Testimonial letter from Alfred M. Wiedemann

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This letter is one of a remarkable series of over 2650 letters amassed in 1983 to support Osho's attempt to get permanent resident status in the US at the time of the Oregon ranch. The image is reproduced here with the kind permission of The Oregon Historical Society. Information about their collection of these letters and other supporting material -- the "Jeffrey Noles Rajneesh Collection", named for Osho's immigration lawyer Jeffrey Noles, who compiled them in 1983 and donated them to the OHS -- can be found at this page. The wiki is grateful to the OHS for making access available for these documents. For more information and links to all the letters, see Testimonial letters.

This letter is from Alfred M. Wiedemann PhD. It is "Exhibit A-522" in the Noles collection.

The text version below has been created by optical character recognition (OCR), from the images supplied by OHS. It has not been checked for errors but this process usually results in over 99% correct transcription. Most apparent "errors" are correct transcriptions of typos already in the original. The image on the right in the text box links to a pdf file of the original letter, it has one page.

27 July, 1983

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN-

This is a letter in support of the application by Bhagwan Shree Rajneeshi to be admitted to the United States as a person of unusual talent and achievement.

I am a biologist scientist-educator with 20 years of teaching and research experience. I have traveled extensively overseas, and have taught and carried out research in southeast Asia and Australia. I have a Ph.D. in botany, an M.S. in agronomy, and a B.S. in plant science. I am presently employed as a faculty member at a four year state college. I also have extensive experience in dance, both as a performer and teacher. I am not a "follower” of the Bhagwan, but know about him and his work through people who are closely associated with him.

I feel that he is an unusual person because of his ability to absorb and reflect on the collective written works of the many philosophic and religious traditions of the world. His ability to then synthesize and speak of this complex body of human thought in a way that helps clarify it and make it useful to people is an achievement of some magnitude. His work is not necessary esoteric and abstract since it seems to translate into practical advice on everyday living in a world where resources become scarcer and social life more and more complex.

I am also impressed by what is being attempted at the present site in Oregon in terms of land use and the development of a system that is ecologically and economically sound. It would seem to be an experiment of some interest since rarely is this sort of thing attempted. Much that is practical could be learned from it.

Overall I would consider him a very unique individual, one who can contribute both in the area of original thought and in practical ways that would ultimately benefit a great many people. I will probably never become associated in any direct way with him or his group, but I do recognize and appreciate his value. I would strongly urge that he be allowed to remain in the country.

Sincerely,
[signed]
Alfred M. Wiedemann, Ph.D.
803 Carlyon Ave
Olympia WA 98501


(Please note: We assume that the above letter is still copyrighted, but we regard its historical interest to constitute a Fair Use exception for publication in this wiki.)