Testimonial letter from Peter M Kuntz

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 Peter M Kuntz. It is "Exhibit A-2" 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.

July 21 1983  I write this letter as a knower of law, a scholar of theology, and a concerned citizen of this nation. My hope is to communicate on what I view as one of the most vital issues pre­sently facing the INS, certainly as regards the relation of religion with constitutionality; that is: the immigration status of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.  My intent is neither to defend the Bhagwan’s religion nor to speak against it, but rather to address the central issue here involved. My qualifications include several years of concentrated legal work for, among others, the late Leon Jaworski and U.S. Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez. I remain, at present, a scholar of theology at Princeton University.  It is through my religious studies that I have become familiar with the Bhagwan; my knowledge of his religion, coupled with experience and knowledge of law provide for me in this issue a dual perspective, or, if you will, expertise. Therefore, in the firmest spirit of professionalism, and on my very reputation, I present for you the following observations: 1) Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh is, without doubt, a religious teacher and a spiritual leader 2) The Bhagwan is, as such,one of both international renown and definitely exceptional ability; and 3) Considering pertinent legal issues, there is no question about whether this free country - if, indeed, it is to remain that - should accept or deny the Bhagwan's residence application: Very clearly he should be allowed to stay. I hope only that you consider these observations in deepest earnestness and openness. I remain sincerely yours [signed] Peter M Kuntz 231 1937 Hall Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544

(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.)