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[00:00:00.500 – 00:00:09.300] Akron, Ohio is a mecca for all members of AA who gather here each year to honor the founders of our fellowship, the living and the dead.

[00:00:09.300 – 00:00:11.100] Our beloved co-founder, Dr.

[00:00:11.100 – 00:00:14.400] Bob, passed away November the 19th, 1950.

[00:00:14.400 – 00:00:17.900] A living memory, a true example to you and I.

[00:00:17.900 – 00:00:27.900] In Bill’s own words on our twenty-fifth anniversary, he said, I quote, “Certainly no AA anniversary would be complete without our affectionate and universal

[00:00:27.900 – 00:00:29.700] recollection of co-founder Dr.

[00:00:29.700 – 00:00:35.400] Bob, what he is to us, and what he did for us all.” End quote.

[00:00:35.400 – 00:00:41.000] This thirtieth anniversary would not have been complete without the presence of our other co-founder.

[00:00:41.000 – 00:00:47.700] We are indeed grateful also for what he is to us and what he did for us all.

[00:00:47.700 – 00:00:55.800] I’d like to introduce now a man that really shouldn’t need no introduction, and our beloved co-founder, Bill W.

[00:00:55.800 – 00:01:23.600] Dear

[00:01:23.600 – 00:01:33.600] friends, just before coming over here, a number of us, I guess a couple of hundred,

[00:01:33.600 – 00:01:38.100] had dinner together down at the hotel.

[00:01:38.100 – 00:01:49.100] And as I walked into the dining room, an old time friend came

[00:01:49.100 – 00:02:01.400] up and he said, “Bill, it’s good to see you back home.” I

[00:02:01.400 – 00:02:13.600] think he had no idea of how much that moved me, of what recollections it

[00:02:13.600 – 00:02:14.300] stirred.

[00:02:14.300 – 00:02:26.400] In its fourth

[00:02:26.400 – 00:02:31.900] year, four years after Dr.

[00:02:31.900 – 00:02:41.900] Bob and I met, the A book came out, and

[00:02:41.900 – 00:02:51.200] the last chapter of the text, you remember, is titled A Vision For You.

[00:02:51.200 – 00:03:02.600] At that time, we boasted one hundred members, and

[00:03:02.600 – 00:03:04.500] I think maybe it was a boast.

[00:03:04.500 – 00:03:08.500] We were virtually unknown.

[00:03:08.500 – 00:03:20.100] And yet in this book, the Vision For You, while

[00:03:20.100 – 00:03:28.000] none at that time d- could say that he was a prophet, we did express some hopes.

[00:03:28.000 – 00:03:38.000] And in leafing through that chapter this afternoon, I read you

[00:03:38.000 – 00:03:48.700] one, and with this content, I would like you to contrast AA today

[00:03:48.700 – 00:03:50.300] with the hope expressed here.

[00:03:50.300 – 00:04:01.700] This short paragraph says, “Someday, we

[00:04:01.700 – 00:04:11.900] hope that every alcoholic who journeys will find a fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous at

[00:04:11.900 – 00:04:13.300] his destination.

[00:04:13.300 – 00:04:18.000] To some extent, this is already true.

[00:04:18.000 – 00:04:23.000] Some of us are salesmen, and we go about.

[00:04:23.000 – 00:04:33.100] Little clusters of twos and threes and fives

[00:04:33.100 – 00:04:42.300] of us have sprung up in other communities, and those who travel drop in as often as we can.

[00:04:42.300 – 00:04:52.300] This practice enables us to lend a hand, at

[00:04:52.300 – 00:05:02.300] the same time avoiding certain alluring distractions of the road about which any traveling man can

[00:05:02.300 – 00:05:11.700] inform you.” That was written four years after the beginning.

[00:05:11.700 – 00:05:16.600] Here at home, our-

[00:05:16.800 – 00:05:18.100] Our spiritual home.

[00:05:18.100 – 00:05:28.500] Well, it’s come true, and

[00:05:28.500 – 00:05:32.400] it comes truer with every passing year.

[00:05:32.400 – 00:05:42.900] Sometimes we don’t like cliches, but there’s

[00:05:42.900 – 00:05:53.400] one that’s most appropriate nowadays: the sun never sets upon the society

[00:05:53.400 – 00:05:55.200] of Alcoholics Anonymous.

[00:05:55.200 – 00:06:05.300] We are three hundred and fifty thousand strong, maybe five hundred

[00:06:05.300 – 00:06:06.000] thousand.

[00:06:06.000 – 00:06:06.800] Nobody knows.

[00:06:06.800 – 00:06:10.900] We speak many languages.

[00:06:10.900 – 00:06:21.400] We are of all races, re-creeds, religions, bound together in this kinship

[00:06:21.400 – 00:06:30.400] of a common suffering and a common recovery under the grace of a bounteous God.

[00:06:30.400 – 00:06:42.500] So we here tonight are returned home to think again about

[00:06:42.500 – 00:06:44.900] the days of our beginning.

[00:06:44.900 – 00:06:55.400] Lois and I never fail to come here, and I must observe

[00:06:55.400 – 00:07:03.400] that it was with great disappointment she couldn’t come, a sudden but not serious illness.

[00:07:03.400 – 00:07:13.900] But of course, we never come here without asking that we be driven up to

[00:07:13.900 – 00:07:15.100] see the house of Dr.

[00:07:15.100 – 00:07:17.100] Bob and Anne on Ardmore.

[00:07:17.100 – 00:07:27.400] And thence down Portage Path to see the gatehouse where Henrietta

[00:07:27.400 – 00:07:31.300] Seiberling brought us together.

[00:07:31.300 – 00:07:36.400] And thence down to the house of T.

[00:07:36.400 – 00:07:46.500] Henry Williams, where he and Clarissa, in the old Oxford Group time, took

[00:07:46.500 – 00:07:47.200] us in.

[00:07:47.200 – 00:07:56.300] And to King School, AA’s number one group.

[00:07:56.300 – 00:08:06.600] We do this because the experience of returning home is something

[00:08:06.600 – 00:08:09.300] that every human being treasures.

[00:08:09.300 – 00:08:19.400] And all the greater because so many have gone out from this home, and there

[00:08:19.400 – 00:08:23.700] have been started little clusters of two and three.

[00:08:23.700 – 00:08:33.700] I would like to leave with you a word

[00:08:33.700 – 00:08:43.800] picture of such a cluster that not long since, a brief five years ago, started in a foreign

[00:08:43.800 – 00:08:44.700] coun-country.

[00:08:44.700 – 00:08:50.600] An AA called Ryan went down there.

[00:08:50.600 – 00:08:51.600] He spoke Spanish.

[00:08:51.600 – 00:08:53.900] He started an insurance business.

[00:08:53.900 – 00:09:00.800] The alcoholism was very bad in this little country the size of a postage stamp.

[00:09:00.800 – 00:09:10.500] And people flocked in, as they had never before, to AA, because the need was so awful.

[00:09:10.500 – 00:09:18.800] The drugstores sold grain alcohol, a bad and toxic kind of stuff.

[00:09:18.800 – 00:09:21.500] No tax.

[00:09:21.500 – 00:09:29.700] It was cheaper, literally, to drink than to eat.

[00:09:29.700 – 00:09:38.900] So they flocked around in twos and threes and fives, and that was only five years ago.

[00:09:38.900 – 00:09:44.900] And as maybe Alan, who will speak at breakfast tomorrow, will tell you, he’s been down there.

[00:09:44.900 – 00:09:50.600] This has suddenly expanded into thousands of members.

[00:09:50.600 – 00:09:58.400] Some say ten thousand, some five.

[00:09:58.400 – 00:10:01.000] What does it matter?

[00:10:01.000 – 00:10:06.400] And this is the succession.

[00:10:06.400 – 00:10:16.500] And these are the kind of fruits that it has borne to others throughout

[00:10:16.500 – 00:10:17.000] the world.

[00:10:17.000 – 00:10:27.300] So let me address myself just for

[00:10:27.300 – 00:10:33.400] a couple of minutes to the memory of

[00:10:34.000 – 00:10:34.400] of Dr.

[00:10:34.400 – 00:10:41.700] Bob and Anne and Henrietta and T.

[00:10:41.700 – 00:10:47.000] Henry and Bill D., AA number three.

[00:10:47.000 – 00:10:56.700] You remember I arrived in this town on a vidge- on a business venture.

[00:10:56.700 – 00:11:06.400] It was a proxy row for control of what was then a little company in this town.

[00:11:06.400 – 00:11:11.300] The fight fell through.

[00:11:11.300 – 00:11:16.900] My associates were of the come-lately variety.

[00:11:16.900 – 00:11:23.000] All my old friends in Wall Street were gone, so they also went.

[00:11:23.000 – 00:11:27.300] I was left in the Mayflower Hotel with ten bucks in my pocket.

[00:11:27.300 – 00:11:36.800] Prior to this, I had worked very hard back home with drunks, uh, you know, Oxford Group people.

[00:11:36.800 – 00:11:40.100] Uh, had a mission.

[00:11:40.100 – 00:11:45.900] We worked there, worked at Townes Hospital where my doctor was.

[00:11:45.900 – 00:11:48.400] Absolutely no result.

[00:11:48.400 – 00:11:56.800] And looking back, I see that I was still preaching to people.

[00:11:56.800 – 00:12:06.800] But all of a sudden, in the lobby of the hotel down there, I had my first temptation

[00:12:06.800 – 00:12:09.700] to drink since sobering up.

[00:12:09.700 – 00:12:22.200] And it suddenly dawned upon me that I might– while I was, had been granted by God a

[00:12:22.200 – 00:12:32.600] rebirth, it had been the effort to help others that had kept me sober.

[00:12:32.600 – 00:12:42.700] So I suddenly knew that if I were to stay sober, I needed to find

[00:12:42.700 – 00:12:44.600] another alcoholic in this town.

[00:12:44.600 – 00:12:50.800] So I looked down the church directory.

[00:12:50.800 – 00:12:59.200] There was a name, Walter Tunks, who turned out to be the Episcopal rector here.

[00:12:59.200 – 00:13:05.000] It was a little odd-sounding and, uh, whimsically I picked it out.

[00:13:05.000 – 00:13:08.800] Providentially, I think, too.

[00:13:08.800 – 00:13:18.800] And this good man directed me to another, a member of the Oxford Groups here at the time, and he in

[00:13:18.800 – 00:13:21.700] turn gave me a list of about ten names.

[00:13:21.700 – 00:13:26.900] And, uh, I began to call them up.

[00:13:26.900 – 00:13:28.300] Well, it was a weekend.

[00:13:28.300 – 00:13:33.100] I couldn’t make any immediate dates for that day.

[00:13:33.100 – 00:13:35.100] Somebody I had to see right then.

[00:13:35.100 – 00:13:38.300] At the end of the list was the name Henrietta Seiberling.

[00:13:38.300 – 00:13:48.400] And I thought, well, gracious, I, I met the old gentleman one time and I can’t possibly go out to this lady’s home telling her I’m looking for a drunk to work on.

[00:13:48.400 – 00:13:49.200] This will never do.

[00:13:49.200 – 00:13:59.300] I walked up and down that lobby again and a voice came saying, “You had better

[00:13:59.300 – 00:14:08.100] make that call.” I went upstairs and made the call, and here was Henrietta’s delightful Southern voice on the wire.

[00:14:08.100 – 00:14:12.000] And she said, “I’m no drinker, but I think I understand.

[00:14:12.000 – 00:14:20.000] Won’t you come straight out here?” How much we owe our friends.

[00:14:20.000 – 00:14:25.800] And to a stranger she said this.

[00:14:25.800 – 00:14:27.900] So out I went.

[00:14:27.900 – 00:14:32.800] Said she, “I think I know just the man.

[00:14:32.800 – 00:14:35.100] It’s Dr.

[00:14:35.100 – 00:14:35.800] Bob.

[00:14:35.800 – 00:14:40.900] He and his wife Anne are in a terrible situation.

[00:14:40.900 – 00:14:46.100] He’s desperately trying to get over his drinking.

[00:14:46.100 – 00:14:49.900] I’ll call them up.” She did.

[00:14:49.900 – 00:14:52.700] Anne’s voice came on the wire.

[00:14:52.700 – 00:15:00.700] Said Anne, “It’s the day before Mother’s Day, you know, Henrietta, and Dr.

[00:15:00.700 – 00:15:02.500] Bob has just come home.

[00:15:02.500 – 00:15:06.400] He has brought with him a potted plant.

[00:15:06.400 – 00:15:17.700] It’s on the table, but he’s on the floor, and I’m afraid he can’t get up, so we won’t be there today.” So

[00:15:17.700 – 00:15:28.900] nothing daunted, Henrietta said, “Well, so what about tomorrow?” “Now,” she said, “Bill, you come out here to dinner and let’s see.” So

[00:15:28.900 – 00:15:33.700] on tomorrow at five in the afternoon, Dr.

[00:15:33.700 – 00:15:42.300] Bob and Anne stood in the door, and he did not look in the least like a founder.

[00:15:42.300 – 00:15:44.400] He was shaking like hell.

[00:15:44.400 – 00:15:48.700] And he said

[00:15:50.300 – 00:15:56.400] Eyeing me, uh, he said, “You know, I can only stay a few minutes.

[00:15:56.400 – 00:16:02.500] I have an appointment.” So by way of identification, I said, “Well, I know, Bob.

[00:16:02.500 – 00:16:05.100] Uh, no question you’re very thirsty.

[00:16:05.100 – 00:16:07.300] Am I right?” He was.

[00:16:07.300 – 00:16:12.000] Discreetly, Henrietta moved us into the little library.

[00:16:12.000 – 00:16:17.500] And we sat there and talked for hours.

[00:16:17.500 – 00:16:24.900] And right there, the whole character of what I had been doing back home changed.

[00:16:24.900 – 00:16:32.700] I thought to myself, “I need this man as much as he needs me,” and I so told him.

[00:16:32.700 – 00:16:35.000] Well, Dr.

[00:16:35.000 – 00:16:38.600] Bob in spiritual matters was far advanced on me.

[00:16:38.600 – 00:16:44.000] But as far as the drinking was concerned, it hadn’t taken hold.

[00:16:44.000 – 00:16:52.200] Yet as a doctor, like so many, he had no idea that he was a sick man, and I acquainted him with that.

[00:16:52.200 – 00:17:00.700] Anne asked me to come over to the house and stay with them while I tried to carry on with this proxy jingle.

[00:17:00.700 – 00:17:10.700] Bob made one trip to Atlantic City, and it was hard for Anne to

[00:17:10.700 – 00:17:13.500] let him go, and sure enough, he came home boiled.

[00:17:13.500 – 00:17:17.000] There was a terrible dilemma.

[00:17:17.000 – 00:17:18.300] He had to sober up.

[00:17:18.300 – 00:17:24.900] Uh, uh, he had to do a critical operation within two days or three.

[00:17:24.900 – 00:17:36.400] So around the clock, Annie and I tapered him down, and we took him shivering up to the city hospital, handed

[00:17:36.400 – 00:17:41.400] him one bottle of beer and one goofball, and he went in to carve up this patient.

[00:17:41.400 – 00:17:48.100] Well, you can imagine how we felt as we sat outside in the car.

[00:17:48.100 – 00:17:50.800] After a while, he came out.

[00:17:50.800 – 00:17:53.900] He said, “I’m going to take you folks home.

[00:17:53.900 – 00:18:01.200] I have some errands to do.” Hours later, after a lot of worry on our part, he turned up.

[00:18:01.200 – 00:18:07.300] He had already started to make restitution to those he had harmed.

[00:18:07.300 – 00:18:13.700] And he never took a drink from that day on.

[00:18:13.700 – 00:18:19.700] And then he said, “But working on other people is a big thing, isn’t it?

[00:18:19.700 – 00:18:22.900] I’ll call up the city hospital.

[00:18:22.900 – 00:18:29.600] Maybe they got some cases.” He’d been on the staff, but I believe he’d been kicked off.

[00:18:29.600 – 00:18:33.200] He called up a nurse he knew.

[00:18:33.200 – 00:18:43.800] He said, “There’s a gent here from New York that, uh, has been helping me, and, uh, we’d like some drunks to work on.” And

[00:18:43.800 – 00:18:47.400] the nurse said, uh, with some asperity, “Well, Dr.

[00:18:47.400 – 00:18:58.000] Bob, I hope you bought this idea yourself.” He

[00:18:58.000 – 00:19:00.300] said, “We’ve got a beaut.” She did.

[00:19:00.300 – 00:19:02.600] “Just came in here.

[00:19:02.600 – 00:19:03.700] He’s in DT.

[00:19:03.700 – 00:19:04.900] He’s strapped down.

[00:19:04.900 – 00:19:10.300] But before we got him strapped, he blacked the eyes of one of the nurses.

[00:19:10.300 – 00:19:15.100] He’s been in here four times in the last six months.

[00:19:15.100 – 00:19:19.500] How’s that?” Bob said, “That’s a dandy.

[00:19:19.500 – 00:19:21.200] Here’s the way to medicate him.

[00:19:21.200 – 00:19:25.500] We’ll be down tomorrow.” On the morrow, there was the man on the bed.

[00:19:25.500 – 00:19:29.500] We walked in.

[00:19:29.500 – 00:19:39.600] We told him the story, and he said, “Well, it’s too late for me.” But he says, “Won’t you come back again?” “Yes, Bill, we’ll come back again,”

[00:19:39.600 – 00:19:40.200] we said.

[00:19:40.200 – 00:19:43.800] Next morning, we came down.

[00:19:43.800 – 00:19:48.200] There was his wife, Henrietta, standing by the bed.

[00:19:48.200 – 00:19:49.500] Bill looked at us.

[00:19:49.500 – 00:19:53.400] Henrietta said, “These are the fellows that understand.

[00:19:53.400 – 00:19:57.400] Now listen to what they have to say.” So we went over it again.

[00:19:57.400 – 00:20:03.200] And Bill said, “Henrietta, please fetch me my clothes.

[00:20:03.200 – 00:20:11.200] We’re going home now.” Bill never took another drink.

[00:20:11.200 – 00:20:20.700] And so God had wrought the first AA group in the world.

[00:20:20.700 – 00:20:30.900] And the magnificent sequel to this in this town you know, Bob’s association with Sister

[00:20:30.900 – 00:20:31.600] Ignatius.

[00:20:31.600 – 00:20:41.800] She and he ministering to five thousand cases in the ensuing ten years from nineteen

[00:20:41.800 – 00:20:43.500] forty at St.

[00:20:43.500 – 00:20:43.900] Thomas.

[00:20:43.900 – 00:20:51.500] After his death, she ministering to another ten thousand cases.

[00:20:51.500 – 00:21:04.300] Indeed, I think it’s altogether saying, proper to say, that

[00:21:04.300 – 00:21:06.700] these two were the

[00:21:06.900 – 00:21:14.800] Prince and the princesses of the 12 Steps, and never will there be any more like them.

[00:21:14.800 – 00:21:19.300] I’m taking too much time.

[00:21:19.300 – 00:21:24.100] God bless you and Alcoholics Anonymous forever.

[00:21:24.100 – 00:21:28.600] I’m glad we’re here at home together.

[00:21:28.600 – 00:21:57.100] You

[00:21:57.100 – 00:22:07.600] know, I was thinking this morning that 30 years ago, there was a man staying in this hotel who had a problem.

[00:22:07.600 – 00:22:17.600] And he had a decision to make, whether to go get drunk or find a drunk that he could

[00:22:17.600 – 00:22:19.300] work with and stay sober.

[00:22:19.300 – 00:22:29.600] Well, he made that decision to find the drunk, which he did, and you know that

[00:22:29.600 – 00:22:37.300] that change, that decision changed the lives of everyone in this room and thousands of people all over the world.

[00:22:37.300 – 00:22:40.400] And I wanna give you our co-founder, Bill W.

[00:22:40.400 – 00:22:52.300] Bill, will you say a few words?

[00:22:52.300 – 00:23:00.900] He kind of took me by surprise.

[00:23:00.900 – 00:23:03.100] I didn’t think my turn was around yet.

[00:23:03.100 – 00:23:13.400] These magnificent

[00:23:13.400 – 00:23:23.800] hours that we have been spending together will,

[00:23:23.800 – 00:23:34.100] for each of us, of a certainty, be a treasure trove for memories

[00:23:34.100 – 00:23:36.900] in future time.

[00:23:36.900 – 00:23:44.800] The unforgettable experience.

[00:23:44.800 – 00:23:56.800] It is our 30th anniversary year, and

[00:23:56.800 – 00:24:08.900] this well-loved society of ours is standing upon the threshold of its fourth decade.

[00:24:08.900 – 00:24:19.600] The old-timers are

[00:24:19.600 – 00:24:30.600] going out into the sunset, and soon there will be no more who can remember the

[00:24:30.600 – 00:24:33.000] very early time here.

[00:24:33.000 – 00:24:43.000] We have been gathered here, first of all,

[00:24:43.000 – 00:24:53.300] in gratitude, and then to joyfully reminisce on how

[00:24:53.300 – 00:24:54.500] it all began.

[00:24:54.500 – 00:25:01.600] And for us, a very old time.

[00:25:01.600 – 00:25:07.000] It’s something pretty special.

[00:25:07.000 – 00:25:13.400] There can’t be too many more of these times.

[00:25:13.400 – 00:25:17.700] I say this in no maudlin spirit.

[00:25:17.700 – 00:25:29.300] And I want to add that I think all of us in

[00:25:29.300 – 00:25:39.600] this dwindling group are now utterly confident of the destiny of AA

[00:25:39.600 – 00:25:47.400] and the part that it will play in the world of tomorrow.

[00:25:47.400 – 00:25:51.600] Our family has grown.

[00:25:51.600 – 00:25:56.400] Not grown up, but it has come of age.

[00:25:56.400 – 00:26:09.300] I think that the fears of yesterday are laid to the side by

[00:26:09.300 – 00:26:12.700] the spectacle of all that God has wrought among us.

[00:26:12.700 – 00:26:18.300] So faith has supplanted fear.

[00:26:18.300 – 00:26:23.400] We have been

[00:26:23.600 – 00:26:34.700] been taking an inventory of ourselves in all of these meetings, and

[00:26:34.700 – 00:26:38.200] on the whole, it has been a very positive inventory.

[00:26:38.200 – 00:26:44.100] We have had our best foot, or rather our best feet forward.

[00:26:44.100 – 00:26:54.300] But I’m sure that we don’t really mean to overlook the fact that AA

[00:26:54.300 – 00:27:07.100] is a fellowship which has been created on a base of

[00:27:07.100 – 00:27:11.500] awful pain and instability.

[00:27:11.500 – 00:27:22.100] For us, almost more than any other society, pain has been the touchstone

[00:27:22.100 – 00:27:24.800] of our spiritual progress.

[00:27:24.800 – 00:27:34.900] So we can say, thank God, that we have suffered such pains, that such a spectacle as this

[00:27:34.900 – 00:27:40.400] has been brought into view and being.

[00:27:40.400 – 00:27:50.400] Now then, as a graphic illustration of how

[00:27:50.400 – 00:28:00.500] pain and fear and all of our worst motives can

[00:28:00.500 – 00:28:11.300] eventuate under God’s grace for the best, I would like to, in a hop, skip, and jump fashion, tell you

[00:28:11.300 – 00:28:14.800] about the preparation of the AA book.

[00:28:14.800 – 00:28:21.400] This was our great venture in change, the first one.

[00:28:21.400 – 00:28:23.900] There have been several since.

[00:28:23.900 – 00:28:31.300] And believe me, we approached this with great trepidation.

[00:28:31.300 – 00:28:41.500] By nineteen hundred and thirty-eight, I think here in New York,

[00:28:41.500 – 00:28:46.000] and with a few from Cleveland, we may have been forty members.

[00:28:46.000 – 00:28:51.600] Our average sobriety time, a couple of years.

[00:28:51.600 – 00:29:01.900] And yet, we felt that we ought to have something on paper that could be fed out on a transmission

[00:29:01.900 – 00:29:08.100] belt to the drunks in the world about us.

[00:29:08.100 – 00:29:12.000] We had to have, we thought, a book.

[00:29:12.000 – 00:29:21.900] But the very prospect of such a thing just simply flabbergasted.

[00:29:21.900 – 00:29:27.800] Who would publish such a book?

[00:29:27.800 – 00:29:33.400] Who could assemble such a book?

[00:29:33.400 – 00:29:35.700] What should go in it?

[00:29:35.700 – 00:29:39.300] Supposing it turned out badly?

[00:29:39.300 – 00:29:46.700] These indeed for us were great and most natural fears.

[00:29:46.700 – 00:29:52.600] And then a plan came into being.

[00:29:52.600 – 00:29:56.100] It was thought there ought to be a text.

[00:29:56.100 – 00:30:00.300] It was thought these ought to be backed up by stories.

[00:30:00.300 – 00:30:10.200] And this text was in the first edition, two-thirds of the stories came from Akron.

[00:30:10.200 – 00:30:14.900] You were the largest and oldest aggregate.

[00:30:14.900 – 00:30:24.800] But then, still more clouds cluttered up the horizon.

[00:30:24.800 – 00:30:35.400] Some of us in New York considered the possibility of publishing this book ourselves, of

[00:30:35.400 – 00:30:45.700] raising the money, first of all, through, uh, perhaps contributors to our newly born foundation down there in New York.

[00:30:45.700 – 00:30:49.500] But there were no contributors.

[00:30:49.500 – 00:30:54.200] So then it was thought that the book ought to be taken to a publisher.

[00:30:54.200 – 00:31:04.200] But a few of us stood for the proposition, well, this would be bad because control of our literature would

[00:31:04.200 – 00:31:05.500] be in other hands.

[00:31:05.500 – 00:31:15.700] And some of us, in a more self-serving way, and this definitely included me, we felt that the book

[00:31:15.700 – 00:31:21.400] might make some profits and some royalties out of which its creators could eat.

[00:31:21.400 – 00:31:31.900] Well, when this motivation began to be suspected and became apparent, a

[00:31:31.900 – 00:31:35.300] quite a violent opposition rose up.

[00:31:35.300 – 00:31:39.000] Maybe the damn book wouldn’t be any good.

[00:31:41.100 – 00:31:43.000] It might turn into a racket.

[00:31:43.000 – 00:31:46.500] It could absolutely ruin us.

[00:31:46.500 – 00:31:56.600] However, since there was no dough inside any place, we then conser- conceived the

[00:31:56.600 – 00:32:07.000] most absurd proposition, that though no book had been prepared, well, I had my own story written out ,

[00:32:07.000 – 00:32:17.500] that if we took this story in hand and then went down to a stationery store and bought a pad of stock certificates

[00:32:17.500 – 00:32:26.400] and wrote on them, “Works Publishing Company,” the title was chosen because there would be a lot more work, you know, after this.

[00:32:26.400 – 00:32:29.300] Par value $25.

[00:32:29.300 – 00:32:39.700] So down east, we began to peddle stock in what turned out to be the AA book, but

[00:32:39.700 – 00:32:44.600] we were peddling stock to drunks, $25 a share.

[00:32:44.600 – 00:32:46.700] The purpose was what?

[00:32:46.700 – 00:32:56.700] To feed Wilson and the gal who helped do the book and the promoter and the collector of the money while this job was being

[00:32:56.700 – 00:32:56.900] done.

[00:32:56.900 – 00:33:00.800] In other words, people were asked to buy stock in a book that hadn’t yet been written.

[00:33:00.800 – 00:33:08.600] I think this is the world’s record for sheer audacity, absurdity .

[00:33:08.600 – 00:33:15.200] Well, not strangely, our fellow alcoholics demurred.

[00:33:15.200 – 00:33:21.500] So, um, what would we do?

[00:33:21.500 – 00:33:26.900] Well, uh, I wrote another sample chapter and tried that on them.

[00:33:26.900 – 00:33:29.400] No stock purchases.

[00:33:29.400 – 00:33:39.600] So then we went up to the Reader’s Digest and told them about our budding movement,

[00:33:39.600 – 00:33:42.400] and I guess we brandished Mr.

[00:33:42.400 – 00:33:47.400] Rockefeller’s name pretty liberally, you know, as a close friend.

[00:33:47.400 – 00:33:52.700] He wasn’t giving us any money, but he liked us .

[00:33:52.700 – 00:33:57.900] And, you know, the Digest said, “Well, fine.

[00:33:57.900 – 00:34:02.400] When will your book come out?” By now, it’s the fall of ’38.

[00:34:02.400 – 00:34:11.400] “Oh,” we said, “about next spring.” They said, “This is just the kind of story, uh, uh, that we’d like.

[00:34:11.400 – 00:34:13.400] We will do a piece.

[00:34:13.400 – 00:34:23.700] We’ll put a feature writer on this.” So then with that much in hand, we came back with those stock certificates, and this time

[00:34:23.700 – 00:34:25.900] we made up a p- prospectus.

[00:34:25.900 – 00:34:35.000] And in the prospectus, it pointed out that you could actually print up 5,000 of these books.

[00:34:35.000 – 00:34:37.200] We were then 40 members.

[00:34:37.200 – 00:34:43.400] And that this could be done for 35 cents a piece.

[00:34:43.400 – 00:34:53.400] And that even under the commercial price, which a publisher would charge, we would

[00:34:53.400 – 00:34:59.200] sell these 35 cent books for the sum of $3.50.

[00:34:59.200 – 00:35:07.900] We didn’t indicate any other expenses, but that seemed quite a margin of profit to the prospective stock buyer.

[00:35:07.900 – 00:35:18.100] And we pointed out that they c- couldn’t possibly miss because, after all, the Digest

[00:35:18.100 – 00:35:28.900] piece with millions of circulation, in which they definitely would mention the new book, would simply move these volumes out in carloads.

[00:35:28.900 – 00:35:35.600] So in the prospectus, we totted up what the profits would be.

[00:35:35.600 – 00:35:46.800] Oh, I think we started in with something like 100,000 books and, uh, you know, the first few carloads and, uh, I

[00:35:46.800 – 00:35:49.300] think we got as high as a million copies.

[00:35:49.300 – 00:35:59.400] Well, of course, if they only cost 35 cents and you sold them for $3.50, it was– would be frankly a great rise

[00:35:59.400 – 00:36:01.100] in that $25 stock.

[00:36:01.100 – 00:36:03.300] Might go to 1,000 bucks a share.

[00:36:03.300 – 00:36:07.700] We didn’t put all this on paper, but it was a part of the promotion.

[00:36:07.700 – 00:36:18.900] Well, this was heard out in this country, uh, that this ex-Wall Street swindler, uh was

[00:36:18.900 – 00:36:22.500] contriving one of the greatest rackets known to man.

[00:36:22.500 – 00:36:28.100] And, uh, the trustees were very dubious.

[00:36:28.100 – 00:36:38.900] Uh, they had no money at the time, so we were able to face them down and say, “Well, we’ll separately incorporate this.” And sure enough, by

[00:36:38.900 – 00:36:49.300] an appeal to the loyalty of the stockholders to the cause, but also by an appeal

[00:36:49.300 – 00:36:56.800] to the pocketbook, the baser nature, the money began to dribble in, $25 per

[00:36:57.000 – 00:36:57.400] far of it.

[00:36:57.400 – 00:37:01.000] So then we had only begun our troubles.

[00:37:01.000 – 00:37:03.800] Then the book had to be written.

[00:37:03.800 – 00:37:10.900] However, we were eating, a few of us, on the stockholders’ money.

[00:37:10.900 – 00:37:20.900] And little by little, the chapters were evolved, and we thrashed them around in the AA meetings, and we carefully checked them

[00:37:20.900 – 00:37:21.500] with Dr.

[00:37:21.500 – 00:37:23.100] Bob as they went along.

[00:37:23.100 – 00:37:33.200] And meanwhile, he, at great pains and difficulty, got stories, largely from this town, as

[00:37:33.200 – 00:37:37.200] case histories to back up whatever it was going to say in the text.

[00:37:37.200 – 00:37:38.200] Nobody knew yet.

[00:37:38.200 – 00:37:48.400] Well, the hassles, the unholy hassles, if you please, that went into

[00:37:48.400 – 00:37:55.400] the formation of what some are pleased to call a more or less holy book, were absolutely beyond belief.

[00:37:55.400 – 00:38:05.400] In short, here was AA at its worst, but under God’s grace, coming

[00:38:05.400 – 00:38:07.600] up with something better.

[00:38:07.600 – 00:38:11.000] Maybe history will say the best.

[00:38:11.000 – 00:38:21.500] And so, the work went on, and I remember one night we got through the first four chapters, which were window dressing, and

[00:38:21.500 – 00:38:25.600] I was having an imaginary ulcer attack, and it looked like, um, uh…

[00:38:25.600 – 00:38:28.600] Well, things were very gloomy.

[00:38:28.600 – 00:38:32.400] The stockholders were kind of, uh, you know, falling down.

[00:38:32.400 – 00:38:37.200] The, the, the, the, the meal ticket was getting in danger, and I was very resentful.

[00:38:37.200 – 00:38:46.500] And I realized, lying in bed there in Brooklyn, Clinton Street, that the book had to say what it was all about at some place.

[00:38:46.500 – 00:38:51.200] So I began to write, and out came the 12 steps.

[00:38:51.200 – 00:38:54.100] Well, when they appeared, there was a terrific uproar.

[00:38:54.100 – 00:39:03.500] And as a result of the uproar, again, the constructive came out.

[00:39:03.500 – 00:39:12.900] I had had a great spiritual experience so that I had used God all the way through those 12 steps.

[00:39:12.900 – 00:39:17.300] Our atheist and agnostic contingent said, “Drunks only gonna buy that.

[00:39:17.300 – 00:39:19.100] They’re scared to death of being God-bitten.

[00:39:19.100 – 00:39:29.500] This ought to be a psychological book.” On the other hand, uh, the religious people, uh, said that it should be a strictly Christian

[00:39:29.500 – 00:39:31.100] book, theologically speaking.

[00:39:31.100 – 00:39:34.700] So one had to sort of average these point of views.

[00:39:34.700 – 00:39:44.900] So, but the contribution of that God, as you understand Him, did open the door wide, and yet it was made

[00:39:44.900 – 00:39:53.600] in a time of awful stress and strain when the motivation wasn’t so hot.

[00:39:53.600 – 00:39:56.100] Sure, we must have had God’s help.

[00:39:56.100 – 00:39:58.000] We never could have produced it ourselves.

[00:39:58.000 – 00:40:06.400] Well, finally, the great day of publication approached.

[00:40:06.400 – 00:40:12.600] We had pre-publication copies of the book made, circulated around for criticism.

[00:40:12.600 – 00:40:22.700] And with the last of our money, almost the last, we persuaded the printer that this was such a terrific

[00:40:22.700 – 00:40:32.800] venture, uh, that, uh, he certainly ought to accept a 10% down payment for 5,000 books, which were going

[00:40:32.800 – 00:40:33.700] out by the carload.

[00:40:33.700 – 00:40:35.000] This first installment.

[00:40:35.000 – 00:40:39.500] So we paid him $500 for 5,000 books.

[00:40:39.500 – 00:40:44.600] Then we went up to The Digest and said, “Now, what about this piece?

[00:40:44.600 – 00:40:54.600] Uh, we’re all ready to shoot.” And the editor to whom we had talked vaguely remembered us, and he said, “Shoot what?”

[00:40:54.600 – 00:41:05.800] “Why, you were going to print this piece about this new society, and it’s now, it’s going to be called Alcoholics Anonymous.”

[00:41:05.800 – 00:41:12.600] We’d been calling ourselves out there a nameless bunch of drunks, and from that, the anonymity idea had come in.

[00:41:12.600 – 00:41:20.900] In fact, the, the book title, as voted by Akron, New York, and a few Clevelanders, was chosen as The Way Out.

[00:41:20.900 – 00:41:25.800] But in the Library of Congress, we’d found that there were 12 books by the name of The Way Out.

[00:41:25.800 – 00:41:30.500] So for heaven’s sake, we couldn’t make a 13th, so it became Alcoholics Anonymous.

[00:41:30.500 – 00:41:36.700] Well, we reminded, uh, our friend that a piece was due, and he said, “Gee, Mr.

[00:41:36.700 – 00:41:46.900] Wilson,” he said, “we– You know, after you were here, uh, uh, I went to the rest of the staff here very sure that this would be a great piece,

[00:41:46.900 – 00:41:56.100] uh, but they didn’t think so, and I forgot to tell you.” So we had 5,000 books in the warehouse.

[00:41:56.100 – 00:41:59.800] There were 100 AA members.

[00:41:59.800 – 00:42:04.600] There were about 30 stockholders, and they each got a book.

[00:42:04.600 – 00:42:07.700] There were, there …

[00:42:07.700 – 00:42:13.300] There were about 30 guys who put stories in the books, and they each got a book, and that-

[00:42:13.700 – 00:42:18.700] 60 books , so we only had 40 books to sell the rest if they’d buy it.

[00:42:18.700 – 00:42:23.300] Well, at that time, things folded up in a big way.

[00:42:23.300 – 00:42:30.500] And, uh, we were about to be evicted from our house in Clinton Street.

[00:42:30.500 – 00:42:33.800] Stuff go into storage.

[00:42:33.800 – 00:42:38.000] The book was bankrupt, and we made one last great gasp effort.

[00:42:38.000 – 00:42:46.900] A drunk came along by the name of Morgan, who had, uh, been in the ad business, and he said, “You know, I know Gabriel Heatter.

[00:42:46.900 – 00:42:56.900] You know, the guy who puts on those wonderful sob talks.” And he said, “I think Gabriel would put this on the air.” So

[00:42:56.900 – 00:42:59.000] we scared up a few dollars more.

[00:42:59.000 – 00:43:17.900] And to get ready for Gabriel, we deci- We

[00:43:17.900 – 00:43:22.600] wondered what we ought to do in the way of preliminary advertising.

[00:43:22.600 – 00:43:28.500] Well, we picked out a hard class of people to advertise to in those days.

[00:43:28.500 – 00:43:33.500] We picked out all of the physicians east of the Missippi- Mississippi River, all of them.

[00:43:33.500 – 00:43:43.500] And to each one, we sent a postal card which said, “Listen to Gabriel Heatter

[00:43:43.500 – 00:43:48.800] as he talks about the new society of Alcoholics Anonymous.

[00:43:48.800 – 00:43:59.400] And buy the book Alcoholics Anonymous: A Cure for Alcoholism.” Well,

[00:43:59.400 – 00:44:05.400] one great trouble with Ryan was that he wouldn’t sober up, and he was supposed to be interviewed on the air.

[00:44:05.400 – 00:44:15.500] My God, our

[00:44:15.500 – 00:44:18.900] last cent was in this thing and all these postal cards.

[00:44:18.900 – 00:44:28.900] So just as a precaution, one of our friends who was a member of the Downhouse Athletic Club said, “Well, now, uh, you, you

[00:44:28.900 – 00:44:30.600] can have my room over there.

[00:44:30.600 – 00:44:31.800] I don’t use it much.

[00:44:31.800 – 00:44:42.100] And why doesn’t somebody live with Morgan in there the week before?” You know, to just stay with him and be sure he gets to Heatter

[00:44:42.100 – 00:44:42.700] all right.

[00:44:42.700 – 00:44:45.700] So the great day came.

[00:44:45.700 – 00:44:48.000] The postal card goes out.

[00:44:48.000 – 00:44:53.300] In Akron, New York, Cleveland, the ears were to the radio.

[00:44:53.300 – 00:45:02.400] We visioned the books going out in carloads, orders flooding in, biggest profit of all in direct mail, no commissions.

[00:45:02.400 – 00:45:08.800] And sure enough, Heatter pulled out the tremolo stop.

[00:45:08.800 – 00:45:11.100] Ryan was sober.

[00:45:11.100 – 00:45:14.100] And boy, we were made.

[00:45:14.100 – 00:45:23.700] Well, we gave a post office box, old 458 in New York, I think it was, where we had a one-room office.

[00:45:23.700 – 00:45:33.900] Little Ruthie Hawk, who helped me with the book, bless her soul, my promoter friend Hank Parkhurst and I just couldn’t wait

[00:45:33.900 – 00:45:39.200] to get over to see what was coming into that box.

[00:45:39.200 – 00:45:48.000] We stuck it out for four days, and this took real restraint because there would be a fortune over there.

[00:45:48.000 – 00:45:58.000] And finally, we went and looked in the box, and you could see

[00:45:58.000 – 00:45:59.800] a few of these cards.

[00:45:59.800 – 00:46:02.100] And I had a terrible sinking sensation.

[00:46:02.100 – 00:46:06.400] But Hank was an incorrigible optimist.

[00:46:06.400 – 00:46:21.600] He said, “Well, he could– they couldn’t put them all in the box.” He said, “They got several mailbags full out there.” So

[00:46:21.600 – 00:46:26.400] the clerk came with the cards.

[00:46:26.400 – 00:46:36.400] Hank said, “Ain’t there any more?” “No.” We took them over to the desk, and we counted them, and

[00:46:36.400 – 00:46:37.100] there were 12.

[00:46:37.100 – 00:46:48.500] And 10 of them were from doctors, obviously stewed themselves who

[00:46:48.500 – 00:46:50.500] lambasted the hell out of us.

[00:46:50.500 – 00:46:55.800] And we had exactly two orders for the book Alcoholics Anonymous.

[00:46:55.800 – 00:47:07.700] So this is the unholy way in

[00:47:07.700 – 00:47:14.600] which God nevertheless graced us in the days when AA was very young.

[00:44:15.500 – 00:44:18.900] last cent was in this thing and all these postal cards.

[00:44:18.900 – 00:44:28.900] So just as a precaution, one of our friends who was a member of the Downhouse Athletic Club said, “Well, now, uh, you, you

[00:44:28.900 – 00:44:30.600] can have my room over there.

[00:44:30.600 – 00:44:31.800] I don’t use it much.

[00:44:31.800 – 00:44:42.100] And why doesn’t somebody live with Morgan in there the week before?” You know, to just stay with him and be sure he gets to Heatter

[00:44:42.100 – 00:44:42.700] all right.

[00:44:42.700 – 00:44:45.700] So the great day came.

[00:44:45.700 – 00:44:48.000] The postal card goes out.

[00:44:48.000 – 00:44:53.300] In Akron, New York, Cleveland, the ears were to the radio.

[00:44:53.300 – 00:45:02.400] We visioned the books going out in carloads, orders flooding in, biggest profit of all in direct mail, no commissions.

[00:45:02.400 – 00:45:08.800] And sure enough, Heatter pulled out the tremolo stop.

[00:45:08.800 – 00:45:11.100] Ryan was sober.

[00:45:11.100 – 00:45:14.100] And boy, we were made.

[00:45:14.100 – 00:45:23.700] Well, we gave a post office box, old 458 in New York, I think it was, where we had a one-room office.

[00:45:23.700 – 00:45:33.900] Little Ruthie Hawk, who helped me with the book, bless her soul, my promoter friend Hank Parkhurst and I just couldn’t wait

[00:45:33.900 – 00:45:39.200] to get over to see what was coming into that box.

[00:45:39.200 – 00:45:48.000] We stuck it out for four days, and this took real restraint because there would be a fortune over there.

[00:45:48.000 – 00:45:58.000] And finally, we went and looked in the box, and you could see

[00:45:58.000 – 00:45:59.800] a few of these cards.

[00:45:59.800 – 00:46:02.100] And I had a terrible sinking sensation.

[00:46:02.100 – 00:46:06.400] But Hank was an incorrigible optimist.

[00:46:06.400 – 00:46:21.600] He said, “Well, he could– they couldn’t put them all in the box.” He said, “They got several mailbags full out there.” So

[00:46:21.600 – 00:46:26.400] the clerk came with the cards.

[00:46:26.400 – 00:46:36.400] Hank said, “Ain’t there any more?” “No.” We took them over to the desk, and we counted them, and

[00:46:36.400 – 00:46:37.100] there were 12.

[00:46:37.100 – 00:46:48.500] And 10 of them were from doctors, obviously stewed themselves who

[00:46:48.500 – 00:46:50.500] lambasted the hell out of us.

[00:46:50.500 – 00:46:55.800] And we had exactly two orders for the book Alcoholics Anonymous.

[00:46:55.800 – 00:47:07.700] So this is the unholy way in

[00:47:07.700 – 00:47:14.600] which God nevertheless graced us in the days when AA was very young.

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