Bare-Faced Messiah (PDF) - Apologetics Index

The portly Nibs (second from right) posing with his father and friends in a London garden
in the 1950s - the smiles would soon turn to tears when father and son fell out.
Nibs enrolled at a correspondence school in an attempt to complete his high school education and
his father gave him a job at the Hubbard Association of Scientologists, at the same time arranging
for him to be audited intensively. As the son and namesake of the founder, Nibs was treated with
some deference by other Scientologists and made rapid progress in the organization - he was
soon designated as 'professor' of the 'Advanced Clinical Course', one of a number of courses on
offer to ambitious Scientologists in Phoenix. He also acquired a number of initials after his name to
support his professorial status.
In September 1952, Hubbard and Mary Sue left Phoenix for their first visit to Europe. The trip was
explained to follow Scientologists somewhat illogically: 'Amid the constant violence of the turncoat
Don J. Purcell of Wichita and his suits which attempted to seize Scientology, Mary Sue became ill
and to save her life, Ron took her to England.' It was never spelled out why taking Mary Sue to
England would save her life; indeed, since she was eight months pregnant it would have been
much safer not to travel. But Hubbard wanted to go to London to establish his control over the small