Paul Harold Dunn was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dunn was widely considered one of the most dynamic speakers among the general authorities in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1991, Dunn stated that he had "not always been accurate" in his speeches and writings after it was reported that he "made up many of the stories about baseball and battle he told as personal experiences".
Dunn was a director of AFCO Enterprises, Inc., a property development company in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1982 the company went bankrupt and in September 1983 the principal owner, Grant C. Affleck, was arrested for defrauding investors out of between $20–$50 million. Dunn's image was a prominent part of the promotional material provided to potential investors. Dunn said that he resigned from the company in 1978 because AFCO was exploiting his connection to the LDS Church. However, AFCO continued to provide Dunn with a new car every year until 1982, and Dunn continued to regularly attend AFCO board meetings until the company went bankrupt. In a sworn deposition Dunn stated his only role had been to deliver prayers and inspirational messages; however, evidence at Affleck's trial showed that Dunn had backdated his resignation from the company, and had continued to seek new investors and called creditors on the companies behalf into the 1980s.
Falsified experiences
During his time as a general authority, Dunn often included in his speeches and books extraordinary "real life" experiences that he claimed were from his past. In the late 1980s, a number of investigators, including Arizona Republic reporter Lynn Packer and church critics Jerald and Sandra Tanner, accused Dunn of fabricating or embellishing many of these events. Among Dunn's claims that came to be questioned were:
that Dunn was one of only six in his 1,000-man combat group who survived World War II, and was the only one of the six survivors who wasn't wounded;
that Dunn was the sole survivor among 11 infantrymen in a 100-yard race against death, during which one burst of machine-gun fire ripped his right boot off, another tore off his ammunition and canteen belt and yet another split his helmet in half—all without wounding him.
that Dunn's best friend died in his arms from serious injuries sustained in a battle on Okinawa.
When confronted with evidence that several of his stories were either completely falsified or substantially embellished, Dunn admitted that the stories were not completely true, yet continued to defend his use of the stories: "I haven't purposely tried to embellish or rewrite history. I've tried to illustrate points that would create interest. simply putting history in little finer packages." Dunn compared his stories to the parables of Jesus—although they were not true stories, they were nevertheless valuable means of teaching gospel principles. In 1991, Dunn asked the church's First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for permission to issue an open letter to all Latter-day Saints. The church agreed, and on October 26 the following letter was published in the Church News, a supplement section of the Deseret News, a newspaper owned by the LDS Church:
"I confess that I have not always been accurate in my public talks and writings. Furthermore, I have indulged in other activities inconsistent with the high and sacred office which I have held.
"For all of these I feel a deep sense of remorse, and ask forgiveness of any whom I may have offended.
"My brethren of the General Authorities, over a long period of time, have conducted in-depth investigations of the charges made against me. They have weighed the evidence. They have censured me and placed a heavy penalty upon me.
"I accept their censure and the imposed penalty, and pledge to conduct my life in such a way as to merit their confidence and full fellowship.
"In making these acknowledgements, I plead for the understanding of my brethren and sisters throughout the Church and give assurance of my determination so to live as to bring added respect to the cause I deeply love, and honor to the Lord who is my Redeemer.
"Sincerely, Paul H. Dunn"
The exact nature of this "heavy penalty" imposed upon Dunn is unclear. It is clear that Dunn was not excommunicated from the church, though it is not known whether or not he was placed under some other form of church discipline, such as disfellowshipment or probation.
