Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00118)

Perhaps someone from the ULT might answer the following inquiries:
If I wish to undertake research in the archives of the ULT (as I have done
in the archives of Adyar and Pt Loma) who whom do I apply for permission?
Given that the ULT has no organization and no officers or authorities, I
presume there is no-one to whom a request for access can be addressed.
Does this also mean that there are no archives? or that any archives are
the private property of the person possessing them? or the corporate
property of the Theosophy Company? Or if I have enquiries about the DES,
to whom should these be addressed? Or does that organization have no
officials or authorities either?

In response to Daniel's inquiry regarding my comments on "non-existent
authorities", I would only add that unacknowledged authorities have
greater power (and are therefore more dangerous) because they are by
definition unanswerable for their actions and, presumably, cannot be
challenged, questioned or removed. I would be interested to know how the
officials of the Theosophy Company are appointed, for example.

As far as secret societies go, it is always a source of higher personal
status to belong to a group of which no-one else knows anything! The
history of inner groups, and inner groups of inner groups (ad infinitum!)
is one of personal aggrandizment and the accumulation of (meaningless)
claims of superiority over the "common herd". Being able to deny knowledge
of or entry into any society seems to give some strange people an enormous
sense of power and importance.

Dr Gregory Tillett