Editing Xenu (section)

== Influence of OT III on Scientology ==
[[Image:LRonHubbard-Dianetics-ISBN1403105464-cover.jpg|thumb|upright|The volcano and fireball on the cover of ''Dianetics'' refers to the Xenu story.<ref name="savino" />]]

The 1968 and subsequent reprints of ''[[Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health|Dianetics]]'' have had covers depicting an exploding volcano, which is reportedly a reference to OT III.<ref name="savino" /><ref name="corydon1987" /> In a 1968 lecture, and in instructions to his marketing staff, Hubbard explained that these images would "key in" the submerged memories of Incident II and impel people to buy the books:<ref name="assists">L. Ron Hubbard "Class VIII Course, Lecture No. 10, Assists" October 3, 1968; taped lecture</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Davis
| first = Matt
| title = Selling Scientology: A Former Scientologist Marketing Guru Turns Against the Church
| newspaper = Portland Mercury
| date = August 7, 2008
| url = http://www.portlandmercury.com/news/selling_scientology/Content?oid=862344
| access-date = October 31, 2008
| archive-date = May 13, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190513004453/https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/selling_scientology/Content?oid=862344
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|A special 'Book Mission' was sent out to promote these books, now empowered and made irresistible by the addition of these overwhelming symbols or images. Organization staff were assured that if they simply held up one of the books, revealing its cover, that any bookstore owner would immediately order crateloads of them. A customs officer, seeing any of the book covers in one's luggage, would immediately pass one on through.|Bent Corydon|''[[L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?]]''<ref name="corydon361">{{harvnb|Corydon|Hubbard|1987|p=361}}</ref>}}

Since the 1980s, the volcano has also been depicted in [[Television advertisement|television commercials]] advertising ''Dianetics''. Scientology's "[[Sea Org]]", an elite group within the church that originated with Hubbard's personal staff aboard his fleet of ships, takes many of its symbols from the story of Xenu and OT III. It is explicitly intended to be a revival of the "Loyal Officers" who overthrew Xenu. Its logo, a wreath with 26 leaves, represents the 26 stars of Xenu's Galactic Confederacy.<ref>Hubbard, "Ron's Talk to Pubs Org World Wide", tape of April 1968</ref> According to an official Scientology dictionary, "the Sea Org symbol, adopted and used as the symbol of a Galactic Confederacy far back in the history of this sector, derives much of its power and authority from that association".<ref name="hubbard-admindict">{{cite book |title=Modern Management Technology Defined: Hubbard dictionary of administration and management |first=L. Ron |last=Hubbard |author-link=L. Ron Hubbard |publisher=[[Church of Scientology]] |isbn=0884040402 |ol=8192738M|year=1976 |page=467}}</ref>

In the Advanced Orgs in [[Edinburgh]] and Los Angeles, Scientology staff were at one time ordered to wear all-white uniforms with silver boots, to mimic Xenu's Galactic Patrol as depicted on the cover of ''[[Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science]]''. This was reportedly done on the basis of Hubbard's declaration in his Flag Order 652 that mankind would accept regulation from that group which had last betrayed it—hence the imitation of Xenu's henchmen. In Los Angeles, a nightwatch was ordered to watch for returning spaceships.<ref name="atack190">{{Harvnb|Atack|1990|p=190}}</ref>

The Church of Scientology's own organizational structure is said to be based on that of the Galactic Confederacy. The Church's "org board" is "a refined board ... of an old galactic civilization. ... We applied Scientology to it and found out why the civilization eventually failed. They lacked a couple of departments and that was enough to mess it all up. And they only lasted 80 trillion [years]."<ref>{{Cite AV media |last=Hubbard |first=L. Ron |title=Org Board and Livingness |type=audiotaped lecture |date=1965-04-06 |publisher=Church of Scientology |series=Saint Hill Special Briefing Course lectures |minutes=2:50 <!--|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N712EkhnGlU-->}}</ref>