In my Profile of Paul Haggis, I look into questions about the military record of L. Ron Hubbard, who served in the Navy during the Second World War. Hubbard wrote that he had been injured in battle and had healed himself, using techniques that became the foundation of Scientology. But Hubbard's complete military record in the National Archives in St. Louis, a file that is more than nine hundred pages long, contains no mention of Hubbard's being wounded in battle.
As I reported in the article, I discussed Hubbard's war record with Tommy Davis, the spokesman for the Church of Scientology. He said that if it was true that Hubbard had not been injured, then "the injuries that he handled by the use of Dianetics procedures were never handled, because they were injuries that never existed; therefore, Dianetics is based on a lie; therefore, Scientology is based on a lie." He concluded, "The fact of the matter is that Mr. Hubbard was a war hero."
Davis later sent me a copy of what he said was a document that confirmed Hubbard's heroism: a "Notice of Separation from the U.S. Naval Service," dated December 6, 1945. That document can be found below, followed by a copy of the Notice of Separation found in the National Archives. After consulting with Eric Voelz and William Seibert, two longtime archivists at the St. Louis repository, discrepancies have been flagged. (Click the arrows in the lower left corner to expand.)
L. Ron Hubbard's Notice of Separation from the U.S. Naval Service
Font and Size of Type
On the church document, the type is larger and in a different font than is typically seen on Notices of Separation from the end of the Second World War, according to Voelz and Seibert.
Vessels and Stations Served On
Job descriptions should not-and typically do not-appear on a Notice of Separation, according to the archivists. On the document in Hubbard's National Archives file, the information in this box is limited to the vessels and stations on which Hubbard served. The church document, however, includes Hubbard's job titles: "C.O., (temp.)" and "(Acting Exec)."
Purple Heart
The document provided by the Church of Scientology says that Hubbard received a "Purple Heart (palm)," which would indicate that he was wounded in action on two separate occasions while in the Navy. The document in the National Archives lists only four service medals-not including a Purple Heart-and Hubbard's military records do not mention any battle wounds. Moreover, if someone was wounded in action more than once, the Navy recognized subsequent wounds with gold and silver stars, not a palm, according to archivists and to John E. Bircher, the spokesman for the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
The commanding officer who signed this document was "Howard D. Thompson, Lt. Cmdr." The Notice of Separation at the National Archives is signed by J. C. Rhodes, the same officer who signed Hubbard's detachment paperwork (p. 3). Hubbard's National Archives file contains a letter, from 2000, to a researcher who had written for more information about Thompson. The letter says that "there was no Howard D. Thompson listed" in records of commissioned naval officers at the time.
College Education
This document says that Hubbard spent four years in college and received a degree in civil engineering. The Notice of Separation in his file at the National Archives says that Hubbard spent only two years in college. According to a college transcript in military archives, he attended George Washington University. The university corroborates that Hubbard spent two years there and never earned a degree.
Date of Separation
This document gives the date of Hubbard's separation as December 6, 1945. But archivists say that there are two milestones: "detachment" is when a serviceman is sent home on leave and allowed to return to civilian life. "Separation" marks his official release from active duty. According to Hubbard's file in the National Archives, December 6, 1945, was Hubbard's day of detachment. He was granted leave of two months and ten days, concluding on February 16, 1946-the date on the Notice of Separation in the National Archives. The archivists said that Notices of Separation were generally issued on detachment day and postdated to account for travel time and leave. A properly completed form would therefore be dated February 16, 1946.
Font and Size of Type
On the church document, the type is larger and in a different font than is typically seen on Notices of Separation from the end of the Second World War, according to Voelz and Seibert.
Type Across Horizontal Lines
According to Voelz and Seibert, official military documents typically did not have type spilling outside the space provided, as it does here and in the list of medals below.
Vessels and Stations Served On
Job descriptions should not-and typically do not-appear on a Notice of Separation, according to the archivists. On the document in Hubbard's National Archives file, the information in this box is limited to the vessels and stations on which Hubbard served. The church document, however, includes Hubbard's job titles: "C.O., (temp.)" and "(Acting Exec)."
Purple Heart
The document provided by the Church of Scientology says that Hubbard received a "Purple Heart (palm)," which would indicate that he was wounded in action on two separate occasions while in the Navy. The document in the National Archives lists only four service medals-not including a Purple Heart-and Hubbard's military records do not mention any battle wounds. Moreover, if someone was wounded in action more than once, the Navy recognized subsequent wounds with gold and silver stars, not a palm, according to archivists and to John E. Bircher, the spokesman for the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Signature (by Direction of Commanding Officer)
The commanding officer who signed this document was "Howard D. Thompson, Lt. Cmdr." The Notice of Separation at the National Archives is signed by J. C. Rhodes, the same officer who signed Hubbard's detachment paperwork (p. 3). Hubbard's National Archives file contains a letter, from 2000, to a researcher who had written for more information about Thompson. The letter says that "there was no Howard D. Thompson listed" in records of commissioned naval officers at the time.
A comparison showing discrepancies between the document provided by the Church of Scientology and documents in Hubbard's complete military record at the National Archives in St. Louis. Discrepancies have been flagged, on the basis of consultation with Eric Voelz and William Seibert, two longtime archivists at the St. Louis repository.
As I reported, the church, after being informed of these discrepancies, said, "Our expert on military records has advised us that, in his considered opinion, there is nothing" in the document it provided "that would lead him to question its validity."
Additional reporting by Mike Spies.
