Recently, we heard from Chris Owen, the preeminent historian of L. Ron Hubbard’s war record. We had contacted Chris after a news story appeared that had a hard time making heads or tails of Hubbard’s convoluted war record, and ended up making some conclusions that were a bit off.
Chris helped us set the record straight on that, and we’re grateful to him for it. He acknowledged that Hubbard’s war record is complex, but it really isn’t “mysterious,” as the press account had it, and it is possible to draw some solid conclusions about Hubbard’s war service based on a 1979 review that was compiled.
Right after we had that exchange with Chris, one of our researchers noticed that there was yet another set of documents about Hubbard’s war service that had never been posted online before. They had been compiled by the Food and Drug Administration in 1963, much earlier than the 1979 review. Did that earlier assessment jibe with what was put together later?
In 1963, the FDA was investigating Hubbard and Scientology for health claims they were making regarding the use of e-meters. As part of that investigation, the FDA looked into every aspect of Hubbard’s history, which included making a request to the Navy for a summary of Hubbard’s career.
We reviewed that 1963 document and shared it with Owen, who had never seen it before. And it was obvious that this was yet another, independent review of Hubbard’s war record which agreed precisely with the 1979 assessment and supported the conclusions that Owen has previously drawn.
“As you say, it corroborates what we already know from the records,” Chris said to us.
But there were also some interesting notes in that assessment of Hubbard which appeared at the end of the document…
While in the Navy complaints were registered for unpaid bills from Margolis Tailoring Company, Washington, DC, Rexder in Australia and also Alaska.
He did belong to the Allied Scientists of the World
A Lieutenant John W. Maloney, Serial No. 212257, U.S. Naval Reserve who is a friend of Hubbard’s was discharged for homosexuality.
Hubbard is drawing about 30 percent disability for claims of arthritis, service connected.
We’ve written about Hubbard’s “Allied Scientists of the World” caper in the past, and we’ll be going into it in more depth at a later date. But we couldn’t help finding that reference to Maloney pretty interesting.
“I’ve never seen the reference to Maloney before,” Owen told us, “but some Googling suggests that someone of the same name was an employee of the Hubbard Dianetic Foundation, and also Secretary and Treasurer of Hubbard’s ‘Allied Scientists of the World’ organization, which is mentioned in that document. His full name was John William Maloney.”
We don’t know if it’s worth making too much about Hubbard’s association with a friend who was kicked out of the Navy for being gay. But it’s another reminder that when Hubbard labeled homosexuality a “perversion” in Dianetics and then assigned the state of “covert hostility” to homosexuals on his Tone Scale in 1951, he was setting the groundwork that would imbue Scientology with a homophobic outlook which still poisons the organization today.
Now we know that he did so even though one of his earliest supporters and co-conspirators was bounced out of the military for being gay.
Hell of a guy. Happy Memorial Day, L. Ron.
DOCUMENTS:
1963 FDA record request of the US Navy
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BOOK NOTES
NEW: Check out the interactive map to our ongoing tour.
We didn’t get a chance to include photos in our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, so we’re posting them at the Underground Bunker. We’ve created a dedicated page for them, and we hope you go through them all, then come back here and tell us your thoughts!
Copies of the paperback version of ‘The Unbreakable Miss Lovely’ are on sale at Amazon. The Kindle edition is also available, and shipping instantly. Isn’t technology cool.
Our appearances…
June 11: New York City (with Paulette Cooper) We’re keeping the venue on the down-low at this point. If you’re interested in coming to this unique event — Paulette in New York talking about Scientology where her story began — drop us a line so we get an idea how many are coming.
June 20: Chicago (with Christian Stolte) The Annoyance Theater, 5pm: This event is SOLD OUT.
June 22: Toronto (with Paulette Cooper) Toronto Public Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd, 7:30 pm, sponsored by the Centre for Inquiry-Canada
June 23: Toronto (with Paulette Cooper) The “Getting Clear” conference
June 28: Clearwater, Florida (with Paulette Cooper) Clearwater Public Library, 2 pm
July 12: Washington DC, Center for Inquiry
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 25, 2015 at 07:00
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Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of LA attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer
The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill
The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
