L. Ron Hubbard and the "Nazi Spy", May 1940

In 1940, L. Ron Hubbard was living a hand-to-mouth existence in New York City, writing penny-a-word pulp fiction stories. Whilst there, he apparently had an argument with a steward in the hotel at which he was staying. He promptly got revenge by denouncing to the FBI the unfortunate man, who was of German descent, as being "a menace to the state". This was, it seems, the first contact he had had with the FBI and began what became a long tradition for him of denouncing to the authorities those he disliked. It also emphasised his Germanophobia, a trait which he never lost (and which is still visible today in the Church of Scientology's campaign against the Federal Republic). Needless to say, the allegation was patently baseless and the FBI took no action.