No. This is an unfounded rumor. One individual once claimed L. Ron Hubbard made such a comment during a lecture in 1948. The only two people who could be found who attended that very lecture in 1948 denied that Mr. Hubbard ever made this statement. And Mr. Hubbard himself certainly denied it. Another famous writer from the same era who did make such a statement was George Orwell, who wrote to a friend in 1938 that “there might be a lot of cash in starting a new religion.” His letter was later published as part of a collection of letters which was circulated widely. It seems that Orwell’s comment has been misattributed to Mr. Hubbard. This was recognized by courts in Germany who enjoined those who had attributed such a statement to Mr. Hubbard from repeating it.