BIOGRAPHY OF L RON HUBBARD
by
Michael Linn Shannon
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Birth information and family
3. Childhood years
4. Teenage world traveler
5. Academic record
6. Expeditions
7. Military record-
8. Miscellaneous
9. Commentary
10. Bibliograptiy
"...This article may be copied and distributed by anyone who wishes to
do so. Comments are welcomed, and should be addressed to P.O. Box
1526, Portland Oregon, 97207. Please include a stamped envelope if an
answer is wanted.
My first experience with the Church of Scientology was in July of
1975. It was on a very warm evening in downtown Portland, Oregon, and
I was waiting for a bus. A tall youngish man came up to me and asked
if I would like to go to a free lecture on how to communicate better.
I didn't have anything in particular to do and decided to go - I was
curious what kind of trip this guy was gonna lay on me but I figured
(wrongly) that the place would probably be air conditioned. So I
followed him to this large almost empty room on the second floor of a
nearby building and was treated to a half hour or so monologue on the
importance of affinity, reality, and communication, which made sense
to me, and after a short sales pitch, signed up for the
"communications course".
The following day there were certain events that transpired which
caused me to change my mind about taking this course, and after a
brief but rather heated discussion, the guy who had taken my money
gave back my money.
I still had the book that I had bought, Hubbard's "Dianetics", and for
some unknown reason, I read it. When I had finished it, I decided that
I wanted to know more about the church of Scientology, particularly
the guy who wrote that book. I started buying books. Lot's of books.
There was a second hand bookstore a few blocks away, and they were
cheaper, and I discovered they had books by other writers that were
about Scientology I happened across a copy of the hard to find
"Scandal of Scientology" by Paulette Cooper. Now I was fascinated, and
started collecting everything I could get my eager hands on- magazine
articles, newspaper clippings, government files, anything.
Four years and four thousand dollars later, I had a mountain of
material which included some files that no one else had bothered to
get-copies of the log books of the Navy ships that Hubbard had served
on, and his fathers Navy service file. Soon after reading these
thousands of pages, I realized that I had a lot of info rmation on
Hubbard that had never been included in any of the books that were
written about him or his 'church'.
The result of all that research is this article, the first of a
series. While there are several ways this information can be
presented, it seems to me that the most expedient way would be to
simply make a list of all the things that Hubbard has been credited
with, and follow each with what the documents that I have say about
each one. (what the documents say, not what I say). By doing it in
this manner the facts are presented without being watered down with
forty pages of dialogue. Here then, is an itemized biography of
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard.
In many of the dozens of books published by the Church of Scientology
(COS) over the years, there is included, as in many books, some
'information about the author'. In the case of the COS books, this
ranges from a couple of lines on the inside of the dust jacket, to the
elaborate 16 page spread in "What is Scientology" in which the life of
their founder is depicted in reproductions of a series of oil
paintings, with accompanying text.
All of these, when put together, tell of a man who, descended from
royalty grew up in the wilds of Montana, became the youngest Eagle
Scout in America traveled throughout the world as a teenager,
graduated from college with a degree in civil engineering, earned his
masters license to command ocean going vessels, was the leader of a
number of expeditions to various areas of the world, was a sergeant in
the United States Marine Corps, was highly decorated, and a real life
hero in the U.S. Navy in WWII, wrote and had published fifteen million
words, and spent years and years researching the composition and
destiny of man
And did all this before his 35th birthday.
L Ron Hubbard was well known in the forties for his stories in
magazines such as Thrilling Wonder Stories, and Astounding Science
Fiction, and when his first article on the new mental science was
publised (in ASF) it was well recieved. So a few months later he wrote
"Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health, and suddenly he was
famous.
Everyone was interested in the book that could teach them all the
things that his book was reputed to do, and it became a best seller.
There were several government agencies who were interested too.
The newspapers picked up, on it. Magazine articles appeared, and a
couple of books were written. but for some reason none of those
publications had much to say about the "trip to heaven man" who made
it all happen.
Thirty years later-the COS has been "exposed" to tens of millions of
people in thousands of newspaper articles, Readers Digest with it's 18
millions of readers, and CBS's "Sixty Minutes" reported some of the
details of a recent incident the COS was involved in to some 20
million people.
All over America, law suits have been filed by or against the COS with
many millions of dollars at stake-and everyone has heard of
Scientology.
Yet very little is known about the rich reclusive Ronald Hubbard.
PART ONE
ITEM That LRH was born in Tilden Nebraska on 13 March, 1911.
* LRH Was born Lafayette Ronald Hubbard on 13 March 1911, in Tilden,
Neb.
* An undated article from the Tilden 'Citizen' (4) states that LRH was
born at Dr. Campbell's hospital, on Oak Street.
* LRH's Certificate of birth lists an 'S.A.' Cambell as attendant at
birth
* Doris Chase Doane, an astrologer states that LRH gave her this date
and place as well as the time of 2:01 A.M. C.S.T. , during an
interview in Los Angeles
ITEM That LRH is a descendant of one Count de Loupe who entered
England with the Norman invasion of the tenth century A.D.
LRH's maternal grandmother's name was Ida Corinne DeWolfe, who was
born in Hampshire, Illinois on 6 August 1863, and died in Hamilton,
Montana on the 25th of March, 1944. Her father was John A. DeWolfe,
and her mother was Louesa Doty both from Pennsylvania.
ITEM T-hat on his fathers side, he is descended from the English
Hubbards who came to America in the 18th century.
* LRH's father was Harry Ross Hubbard,
* Harry Ross Hubbard was born Henry August Wilson on 31 August 1886 at
Fayette, Iowa, but at an early age, his mother died, and he was
adopted by Mr. and Mrs. James W. Hubbard, of Fayette County, and his
name was changed to Harry Ross Hubbard. In his Navy service record is
an affidavit from his blood brother, 'J.R. Wilson", and other
documents, which were accepted as true by the Navy Department.
PART TWO
ITEM That LRH's maternal grandfather was a cattleman who owned a ranch
in Montana(l) and that this ranch was "one quarter of Montana"
LRH's maternal grandfather was Lafayette 0. Waterbury who was born in
Grand Rapids, Michigan on 25 July 1864, and died in Helena, Montana on
18 August 1931. His father was Abram Waterbury, and his mother was
Margaret Mettler, of New York
* L.O. Waterbury owned, in 1927, the Capital City Coal Co. six miles
S.E. of Helena, and lived at 735 Fifth Ave, in Helena, from 1917 to
1925. In 1925 he was in the automobile accessories business.
* L.O. Waterbury's wife was Ida Corinne who also lived at this
address.
* The office of the Secretary of State of Montana lists the Capital
City Coal Co. but has no record of L.O. Waterbury having owned land in
Montana.
* The office of the Clerk and Recorder of Lewis and Clark County
(Helena) has no record of any land owned by L.O. Waterbury.
* The Montana Historical Society has an index of people who filed
deeds, of homesteaders, and plat maps of Montana but has no record of
L.O. Waterbury.
* The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, in
Billings has no record of a L.O. Waterbury.
ITEM That LRH grew up on his grandfathers cattle ranch in Montana
* In addition to LRH's grandparents, L.O. and Ida, his parents lived
at the same address from 1918 to 1922.
* L.O.'s brother Ray Waterbury, and sisters Hope, Toilie, and Louise
lived at the Fifth Ave address in the same period
* LRH's father lists in his navy insurance beneficiary form, 31 Mar.
1927 dependents LRH and Ledora May at 736 Fifth Ave, Helena
* The Navy Department record of discharge for Harry Ross lists, on 18
Dec.1918 LRH at 736 Fifth Ave.
* Harry Ross' record of allotment of part of his pay to his dependents
lists LRH at 736 Fifth Ave., on 10 Oct. 1917 ,
* Harry Ross' Officer compensation slip dated 2 Nov 1918, lists LRH at
the same address, 736 Fifth Ave.
* The Helena Public School District has a registration card on
LRH,dated 2 Jan 1917, when he started kintergarten at Central School,
in Helena. The address listed is 736 Fifth Ave.
* LRH was enrolled at Helena High School on 6 Sept. 1927. His
registration card shows his address as 736 Fifth Ave.
* LRH describes an incident where he methodically sought out and beat
up five O'Connel brothers and a leon Brown, who used to pick on him on
his way to school, when he was six years old. Helena School District
records show that there were five brothers named O'Connel, and an
Ernest Brown, who were attending Central School at the time LRH was
there.
* Harry Ross worked for an "I. Smith Coal and Cattle Co. in
1914-15-16.
ITEM That LRH was the youngest Eagle Scout in America.
The Boy Scouts of America neither keep, or place any value in such
records.
There were two 'Ronald Hubbards' who were Eagle Scouts at the
approximate time LRH claims this distinction. One was in Trumbull
County, Ohio, and the other was in Washington D.C. There are no
records of parents names or addresses that go back that far.
ITEM That LRH was a blood brother of the Blackfoot (sic) Indian Tribe
while he lived on the ranch in Montana.
* The BlackFEET Indian Agency has no record of LRH, as a blood
brother.
* The Blackfeet Indians did 'adopt' a number of non-indians, and give
them Blackfeet names, however, their records do not go back that far.
PART THREE
ITEM That in 1925 LRH was in China) and that because of his fathers
service in the Navy, and his grandfathers wealth, LRH was able to
spend the next few years traveling in the Far East.LRH traveled up and
down the coast of China, and ventured far into it's western hills,
visited Tibet, India, and the Philippines, where he learned an entire
language in one night,(30)and islands in the South Pacific where he
relieved the natives fears of a rumbling sound by exploring a haunted
cave and showing them that the sound was just an underground river.
* In 1925, LRH was 14. He could not have been listed on a parent or
guardians passport.
* While Americans were not required to have a valid passport from 1922
to 1941 many countries required that visitors did have one to enter
those lands.
* LRH was issued passport * Z-1889248 on 23 April 1974. The State
Department will not say whether LRH was ever issued a passport
previous to 1974.
Harry Ross Hubbard was never stationed outside the United States
untill 1927, when he was ordered to the Island of Guam as a supply
officer.
* LRH spent the full school year 1925-26 at Union High School in
Bremerton Washington.
* In 1925 and 1926 Harry Ross was stationed at the Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard near Seattle, Washington.
* At the start of the school year 1926-27, LRH was enrolled in Queen
Anne High School, in Seattle.
* In April of 1927, Harry Ross was transfered to Guam
* LRH dropped out of Queen Anne in April 1927.
* LRH spent the second half of the school year 1926-27 enroute to
Guam, where he was tutored by his mother who was certified as a school
teacher in Nebraska.
* Transportation to Guam for LRH and his mother was arranged by Harry
Ross.
* LRH and his mother left San Francisco on 30 April 1927, aboard the
steamship President Madison" * for Guam, via the Philippines.
* LRH returned to Montana for the school year 1927-28.
* LRH attended Helena High School from 6 Sept, 1927 to 11 May 28, when
he dropped out.
In the summer of 1928, LRH returned to Guam and spent the full school
year under intensive prepping by his mother in order to qualify for
admittance to the Naval Academy, but failed math.
* At the opening of the school year 1929-30, LRH was enrolled at
Swavelys Prep School in Manassas, Virginia. He developed eyestrain and
was found to be nearsighted, and so unqualified for the Naval
Academy.
*LRH was enrolled at the Woodward School for Boys in Washington, D.C,
on Feb. 30, and graduated in june 1930.
PART FOUR
ITEM That LRH is a nuclear physicist.
LRH took one class in atomic and molecular physics at G.W.U. He failed
it.
ITEM That LRH recieved the degree B.S. in civil engineering.
LRH dropped out of G.W.U. at the end of the second year.
ITEM That LRH was trained by William Allen White at the U.S.
Government Mental Asylum in Washington, D.C., St. Elizabeths.
* St, Elizabeths requires that their 'students' be completing their
internship as part of a college program. They have no record of LRH.
* LRH's grades from George Washington University are as follows
For the year 1930-1931, the first semester.
English 1/2, Rhetoric C
General Chemistry 3/4 D
Mechanical Engineering 3/4 B
Analytical Geometry F
Physical Education C
First Year German E
Civil Engineering B
For the year 1930-1931, the second semester.
English 112 Rhetoric B
General Chemistry 3/4 D
Mechanical Engineering C
Physical Education A
First Year German * F
Differental Calculus F
For the year 1931-1932, the first semester.
Physics, dynamics of sound
and light E
Differential Calculus D
Integral Calculus
Plane Anal. Geometry
English, short stories B
For the year 1931-1932, the second semester.
Integral Calculus D
English, Short Stories B
Physics, electricity
and magnetism D
Nuclear Physics F
Hubbards grade average was 2.28, or a "D" average.
PART FIVE
ITEM That LRH conducted the first complete mineralogical survey of
Puerto Rico in the early thirties. That this expedition was of inter
national importance , and was for the explorers club of New York .
* LRH did not become a member of the explorers club until 1940.
* The New York Zoological Society, and the National Geographic Society
are very aware of important expeditions. Neither organization has any
record of LRH.
The Department of Natural Resources in San Juan, Puerto Rico has no
record of LRH. There was a 'Bella' Hubbard who did geological survey
work in the Lares district of Puerto Rico in the twenties.
* The U.S. Geological Survey has no record of LRH.
* A professor of geology at the University of Puerto Rico in 1.932-32,
who prepared the * Geology of Puerto Rico" for that university, knows
of Bella Hubbard, but had never heard of LRH.
* In September of 1928 a hurricane destroyed much of the coffee crop
there and the American Red Cross sent a great many volunteers to help
with the re= planting and rebuilding as well as medical aid.
* LRH was sent there to help the Red Cross by his father. LRH left
Hampton Roads, Virginia on 26 October 1932, aboard the military
transport USS Kittery for the island of Puerto Rico.
ITEM That LRH conducted the Caribbean Underwater Motion Picture
Expedition of 1934. which was internationally important in which LRH
was the first to use the bathysphere, or diving ball , and which
provided the University of Michigan, and the Navy Hydrographic office
with valuable under water film.
* The University of Michigan has no record of this expedition, or of
LRH.
* The explorers club of New York investigated this alleged expedition,
which LRH listed on his application for membership, and could find no
record.
* LRH is guoted as saying that this 'expedition' was really just a
bunch of college kids on a conducted tour of Caribbean Islands, and
that he quit the ship in Puerto Rico.
ITEM That LRH led the noted Alaskan Experimental Radio Expedition, in
1939
and 1940.
* The explorers club was not able to find any record of this.
* LRH has never had a license to fly powered aircraft, only gliders.
* In about 1939, LRH bought a small boat named 'Magician', which he
sailed to Alaska.
ITEM LRH was in Alaska in 1940 to rewrite the navigational guide
"Coast Pilot"
* No civilians were sent to do field work for the Coast Pilot in 1940.
* The Coast Pilot was rewritten in 1932, and 1943, but not in 1940.
* The U.S. Coast and geodesic survey roster of 1940 does not list LRH.
There was a Leonard Hubbard.
ITEM That LRH was issued license to master of motor vessels, and
sailing vessels by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
* These licenses are issued by the U.S. Coast Guard, a department of
the Commerce Dept.
The Coast Guard can not locate any record of any license being issued
to LRH.
PART SIX
ITEM That LRH was a top sergeant in the Marine Corps.
* LRH, serial * 227219, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in
Washington D.C. four months before he entered George Washington
Universityon I May, 1930. His enlistment period was for four years.
The date of birth listed is 13 Mar. 1909 his occupation as
photographer, and his home as Oakcrest, Virginia.
LRH's service was with the Marine Corps reserve- he was not called to
active duty and did not spend any time on active duty, although his
record shows that he was "trained" from 23 August 1931 to 0 September,
1931.
On the 26th of June, less that two months after LRH enlisted the
record shows that he was promoted to First Sergeant (E-8) from
private. This skips six ranks from private first class to Master
Sergeant. The Marine Corps Headquarters is unable to determine how -
this happened.
LRH was rated as 'excellent' in military efficiency, sobriety, and
obedience On 22 October 1931 LRH recieved an honorable discharge with
the condition that he not be re-enlisted.
The physical description from his service record * 5'10 1/2 165# grey
eyes, red hair ruddy complexion, scar on back of right elbow, and
birthmark inside right ankle.
ITEM That LRH was comissioned before WWII.
LRH serial * 113392, Was comissioned as an Ensign on 19 July 1941
ITEM That LRH was ordered to the Philippine Islands at the outbreak of
that war.
In 1941 the Philippine Islands were in the 16th Naval District.
LRH was never attached to the 16th Naval District.
At the beginning of WWII (Dec 1941) LRH was at the headquarters of the
3rd naval District which was in New York.
ITEM That LRH was the first returned casualty of the war in the
Pacific.
LRH left the United States on 18 Dec. 1941 for Australia, and returned
to the U.S. on 2 April 1942.
ITEM That after LRH was returned to the U.S.- without a rest was
ordered to take command of a Navy ship known as a 'corvette'.
Hubbards next duty station after returning from Australia, was New
York.
ITEM That LRH rose to command a squadron.
LRH was in command of one U.S. Navy ship during his Navy career. This
ship was the USS PC-815, a destroyer escort vessel with a crew of
about 60. LRH took command of the PC-815 on the date of her
comissioning, 21 April 1943. The PC-815 remained at the Albina
Shipyards in Portland, Oregon until the end of May 1943 then steamed
down the Wilamette and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific, and south to
San Diego where she underwent training exercises off the coast of
California and Mexico. On June 28, 1943, LRH ordered his crew to fire
the ships 3" gun, and .30 and .45 caliber small arms. At the time that
the 3" gun was fired, the inhabited Coronados Islands, in Mexican
neutral territorial waters, were in the line of fire.
A board of investigation was convened aboard the PC-815 and heard
testimony from sixteen officers and enlisted men of the crew, and a
few days later a Lt. Thomas Strickland replaced LRH as commanding
officer, who was assigned to temporary duty in the issuing office of
the 11th Naval District HQ, in San Diego. This was the only command of
LRH.
ITEM That LRH was extensively decorated.
LRH recieved the following decorations.
The American Defense Service Medal, The American Campaign Medal, The
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and The WWII Victory Medal.
ITEM That LRH was crippled and blinded at the end of the war, and
found himself at Oak Knoll Military Hospital, in Oakland, Ca.
LRH was admitted to Oak Knoll on 5 Sept. 1945, and was discharge 4 Dec.
45
The Navy Department will not reveal the reason for this
hospitalization.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a spokesman for the Navy
Department stated that there is nothing in LRH's service record to
indicate that he recieved medical treatment for any injuries sustained
during his Navy service.
LRH remained on active duty from 4 Dec. 1945 till 17 Feb. 1946
The Navy Department will not comment on where LRH was for this period
of ten weeks, as it would be an unwarranted invasion of his privacy.
The day after LRH left Oak Knoll, he applied to the Veterans
Administration for disability benefits for a doudenal ulcer.
On 17 Feb 1946 LRH was awarded a 10 * disability for a duodenal
ulcer. This was increased to 40% on 11 Dec 1947, to include
arthritis, bursitis, and an eye inflamation-conjunctivitis.
LRH presently recieves Veterans disability benefits of $182.00 per
month.
ITEM That LRH, while aboard a ship in the South Pacific, had the real
life ad- ventures that the movie "Mr. Roberts" was based on. LRH told
the story of his adventures to a number of people, and the movie was
made without his knowlege. The Captain of that ship was Axton T.
Jones.
During LRH's Navy career, he served on two ships. The first, the
PC-815 never left the coast of California or Mexico while LRH was
aboard.
*The second ship was the USS Algol.
The USS Algol was comissioned in Portland, Oregon on the 22nd of July
1944 and remained there until late August and then steamed South to
the San Francisco area where she underwent training maneuvers. LRH was
navigation Officer and Training officer.
On 3 October the Algol got underway to the South Pacific where she won
two battle stars for her part in the invasion of Okinawa.
On Wednesday 27 Sept. - 6days before the Algol was underway, someone
made an attempt to sabotage her, by concealing a coke bottle full of
gasoline with a cloth wick inserted, among cargo that was to be
hoisted aboard. This was discovered by LRH. The FBI and the Office of
Naval Intelligence was called to the scene to investigate.
On Thursday 28 September LRH was relieved of duty and transferred to a
training school at Princeton University, New Jersey.
The captain of the USS Algol was Axton T. Jones
ITEM That LRH's grandfather Captain Lafayette Waterbury and great
grandfather Captain I.C. DeWolfe helped to make American Naval
history.
The Navy Department can not locate any record of either one.
LRH's grandmother was named I.C. (Ida Corinne) DeWolfe.
ITEM That LRH was a member of the Montana Amy National Guard.
The Monyana National guard has no record of LRH and do not indicate
that there are any missing records.
PART SEVEN
ITEM That LRH wrote and had published fifteen million words before
WWII.
A list of published works by LRH under his own name and the various
pen names he was known to use, was compiled from the National Union,
the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature, Contemporary Authors, the
card catalogue of the British Museum, Living Authors, Twentieth
Century Authors a computer print out from the Library of Congress, and
back issues of Argossy, Astounding Science Fiction, Thrilling Wonder
Stories, Startling Science Fiction, and Amazing Stories, and other
sources.
* The approximate total words of the stories and books listed is less
that one million.
* The Library of Congress has no reference works listed that were not
checked for publications by LRH.
* Hubbard's agent, Ackerman Associates, in Hollywood advised that
they
are not aware of any pen names used by Hubbard other than Rene
Lafayette Thomas Esterbrook, Captain B.A. Northrop, 'Elron',
Winchester Remington Colt, and Kurt von Rachen. AIL Of which checked
ITEM That LRH wrote the screen play for the Columbia Pictures serial,
"The Secret of Treasure Island".
The screenplay for that series was written by George Merick and Elmer
Clifton based upon a story by George Rosener and LRH.
ITEM That LRH was one of aviations most distinguished pilots who
soloed his first time in a propeller driven aircraft.
LRH was issued commercial glider pilot certificate #385 on 1 Sept.
1931. It expired on 15 Sept 1933 and was not renewed. The Federal
Aviation Administration has no record of LRH having been issued any
pilot license. In putting this article together, I have used every
document that I have for each of these thirty items, and have not held
back certain ones for the purpose of discrediting L. Ron Hubbard.
Neither have I selected which items I wanted to use, rather I have put
this list together from the various biographies published in
Scientology books, listing every significant event they include, with
the exception of no. 30 which is from "The Pilot", July, 1934, as
reported by George Malko in "Scientology: The NOW Religion".
Because I have included all this material, some 'items' have more
sources of documentation that others. For some items this is not
conclusive, for others, it is.
What is interesting is that when this article is considered as
something more that just the sum total of it's parts (holistically) it
presents a portrait, an image--With the exception of Hubbards birth
and family information, the documents do not support one single item.
An image ---
Of a man who is not all he is said to be. "
http://www.lermanet.com/shannon/
