Neal A Maxwell


The X-CIA agent of the Lord.
(Neal A. Maxwell passed away on July 21, 2004)

Maxwell - CIA Agent - Conspiracy Theories

01/18/2004 - cricket

Can any of you add some more detail to what is already confirmed about Neal Maxwell's work for the US Government?

Here are the undisputed facts:

1. Maxwell obtained a BS and MS in Political Science from the University of Utah.

2. Worked in Washington, D.C., as a legislative assistant to Utah Senator Wallace F. Bennett. In 1956 he returned to the University of Utah, where he successively worked at a wide variety of faculty and administrative jobs, from the public relations office to Dean of Students to Executive Vice-President. During this time, he completed his M.S. in political science and taught enough to be selected by a group of university students as their favorite professor.

3. Served two years with the army infantry, which included fighting in 1945 on Okinawa

4. Served a mission to Canada. Helping maintain his sense of realism, the Maxwell children occasionally remind their father that on his mission he baptized two people and excommunicated four in one branch—for a net loss of two.

5.Served as the bishop of a student ward. In that role, he spent many hours counseling young people struggling with both intellectual and behavioral problems.

6. In called 1967 as one of the original Regional Representatives of the Twelve. During this time he was associated on a number of Church and civic matters with Elder Harold B. Lee, with whom he developed a relationship of mutual trust and thorough communication.

7. Appointed Commissioner of Church Education, with a charge to breathe new vitality, vision, and organizational unity into the far-flung educational interests of the Church.

8. When the First Quorum of the Seventy was organized in October 1976, Elder Maxwell was called as one of the Quorum’s seven presidents. He served there until his call as a member of the Council of the Twelve in July 1981.
http://personal.atl.bellsouth.net/w/o/wol3/maxwena1.htm

9. Maxwell worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in his younger years. I confirmed this with his son Cory, who currently works for Deseret Book. I met Cory at a Mormon Writers workshop and asked him there. He said his father didn't discuss this much. I could not confirm the years or dates that Maxwell worked for the CIA, or his job description there.

I have been unsuccessful in learning more about Maxwell's CIA stint by Internet Searches or hard copy records at public libraries. Maybe some exmo with access to records in Washington D.C. could shed some light on Maxwell?

Here are the fuzzy fringe details and questions:

1. Is there a connection between his staffing at Wallace Bennett's office and his assignment with the CIA? Or was he a CIA employee prior to the Bennett assignment.

2. Was Maxwell involved in the infamous MK-Ultra Project?

3. Is there any truth to this email just received at the Lampoon or is this just from another "conspiracy theory whacko? - from stopbarrick@yahoo.com"

Ex CIA Agent Neal A. Maxwell was assigned to bring in the MK-Ultra Project into Utah in 1953-54. After his successful role in this matter, he moved back to Washington DC and worked for Senator Bennett.

Neal A. Maxwell everybody to know how smart he is with his "language gift" of speech. You should see how fraustrated he gets when they don't put the right pictures with his "talks".

Mind Control is the gift given to Apostle Maxwell. Too bad he only controls himself with this PR Obsession. http://www.mormon.citymax.com

4. Why is Maxwell's stint with the CIA deleted from his official Church Bio? http://www.lds.org/newsroom/biography/0,15609,3959-1----42,00.html

5. Serving in the infantry in WWII is honorable but serving in the CIA is not? Depending on his job description at the CIA...?

6. If Maxwell learned mind control techniques at the CIA, has he used those skills in LDS Church work? For example: The spying on of students during the Ernest Wilkinson period at BYU. The aversion therapy and mind control methods gay BYU students endured during this same period.

7. If the Glory of God is Intelligence why is a whole chapter in his official biography devoted to his nurturing of FARMS at BYU?

8. Does anyone really give a damn about all of this?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Sometime in 1962 . . .

shortly after I got off my mission, I was taking a journalism class and Maxwell visited as a guest lecturer. He had just joined the U of U staff. He was introduced (by then U of U P.R. man Perry Sorensen) as having just left the CIA.

He said among other things that there were really few true secrets in the world and that a lot of energy got wasted protecting the non-secrets. Seemed like quite a sensible guy at the time. I was disappointed in him when he went with the corporation.

'Fraid-I-have-no-respect-for-him-now-ly yours, Schweizerkind - 01/18/2004

A form of 'gaudiness' but denying the power thereof

11/28/2003 - anonymous

Speaking of General Authorities, I know a story from one of the Mission Presidents that illustrates the true character of Neil A. Maxwell that happened some time between 1981 and 1984.

During Maxwell's first visit to Barcelona, Spain he went to see the Sagrada Familia with the mission president. Maxwell stood in front of the building under construction and saw the sign that said "templo de la Sagrada Familia." Maxwell laughed and said "the Catholics don't know how to build temples."

Maxwell refused to enter the gate and get a tour of the site. Then Maxwell said this famous line. He said "the Catholics are building a temple with a form of 'gaudiness' but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

This was a play on words from the Bible scripture that says “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:5) Maxwell thought he was so clever.

Whenever I think of Maxwell, I remember his utter arrogance and his inability to appreciate Gaudi's masterpieces. All Maxwell could see in Gaudi's work was Catholic apostasy.

Editor's note: The following was received on 11/28/2003 from "Spain Barcelona RM" to verify the above story about Neal Maxwell.

President Larsen told this story at his mission reunion address in 1998. President Birch Larsen served as the mission president from 1981 to 1984 and was Maxwell's guide when he first visited Barcelona.

Clarifying Christ's crucifiction cry

11/27/2003 - from Neal A Maxwell (by anonymous to parody Maxwell's preaching style)

My bitter brothers and sordid sisters,

I am sad to see that you have allowed deceitful disputations to arise amongst yourselves regarding the meaning of the Savior's sad supplication just prior to giving up the ghost, apparently accusing His father Elohim of forsaking Him -- or, as some angry arrogant apostates drowning in the dull dregs of derogatoriness have suggested, that Jesus was not even cognizant of the master plan of the Master Planner.

But the truculant truth of the tragic tale on the tree is this: At the moment that His spirit was initiating its exit from His corporeal clay, His life was passing before His eyes, in rapturous review of the limitless life He had lived. As the scenes reversed to His innocent childhood, he recalled the pain and suffering when a man with a spare biscuit had used said bread to entice Jesus' dear pet, his canine companion Fidohim, to leave The Boy behind and jumped into a fishing boat departing from the shore. Omniscient even as a 5 year old, the young Messiah knew then that His dear foolish Fidohim, fallen for the tempter's snare, would never return.

On the cross, with His life passing before His eyes, it was the Savior's review of this scene from his boyhood that prompted the anguished cry:

"My Dog, My Dog, Why hast thou forsaken Me?"

Unfortunately, transcription error by a careless apostle forever altered the true meaning of that sacred moment.

In the name of Fleas & Lice, Amen.

______________________________________

I alway think of Neal Maxwell as sort of the Jesse Jackson of Mormonism. The physical appearance and mannerisms are all wrong but listen to and think about the actual content of speach of both. - 11/16/2003 - anon

Comparing cancer cases - house of cards

09/10/2003 - from Ramses (from the RfM bb)

I had correspondence with him over two decades and also met him in his office for over half an hour. He is glib and phony and rather impersonal (. He will talk himself out of every situation as if he has the last word. I met him some years before GA conference (still in the tabernacle). He was standing near the front rows and chatting endlessly with someone. I approached him...

I had a severe case of cancer over a decade ago and wrote him while in hospital. He promptly wrote a very nice letter (by his standards) and even said, that he put me on the joint prayer roll of the FP and the CoT. I was touched by this then. Some years later I learned of his leukemia through a personal letter of his - shortly before GA conference, instead of the church media.

After I had approached him and brought myself to memory (he had just written to me a few weeks earlier) he only said "How good to see you. Sorry no time for visiting!" and turned. There was still enough time for some more sentences, but that was it. But he was chatting endlessly with some tbm. This was about four years ago. I never wrote to him again and a year later my tbm-faith - already a cardhouse - crashed.

Wrong Name at Temple Sealing-Marriage

02/18/2003 - Dan

My dad plays tennis with him, so maxwell did wedding sealings for some of our family. For my brothers wedding, he used the wrong last name the ENTIRE ceremony. no one said a word to maxwell, until after it was all over. but the marriage only lasted a few years anyway. since they play tennis every week, it was quite shocking to see him use the wrong name for the whole ceremony

Neal Throws The Bible At An Elder

05/26/2001 - JBryan of the recovery bulletin board

The first apostle I met was Neal A. Maxwell. He was giving a talk to a group of missionaries on the subject of total obedience. Suddenly, he took his Bible and threw it to the elder on the front row and said "Now elder, you caught that without thinking or looking in a rule book. That's the way you should obey the commandments."

As I think back, it was a good lesson. The leaders really do want you to obey blindly.

Add your non faith promoting story about Neal A Maxwell in the box below and then click submit button. Or email them to Latter Day Lampoon.

Email Address or handle (leave blank to remain anonymous)

Latter-Day Lampoon material is mostly public domain. Check out rights and use information.