THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE
Armstrong's Empire Exposed
by
John Tuit
(1981)
60 MINURES
WHILE THE CHURCH OFFICIALS WERE WAGING THEIR BATTLE OF
opposition to the civil authorities through their sit-ins and
legal maneuverings, the 60 Minutes program was being prepared.
Rader was so confident that he had set up Mike Wallace that 60
Minutes was being touted to the Ambassador students as one of the
top programs on TV. Finally, on February 7th, with all the
background filming completed, Mike Wallace completed the filming
with his interview of Rader. After three hours, the interview
ended with a violent outburst by Rader, and his threats to sue
Mike Wallace and CBS. Wallace and his entire crew were told by
Rader to immediately leave his offices.
Rader, who thought he had been using Mike Wallace, now knew
that Wallace had his number all along. Rader immediately
announced to the press that Wallace had obtained the interview
under false pretense. Said Rader, "The press is the press, they
can't be trusted and they're irresponsible." Leaving the
reporters he then said, "Now it is time to turn my attention to
those around here who ought to be punished."
Word quickly spread that Mike Wallace had been thrown out of
Rader's offices, and it was carried as a major news item that
evening. Also, by the next day, Earl Timmons had in his
possession a tape recording of the entire Wallace/Rader
interview. The recording did not come from Wallace, however. It
was obtained from one of the Church employees who had copied it
from the secret recording that Rader had made of the entire
interview.
Stories regarding the contents of the interview began to
circulate throughout the Church. Rader announced to the
membership that Wallace had used illegally obtained recordings in
the interview. Anxiously, many were awaiting the airing of the
program.
Finally, on April 15th, 60 Minutes aired its report on the
Worldwide Church of God and called it "God and Mammon." After a
brief background by Mike Wallace on the Church, and its current
troubles, films were shown of Rader proudly boasting of the
opulence and cost of the various campus facilities. He was shown
emerging from his chauffeur driven limousine. The crown prince
was being featured in all of his glory and he appeared to love
every minute of it.
In the segment where Garner Ted was interviewed, he told of
the lavish expenditures and outright extravagance on the part of
Church leadership. He indicated that Rader was the one
responsible for his ouster. When asked by Wallace if he felt that
the Worldwide Church had done a disservice to Christianity,
Garner Ted pensively responded "Yes."
His willingness to answer questions in such a direct manner
was in extreme contrast to the segment covering Wallace's
interview with Rader. When comparing the giving of gifts to world
leaders to a situation where the President of the Untied States
would give gifts when he traveled, Rader seemed to indicate that
Herbert Armstrong occupied a position of greater importance than
most people realized. Wallace then asked if Rader would compare
Herbert Armstrong to a head of state. Rader said that he did and
added that Armstrong held a position comparable to that of Head
of State. And Rader said that he was Armstrong's secretary of
state. Wallace then proceeded to the part of the interview that
resulted in his being thrown out of Rader's office.
Wallace said to Rader, "Just a little while ago you were the
bete noire of Herbert Armstrong. Did you know that?"
Rader replied, with a questioning look, "I?"
Wallace: "Yes."
Rader: "When was this?" Wallace: "Oh, early January".
Rader: "No."
Wallace: "Don't you believe it?"
Rader: "Positive."
Wallace then read a portion of the letter that Herbert
Armstrong had sent Rader when Armstrong was trying to move him
aside late in December. It was the same letter that Armstrong had
read over the phone to Wayne Cole. Rader didn't believe that
Wallace could have had access to that letter and continued to
bluff his way claiming that Armstrong had never said such a thing
to him. Wallace then asked Rader if he would recognize
Armstrong's voice. Rader responded that he would and Wallace then
began to play the tape recording that had been made of the phone
conversation between Armstrong and Cole when the subject of Rader
was being discussed.
Millions then heard Armstrong make his statement referred to
earlier in this book regarding his concern about Rader taking
over the Church and referring to the $50 to $70 million magnet
that he feared Rader may have his eyes on.
Rader was stunned. He said, "Now I say you've acquired this
by illegal means. I intend to have my attorneys today not only
sue you, if you use this." Turning to his attorney Allan Browne
he continued, "I mean this now and I want you to go to the
district attorney today, let him know that Wayne Cole improperly
recorded this. I'll defend Mr.Armstrong and the Church on that
basis."
As he continued to work himself up into more and more of a
rage, Rader said: "Mike, look, I think you better scrap
everything because you're on my list, okay? You're never going to
live it down, Mike, I guarantee it. You're contemptible. I'd like
you to get out of here immediately." Rader then got up from his
desk, began storming about the room like a raving maniac and
disappeared off camera.
That ended the program. After watching this, Paula and I
wondered if people would finally wake up. It may have awakened
the general public to the nature of the Church leadership, but it
appeared to have little effect on the members of the Church.
Herbert Armstrong claimed in a Church publication that the
tape recording of his conversation was a fabricated tape and was
actually pieced together word by word from other tapes of his
speeches and sermons. By this time, members of the Church were
ready to believe anything from the mouth of the apostle, and they
swallowed this, one of the biggest lies yet, as well.
Any person of even less-than-average intelligence could tell
that it was not a fabricated tape. To those who wanted to believe
that Armstrong was the apostle, any lie to fortify that belief,
no matter how big, was believable.
In spite of Rader's threats to Mike Wallace, neither Wallace
nor CBS were ever sued, as Church members were being told that
they were putting that problem on the back burner until the time
was right to bring suit. Slowly it would be forgotten that a
threat had ever been made.
........................
To be continued with "A Yoke of Burden"
Many of you who were not even alive in the late 1970s or way two
young to known any of this, it may seem like you are reading a TV
"soap opera" - but its all a true life story, it all did actually
happen. I saw the 60 Minutes program when it was aired. I read
all that Tuit is saying in Amassador Report before Tuit wrote his
book. I was hearing from Ted Armstrong and Ronald Dart out of
Tyler, Texas. I had that Feast of Tabernacles with David Antion,
in 1981, who had recently then, been disfellowshipped from the
WCG. I had heard Wayne Cole and Jack Martin speak at Ted's Feast
in 1979 or 1980 (can not remember now which of those two years is
was).
Yes, what you are reading from Tuit all took place, and how Rader
(with others, including Herbert Armstrong) fired and disfellow-
shipped people like Martin, Cole, Antion .... well another book
could be written on those stories.
Ambassador Report (it's all on the Internet) brought out things
in its investigating, that two or three times Rader was going to
sue them over. AR just amswered Rader and his buddies of crime,
with "Come on then, anytime, see you in court."
It was all a DISGRACE, and this was supposed to be the "True
Church of God." By this time in that decade of the 1970s the
true people of God were scattered, and the Laodicean church
attitude had arrived in all of its nasty glory!!
Keith Hunt
|
