To save time and money and to increase understanding and ease of handling communications a precise cable designation system is necessary.

An infra-organizational dispatch is a simple thing. You can keep a copy if you wish, but only one copy (the original) goes and comes back.

Smooth HCO Communication depends upon close adherence.

When writing a dispatch, address it to the POST — NOT the person. (If a person changes post, or leaves, if you address the dispatch to the post, it will be received by the new occupant of the post, but if you address it to the person, then if the person leaves it may not be received and handled.)

Set up a dispatch as follows: (for information or advice)

All cable messages between and amongst HCO Offices must be consecutively numbered from each office.

Example:

The numbers begin January first of any year and close December 31st at midnight. To begin the system start with the number at one.

Mimeograph Officer

Supply Officer (date)_________________

After the cable number comes the Letter designation of the HCO Area office (as given below) so that the beginning of the text of a cable from Washington DC would be 344DC – 344 being the cable number and DC being Washington DC, the originator of the cable. Letters must not be the same for any two offices.

Dear_________________,

Your order of ........ (message).

R – Cable personally originated by myself. The number preceding it is the date sent, e.g., 16R means originated on the 16th day of the month by myself.

WW – World Wide – International Executive Division. These are numbered consecutively.

or for a request or an order:

UNITED STATES ………… US, NEW ZEALAND …………… NZ

Mail Clerk

UNITED KINGDOM ……… UK, AFRICA …………………….. AF

via Dir Comm(date)________________

AUSTRALIA ………………. AU, FRANCE .........……………… FR

HCO Area Sec

Dear__________

SAINT HILL ………………. SH, SEATTLE …………………… SE

Please see that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (order or request).

LONDON ……………………. L, HAWAII ………………….. HAW

WASHINGTON, DC ………. DC, MELBOURNE ……………... ME

LOS ANGELES ……………. LA, PERTH ………………………. PE

This form is used so that when it is ready to be returned, an arrow can be drawn pointing to the post to which it is to be returned, eliminating the need to write if. If the message is one that should go in your hat, either put it in your hat and acknowledge sender, or write it up for your hat, returning the original to sender. If the dispatch comes to you from a junior always insist the junior has attested "it is okay". If you in turn wish to send it on, you too must attest "it is okay" and send it on. If itis not OK return the dispatch to the originator stating briefly why it is not OK.

NEW YORK ……………….. NY, SYDNEY …………………... SYD

The receiver handles the dispatch and retains the dispatch until such time as it has been completely handled. If it is a matter which involves days or weeks, you can dispatch the sender stating that such and such is being attended to and expected to be complete within a certain time — but retain the original dispatch until job is done, thenreturn it to sender marked "DONE". Do not return the original with "It's beingattended to". Originals only return with "DONE" or "Can't be done". Otherwise the communication stays incomplete.

MIAMI …………………….. MM, ADELAIDE …………………. AD

When replying to a dispatch, put down the date of the message. Dispatches are handwritten. Executives, other than Exec Secs, should not have their dispatches typed by a secretary except where the dispatch contains large volume.

TWIN CITIES ……………... TC JOHANNESBURG …………. JB

PORTLAND ………………. PRT, CAPETOWN ……………….. CT

The colour flashes for paper for divisions are as follows:

DETROIT …………………. DET, DURBAN ………………….. DUR

• HCO Division 1 - Gold

AUSTIN …………………… AST, PORT ELIZABETH ………… PEL

AUCKLAND ……………….. AK, PARIS ………………………… PS

When a specific person is to be reached the message starts with that name, usually the shortest first name of the person in the receiving office or the hat to be reached is used. Example:

Persons sending cables should sign the cable with their name followed by the name of their post abbreviated. Example:

The final form of a message would be:

White paper is also used for letters to the field, business houses, Board minutes,and for manuscripts and research notes.

If the cable message is to a comm member designate the cable as per the Comm Member System.

Copies of letters written are on the colour flash of the division writing the letter.

When a message is replied to, the sending office designation is retained and a number giving consecutive times it has been used is added after the office letters of the sending office, such as:

If you have a request, put it in writing. Do not go to the person and expect him toc arry your request around in his head. Personnel are not supposed to present theirbody, nor their body with a dispatch to other personnel except for actual conferences which are kept to a minimum. Few things need conferences. Dispatches take care of 99% of organizational business.

There is no reason to say 344DC1 because the 344DC is always "message one". When 344DC2 is replied to the next message becomes 344DC3.

The Comm Centre contains a basket for each staff member. Each basket is tagged with the person's name and underneath the name is their post or posts. Each person is responsible for delivering his own dispatches to the proper baskets and for picking updaily his own dispatches. Do not fail to pick up your dispatches at least twice a day (once in the morning and once in the afternoon — make your own schedule). But do not let dispatches pile up in your basket.

This is a vital action. We have several times had an office receive three or four cables all on the same subject each correcting the last and have been unable to determine even from the cable company which was the last message and therefore the correct one.

In larger orgs a Comm Centre and separate Divisional Comm Centres may be instituted. The Comm Centre would consist of one basket for each division plus abasket for L. Ron Hubbard and an outer org OUT basket. Each divisional commcentre is placed in the divisional working area with a basket for each staff member in that division plus a divisional in-basket and a divisional out-basket. An HCO dispatch courier would be responsible for delivering dispatches into the divisional in-baskets and from the divisional out-baskets into the comm centre baskets. The sec sec is responsible for the distribution of dispatches from the divisional in-basket to staff members' baskets.

344DC as above would be answered from Saint Hill:

Keep abreast of all post changes. As the Org Board is changed, the Comm Centre baskets are changed. Always know who is occupying what post so that when you deliver a dispatch you will always know whose basket it goes in. If you are not sure, check the Org Board.

Another cable, still concerned with the same books from DC would be:

Handle your dispatches daily. Do not let them stack up on you. When someone sends you a dispatch let them hear from you. Do not get the reputation of 'I hesitate to send so and so a dispatch because I don't know when I'll hear from it, or if I'll everhear from it.' DO NOT LET YOUR DISPATCHES DEAD-END. When you let your dispatches (or letters) stack up on your desk, you are in actuality chopping the commlines of the organization and in so doing chopping your own pay cheque.

Secretaries who type letters should always take care to staple the carbon copy ontop of the incoming letter — do not use a paper clip. In answering letters, answer their questions. Give them the information they are seeking. Use the gradient scale method. DO NOT FAIL TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS. If you don't know the answers, find out.

meaning the Telex Operator was told to correct and did so. As 344DC is still available in the cable file the texts do not need long descriptions to continually identify the message or people involved. This means greater clarity and greater economy.

The purpose of the secretarial unit is to type answers to letters. Most all intra-organizational dispatches can be handwritten: this saves time in putting them on tape (when you could be writing them yourself) and saves the transcriber's time for replying to letters. Stay in communication with other staff members and with our correspondents. If you don't handle your dispatches properly don't reply to thesender, as I said before, you are cutting your own pay cheque.

Cable messages must be meaningful. Don't let economy rob the meaning by too close wording for if the text arrives unclear, two more cables will be needed to explain it.

Example of Error

[Note: The two earlier issues of 8 Apr '58 and 13 Dec '62 were the same basic issue as the abovePolicy Letter, with a few changes reflecting the evolution of the Comm System and the Org Board.

Who is arriving? Where? So we'd have to send: –

13 Dec '62 was a straight reissue of 8 Apr '58 — as part of the Reissue Series (7) — with minor changessuch as the inclusion of a salutation in the dispatch example, and in the first paragraph under CommCentre Baskets, addition of a phrase, "(except in some larger Orgs, where there is a Communicator forthis purpose)" after the sentence saying each person is responsible for picking up and delivering hisown dispatches.

4 Jan '66, Issue III (above) gave two dispatch examples instead of one as given in both earlier issues,showing the different routing for information or advice and for a request or an order; added thesecond half of the last paragraph on page 101 re including the attestation "it is okay" on a dispatch; updated the Colour Flash System in line with the 7 Division Org Board, which in the earlier twoissues had been based on type of dispatch, report, letter, carbon copy, etc. as opposed to Divisionalcolour flash; and deleted a second half of the paragraph entitled Written Requests, which read, "Wehave a Comm Centre where dispatches are to be placed. Place your dispatches in the person's basket,not in his hands. IT IS ANXIETY ABOUT COMMUNICATION ONLY THAT CAUSES PEOPLE TO JUMP THE LINES. There may be, however, a few exceptions: emergencies, or if you have a largearticle that would not fit into a Comm Centre basket. The point is, do not mn around all day handingpeople dispatches, nor put them down on someone's desk. This tends to intermpt their work andcauses confusion on the lines." It also added the second paragraph under Comm Centre Basketsre Divisional Comm Centres; and under the paragraph Answering Letters, after the sentence, "Givethem the information they are seeking," deleted " — but do not try to sell them a course and anintensive if all they want is some information concerning an ad we are running."]

meaning the telex operator and the recipient are in the dark. This would then have to be replied to with the text that should have been sent in the first place: –

The two needless messages are nothing to sneeze at at the current cost of cables. Yet they become necessary because the sender failed to realize the text was inadequate.

All Org cables are repeated in routine airletter despatches carrying the same numbers as the cable as confirmation that a cable was sent or a copy of the cable from the telex, with "Confirmation Copy" written along the top of it, is sent to the org concerned by airmail in the usual org mail.

[Note: SY for Sydney has been changed to SYD per by L. Ron Hubbard HCO P/L 25 June 1966; DB for Durban has been changed to DUR per HCO P/L 10 February 1969.]

[Note: This Policy Letter was cancelled on 11 April 1973 and replaced by HCO P/Ls 8 April 1973, How to Write a Telex, 9 April 1973, Telex Numbering, 10 April 1973, Org Designation System, 10 April 1973-1, Org Designation System Addition, and 15 April 1973, Telex Confirmation Copies, in the 1973 Year Book.]

[Note: When originally issued this P/L included Dispatch Briefing, deleted in the 4 Jan. '66 issue. It is included in this footnote as of interest in the evolution of Scientology Organizations.

The most basic form of written dispatches is given in the Central Org Color Flash and Dispatch system. These are numbered only if they are put into HCO lines between offices.

They are then given the next consecutive number of that office and so enter HCO lines numbered.

To enter HCO lines they are usually briefed on HCO color paper (orange) and numbered. In any event they are numbered. Sometimes they are briefed and cabled or telegraphed. But they are always numbered.

Dispatches when converted to airletter are handled as follows:

The original is numbered and held in a folder in a basket stack along with other dispatches being briefed on that date. Two copies are inserted behind the airletter. The airletter is started by the notation:

LA to L 613-619

(the dispatches included in the letter). The first dispatch is given its number and a briefed text –

613LA the text follows

614LA the text follows, etc.

One copy of this airletter is held in the folder for later files, one copy goes to the HCO Continental (or the continent of the originating office) and the airletter is mailed. No one is to use any lines but the HCO Communicator's lines in sending dispatches to me and only those things that are my personal business such as Washington dispatches and Advisory Council Reports are to be sent through the HCO Communicator's lines.

When this airletter arrives in London, it is presented to me as itself, but any message for another person is taken off of the airletter by the receiving HCO Communicator and put in the dispatch lines. When it is answered, the answer is added into the returning airletter dispatches.

The original airletter is presented to me in company with two airletters and one sheet and carbons so fixed that there is a carbon of anything written on the airletter.

The new airletter is as follows: 613LA2 Answered

614LA2 Answered, etc.

The answering airletters (one original and one a carbon) do not repeat text. The original of the answering is mailed airletter back to originating office. The carbon of the answering airletter is mailed to the HCO Continental office of the originating office. The orange carbon of the answering airletter is clipped to the original briefing airletter and held in London files.

The HCO Continental of rice has received a copy of the original brief airletter. When HCO Continental receives the answering carbon airletter it clips the two together, the dispatches and the answer, and is apprised of decisions and actions taken in and about area offices..

In any Continental office there is always also an area office. That the two are near together does not excuse failure to follow communication procedure as HCO Continental files will soon be wholly separate from area files and even when in the same town they will be in different buildings.

When any office originates airletters, this proce cure is followed except by HCO Continental offices where only the original and one orange copy are sent and the original and one orange of the answer are returned.]