Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00286)

If Daniel wants example of TS-bizarre, he will have to wait until I write
the book: “Travels of a Researcher into Theosophy”!!
Most of my experiences were generally pleasant. Point Loma was very
friendly (they accommodated and fed me!) and I was given access to almost
everything I sought – and was told quite honestly and specifically what I
could not see (some of it being material I had already seen elsewhere).
Adyar was generally friendly (until “The Elder Brother” appeared!). John
Coats was a model of generosity and openness. He gave me access to the
Archives, and when various Adyar bureaucrats tried to stop it, he
intervened. A few strange people tried to be difficult: for example, they
wouldn’t let me see the catalogue of the Archives, and I eventually
realized they were telling me files on particular subjects didn’t exist
when what they meant was that I hadn’t used the right file name! For
example, there was (they said) no archival material on “Emily Lutyens”. I
caught on quickly, and asked for the file on “Lady Emily Lutyens”, and it
was produced. It was a fun game, and I just gave the poor official a list
of every possible variant of every subject I wanted and seem to have been
successful.
Two bizarre conversations: I had a meeting with Radha Burnier and asked
various questions about the ES, on which she was polite but evasive. I
asked if material from the ES archives could be accessible to me. She
responded that this would be a matter for the OH of the ES. There was a
short silence. “But you are the OH of the ES” I said. “Yes” she replied. I
repeated my question about access, and she politely declined. But at least
I had a clear answer. Another conversation was with a senior Indian TS
member who started talking to me in a coffee shop just off the Adyar
Estate. “You are researching Bishop Leadbeater?” “Yes” “I am sure you have
been told he was a living saint, the greatest occultist of his time, a
truly holy man, almost divine?” “Yes” “All that is lies: he was an evil
man, a fraud.” Whereupon he handed me a large envelope and left. The
envelope contained copies of a number of interesting documents, some (I
suspect) from the ES archives.

But I have never met with such a strange “we are totally open” while being
less accessible than the CIA approach than I have found with the ULT.
Individual members (including various librarians who, I presume, could not
have been librarians because “librarian” presupposes an office!) have been
kind and generous – but have never answered a single historical question
directly unless it could be done with an (apparently) almost memorized
section of one of the ULT official tracts. It’s like trying to gather up
quicksilver!

Dr Gregory Tillett