almost 30 years, earning him the Jennings Trophy. He also had 10 shutouts and a .927 save percentage. On April 17, 1997, in the first game of a first-round playoff matchup against the Montreal Canadiens, Brodeur fired the puck the length of the ice and into the Canadiens' empty net to ensure a 5–2 victory. It was only the second time in NHL history that a goaltender had scored in the playoffs, and the fifth time overall. The Devils went on to win that series, but lost in the second round to the rival New York Rangers.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: The following year, Brodeur had 43 wins and 10 shutouts in the regular season. The Devils finished first in the Eastern Conference, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators. Once again, Brodeur made the All-Star Team, finished as a runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, and won the Jennings Trophy.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 1998–99 season, the Devils finished first in the Eastern Conference for the third straight year, with Brodeur winning 39 games. He was among the contenders for the Vezina Trophy and started in the All-Star game, making his fourth appearance. However, the Devils lost in the first round to the Penguins. It was Brodeur's worst playoff performance statistically, as he allowed 20 goals in seven games with an .856 save percentage.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: During the 1999–2000 season, on February 15, 2000, Brodeur was credited with his second career goal, as Brodeur was the last Devils player on the ice to touch the puck before Daymond Langkow of the Flyers accidentally put the puck into his own empty net during a delayed penalty call against the Devils. Brodeur had previously stopped an attempted Flyers shot.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: That season, Brodeur won 43 games for the second time in his career, and the Devils finished with the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference after losing the division to the Flyers by two points. Brodeur helped the Devils sweep the Florida Panthers in the first round, giving up only six goals in four games. In the next round against the Toronto Maple Leafs he recorded two shutouts, including one in Game 6 of the series as the Devils won 4–2, setting up a showdown with rival] Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers took a 3–1 series lead and could close out the series at First Union Center in Philadelphia, but Brodeur gave up only one goal in each of the remaining three games of the series, propelling the Devils to a comeback series victory in seven games. They went on to play the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals, who had a higher seed but one fewer regular season points, giving the Devils home-ice advantage in the series. After taking game one with a seven-goal rally against Dallas, Brodeur led the Devils the rest of the way as he gave up only six goals in the next five games, giving the team their second Stanley Cup Championship in six years.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: The next year, Brodeur topped the 40-win mark for the third time in his career, despite having an average GAA and save-percentage throughout the season. He played in the All-Star Game for the sixth consecutive season, and helped the Devils earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In the first round Brodeur recorded two shutouts against the Carolina Hurricanes and the Devils took the series in six games. After struggling to beat seventh-seeded Toronto in seven games, the Devils defeated the sixth-seeded Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals, where Brodeur added two more shutouts, both on the road. In their second straight Stanley Cup finals appearance, the Devils played a back-and-forth series against the top seeded Colorado Avalanche, and lost in seven games.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 2001–02 season, Brodeur finished among the league leaders in wins and GAA. Brodeur continued to lead the league in victories and remained a Vezina and MVP candidate. The next season, in 2002–03, Brodeur won the Vezina Trophy for the first time. He also won the Jennings Trophy again, was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist for the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named a First Team All-Star and started in the All-Star Game. With one of the most impressive playoff performances of his career, Brodeur guided the Devils to their third Stanley Cup victory after seven-game series wins against the top-seeded Ottawa Senators and the seventh-seeded Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He posted 3 shutouts against Anaheim and had a playoff total of 7 overall, breaking the NHL record of 6 that had been set by Dominik Hašek the previous year. Despite this, the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP was awarded to Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère, who became the first player not on the championship team to be named playoff MVP since Ron Hextall of Philadelphia in 1987. Some hockey writers speculated a New Jersey player did not win because there were multiple candidates, resulting in a split vote among the sportswriters who selected the winner.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 2003–04 season, Brodeur won his second consecutive Vezina Trophy and Jennings Trophy. He was a first Team All-Star, a starter in the NHL All-Star Game, and a finalist for the Hart Trophy again. The Devils lost the Atlantic Division title by 1 point to the Philadelphia Flyers, who thus obtained the third seed and home ice advantage against the sixth-seeded Devils in the first round of the playoffs. This would be too much for Brodeur and the Devils to overcome, as the Flyers went on to defeat them in five games.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: After the 2004–05 lockout and before the start of the 2005–06 season, the league instituted a new rule preventing goaltenders from playing the puck behind the goal line, except within a trapezoid-shaped zone located behind the net. The trapezoid began at the goal line with angled lines six feet from each goal post and widened to 28 feet at the end boards. Former Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke was one of the leaders in getting the trapezoid implemented. This was viewed by many as singling out Brodeur, who was one of the best at getting behind the net to handle the puck, and has come to be known as the "Brodeur Rule".


title: Martin Brodeur

text: At the 2009 NHL General Managers' Meeting, it was discussed whether the rule should be eliminated as a solution to the increasing number of injuries on defenseman who were being hit hard by forechecking forwards. The forecheckers were no longer impeded by defencemen holding them up because of the crackdown on interference, which created situations where defencemen were being hit at high speeds. Brodeur believed that revoking the trapezoid could result in more scoring and more exciting games. He explained, "If you give the liberty to the goalies to play the puck, they'll mess up more than they're successful." He also expressed his concern for defencemen, "It's a no-brainer if they want to start to eliminate these huge hits for the defencemen ... Whenever my defencemen or somebody was getting a big hit, I felt guilty that I let that guy get hit like that. Now, I've got to sit and watch all the time ... You've got to try to find something because so many guys are getting hurt." At the time of his statement, Devils defencemen Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya and Bryce Salvador were all out with injuries.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Ultimately the suggestion was rejected and the rule stayed in place. Former Maple Leafs' general manager Brian Burke said, "We had originally approved a rule where the goaltenders couldn't handle the puck behind the net at all. The game was turning into a tennis match. You'd dump it in and the goalie would throw it out and now with the soft chip into the corner it turns into a puck battle and a forecheck opportunity, which is what we wanted."


title: Martin Brodeur

text: After the 2004–05 NHL lockout canceled the 2004–05 season, Brodeur signed a contract extension with the Devils on January 27, 2006, that would pay him $31.2 million over six years. In the 2005–06 season he posted 43 wins, adding onto his NHL records of what were now five 40-win seasons and ten consecutive 30-win seasons. After struggling early in the season, his improved play later on made him a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the third straight year, and helped lead the Devils to a surprising comeback in the last two months of the season that resulted in them winning the Atlantic Division in the final game of the year. In the first round of the playoffs, he won a postseason series against the Rangers for the first time in his career, leading the Devils to a four-game sweep. But a 4–1 series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Devils in the next round.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 2006–07 season, Brodeur made his ninth NHL All-Star Game appearance in Dallas, Texas, won his third Vezina Trophy and rose on several NHL records lists. On December 8, 2006, he posted a 2–0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers for his 462nd career win, moving him into second place on the all-time list ahead of Ed Belfour. Just a few weeks later, on December 26, Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 to record his 85th career shutout, moving him past Glenn Hall for third place on that all-time list and first place among all active goaltenders. On February 1, 2007, Brodeur beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6–5 in overtime to take the all-time lead in overtime (non-shootout) wins with 45, passing Roy. The Devils' first 38 wins of the season were all with Brodeur in net, leading him to set a NHL record for most consecutive wins for a team.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: On April 3, 2007, Brodeur tied the NHL record for most wins in a single season with 47, set by Bernie Parent in 1973–74, in a 2–1 shootout victory against the Ottawa Senators. Two days later, he broke the record with his 48th win in a 3–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, which helped the Devils clinch the Atlantic Division title.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brodeur started out shaky and the Devils fell behind two games to one. He rebounded, however, to finish the series, and helped the team advance in six games, while passing Grant Fuhr for second place in all-time playoff victories. In the second round against the Ottawa Senators, the Devils were defeated in five games as the Senators scored 15 goals during the series.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 2007–08 season, Brodeur became the second goaltender in NHL history to reach 500 wins with a victory against the Flyers on November 17, 2007. The only other goaltenders to achieve the feat are Roy and Marc-André Fleury. Brodeur was also named the starting goaltender for the Eastern Conference in the 2007–08 NHL All Star Game in Atlanta. However, he was unable to participate because of a family obligation.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: After losing a bitter series against the rival Rangers in the opening round of the 2008 NHL playoffs, Brodeur refused to shake Sean Avery's hand. During game three of the series, in an unusual move, Avery turned to face Brodeur during a 5-on-3 power play, and began waving his hands and stick in front of Brodeur's face in an effort to distract him. The day after this game the NHL announced that it had revised its unsportsmanlike conduct rule, now known as The Sean Avery Rule, effectively outlawing such antics.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur started wearing a new painted mask design for the 2008–09 NHL season with a stylized "MB30" on the front, replacing the "J" that had been on his mask for nearly his entire NHL career. During a game on November 1, 2008, Brodeur suffered a "bruised elbow" which would later be diagnosed as a torn distal biceps tendon, the first major injury in his career. Following surgery on November 6, he would miss 16 weeks of the season before playing his next game on February 26, 2009. Upon returning from the injury, Brodeur registered a 4–0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche for his 99th career shutout. Three days later, he recorded his 100th career shutout against the Philadelphia Flyers, three short of Terry Sawchuk's NHL record.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Beginning in 2009, Brodeur broke a number of career records for goaltenders. He missed 50 games in the 2008–09 season, but a winning streak upon his return pushed him near the NHL's all-time win record. On March 14, 2009, the Devils defeated the Canadiens 3–1 to give him the 551st win of his career, tying him with Roy for the NHL record. Three days later, Brodeur surpassed Roy with a 3–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in New Jersey.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur topped another of Roy's previous marks on November 27, as he set the record for the most minutes played in the NHL, which had been 60,235. His 1,030th career appearance, which happened on December 18, broke Roy's record of 1,029. He also set the mark for the most regular-season shutouts with a 4–0 win against the Penguins on December 21, breaking Sawchuk's record of 103. On December 30, 2009, Brodeur and the Devils shut out the Penguins, 2–0. It was his 105th career shutout, giving him the all-time professional record, surpassing George Hainsworth's total of 104 combined in the NHL (94) and Western Canada Hockey League (10). On April 6, 2010, Brodeur reached his 600th career win by defeating the Thrashers 3–0. This was also his 110th career shutout.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: In the 2009–10 NHL season, Brodeur led the NHL in wins (45), shutouts (9), games played (77) and minutes played (4,499). He also won his fifth Jennings Trophy and had the third-best GAA in the league, leading his team to back-to-back division wins that included a 6–0 regular-season sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins. However, the Devils lost in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the seventh-seeded Flyers in five games. Brodeur had a 5–18–1 stretch to begin the 2010–11 season, as New Jersey slumped to the bottom of the NHL. Although the Devils improved in the second half of the season, they did not reach the playoffs; Brodeur recorded 23 wins and a 2.45 GAA, but had his lowest save percentage (.903) in 16 seasons.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: The Devils returned to the playoffs in the 2011–12 NHL season, as Brodeur recorded his 14th 30-win season. In Game 1 of the conference quarterfinals against the Panthers, Brodeur became only the second goaltender to record 100 playoff wins in a 3–2 Devils victory. In Game 4 with a 4–0 victory, Brodeur broke the NHL career playoff shutout record with his 24th, surpassing Roy, who had 23. The Devils advanced by winning Game 7 in double overtime, after Brodeur had made 43 saves to keep his team in the contest.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Following a second round series win over the Flyers, Brodeur and the Devils defeated the Rangers four games to two in the Eastern Conference finals. New Jersey won the sixth game 3–2 on an overtime goal by Adam Henrique, leading to Brodeur's fifth Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Devils lost in the Finals to the Los Angeles Kings in six games. Brodeur was 14–10 in the postseason with a save percentage of .917, after winning 16 playoff games in the previous eight years.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: During the off-season of 2012, Brodeur hired agent Pat Brisson, leading many analysts to believe he would test free-agency or retire. However, on July 2, 2012, Brodeur agreed to a two-year, $9 million deal to remain with the Devils, alongside backup goaltender Johan Hedberg. On March 21, 2013, in his first game back from a month-long absence due to a pinched nerve injury in his upper back, Brodeur was credited with a power play goal against the Carolina Hurricanes, making him the only NHL goaltender to record three career goals, and the first goaltender to score on the power play since Evgeni Nabokov in 2002. Brodeur had a 13–9–7 record in his 29 appearances in 2012–13, with a 2.22 GAA. The following season, he shared the Devils' starting goaltender position with Cory Schneider, whose 45 games played were six more than Brodeur's total. Brodeur's statistical performance declined, as his GAA increased to 2.51, more than half a goal higher than Schneider. In 39 games played, Brodeur had a .901 save percentage, lower than the league average. Among his 19 wins in 2013–14 was a victory in the season finale against Boston, his 688th for New Jersey. On June 6, 2014, Brodeur told ESPN he would test the free agency market for the 2014–15 season, and his 21-year tenure with the Devils ended.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: On November 26, 2014 Brodeur signed a tryout contract with the St. Louis Blues after their starting netminder, Brian Elliott, was injured. A week later, on December 2, Brodeur signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the Blues.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: On January 27, 2015, it was reported that Brodeur had decided to retire from the NHL. The decision followed Elliott's return to the Blues, as Brodeur had been demoted to the team's number-three goaltender behind Elliott and Jake Allen. Brodeur announced the news at a press conference two days later. He retired having started just five games with the Blues, going 3–3–0 in seven appearances. His final NHL win was a 3–0 shutout against the Avalanche on December 29, 2014.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Upon announcing his retirement, Brodeur was hired by the Blues as a special assistant to general manager Doug Armstrong. On May 22, 2015, Armstrong announced that Brodeur and the Blues had agreed to a three-year contract naming Brodeur as an assistant general manager of the team.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: On February 8, 2016, the New Jersey Devils unveiled a bronze statue of Brodeur which is displayed outside the Prudential Center. The statue was formally dedicated on October 22, 2016, in a ceremony before the game against the Minnesota Wild. On February 9, 2016, Brodeur's number 30 jersey was retired by the Devils.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: On July 25, 2017, Brodeur was appointed a management team member for Canada's men's team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: On August 29, 2018, Brodeur joined the Devils as executive vice president of business development. On January 12, 2020, Brodeur became an advisor to and on hockey operations after general manager Ray Shero was fired.


title: Martin Brodeur

text: Brodeur was selected as Team Canada's back-up goaltender to Roy for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, but did not get to play. Canada failed to win a medal after losing the bronze-medal match to Finland, a game in which many people thought Brodeur should have played.