1999 Les Sectes Et L'argent - Landmark Education (english)

[Translated portion with Google translator] N° 1687 NATIONAL PARLIAMENT CONSTITUTION OF October 4, 1958 ELEVENTH LEGISLATURE Recorded with the Presidency of the French National Assembly on June 10, 1999. REPORT/RATIO FACT IN THE NAME OF the BOARD OF INQUIRY (1) on the FINANCIAL STANDING, PATRIMONIAL and TAX of the SECTS, like on their ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES and their RELATIONS with the ECONOMIC and FINANCIAL MEDIUMS President Mr. Jacques GUYARD, Rapporteur Mr. Jean-Pierre BRARD, Deputies Second part SECOND PART: The INFLUENCE OF the SECTS: AN UNDENIABLE WEIGHT ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ---- Landmark Education International Landmark is a sect that some regard as a dissidence of the Scientology, specialized in the formation. It is based on courses conceived by an American, Werner Erhard, who, in the years 1960, conceived the first training courses of personal development. It proposes a course in several stages, the trainee starting by following a training course entitled the Forum, then a advanced course and a baptized session “expression of oneself and leadership”. Developed by Erhrard, the Forum is sold in the form of licence to the initiates via the company of foreign right, international Landmark education (LEI). The Forum is indeed a trade mark in the United States from which the exclusive use in France is allotted to LEI. This company is registered with the SRC of Island-of-France. Its declaration is null and void today. It remains managed by Mr. Alain Roth and Mrs. Irene Johnson, the first itself being registered like trainer. The first training courses take place in the living rooms of Parisian hotels, and can continue in the United States. The methods employed reveal authoritative and intensive psychological techniques, the practices used being closer to the public confession than training course. The sessions continue late in evening, realising rare pauses and only one meal. The trainees are solicited to work voluntarily with the

organization of the formations. The inscription with the later sessions is carried out at the end of each training course, according to a well-known commercial practice of the sects and in particular of the Scientology which consists in obtaining, by means of skilfully proposed rebates, the engagement of the trainees without their leaving the possibility of reflecting. A three days seminar costs 2.300 frank. It gathers between 80 and 250 people. The profit Net drawn from a session can thus represent more than 500.000 frank. The expenses of formation seem not very important: only one person intervenes during the training course whose material organization is often ensured in a voluntary way. For as much, the company international Landmark education does not seem to declare with the SRC a sales turnover formation to the height of its tariffs: it for example declared 228.591 frank under 1996. Landmark had for principal customer the company IBM-France within which it organized, since 1992, several training courses which started within the group a vast polemic, and would be at the origin of the suicide of one of the employees. The sect would have been introduced into IBM-France via a club of reflexion entitled the Forum of banks of the Seine - Club Toast masters. Created and financed by the work's council of the company, this club is addressed to its frameworks apart from the working hours. It is animated by an engineer who would have made canvassing near the members in favour of Landmark. The methods of the sect caused a reaction of the direction of IBM which denounced the dangers of the techniques employed, and highlighted the risks of proselytism. Mr. Roth asserted himself within IBM in two manners. He first of all intervened in 1991 at the time of a seminar entitled “Leader to succeed”, animated in major inhouse part, but for which the group called upon outside contributors. In parallel, of semi-1991 at the beginning of 1993, it exempted “the Forum” with sixteen paid within the framework of a program entitled “share in the expenses of studies” which consisted in financing to 75 or 100% in a ceiling of the 2000 frank requests for individual training presented by the personnel. Alerted by several trainees, the direction decided to put end on March 30, 1993 at it. This decision caused vehement protests besides several employees. The direction remains convinced that the Forum continued to be exempted within IBM after March 30, 1993 by the channel of personal initiatives. It seems that it is the branch “banks” of the group which was touched. To face this attempt at infiltration, the Directorate-General of IBM decided to centralize the decisions as regards vocational training and internaliser the services carried out in this field.