Paul Haggis and Lawrence Wright Invented “Phony Narrative,” Mark Rathbun Reveals

TRANSCRIPT:

[Lawrence] Wright says, “What is so striking about [Paul] Haggis’ investigation is that few prominent figures attached to the Church of Scientology have actually looked into the charges that have surrounded their institution for many years.” Again, he’s going to lionize and dramatize this altruistic nature that sets Paul Haggis apart from the rest of these “scum celebrities who won’t look,” right. Again, I’m telling you, he didn’t do that. This is false.

What in fact actually happened was, several months after, if not a year after this whole intro that Wright created, I got a mailing list that had Paul Haggis’ email address on it and I started an anonymous communication with him directing his attention to media that I had participated in, okay. And I did it very cleverly to draw his interest and to get him talking about it—before he even knew who I was. And this cat and mouse game went on for several days. And he read the media, then he began his investigation. And they’ve communicated the sequence all the opposite

Now, to give Larry Wright a break, before Larry Wright saw me—I think it was after the New Yorker article, but it could have been before, but I think it was after—Paul Haggis phoned me and he said, “Marty, can you do me a big, big, big favor?” Because he knew Larry Wright was choosing me as the person that was going to be sort of “the Church,” sort of be the surrogate, just so his due diligence would be done, so that he could say he got all of this. Because I was very pro the technology of Scientology—even though I had issues with the organization—and Hubbard, and L. Ron Hubbard, okay.

And so, Paul knew—and Paul also knew I was a huge part of the narrative of this story that has been constructed here, created through the imagination and delusion—to steal a phrase from Larry Wright—of Larry Wright. But I’m giving Larry Wright a break because Paul Haggis called me and he said, “Marty, can you do me a big favor?” I said, “What is it?” He said, “Look, for the sake of my image with my daughters, can you please avoid telling Larry Wright that you were the person—that you prompted me to go do an investigation into the Church?”

And I told him, “Look man, I’m really—I’m not going to lie to him. But I will deceive him. I will not originate it unless he specifically asks me, point on. And I will bob and weave, but I’m telling you, if I get asked straight up, I’m not just going to outright lie for you.” Oh, and he was just profusely thanking me and thanking me because it was very important for his image with his kids.

Now, in retrospect, I think it was very—now that I see the very productions that have been made with the movie and all his and the way the whole campaign has rolled out—I’m pretty sure he could give a rat’s ass about his kids. It’s important for his public image because he rode this sort of pro-gay rights wave as a PR vehicle and as to paint himself as heroic. Do you understand what I’m saying?

And it was critical—this critical passage right here was critical to the whole false narrative. And that’s why he’s got to really jump it—pump it up, “What is so striking about Haggis’ investigation is that no prominent Scientologists have ever charted and trail-blazed the land that he decided unilaterally to go blaze.” Problem is, he didn’t. Didn’t happen.