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| == Credibility == | == Credibility == | ||
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| DeWolf's notability is based entirely on his relationship to his father, ], and the controversial things DeWolf said about him in interviews and in the biography he co-authored with ], '']''. As such, DeWolf's |
DeWolf's notability is based entirely on his relationship to his father, ], and the controversial things DeWolf said about him in interviews and in the biography he co-authored with ], '']''. As such, DeWolf's personal credibility is of material interest, and the credibility and value of the biography depends on it. | ||
| Over the years, DeWolf told contradicting stories about the ownership of the ] design. With Corydon, DeWolf wrote that Hubbard attempted to acquire rights to ]'s ] design, but the attempt was ultimately a failure and led to the breakup of the partnership between the two men; Mathison retained ownership of his invention: <blockquote>Around this time, Volney Mathison, whose electro-psychometer had been used by Hubbard and many Scientologists, had fallen into disfavor. He had refused to surrender the patent to his invention. It was the ''Mathison'' E-Meter, and Mathison was determined to keep it that way. So in late 1954 the use of the E-meter was discontinued by Hubbard.<ref>{{Cite book|title = L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?|last = Corydon|first = Bent|publisher = Barricade Books|year = 1987|isbn = 0-8184-0444-2|location = Secaucus, NJ|pages = 313|last2 = Hubbard|first2 = L. Ron, Jr.|url = http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/mom/Messiah_or_Madman.txt}}</ref> </blockquote>However, when DeWolf sued Hubbard's "estate" in 1982 on the presumption that Hubbard was dead (he was not), DeWolf swore in an affidavit,<blockquote>My father obtained the rights to the E-meter in 1952 from Volney Mathison in the same manner that he does everything— through fraud and coercion. My father learned about the E-meter from Mathison who developed it and my father fraudulently extracted those rights from Mathison so that my father could use it in Scientology auditing.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://en.wikiquote.org/Ronald_DeWolf|title = Ronald DeWolf|date = |accessdate = 19 April 2015|website = Wikiquote|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ronthenut.org/dewolf.htm|title = Ron the Science Guru|date = |accessdate = 20 April 2015|website = Ron the Nut . Org|publisher = Fredric L. Rice|last = |first = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.lermanet.com/cos/rondewolf.htm|title = Affidavit of L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. aka Ronald DeWolf|date = |accessdate = 20 April 2015|website = Lermanet . com, exposing the con|publisher = Arnaldo Pagliarini Lerma, AKA Arnie Lerma dba Citizens Against Corruption dba Lermanet.com|last = |first = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.scamofscientology.nl/pagina6.html|title = Scam of Scientology|date = |accessdate = 20 April 2015|website = Scam of Scientology|publisher = Peter Schilte|last = Schilte|first = Peter}}</ref></blockquote>In June 1982, ] published an interview with DeWolf. In the introduction, the magazine promised, "Penthouse will be launching an independent investigation of these charges. The results will be published in a forthcoming issue."<ref>{{cite news|title=Penthouse Interview: L. Ron Hubbard, Jr.|accessdate=20 April 2015|agency=Penthouse Magazine|issue=June 1983|publisher=Penthouse International|date=June 1983|page=112}}</ref> That promised investigation was never published. Instead, the January 1984 ''Penthouse'' carried a lengthy rebuttal by the "Reverend Heber Jentzsch, President of the Church of Scientology." According to that rebuttal: | Over the years, DeWolf told contradicting stories about the ownership of the ] design. With Corydon, DeWolf wrote that Hubbard attempted to acquire rights to ]'s ] design, but the attempt was ultimately a failure and led to the breakup of the partnership between the two men; Mathison retained ownership of his invention: <blockquote>Around this time, Volney Mathison, whose electro-psychometer had been used by Hubbard and many Scientologists, had fallen into disfavor. He had refused to surrender the patent to his invention. It was the ''Mathison'' E-Meter, and Mathison was determined to keep it that way. So in late 1954 the use of the E-meter was discontinued by Hubbard.<ref>{{Cite book|title = L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?|last = Corydon|first = Bent|publisher = Barricade Books|year = 1987|isbn = 0-8184-0444-2|location = Secaucus, NJ|pages = 313|last2 = Hubbard|first2 = L. Ron, Jr.|url = http://www.xenu.net/archive/books/mom/Messiah_or_Madman.txt}}</ref> </blockquote>However, when DeWolf sued Hubbard's "estate" in 1982 on the presumption that Hubbard was dead (he was not), DeWolf swore in an affidavit,<blockquote>My father obtained the rights to the E-meter in 1952 from Volney Mathison in the same manner that he does everything— through fraud and coercion. My father learned about the E-meter from Mathison who developed it and my father fraudulently extracted those rights from Mathison so that my father could use it in Scientology auditing.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://en.wikiquote.org/Ronald_DeWolf|title = Ronald DeWolf|date = |accessdate = 19 April 2015|website = Wikiquote|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ronthenut.org/dewolf.htm|title = Ron the Science Guru|date = |accessdate = 20 April 2015|website = Ron the Nut . Org|publisher = Fredric L. Rice|last = |first = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.lermanet.com/cos/rondewolf.htm|title = Affidavit of L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. aka Ronald DeWolf|date = |accessdate = 20 April 2015|website = Lermanet . com, exposing the con|publisher = Arnaldo Pagliarini Lerma, AKA Arnie Lerma dba Citizens Against Corruption dba Lermanet.com|last = |first = }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.scamofscientology.nl/pagina6.html|title = Scam of Scientology|date = |accessdate = 20 April 2015|website = Scam of Scientology|publisher = Peter Schilte|last = Schilte|first = Peter}}</ref></blockquote>In June 1982, ] published an interview with DeWolf. In the introduction, the magazine promised, "Penthouse will be launching an independent investigation of these charges. The results will be published in a forthcoming issue."<ref>{{cite news|title=Penthouse Interview: L. Ron Hubbard, Jr.|accessdate=20 April 2015|agency=Penthouse Magazine|issue=June 1983|publisher=Penthouse International|date=June 1983|page=112}}</ref> That promised investigation was never published. Instead, the January 1984 ''Penthouse'' carried a lengthy rebuttal by the "Reverend Heber Jentzsch, President of the Church of Scientology." According to that rebuttal: | ||
Revision as of 09:17, 20 April 2015
Not to be confused with Roland De Wolfe.| Ronald DeWolf | |
|---|---|
 DeWolf during an interview in 1983 | |
| Born | Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, Jr. (1934-05-05)May 5, 1934 Encinitas, California, United States |
| Died | September 16, 1991(1991-09-16) (aged 57) Carson City, Nevada, United States |
| Other names | "Nibs" Hubbard |
| Citizenship | American |
| Notable work | L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, co-author |
| Parent(s) | L. Ron Hubbard and Margaret Grubb |
| Relatives | Quentin Hubbard (Brother), Jamie DeWolf (Grandson) |
Ronald Edward DeWolf (May 7, 1934 – September 16, 1991), born Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, Jr., also known as "Nibs" Hubbard, was the eldest child of Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard and Hubbard's first wife, Margaret Louise Grubb.
Early life
In his 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, DeWolf said he was born prematurely; his father constructed a makeshift incubator with a shoe box, later a cupboard drawer, and used blankets and an electric light bulb to keep the baby warm.
Relationship with his father
Hubbard, Jr. claimed to have helped his father in the early days of Scientology but later rejected his father and Scientology, changing his name to Ronald DeWolf. On November 6, 1982, in a Riverside, California, court, DeWolf sued for control of his father's estate, saying that his father was either deceased or incompetent. His father was proven to still be alive.
Comments about his father
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Ronald DeWolf testimonyDay 1 and Day 2 | |
| Ronald DeWolf interview (1983) | |
| Ronald DeWolf interviewed by Carol Randolph | |
| Jamie DeWolf reads grandfather's memoir |
In the mid-1980s, DeWolf gave a series of sworn statements and interviews detailing his father's history. DeWolf explained his father had been "deeply involved in the occult and black-magic." According to DeWolf, Aleister Crowley's death in 1947 was a pivotal event that led Hubbard to "take over the mantle of the Beast". DeWolf claimed that "Black magic is the inner core of Scientology", arguing that "my father did not worship Satan. He thought he was Satan."
In the lengthy 1983 interview with Penthouse magazine, DeWolf claimed that "99% of anything my father ever wrote or said about himself is untrue." In the same interview, he alleged that his father had claimed to be Satan incarnate, a con man, a KGB accomplice, and a drug addict. He also claimed that Errol Flynn was his father's best friend during the late 1950s, to the point of seeming an adoptive father to DeWolf, and the two friends engaged in various illegal activities together including drug smuggling and sex with underage girls. Speaking on Channel 9 in Washington, DC, in 1983, on the Carol Randolph Morning Break show, he further described the Sea Org as being analogous to the Hitler Youth and described drug importation operations he alleged his father had been involved in, citing organised crime connections in Mexico and Colombia. In his opinion Scientology was little more than a cult that existed to make money.
In 2014, Jamie DeWolf (Ronald's grandson) announced the discovery of Ronald DeWolf's unpublished memoir which had been written in 1981. That work discusses the Hubbards' history of occult practices.
Sued by Mary Sue Hubbard
In 1984, his step-mother Mary Sue Hubbard filed a $5 million suit for fraud against DeWolf for his 1982 suit to gain control of L. Ron Hubbard's estate.
Biography of L. Ron Hubbard
DeWolf was named as co-author (with Bent Corydon) of the 1987 edition of a highly critical book about Hubbard and the Church of Scientology titled L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?. He later sued the publisher Lyle Stuart, claiming that his contributions were misrepresented and retracted his negative comments in affidavits submitted in New Jersey and Nevada, calling the book "inaccurate and false". In A Piece of Blue Sky former Scientologist Jon Atack writes:
Nibs accepted a financial settlement from the Scientologists after his father's death in 1986, agreeing not to make further comment.
In the updated revision of L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?, Bent Corydon comments:
In the case of L. Ron Hubbard Jr.'s 1986 "legal settlement" with Scientology, he had accumulated sizable hospital bills due to recent emergency surgery. This left him weakened and heavily in debt. Concerned about the welfare of his family he finally agreed to a "settlement". This included his signing various prepared documents. I don't believe for a moment that Ron Jr. ever considered these prepared statements to be accurate representations of his thoughts and beliefs. The man was under duress.
Credibility
DeWolf's notability is based entirely on his relationship to his father, L. Ron Hubbard, and the controversial things DeWolf said about him in interviews and in the biography he co-authored with Bent Corydon, L. Ron Hubbard, Messiah or Madman?. As such, DeWolf's personal credibility is of material interest, and the credibility and value of the biography depends on it.
Over the years, DeWolf told contradicting stories about the ownership of the E-meter design. With Corydon, DeWolf wrote that Hubbard attempted to acquire rights to Volney Mathison's E-meter design, but the attempt was ultimately a failure and led to the breakup of the partnership between the two men; Mathison retained ownership of his invention:
Around this time, Volney Mathison, whose electro-psychometer had been used by Hubbard and many Scientologists, had fallen into disfavor. He had refused to surrender the patent to his invention. It was the Mathison E-Meter, and Mathison was determined to keep it that way. So in late 1954 the use of the E-meter was discontinued by Hubbard.
However, when DeWolf sued Hubbard's "estate" in 1982 on the presumption that Hubbard was dead (he was not), DeWolf swore in an affidavit,
My father obtained the rights to the E-meter in 1952 from Volney Mathison in the same manner that he does everything— through fraud and coercion. My father learned about the E-meter from Mathison who developed it and my father fraudulently extracted those rights from Mathison so that my father could use it in Scientology auditing.
In June 1982, Penthouse Magazine published an interview with DeWolf. In the introduction, the magazine promised, "Penthouse will be launching an independent investigation of these charges. The results will be published in a forthcoming issue." That promised investigation was never published. Instead, the January 1984 Penthouse carried a lengthy rebuttal by the "Reverend Heber Jentzsch, President of the Church of Scientology." According to that rebuttal:
- DeWolf made a series of allegations to the Internal Revenue Service in 1967, then retracted them on September 22, 1969.
- On 17 August 1972, DeWolf talked about Hubbard and the Church to the New York radio station WBAI. A few months later on 5 February 1973, DeWolf wrote a letter to the station repudiating everything he had said and asking them not to rebroadcast the show.
- In a videotaped interview on November 7, 1972, DeWolf recanted those allegations again and others he had made in public about Hubbard. In a 26 January 1973 letter to a British author (not named), DeWolf recanted more of his statements about the Church of Scientology and Hubbard.
Death
DeWolf died of diabetes complications in 1991. Mr. DeWolf was working as a security guard at the Ormsby House Hotel Casino in Carson City, Nevada at the time of his death.
See also
References
- Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah, Chapter 4
- "Inside The Church of Scientology: An Exclusive Interview with L. Ron Hubbard, Jr". Penthouse. June 1983.
- Philadelphia Daily News, December 6, 1982.
- Miller, Russell (1987). Bare-faced Messiah, The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard. Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-8050-0654-0. Page 369.
- http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/penthouse-LRonHubbardJr-interview-1983.htm
- http://tonyortega.org/2014/05/10/jamie-dewolf-ive-found-the-last-memoir-of-the-son-of-scientologys-founder/
- Associated Press (1984-10-24). "Son of Church Founder Is Sued by Stepmother". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- Affidavit submitted by DeWolf to a notary in Nevada
- Atack, Jon, A Piece of Blue Sky (NY: Carol Publ. Group, 1990), ISBN 0-8184-0499-X, p. 147.
- Corydon, Bent, L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? (Barricade Books, 1992), p. 423.
- Corydon, Bent; Hubbard, L. Ron, Jr. (1987). L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman?. Secaucus, NJ: Barricade Books. p. 313. ISBN 0-8184-0444-2.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "Ronald DeWolf". Wikiquote. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
- "Ron the Science Guru". Ron the Nut . Org. Fredric L. Rice. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- "Affidavit of L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. aka Ronald DeWolf". Lermanet . com, exposing the con. Arnaldo Pagliarini Lerma, AKA Arnie Lerma dba Citizens Against Corruption dba Lermanet.com. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- Schilte, Peter. "Scam of Scientology". Scam of Scientology. Peter Schilte. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- "Penthouse Interview: L. Ron Hubbard, Jr". No. June 1983. Penthouse International. Penthouse Magazine. June 1983. p. 112.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - Jentzsch, Heber (January 1984). "Feedback". Penthouse Magazine. p. 10. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
External links
- Archived 2005-11-18 at the Wayback Machine
- Archived 2010-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
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