FBI Documents to be Sought in Court

By Jerald and Sandra Tanner

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In the last issue of the Messenger (November 1980) we pointed out that an employee of the Mormon Church by the name of Steven Mayfield was caught spying on us under the alias “Stan Fields.” After some investigation we learned that Mr. Mayfield was an employee of the FBI at the time he originally assumed the alias. Because of Mayfield’s involvement with the FBI, we requested under the Freedom of Information Act that the FBI provide us with all records relating to us or Modern Microfilm Company. After a long delay, FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., provided us with some documents. A great deal of material, however, had been blacked out and eighteen full pages were “withheld entirely.” In one of the documents, dated October 4, 1974, a full page of material has been blacked out. This revealing information appeared just after the suppressed portion:

Salt Lake City files further disclose that on 4/30/70 [one and one-third lines blacked out] reported that JERALD J. [sic] TANNER and his wife, SANDRA LUCILLE TANNER, moved to Salt Lake City from California several years ago, that TANNER operates the Modern Microfilm Company and that [one-third line blacked out] had told [one-fourth line blacked out] that the TANNERS had been circulating petitions against the Church and had been “trouble makers.”

This report indicated that the “Salt Lake City” Division of the FBI had a file or files concerning us with material dating back to at least April 30, 1970. We requested this information under the Freedom of Information Act. The Salt Lake City Division did provide us with a document, with a number of items blacked out, which seems to be the original source for material found in the Washington, D.C. records (see below, with typescript). This document throws an eerie light on the whole situation, for it reveals that we had been secretly accused of being communists:

[Typescript] On [material suppressed] telephonically advised that captioned individuals, husband and wife, who reside at 1350 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah, are allegedly communists. [material suppressed] stated [material suppressed] had been advised the TANNERs moved to Salt Lake City from California several years ago and that JERALD J. TANNER operates the Modern Microfilm Company. [material suppressed] also stated [material suppressed] had been told the TANNERS have been circulating petitions against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that they have been “trouble-makers” in that respect. [material suppressed] had been contacted by one of the [material suppressed] and that [material suppressed] did not know the source of the original information [material suppressed] could furnish no further pertinent information in this regard.

Skousen’s Paranoia

The malicious charge that we were communists was probably the result of scare tactics used by W. Cleon Skousen, author of the book, The Naked Communist. Mr. Skousen was at one time an agent for the FBI and was devoted to J. Edgar Hoover. On January 25, 1981, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that FBI records concerning Mormon Church President David O. McKay were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act:

. . . file shows that in March 1956, McKay wanted to award Hoover an honorary doctor’s degree from church-owned Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

McKay decided Skousen should first call Hoover informally.

According to the same article, Hoover was too busy at the time, and “Skousen says now . . . Hoover had told him ‘he would retire the next year and then accept the (BYU) degree. . . .’ ”

After Skousen left the FBI he served as Chief of Police in Salt Lake City and as professor of ancient scriptures at the Church’s Brigham Young University. He now directs the Freeman Institute—an organization which many people believe is set up to obtain political power for the Mormon Church. Ezra Taft Benson, next in line to be President of the Mormon Church, is one of Skousen’s chief supporters.

In any case, about six months prior to the time we were reported to the FBI, a communist newspaper launched an attack on the Mormon Church. A photographic reprint of this article was distributed by members of the Mormon Church together with a response written by W. Cleon Skousen. (Incidentally, this is the only communist article we can ever remember reading. It is certainly ironic that it was circulated by members of the Mormon Church.) Skousen’s response was entitled, “Communist Press Calls For Attack On LDS Church,” and contained an emotional appeal to resist “the attack”:

Attached hereto is a reprint of an article from an official Communist Paper called the World Magazine which is the Sunday Supplement to the Daily World and the People’s World. This article appeared in the issue of October 18, 1969. . . .

Anyone familiar with Communist tactics will recognize that this is no ordinary article. It is a signal to the Communist “transmission belt” to go to work. There are people strategically placed in the bulk of the opinion-molding facilities of the United States who watch for signals like this in the Communist press.

. . . Communist signals are therefore accepted by the entire cadre of left-wing collectivists as the logical targets for a united attack. The Communists refer to this large group of fellow-travelers as their “transmission belt.”. . .

For several months the volume and intensity of criticism against the LDS Church has been mounting. The Communist Party has apparently decided to take over the leadership of this agitation and give it financial and institutional support. If the pattern follows past incidents of this kind, we may expect to see the so-called legitimate press, radio and TV begin a whole series of “reports” on all types of subjects related to the LDS Church. It will be explained that the LDS Church has suddenly become “news.” All of these “reports” will be handled in a way which makes the Church look rich, priest-ridden, racist, super-authoritarian and conservative to the point of being archaically reactionary.

In the past, organizations selected for this kind of assault have usually attempted to ignore the attack until the damage has become practically irreparable. A more responsive approach such as that followed by J. Edgar Hoover when the FBI is attacked has proven more effective in blunting the impact of such campaigns.

Since we had been questioning the LDS Church’s policy with regard to blacks not being allowed the priesthood and had criticized the church for many years because of its attempt to become rich, it is only logical to conclude that Skousen and many of his uncritical followers would suspect we were communists. At any rate, in the March 1970 issue of the Messenger we published an article, concerning the racist doctrines of the Mormon Church. Although we also printed an article condemning violence in the same issue, this newsletter may very well have led to the charge we were communists. The FBI received its information concerning us on April 30, 1970.

Dangerous Situation

To be reported as a communist during the late 1960s and early 1970s was a very serious matter. At that time the FBI had a secret program known as COINTELPRO. This program was investigated by Frank Church’s “Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities.” In the Final Report, we find this information:

The abusive techniques used by the FBI in COINTELPRO from 1956 to 1971 included violations of both federal and state statutes prohibiting mail fraud, wire fraud, incitement to violence, sending obscene material through the mail, and extortion. More fundamentally, the harassment of innocent citizens engaged in lawful forms of political expression did serious injury to the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech and the right of the people to assemble peaceably and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. (Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976, Book II, page 139)

The FBI, CIA and IRS were all involved in some very questionable activities at the time we were reported to be communists. The Senate Select Committee reported:

United States intelligence agencies have investigated a vast number of American citizens and domestic organizations. FBI headquarters alone has developed over 500,000 domestic intelligence files, and these have been augmented by additional files at FBI Field Offices. . . . Nearly a quarter of a million first class letters were opened and photographed in the United States by the CIA between 1953–1973, producing a CIA computerized index of nearly one and one-half million names. . . . 300,000 individuals were indexed to a CIA computer system and separate files were created on approximately 7,200 Americans and over 100 domestic groups during the course of CIA’s Operation CHAOS (1967–1973). . . . Intelligence files on more than 11,000 individuals and groups were created by the Internal Revenue Service between 1969 and 1973 and tax investigations were started on the basis of political rather than tax criteria. . . .

Intelligence agencies have collected vast amounts of information about the intimate details of citizens’ lives and about their participation in legal and peaceful political activities. Targets of intelligence activity have included political adherents of the right and the left, ranging from activitist to casual supporters. Investigations have been directed against proponents of racial causes and women’s rights, outspoken apostles of nonviolence and racial harmony; establishment politicians; religious groups; and advocates of new life-styles. . . .

(b) Illegal or Improper Means. — The surveillance which we investigated was not only vastly excessive in breadth and a basis for degrading counterintelligence actions, but was also often conducted by illegal or improper means. . . .

(3) Since the early 1930’s, intelligence agencies have frequently wiretapped and bugged American citizens without the benefit of judicial warrant. . . .

(5) Warrentless break-ins have been conducted by intelligence agencies since World War II. During the 1960’s alone the FBI and CIA conducted hundreds of break-ins, many against American citizens and domestic organizations. In some cases, these break-ins were to install microphones; in other cases, they were to steal such items as membership lists from organizations considered “subversive” by the Bureau. (Ibid, pages 6, 7, 12 and 13)

In the November 1980 issue of the Messenger we indicated that there is very good reason to believe that we were subjected to electronic surveillance on November 6, 1975. We do not know, however, if the intelligence world had anything to do with this. The FBI has refused to investigate this matter.

CIA Delays Response

In the November 1980 issue of the Messenger we demonstrated that there is reason to believe that there is a close relationship between the CIA and the Mormon Church. The Church’s public relations were handled by a firm connected with the CIA at the time of the Watergate break-in, and CIA agent James Everett actually helped in preparing foreign editions of a book which was favorable to the Church. Because of the CIA’s obvious interest in those thought to be communists and because of its relationship with the Mormon Church, we suspected that it might also have records concerning us. Our attempt to find out has been extremely frustrating. Although the Freedom of Information Act was supposed to prevent long delays in obtaining information, the CIA has stalled for months. On October 23, 1980, the CIA indicated that “before we may begin processing your request, we must receive from you a notarized statement as explained above.” This was provided and on November 16, 1980, the CIA said it was “processing your request and will provide you with the results under the Privacy Act as soon as possible.”

On December 8, 1980, we were sent another letter which stated that “it is not possible to give you a firm estimate of when your request will be completed. . . . We also regret to inform you that your request for information on the Modern Microfilm Company was inadvertently overlooked . . . We will first need same verification from you indicating that you indeed represent Modern Microfilm Company.”

Finally, on January 21, 1981, we were sent a letter which said: “Since we will be unable to respond within the 10 working days stipulated by the Act, it is your right to construe this as a denial, subject to appeal to the CIA Information Review Committee. It would seem more reasonable, however, for us to continue processing your request and to respond as soon as feasible. Any denials of records could be appealed at that time.”

Since this appeared to be another means of stalling, we have appealed the matter and will take it into the United States District Court if we do not obtain results within a reasonable period.

Court Action

As we indicated earlier, the FBI blacked out many portions of the documents concerning us and has “withheld entirely” eighteen full pages. We felt this was an unwarranted suppression of material and appealed the decision. On November 19, 1980, the Office of Privacy and Information Appeals sent us a letter denying the appeal and stating that “None of the information being withheld is appropriate for discretionary release.” Because we question the right of the FBI to withhold this information and since it is our only recourse, we have decided to take the matter into the United States District Court.

In taking this action we do not want our motives to be misunderstood. We believe that both the FBI and the CIA are necessary for the good of our nation. We also feel that these organizations should have power to conduct legitimate investigations against criminals and subversives. Our only complaint is that in some instances they have gone beyond the power granted to them under the law. We feel that the FBI and CIA should be exemplary in their conduct and should not be used by any individual, church or group to promote their own objectives.

However this may be, the attempt to link us to communism or any other subversive or illegal activities has been a complete failure. We can boldly demand the records because we know that we have nothing to hide.

Stand By Us!

Over the years we have found that one of the greatest weapons the Mormon Church has is fear. Because of the size and power of the Church many people refuse to stand up and be counted. In revealing the story of Steven Mayfield’s spying activities and the relationship of the Church to the CIA, we know that we have caused many people to fear that they could also become targets for surveillance. This fear has probably led some people to back off and withhold support from the important work in which we are engaged. This is a time, however, when we really need support. If we lose many customers because of the spying situation it could prove fatal to the work.

While it is probably true that some people would go to great lengths to stop our work, it is doubtful that they are going to pay much attention to those who support us. To become paranoid about the situation is to play right into the Church’s hands. Skousen would have people believe that the communists are behind those who oppose Mormonism, but we can fall into the same type of trap if we tend to see a Mormon spy behind every bush. This would have a tendency to greatly damage the progress of the work. The Bible admonishes:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord . . .
(2 Timothy 1:7-8)

Many false rumors have been started to counteract our work. Some Mormons, for instance, have put forth the story that the work we are engaged in is very profitable. One woman wrote: “. . . you are getting rich on poor people’s money . . . Someone needs to unmask you and your growing bank acct.” Strange as it may seem, the Mormons are not the only ones putting forth false rumors. It was reported to us that some Protestants believe that we have sold out to the Mormon Church for $2,000,000.

The truth of the matter is that we have no savings account and have had to borrow several thousand dollars just to make it through the year. Our royalties from Moody Press for the sale of The Changing World of Mormonism during 1980 will probably all be used to pay back these loans. It should be obvious to anyone who examines the prices on our books that we are not in this work for the money. Mormonism—Shadow or Reality? could probably be sold for twice as much as we are now charging. We have always considered this to be a missionary work and have been content to receive enough money to pay our bills.

For many years people have encouraged us to form a nonprofit organization. Although we realized that we could easily meet the qualifications, we have never taken any action on this matter. During the past few months, however, we have reconsidered this matter and have decided that we will try to form a non-profit corporation so that those who donate may receive a deduction from their income taxes. This will probably take a few months because the IRS must give its approval. In the meantime, we would be happy to receive donations, but we must caution that they will not be tax exempt.

In the January 1979 issue of the Messenger we printed an article entitled, “Modern Microfilm & The Future.” We feel that the last part of this article really fits our present situation:

Although the future looks very bright, at the present time we are functioning with a limited amount of capital. This, of course, makes our work less effective. For instance, we are forced to print very limited quantities of the works listed on our booklist. This wastes a great deal of time because we are forced to jump back and forth from one project to another. This time could be better spent in getting out new material. With more capital we could run things a lot smoother and have far better results in getting the truth out. . . .

In the past some of our friends have helped us with loans which we have been able to repay. If anyone is interested in loaning some money at the present time we could pay 10 percent interest. A loan of $1,000 would return $100 interest within a year (12 monthly payments of $91.67) or $200 if loaned for two years, and $5,000 would bring $1,000 interest if loaned for two years. We could use any amount between $500 and $5,000 and would sign a promissory note to make the matter legally binding. We feel that this would be a good investment, and it would help us to make our work more effective.

While most people will not be able to help this work in a financial way, all of our Christian friends are able to pray for us and for the Mormon people. The scriptures say that the “effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). We feel that the Lord has really blessed our work and that it is being widely used as a tool to bring Mormons to the knowledge of the true Gospel. We believe that with the Lord’s help we can weather the present storm and that thousands of Mormons will come to a knowledge of the truth.

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