Bare-Faced Messiah (PDF) - Apologetics Index

the names and descriptions of fifteen 'known or suspected Communists' within his organization.
Heading the list were his wife and her lover:
'SARA NORTHRUP (HUBBARD): formerly of 1003 S. Orange Grove Avenue, Pasadena, Calif. 25
yrs. of age, 5'10", 140 lbs. Currently missing somewhere in California. Suspected only. Had been
friendly with many Communists. Currently intimate with them but evidently under coercion. Drug
addiction set in fall 1950. Nothing of this known to me until a few weeks ago. Separation papers
being filed and divorce applied for.
'MILES HOLLISTER: Somewhere in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Evidently a prime mover but very
young. About 22 yrs, 6', 180 lbs. Black hair. Sharp chin, broad forehead, rather Slavic. Confessedly
a member of the Young Communists. Center of most turbulence in our organization. Dissmissed
[sic] in February when affiliations discovered. Active and dangerous. Commonly armed.
Outspokenly disloyal to the U.S.'
FBI director John Edgar Hoover replied promptly: 'I wish to thank you for the information you have
made available to this Bureau.'[15]
Four days later, Hubbard kept an appointment, arranged at his request, with an FBI agent from the
Internal Security Section. His intention was to press home his accusations against Hollister, as
was evident from the agent's report: 'Hubbard advised that he felt that Communists within his
organization were undermining its structure. He advised that he had turned over the names of
several suspected Communists to the FBI office in Los Angeles. Hubbard could only recall the
name of one of these individuals. He stated Miles Hollister was one of the individuals he
suspected of being Communistically inclined. Concerning Hollister, Hubbard stated that he was
instrumental in driving Hubbard's wife, Sara Elizabeth Northrup, to the point of insanity. Hubbard
expressed considerable concern in connection with Hollister's influence on his wife. He stated that
his wife, as well as his Army .45 automatic, had been missing for several days . . .'
Later in the interview, Hubbard disclosed that Russia was interested in his work. 'Hubbard stated
that he strongly feels that Dianetics can be used to combat Communism. However, he declined to
elaborate on how this might be done. He stated that the Soviets apparently realized the value of
Dianetics because as early as 1938 an official of Amtorg, while at The Explorers Club in New York,
contacted him to suggest that he go to Russia and develop Dianetics there.
'In an apparent attempt to give credence to his statements, Hubbard advised that he was recently
psychoanalyzed in Chicago and was found to be quite normal . . .'[16] The FBI agent conducting the
interview could not agree: he concluded that Hubbard was a 'mental case'.[17]
During his short stay in Elizabeth, Hubbard managed to alienate his old friend and mentor, John W.
Campbell, who resigned from the Foundation and thus joined Hubbard's lengthening list of
enemies. In Campbell's view, Hubbard had become impossible to work with and was responsible
for the ruinous finances and complete disorganization throughout the Dianetics movement.
(Dessler wrote to Hubbard on 9 March to say that none of the staff at the LA Foundation had been
paid for more than two weeks, but Hubbard seemed unconcerned.)
Soon after Alexis arrived, Hubbard announced to de Mille that they were going to go south, where it
was warmer, so that he could continue with his book. It had been snowing for weeks in Elizabeth
and de Mille was not in least the sorry to leave, even though Hubbard had made it clear that it would
be his responsibility to care for the baby.