I have read this book, several times, and whilst much of the content is exact, at least from my own experiences from being on the Royal Scotsman/Apollo, there are some errors.
After 1967, the hub around which all Scientology revolved was the
flagship Apollo, an immaculately scrubbed white ship cruising majes-
tically through the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Here lived
and worked the elite of Scientology in what was billed as the sanest
and safest space on earth.
The ship most certainly was immaculately scrubbed but it was NOT white, it was black, at least from the time period I was there. 1967 - middle of 1969.
Here also worked L. Ron Hubbard, in a plush oak-panelled office.
He was in touch with all Scientology activities around the world by
a modern telex system that rivalled those of major corporations. Of
the 300 to 400 crew members, some 20 worked long hours just
manning the telexes and other communications systems between
Hubbard and his world-wide organizations.
Ron did work in a plush office, whilst his crew lived and worked in appalling conditions. It is possible that other people manned the telex office, however the only person I remember manning the telexes was Alan Vos. The telex office was tiny, and located on one of the upper decks. On several occasions I was sent off to go do something else, so I was not privy to communications that Hubbard deemed secret and confidential when he was in communication with the telex officer. I remember Alan especially as he was the one who deemed me not worthy of rejoining the group when I was in a condition of Liability.
Hubbard had ordered a little girl who was a deafmute down into the
chain locker sometime in 1968. Hubbard was going to cure her deaf-
ness by shoving her down there!
This came to my attention after she'd been there for about a week
because the Master at Arms at the time, a beautiful girl, came to me
and said, "John, I've got to have you come and see what's going on." I
had just come back from a world tour promoting Scientology.
And I said, "What is it" And she told me about this little girl. Her
26 THE ADVENTURES OF THE COMMODORE
parents were from London. Her father and mother had separated, and
the mother had brought three or four of her children onto the ship.
I went down there and released her out of it. I pulled out the door
pegs that were put down to make sure this poor little thing couldn't get
out.
Then I went to Hubbard and said, "What the hell are you doing?"
And he said, "John, what the hell are you talking about?"
And I said, "What are you really doing!" I was screaming at him.
And he said, "Oh God, release her. I didn't know she was in there "
Shortly thereafter, McMaster was made a galley hand and sub-
jected to extreme physical labor, lack of sleep, and other hardships.
"Hubbard wanted to break me," he said.
After he resigned from the Church of Scientology in late 1969, he
was officially "declared" a "suppressive person" or "S.P." (evil psy-
chotic) by Hubbard.
This most definitely would have been the little girl I saw in the chain locker,she was not taken out straight away. There was a "FLAP", What to do, what to do?I do not know the exact details of what was said and what went on, but I know she was not lifted out straight away which to my mind would have been the obvious thing to do.
What I think happened - Without express orders from the Commadore, no one dared lift her out, in case they were subjected to the same fate.John and the MAA may have done their best under the circumstances, but unfortunately it wasn't good enough, where a little tiny child was concerned.L. Ron Hubbard knew most things that went on, on that ship and punishments were always on his direct order. He knew she was in the chain locker, just like he knew two of his messengers were in the hold, just like he knew when he gave me permission to join my Father, that my Father was no longer in the Sea Org. He knew all these things, because he gave the orders, and the brainwashed, faithful carried his orders out.
It doesn't surprise me that John McMasters was declared in 1969,I heard him try to warn people, but no one was listening.LRH didn't just try to break John Mc, he tried to break everyone, whether adults or young children and in many cases he succeeded.
Hows that for a success story?