Prologue

PROLOGUE

L. RON HUBBARD claimed he healed the blind.
He claimed he found the soul.
He said he was a war hero, a nuclear physicist, a world explorer, and a reincarnated prophet.

He told people he could cure their trauma.
He said he could save the world.
He believed he could live forever.

He started out as a pulp fiction writer, pumping out westerns, space operas, jungle adventures, and pirate stories under dozens of names. He got paid by the word, and he wrote fast. It worked for a while. But eventually, it wasn’t enough. He didn’t just want readers. He wanted followers. He wanted disciples. He wanted to be worshipped.

So, he made it happen.

He turned self-help into scripture. He took a pseudoscientific therapy system and sold it as a universal truth. He built a religion, created a naval cult, declared war on the U.S. government, and ran the largest known domestic espionage operation in American history. He got married young, had multiple families, abandoned children, and disappeared from public life for years while still giving orders from the shadows. He died alone on a ranch, and his followers claimed he had voluntarily left his body to continue his work on another planet.

Today, his church still exists. It’s tax-exempt, lawsuit-proof, filled with celebrities, and fiercely protected. It owns real estate across the world and survives on secrecy, intimidation, and the promise of salvation. For a price.

Some people think he was a genius. Others think he was insane. A lot of people think he was both.

But one thing is certain: L. Ron Hubbard was one of the most interesting people to ever live and most of that life was made up.

The truth is, the real man disappeared behind the myth a long time ago.
And what replaced him was something else entirely.
They called him “The Source.”