NEWS IN BRIEF - 1997-01-11
NEWS IN BRIEF January 11, 1997,
The letter, published as a full-page ad Thursday in the Paris-based International Herald-Tribune, urged Kohl to halt his government's attacks against the Church of Scientology and its members before they turn violent as they once did against Jews.
"In the 1930s, it was the Jews," the letter said. "Today it is the Scientologists. The issue is not whether one approves or disapproves of the teachings of Scientology. Organized governmental discrimination against any group on the basis of its beliefs is abhorrent even where the majority disagree with those beliefs."
The letter was signed by leading actors, writers, directors, producers and studio heads such as Dustin Hoffman, Aaron Spelling, Oliver Stone, Sherry Lansing, Goldie Hawn, Sid Sheinberg, Mario Puzo, Robert Towne and Constantin Costa-Gavras. Other signers included broadcaster Larry King and writer Gore Vidal.