025: Lynn Kenneth Packer, Part 1 – Growing up, Vietnam and the AFCO fraud

In Feb of 1991 The Arizona Republic published an article authored by Lynn Packer, nephew of the late President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, Boyd Kenneth Packer, which ultimately led to a public apology and later emeritus status of the LDS church Seventy member Paul Harold Dunn.

In this co-production between Mormon Stories Europe and A Thoughtful Faith Podcast Henning Müller and Gina Colvin interview book author and investigative journalist Lynn Kenneth Packer.

In the first two episodes Henning interviews Lynn about his life, work with broadcasting in
Vietnam, his interaction with and feelings for his uncle Boyd and the events that led up to the publication of the Book “Lying for the Lord – The Paul H. Dunn Stories” as well as the AFCO Fraud scandal where Paul Dunn had acted as co-president. We also discuss Lynn’s thoughts on the LDS Church’s stance on contemporary issues.

In the third episode Gina interviews Lynn about the book and the life of Paul H. Dunn, his baseball and war stories, the financial fraud scandals and his efforts to protect himself from legal and ecclesiastical consequence which opens a different dimension to the life of Paul Dunn. Lynn speaks more candidly about the church’s influence on investigative journalism and the problem of white-collar fraud in Mormon culture in general.

Powerpoint presentation site on evidence and documentation on the life of Paul H Dunn.

http://lyingforthelord.com/uploads/Website_Slideshow_Backup_II_Jan_16.pptx.pdf

Sunstone Magazine wrote in September of 1991:
https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/pdf/083-28-34.pdf
“On 16 February 1991, ‘The Arizona Republic’ reported that many of Elder Paul H. Dunn’s baseball and war stories had serious factual problems. The highlights of the report were that Harold Brown did not die in Dunn’s arms as Dunn had repeatedly told audiences, but is still living in Odessa, Missouri; and that Dunn never played for the St. Louis Cardinals.

“The story was printed in newspapers across the nation and was widely discussed by the Utah Saints. Some were angry at Elder Dunn; others defended him. Interestingly, some of the strongest hostility was directed toward Lynn Packer, the reporter who uncovered the story and sold his research to the ‘Republic’ and to a Salt Lake television station.

“There was also a lot of finger pointing among the press as to why the Utah media sat on the story and waited for the ‘Republic’ to break it.

“In a statement issued at the time of the ‘Republic story,’ the LDS church stated that it could not confirm the allegations in the ‘Republic.’ It did affirm that Dunn was made an emeritus general authority for health reasons. Reporters contacted Dunn, who expressed sorrow over the pain the revelations had caused the Church and said his stories were created simply to illustrate moral points, as did Jesus’ parables. . . .”