ERIC NADLER: Putting Moon in a New Light

A decade ago, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon was a major figure in the news, the leader of a “cult” that allegedly brainwashed young recruits to his controversial Unification Church. There were reports of mass “Moonie” weddings of complete strangers at Madison Square Garden and speeches in which Moon portrayed himself as the Messiah sent by God to free the Earth from Satan’s grip.

In 1984, however, the Korean-born Moon was imprisoned on federal tax evasion charges and his name faded from the public glare.

Now, an investigation by “Frontline” is again training the spotlight on Moon, who served a year of his 18-month sentence before being released. Airing Tuesday on PBS, “The Resurrection of Reverend Moon” reveals that the Unification movement has advanced well beyond religion to become a megabucks conglomerate with extensive political influence in the United States.

The report, prepared by New York investigative reporter Eric Nadler and producer Rory O’Connor, is based on a year of interviews and research. Nadler, 37, discussed “Frontline’s” findings with Times Staff Writer Jenifer Warren.

What prompted you to launch an investigation of Rev. Moon?

Most people consider Moon a 1970s pop relic. But the story of Rev. Moon is, in fact, a story that is important today. We began our investigation when we saw a picture of Moon meeting in Moscow with Mikhail Gorbachev. This struck us, because, like most citizens, we hadn’t thought much about Moon for years. So we put on our investigative hats and found that Moon had very quietly spent over $1 billion on political and media operations in this country. We also found that hundreds of millions of these dollars have been coming from overseas, from Japan. When you have this much foreign cash entering the political system in the U.S., it’s an important issue to look at.

What were the most significant discoveries you unearthed?

Rev. Sun Myung Moon has become a significant player in the political life of the U.S. He is the moving force behind a grass-roots political organization active in all 50 states, called the American Freedom Coalition. The AFC lobbies on local, state and federal legislation and stumps on the issues of the day. It sponsored Desert Storm rallies around the country, and, during the 1988 presidential campaign, it distributed 30 million pieces of political literature backing conservative positions.

The former special assistant to President Bush who served as liaison with conservative groups told us the AFC was one of two conservative organizations in America with “grass-roots clout.” He also credited this Moon-inspired group with having an important impact for the Bush campaign.

During the Ronald Reagan presidency, Rev. Moon became a patron of the so-called New Right, giving out tens of millions of dollars to conservative political operations. He spent the most, $800 million, on a conservative newspaper, The Washington Times, which President Reagan said was the first paper he read in the morning. He also funded causes dear to the Reagan Administration, from the Contra forces in Nicaragua to the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Has Congress or the Justice Department investigated Moon and his influence in the U.S.?

In 1978, a congressional subcommittee found that Moon’s organization systematically violated federal laws, including tax, immigration, banking and Foreign Agents Registration Act laws. The committee urged the White House to form a task force of agents to monitor the Moon organization. That never happened. In fact, two years later, when Ronald Reagan was elected president, Moon was a VIP guest at the inaugural.

Since 1978, no one in Congress or the executive branch has raised questions about Moon’s operations. On Capitol Hill, people say Moon is just the tip of an iceberg of foreign cash floating around our political system, but no incumbent wants to open that can of worms.

I wrote President Bush’s press office, but Bush declined to make any comment at all. I find such silence from our national leders, about what is clearly a foreign intrigue on our shores, very ominous.

Do you believe Moon’s movement is something Americans should be alarmed about?

Because of the way Moon’s organization operates, we, the American people, simply do not know who is ultimately funding these political activities in our nation, what their motives are and what their goals may be. I believe that if individuals or organizations want to enter the political process in the U.S., we should know where their money is coming from.

In Moon’s case, it has been widely reported for many years that one of his major patrons in Japan is an extremely rich fellow named Ryoichi Sasakawa. This is a man who was one of the most vocal proponents of war against the U.S. in the 1940s. He is an ultra-right wing political activist who once called Benito Mussolini the “perfect fascist.” When figures like this are linked to politics in the U.S., I think it’s something the American people should know about.

Do you have a theory about Moon’s ultimate goals?

That’s a good question, and if he had agreed to be interviewed, I certainly would have asked it. But I think undoubtedly, his agenda is to move the political center of this nation to the right. I also think it’s undeniably clear that he has already helped to shift it that way.

“Frontline” airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on KVCR and at 9 p.m. on KCET and KPBS.