To his followers, L. Ron Hubbard was a war hero and spiritual leader who served his country with distinction in World War II, suffering terrible injuries in the line of duty before miraculously healing himself with his revolutionary mental techniques – Dianetics and Scientology.
RON THE WAR HERO examines the truth behind the legend and asks some awkward questions. What if there were no injuries? What if Hubbard was not, in fact, a war hero at all? What if his time in the military was marked not by bravery but by incompetence? By hubris rather than heroism?
As Scientology's own spokesman has admitted, it would mean that Scientology is based on a lie. It would mean that Hubbard's supposed recovery never happened and that his claims about the foundations of Scientology are fraudulent.
Drawing on previously unpublished documents and US government records, RON THE WAR HERO is a forensic and devastating portrait of the deceit at the heart of Scientology – a lie that has ruined so many lives, and persists to this day.
'Chris Owen is one of the most important scholars on the Church of Scientology' Lawrence Wright
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Chris Owen is a British historian and researcher who was appointed MBE for his work in 2000. Separately to his professional life, he has written extensively on British military history, the life of L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He became interested in the story of Hubbard’s war career after reading about it in Russell Miller’s biography Bare-Faced Messiah. Owen has also advised other authors on aspects of Hubbard’s life and career.