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THE HISTORY OF SCIENTOLOGY’S EXPANSION
OT III Released
On September 20, 1967, in a particularly important recorded message, Mr. Hubbard announced that he had discovered the means to eradicate those spiritual factors which stand in the way of peace and tolerance for mankind.
Further growth followed, with 104 organizations, missions and field groups in twelve countries around the world. All told, Scientologists were now ministering some 50,000 auditing hours per year. By the end of 1967 there were also over 500 Clears.
To provide Scientologists with the fruits of Mr. Hubbard’s upper-level research, 1968 saw Sea Organization teams establish Advanced Organizations in Edinburgh, Scotland and Los Angeles, as well as an American Saint Hill Organization in Los Angeles.
The year 1968 additionally signaled a significant boom in churches around the world. For instance, hundreds of students could be found in the Academy during any given course period. Likewise, San Francisco’s newly formed Church of Scientology, with 23 staff members, reported large numbers of students on course, as did Detroit, Toronto and London. More than 400 Scientologists convened at a Saint Hill graduation to hear those who had recently completed the OT levels and the one-thousandth Clear attested in March. A broader look at statistics revealed 15,000 professional auditors, and by this time some 3,000,000 people had purchased Scientology books or services from 37 official Scientology churches worldwide.
As Scientologists continued to reach deeper and deeper into society, however, they increasingly came face to face with society’s problems – in particular, drug abuse which had risen to epidemic proportions by 1968. To help reverse the trend, Mr. Hubbard began a comprehensive research program to search out a means to alleviate not only the effects of drug abuse but also the causes. This work led to the first Drug Rundown in 1968, allowing still more individuals to ascend the Bridge.
 
More statistical facts about Scientology
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