While government efforts to discredit Reverend Moon in the Fraser hearings of 1978 failed, and in fact backfired on the congressman, it appeared that efforts to get Reverend Moon finally succeeded with an indictment and conviction for tax fraud in 1981-82. It was a dark moment for the Unification Church. This press release was given October 15, 1981. As has happened throughout the history of persecution, however, government efforts to destroy the church only made it stronger. U.S. Christian leaders like Reverend Jerry Falwell, who would have nothing to do with the Unification Church before, were so outraged by the government's brazen violation of First Amendment rights that they united with Reverend Moon in opposition to the government. Pulitzer Prizewinning reporter Carlton Sherwood, in his book Inquisition (Regnery Gateway, 1991), decisively proved that Reverend Moon was the innocent victim of a prosecutor's vendetta.

Today the U.S. government, in this land of supposed freedom and religious liberty, crucified a man of God, a man who is as innocent as Jesus was. I am referring to the criminal tax indictment of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

I do not hesitate to say that with the power of the media today, the indictment of a spiritual leader like Reverend Moon is nothing short of a modern-day crucifixion. In this action the U.S. government may be harming one of the world's most important spiritual crusades, which is in the forefront of the worldwide fight against the ungodly ideology of communism.

In this act, President Reagan is an unwitting tool in vicious circumstances. With or without his knowledge, he is allowing the character assassination of one of his staunchest allies and one of the best supporters of his cause. Reverend Moon has believed in President Reagan from the very beginning. The newspapers he founded, The News World and Noticias del Mundo, were the first in the country to endorse him in the 1980 presidential election, and were the only two newspapers anywhere that predicted Reagan's landslide victory 24 hours prior to the election. This all came from Reverend Moon's conviction and foresight.

The ironic part is that this Justice Department action seems to be happening without President Reagan's knowledge, being initiated by Carter holdovers and minor career civil servants. This investigation evolved from the liberal Democratic investigation-the so-called Koreagate-headed by ultra-liberal former Congressman Donald Fraser. After a 34-month investigation and the expenditure of $685,000, Mr. Fraser could find nothing wrong. Carter holdovers still would like to see the Unification Church vilified, especially since they face no personal political risk: They know all the blame will fall on Republicans and, ultimately, on President Reagan, who will be judged as persecutors of religion and discriminators against minorities. It is ironic that President Reagan stands for the opposite of these things.

Reverend Moon has been found unpopular in the eyes of the media for the same reason that Jesus was found unpopular with the mob as he stood before Pontius Pilate awaiting judgment. The mob shouted, "Crucify him!" President Reagan may have heard such cries to crucify Reverend Moon. The only difference is that today it is said with modern sophistication.

President Reagan cannot escape the ultimate responsibility for the historical consequences of this action. Most tragically, he was put in the place of Pontius Pilate, allowing this historic tragedy to run its bitter course.

We believe in President Reagan, in his vision, his dream, and his courage. We just pray that he will not betray that dream, which he has championed so eloquently.

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