Testimonial letter from Marsha Ross

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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 Marsha Ross. It is "Exhibit A-568" 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.

Television Center Studios
July 14, 1983

To Whom it May Concern:

I am a filmmaker, journalist, and artist. I have travelled all over the world, from the smallest communities in Mykonos and the open markets of Zurich, to the chic quarters of Paris and the back streets of London. I have been a personal witness to the love generated by this extraordinary being, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. And although I am not a Rajneesh devotee, I am an American. As such, I feel strongly about America’s role in supporting, encouraging, and nurturing the most creative minds of our time.

It is for this reason that I strongly object to official attempts to discredit and deport a philosopher and teacher who has contributed so much in his field.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is the author of over 350 books. Those I have read have had great impact on my perceptions and on my life. Moreover, I have seen the heartening effect of his words on emotionally disturbed individuals from every socio-economic level.

For these reasons alone, the man is a tremendous asset to the United States and should be allowed to remain in this country.

Furthermore, one should not ignore the sizable financial contribution to the economy through investments and taxes generated by Rajneesh and his devotees. While by law, an ordinary immigrant is granted resident status as a capitalist by investing $40,000 in a business venture, Rajneesh devotees have invested more than 40 million dollars in the less than two years he has been in America.

As an American, I will be embarrassed if my country, founded on the principle of religious freedom, perpetrates such blatant discrimination against a man of such magnitude as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. I urge you to remember the purpose of the United States of America and welcome this remarkable man as a resident in our country.

Sincerely,
[signed]
Marsha Ross
Executive Offices
6311 ROMAINE STREET
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 90038
(213) 462-5111 Studios
846 NORTH CAMUENQA BOULEVARD
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 00038
(213) 462-5111


(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.)