Kurt Weiland
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Kurt Weiland is a native of
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and an executive in the Church of Scientology International. He is director of external affairs for the Church of Scientology's
Office of Special Affairs The Office of Special Affairs (OSA), formerly the Guardian's Office, is a department of the Church of Scientology International. According to the Church, the OSA is responsible for directing legal affairs, public relations, pursuing investigation ...
, and Scientology's vice president of communications. He is a member of the organization's board of directors, and handles government, legal and public affairs for
Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a Scientology as a business, business, or a new religious movement. The most recent ...
. He has often represented Scientology to the press as a media spokesman. Weiland works out of the Church of Scientology's offices in
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,
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.


Work for Church of Scientology

In 1984 Weiland was a member of the Church of Scientology's
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, and performed work for the organization in Santa Barbara,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. Weiland was executive director of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs in 1994, and was responsible for its international legal affairs and public relations. In December 1994 he prevented Richard Leiby, a reporter for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', from attending a luncheon at the
National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...
sponsored by the Church of Scientology International. Weiland did not allow Leiby to enter the First Amendment Lounge, and told him: "You seem to make a living by writing falsehoods." "We know that you used to work in Clearwater, and we know exactly what you wrote," Weiland said to Leiby. In an interview at the National Press Club in 1994, the ''
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'' asked Weiland and Scientology President
Heber Jentzsch Heber Carl Jentzsch (born November 30, 1935) is an American Scientologist who served as the president of the Church of Scientology International from 1982 to around 2010. Jentzsch is listed as missing, and the Church of Scientology International w ...
about the Church of Scientology's practice of investigating reporters who write about Scientology. "First of all, we don't do that. There's no institutional or organized campaign or effort or action ongoing to go after a reporter," lied Weiland. When asked about a discrepancy after Church of Scientology officials confirmed in 1998 that their attorneys had hired a firm to investigate a reporter for the '' Boston Herald'', Weiland said: "It's not a personal thing. Every time a reporter steps out of his way to create damage to the church ... then, of course, it's gloves off." He said that the ''Boston Herald'' reporter's articles were inaccurate, and the Church of Scientology decided to investigate the individual in order to determine what "vested interest" he was working for and what "sinister motive" he had. Weiland was the Deputy Commanding Officer of the Office of Special Affairs in 1995, and served on the board of directors of the Church of Scientology International. In 1996 he was director of the Office of Special Affairs, and in 1997 Weiland managed external affairs for the Church of Scientology. On June 13, 2003, Weiland accompanied actor and Scientologist
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and director of the Church of Scientology's
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Celebrity Centre, Tommy Davis, to meet with then-
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Richard Armitage. In the half-hour-long private meeting, they raised concerns with Armitage about the treatment of Scientologists in
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and other countries. In 2006, Weiland was listed on a "Senior Honor Roll" in ''Impact'', the magazine of the
International Association of Scientologists Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a Scientology as a business, business, or a new religious movement. The most recent ...
.


See also

*
Office of Special Affairs The Office of Special Affairs (OSA), formerly the Guardian's Office, is a department of the Church of Scientology International. According to the Church, the OSA is responsible for directing legal affairs, public relations, pursuing investigation ...


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiland, Kurt Austrian Scientologists Living people Scientology officials Year of birth missing (living people)