When Washington Times Publisher Thomas McDevitt was fired last Sunday, his successor Jonathan Slevin and two security guards escorted him from the Times headquarters to his car and confiscated his cell phone and computer, according to an internal Unification Church memo provided to TPM by multiple church members.
Issued Friday and addressed to “District Directors, State Leaders, all Blessed Central Families and Members,” the memo appears to be the first official statement from the church that addresses the turmoil at the Times which has threatened the very future of the newspaper founded by church leader Rev. Sun Myung Moon in the early 1980s and long subsidized by the church’s business empire.
The conservative Washington Times is controlled by Preston Moon, son of Rev. Moon and chair of the Times‘ parent company, News World Communications. TPM has reported that Preston’s feud with the rest of his family — rooted in his displeasure at the way the elderly Rev. Moon divvied up the church and its business empire — is driving the chaos at the Times.
The departure of the newspaper’s executive editor was announced late last week.
The memo was written by Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s daughter In Jin (pictured below), head of the US arm of the church, and two other officials and apparently sent to all church members. It is a markedly public shot at Preston. The “type of behavior” displayed in the shakeup at the Times that began a week ago “is unprecedented in our movement,” the memo says.
“There is no doubt that Hyun Jin Nim [Preston] deeply loves True Parents, but he may not be receiving the best advice from those who are loyal to him,” it says. The “True Parents” are Rev. Moon and his wife, revered above all others in the Unification church (which is officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification).
The memo shows that Preston is still very much at odds with the rest of the Moon family — potentially bad news for a newspaper that relies on Unification Church subsidies to operate.
The memo also reveals that Nick Chiaia, the president of United Press International (UPI), which is also owned by Times parent company News World Communications, carried out the Sunday firings with new Times publisher Jonathan Slevin. According to the memo, Slevin accompanied McDevitt out on Sunday with the two security guards. Security at the paper was beefed up in the last week, particularly on the third floor where management works.
The memo portrays the family feud as stemming from a lack of loyalty to the “True Parents” — that is, Rev. Moon and his wife — rather than a sibling rivalry. It claims that recent press reports (likely a reference to TPM’s reporting) of a conflict between Preston and his younger brother Hyung-jin, who Rev. Moon designated this year as primary heir, are false. “The real issue here is unity with True Parents’ spiritual leadership,” the memo says.
TPM has reported that Preston has not respected his younger brother’s authority — a fact backed up by internal church documents. But we’ve also noted that Preston is standing alone against the rest of his family. The November 13 memo also appears to confirm our previous reporting that Preston went rogue went he ordered the Times shakeup.
Less clear is the role in the conflict played by In Jin Moon, the Columbia- and Harvard-educated reverend who authored the memo along with two other church officials. On the day of the Washington Times firings, she delivered an allegorical sermon in Manhattan that described an older brother seizing a prized family “garden” against the wishes of his parents and younger brother.
Here’s the full memo:
Family Federation for World Peace and Unification
North American Headquarters481 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
NHQ20091113 No. 28
To: District Directors, State Leaders, all Blessed Central Families and Members
From: Reverend In Jin Moon, Archbishop Ki Hoon Kim, Reverend Joshua Cotter
Re: The Washington Times Incident on Sunday November 8th, 2009
Date: November 13th, 2009Dear Brothers and Sisters,
May God’s abundant blessing and True Parents’ love be upon you and your family.
As you may be aware, this past week three executives at the Washington Times, Mr. Dong Moon Joo, Chairman, Mr. Thomas McDevitt, President and Publisher and Mr. Keith Cooperrider, CFO were fired from their jobs. Mr. Jonathan Slevin (Vice-President at Newsworld Communications) and Mr. Nick Chiaia carried out these actions. On Sunday, November 8, Tom McDevitt was escorted from his office at the Washington Times building to his car by Mr. Slevin, together with two security guards. His cell phone and computer were confiscated.
This type of behavior is unprecedented in our movement. It must be made clear that what took place at the Washington Times is contrary to the advice and guidance from our True Father.
True Parents are heartbroken and dismayed over what has happened, especially in light of the fact that they have been guiding our movement worldwide, over the last several months, specifically to remain united with their spiritual leadership.
Some recent press articles this past week have incorrectly tried to characterize the situation around the Washington Times takeover as a ‘feud between two brothers’ (specifically between Hyun Jin Nim and Hyung Jin Nim). These statements are perhaps purposefully misleading. The real issue here is unity with True Parents’ spiritual leadership.
Each one of True Parents’ children and the members of their family who are serving in some public role in our worldwide movement are standing in complete unity with True Parents. This includes Hyung Jin Nim (International President), Kook Jin Nim (President of the Korea Foundation), In Jin Nim (President of the American Church), Sun Jin Nim (Seilo Travel), Yeon Ah Nim (Sun Moon University) and Hoon Sook Nim (Universal Ballet Company).
There is no doubt that Hyun Jin Nim deeply loves True Parents, but he may not be receiving the best advice from those who are loyal to him. In Korea, during recent HDH’s, Father is urgently and repeatedly stating that, during this critical time, it is important to remain vigilant in our unity with our True Parents.
Thank you and may God bless you.
Reverend In Jin Moon Reverend Ki Hoon Kim
President and CEO, HSA, FFWPU — USA Continental Director — North America
