Interview with Jeannie and Eddie Wiseman

5 TV Place

WCVB TV

Needham Heights, Ma 02194-2303                                          20 April 1998

Dear Clint:

Thanks so much for sending the tape of your interview with Eddie & Jeannie.  It was very useful for Michael and myself to watch it.

We realized how winning the ways of these two spokespeople are.  As they made mention, they totally swayed the man from 48 Hours away from his objective reporting, and convinced him that they were really nice people who would never hurt anyone.  Therefore, no show was done.

As we watched, we were reminded of how hypnotic Eddie’s presentation is.  He repeats phrases time after time.  Steve Hassan has commented in the past that this is a technique which dulls the mind’s analytical capacities.  In effect, it makes you highly receptive to what is being said.

We noticed how they avoided almost every question.  I think Jeannie answered one question with a simple “No.”  However, Eddie quickly began a lengthy commentary.  I realized how often I answered questions in this fashion while a member of the group.  You are trained to take every opportunity to espouse one of Spriggs’ teaching.  At the end of “answering the question” the person asking it is bombarded with so much information that they hardly remember what they asked.  Mary called them on this several times, and still no real answer was given.

For example, the question, “Is Mr. Spriggs accountable to anyone else?” was answered by Jeannie.  She even prefaced it with, “I’m glad you asked me that.”  She went through a lengthy reply which basically said, “He’s a real nice guy because he built a fire for me once.”  The real answer is simply, “No.”  To those devoted to him, however, they must rationalize his every action.  Their devotion to him teaches them this, and it must suffice for every discrepancy they see.

Jeannie spoke of “policy” many times.  There has never been a written policy to abuse children.  But if the results of the teaching and the lifestyle produces child abuse, isn’t this their real policy?  I don’t think that Hitler had a written policy of exterminating his rivals, but his teaching and leadership caused this to happen.  Was it not then, their “policy?”

Community members consistently ignore the results of their teachings and lifestyle and talk about the theory of what they say.  They have many nice-sounding platitudes, but the effect they produce in others is most telling.  As Laurie Johnson stated in your interview, “They mess with the very essence of people….”

Sincerely,

James Howell