L. Ron Hubbard supported his independent research into the mind and spirit of man through his own writings, publishing an average 100,000 words per month.

To better continue this line of research, Mr. Hubbard left the university in his sophomore year and organized an expedition to the Caribbean. That same year, he returned to the West Indies where, in addition to sociological studies, he conducted the first complete mineralogical survey of Puerto Rico, while under American protectorship. In all, Mr. Hubbard was to examine 21 races and cultures along the road of development to Dianetics and Scientology.

To fund that research, Mr. Hubbard embarked upon a literary career in 1934, and soon stood at the forefront of American popular fiction. His primary energies, however, remained devoted to the development and refinement of what we know today as Dianetics.

Between 1955 and 1959, Mr. Hubbard delivered more than 700 lectures in Washington, D.C. on his technical developments and research into the spiritual nature of man. Here he lectures at the Shoreham Hotel.

In 1948, while in Washington, he wrote the first critical manuscript detailing the basic principles of Dianetics. Though the manuscript did not see immediate publication, word of his discoveries soon spread, and to fulfill public demand, in 1950 he published the fundamental text on the subject, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. The book became an overnight bestseller. Thereafter, Mr. Hubbard’s life ceased to be his own, and he undertook a whirlwind schedule lecturing to packed halls and training others in the procedures of Dianetics.

As an ordained minister of the Church, L. Ron Hubbard conducted Sunday Services and performed marriage and naming ceremonies.