Veda
Well-known member
"Common knowledge" does not necessarily means it's true. It may very well be true, but be careful of dramatized or tabloid sensationalism. The story is already pretty wild without embellishment.I thought this was common knowledge. Old man Northrup was an abusive parent. This is mentioned in probably every single publication I ever read about Parsons and Hubbard. Its also mentioned online:
Quote:
"Northrup’s life was already filled with sexual abuse. She’d been molested by her father from a young age, a trauma that likely explains why she was already sleeping with Jack Parsons by age 13. "
Source: 10 Tragic Facts About Sara Northrup, L. Ron Hubbard's Wife - Listverse
Quote:
Olga (Sara's mother) had remarried to a man named Burton Northrup. Though her three daughters from her first marriage had taken Northrup’s name their marriage had been far from happy. He was reportedly abusive towards the girls, including his own two daughters with Olga, and was imprisoned for financial fraud in 1928.
Source: https://headstuff.org/culture/history/jack-parsons-occult-rocketman/
Now from a book "Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons". Fair use quote:
Hubbard lied. Not least because "Komkovadamanov" isn't even a valid Russian surname. It might sound Russian to someone not familiar with the language, but it is not. Trust me, I'm a Russian speaker.
My best bet is that Hubbard assumed that the feds back in the day couldn't care less about an abusive parent, but they would be interested in a Russian communist spy. So he did what he would usually do: he tried to lie to them and make up fantastic tales of spies and intrigue.
They were also survivors of parental sexual abuse. Women who went through sexual abuse once frequently end up with partners who also abuse or take advantage of them.
So the fact that Sara ended up with Jack and then Hubbard isn't surprising. Jack took advantage of her and user her for sex (just like he did before with her sister), Hubbard did the same and also allegedly was physically violent with her.
I'm not saying Hubbard was a decent, kind and gentle man. But neither was Crowley or Parsons. The OTO was a destructive group where the leaders used their followers for sex and money, through "mystical manipulation". Common cult tactic.
I haven't read Strange Angel. Does this come from Strange Angel? which was originally a book, but also became a television drama series.
After 1951, as far as I know, Sara only gave one interview and that was during 1986 for the book Messiah or Madman? She then, when she was ill towards the end of her life, around 1996, made some cassette tapes recounting her experiences. Her daughter contacted me in 1997 for advice on where these cassettes could be forwarded for safe keeping. I've not listened to the tapes, but I see that segments of them have been used. Does Strange Angel quote from them?
I'm unclear as to the original sources of the information. Some of it would likely derive from court or other public records, which a researcher might uncover. The rest sounds as though it might be recounting or testimony. But from whom?
Was it from Sara?
As for "Komkovadamanov," that's already being cited as true by at least one non Scientology "source," and is on its way to becoming an Hubbardian "factual fact," by reason of being "agreed upon" by enough people.
A similar thing happened to Hubbard's hoax Russian Manual which was picked up by right wing and evangelical pundits and groups during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, who absolutely believe it's authentic.
That Sara and her sisters were abused is entirely plausible, and does make sense.
That, however, doesn't make Jack Parsons an "enforcer," or Hubbard a cult victim.