The response of those who read this manuscript was dramatic, and more than a few publishers eagerly sought to publish it. He declined. “‘Excalibur’ did not contain a therapy of any kind but was simply a discussion of the composition of life. I decided to go further,” he added.
Ron continued to fund his research by his ever more popular fiction writing. His stories and novels spanned every genre from adventure and travel to mystery, western, romance, science fiction and fantasy. Writing not of machines and robots but of real men and real adventures, he pioneered a whole new era of science fiction writing as one of the creators of what came to be known as the “Golden Age of Science Fiction.”
His expeditions continued as well. Elected a member of the prestigious Explorers Club in New York City, he was bestowed custody of their flag, a high honor in the field of exploration, for the Alaskan Radio Experimental Expedition in May 1940. This expedition greatly assisted in the codification of the coastal charts of British Columbia and Alaska, while augmenting his knowledge of more cultures – the Tlingit, the Haida and the Aleut Indians of Alaska.
In December 1940, L. Ron Hubbard earned his “License to Master of Steam and Motor Vessels” from the US Department of Commerce. Three months later, he obtained a second certificate attesting to his marine skill: “License to Master of Sail Vessels, Any Ocean.”
Throughout all of this, however, Ron was continuing in his quest to answer the riddles of man. His writings and explorations had the purpose of financing his researches and expanding his knowledge of the world and life.
Then came the war.
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