David Robinson on the Lochner Tapes

During the chaotic days of the HWA-Rader era rumors emerged that HWA's personal masseuse Floyd Lochner had surreptitiously taped HWA speaking in a way that, if it went public, would completely discredit him. John Tuit describes what he knows in Chapter 21 of The Truth Shall Set You Free. Tuit eventually confronted Lochner about these tapes. It is a most intriguing read. I alluded to this in a previous post.

It is impossible to confirm anything but it needs to be said here that John Tuit suspected that Lochner was aligned with Rader and Rader used the tapes to blackmail HWA into doing Rader's bidding.

Naturally while reading David Robinson's book, Herbert Armstrong's Tangled Web, I was most intrigued to see what he had to say about it.

David Robinson did not hear the tapes himself but he talked with some who did.

He mentions the Lochner tapes in Chapter 6.

Those who have heard portions of the tape say they not only verify my own saddening experience but reveal HWA to be both extremely debaucherous and a total and calculating religious hypocrite. Perhaps in the near future copies of the tape will be made public. I certainly hope so. (Chapter 6, p. 86.)

Later Robinson states that Garner Ted Armstrong said that HWA was paying to keep the Lochner tapes secret. Garner Ted Armstrong thought they should just be made public and then they deal with the consequences whatever they may be. (Chapter 8, p. 92.)

Later David Robinson mentioned the Lochner tapes to Raymond McNair and he admitted it was a problem but was very reluctant to talk about it. (Chapter 17, p. 223.)

Reading John Tuit's book I could not help but wonder if HWA had mentioned his incest in the Lochner tapes. (Keith Hunt, a COG preacher who hosts John Tuit's book on his website, suspected this was the case and stated this opinion in comments he embedded with Tuit's book.) But after reading Robinson's account I cannot help but suspect that he did not mention the incest in the Lochner tapes based on how the persons behaved according to David Robinson's descriptions.

(Of course until the Lochner tapes go public it is impossible to confirm anything one way or the other aside from testimony from those who heard them.)

It is a most intriguing tale of the HWA-Rader era. Eventually HWA deposed Rader in 1981 and luckily for HWA the tapes were never released. As others, including the Painful Truth have stated, I hope this situation changes.