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 THE EVOLUTION OF THE GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE
But, For the Grace of God...
By Wally P. Copyright 1995
Chapter 34: Summary
As the Big Book says "We realize we know only a little. God will
constantly disclose more to you and to us."1 This has most certainly
been the case with the Intergroup / Central Office history book. Since I wasn't abel to
personally visit and conduct independent research at each of the Intergroups and Central
Offices that were established in the 1940s, I freely admit that this work is incomplete.
However, significant progress has been made, primarily due to the many Office Managers,
Archivists, and Oldtimers who supplied the additional records that made this historical
account possible. I am still receiving material, and God willing, I will continue to
update and reprint this book on a regular basis.
Based on my study of the various Intergroups and Central Offices, I have noted several
common characteristics:
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Each Office was established for the purpose of supporting the life-saving activities of
the A.A. groups in a particular community.
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Each Office operated independently and autonomously. Office Managers and Secretaries did
communicate amongst themselves, but at no time was any Office `directed' on how
best to conduct its affairs. Each Office answered to its affiliated groups rather than to
some `central authority'.
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All of the Offices had financial difficulties. Few, if any, of the Offices were funded
solely by group contributions. Many of the Offices sold literature, hosted city-wide
meetings, and conducted special events to generate the supplemental revenue needed to keep
the operations going.
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Many of the Offices published and sold their own literature.
In the 1940s, The Alcoholic Foundation and the General Service Headquarters supported
the local Intergroup / Central Office publication efforts. Dr. Bob may have been partially
responsible for this support. He was one of the Trustees for The Alcoholic Foundation
during this period.
Dr. Bob had helped put together the Akron "Blue Collar" pamphlets to make the
program easier for newcomers to understand and follow. In addition, he approved the
publication of The Little Red Book - an Orthodox Interpretation of the 12 Steps,
written by Barry C. and Edward W.
"Few books have a greater record for humble service than The Little Red
Book upon which so many members have cut their A.A. teeth. This book evolved from
a series of notes prepared for 12 Step talks to A.A. beginners. A manuscript drawn up from
these notes was sent to Dr. Bob at the request of U.S.A. and Canadian members. He approved
the manuscript and the book was printed in 1946. Annual revisions have been made since
that date. The Little Red Book is a faithful guide to working the mechanics
of the 12 Steps. Based upon an orthodox interpretation of matter from Alcoholics
Anonymous it presents a firm but workable evaluation of each step as our founders
gave them to us."2
The Alcoholic Foundation endorsed the separation of the
A.A. spiritual program of
recovery from the organized, incorporated support services, which included the Intergroups
and Central Offices. The Board of Trustee's position was that A.A. should remain
unstructured and decentralized. Bill W. took the opposite position stating that
A.A.
needed to provide "some degree of direct control over its own financial assets,
literature, general policy, and top service people."3 Basically, The
Alcoholic Foundation believed that as A.A. grew, the Intergroups / Central Offices would
continue to provide the necessary support for the groups. On the other had, Bill wanted
additional structure that would link the groups directly to the A.A. book publishing
business.
This conflict was exemplified by an exchange of letters between Leonard V Harrison, a
non-alcoholic member of the Board of Trustees for The Alcoholic Foundation, and Bill W. On
July 23, 1946, Leonard wrote a statement in reply to Bill W.'s letter to the Board on July
10, 1946, in which Bill outlined his "Code for General Headquarters."
Leonard made the following statement:
"I am in entire accord with Bill's ultimate aims. I cherish the spirit and
tradition of the A.A. movement and desire to aid in the preservation of its integrity and
effectiveness. Yet, I find that I completely disagree with the proposals which Bill makes
regarding organizational structure and function. What he thinks would work better than do
our present arrangements, I think would not work at all...
...I believe that integration of the trustee function with the group
operating...function would deprive the Foundation of its present opportunity of exercising
a sort of remote control on an advisory basis, would engulf us in every current question
and passing storm, would place us in situations where we are not truly qualified to act,
and would ultimately destroy such usefulness as we are now able to bring to
A.A."
Leonard then replied to some of Bill's specific points:
Bill:
"Some of us think The Alcoholic Foundation out to be at the exact center of the
A.A. movement, serving A.A. only."
Comment:
"We are not qualified to be at the exact center of the A.A. movement."
Bill:
"Here at Headquarters we cannot afford to make even one grave policy blunder. A
single major mistake could touch off such an emotional chain explosion among the groups
that it might make The Alcholic Foundation look like Hiroshima, the day after."
Comment:
"That is exactly what would happen, in my opinion, in the event that we enter the
arena to participate in all of the future group struggles and ifficulties."
Bill:
"There is...reason for attempting democratic informality."
Comment:
"I see no need to employ "democratic informality" in signing leases for
office space, setting salary schedules, authorizing audits, controlling funds, making
contracts, and so on."
"In summary I would say that Bill is hoping for too much when he envisages The
Foundation as a protecting, stabilizing authority standing Gibralterlike, yet directly
involved in guiding A.A. group affairs...If we were established as the head of the A.A.
movement we would be pitched into the arena of controversy and would become the shining
target of any group disagreeing with our governance. It is my solid conviction that Bill's
plan of organization would lead to the very confusion and disintegration against which he
seeks to safeguard the A.A. movement."4
Bill commented on the deteriorating relationship between himself and the Trustees:
"Typically alcoholic, I became very excited, and this turned the passive
resistance of my fellow workers into solid opposition. A serious rift developed between me
and the alcoholic members of the board, and as the months went by, the situation became
worse and worse. With much reason, they resented my sledgehammer tactics and my continued
violence. As the tempest increased, so did my blistering memorandums to the board."5
Dr. Bob was not enthusiastic about Bill's proposal. In May 1948, he wrote the following
letter to Bill:
"However desirable many of these changes may be, I have the feeling that they
will be brought about without too much sudden upheaval. If the trustees are wrong, they
will hang themselves. I am just as interested in A.A. as you are, but am not 100 percent
sure as to the wisest course to follow and the wisest ultimate setup. It does seem that
for the moment, perhaps, "Easy Does It' is the best course to follow."6
The Board of Trustees countered Bill's barrage of memorandums with a "Statement of
Principles Governing the Policies and Activities of the Board of Trustees of The Alcoholic
Foundation." This Statement was adopted by the Board in July 1948.
"During the past months the Trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation have made a
critical review of problems arising from the phenomenal growth of the
A.A. Movement and
from the swelling routine activities of The Foundation. In connection with that review the
Trustees reached certain conclusions which are set forth below.
Basically the Trustees regard themselves as servants of
A.A., first, in performing
these secondary tasks which are necessary to support the principal objectives of the
individual members of A.A., and secondly, in preserving the stability and integrity of the
A.A. Movement. They affirm the aim of The Foundation to limit its organization and
activities to the bare essentials required to perform its important but limited duties.
The Trustees were also guided by their desire that The Foundation grow as little as
possible while the Movement expand boundlessly in its healing mission to all who seek
recovery from the ravages of alcohol.
At the outset we must distinguish between the A.A. Movement, which is not an
organized body, and the activities of The Foundation which is an incorporated body
dedicated to serving the members of A.A. individually and collectively through
its subsidiary facilities.
The Movement is exclusively a spiritual endeavor whose only aim is to attain personl
recovery and to carry the message of the way to recovery to others. The Movement is the
all-important thing. It is in no sense governed by The Foundation...In truth, (The
Foundation) is entirely guided by the Movement.
The Movement is a spiritual entity, comprising in substance the individual members of
A.A. and the groups, in the local activities (i.e., Intergroups and Central Offices)
of which most, but not all, members participate.
The Movement represents a spiritual ideal in process of growth. It can be imperilled by
secular problems of money, property and authority. These problems are involved with
organization. Development of organizational structure is detrimental to A.A. as a
Movement. Organization, therefore, has been and should continue to be kept to a
minimum. As the Movement grows the need for Organization diminishes. Most of the
problems...are coming to be handled by local and regional groups and committees,
functioning autonomously, which is as it should be.
The trustees are primarily custodians of money, policy and tradition. They maintain a
general headquarters office to deal with inquiries from individuals and groups; they
conduct certain necessary business and legal affairs; they endeavor to protect the
Movement from objectional publicity where the problem cannot feasibly be handled at a
local level.
Again, more concretely, the Trustees feel that they will best safeguard the established
tradition of A.A. in the following respects; compliance in spirit and letter with the
principle of Anonymity; rotation in office or position; observance of appropriate
standards in compensation of paid workers; limitation of volume and scope of activities at
the general headquarters office; and inauguration of a program of gradual
decentralization of headquarters activities to the end that the responsibility of
"carrying the message" may be gradually assumed by local groups and committees.
It is the considered judgement of your Trustees that if the
A.A. Movement remains
unshackled by the fetters of organization and is kept free from the corroding effect of
political procedures which stem from over-organization, it will grow in vast numbvers and
be an influence among those who are open to its message."7
Even with The Alcoholic Foundation's "Statement of Principle"
inplace, Bill
continued to press for a General Service Conference. He wrote Dr. Bob asking for his
support. Dr. Bob's reply was consistent with the position he took in 1948 - which was to
leave the structure alone.
"Dear Bill: ...Do not have the feeling that this is a particularly guided
thing to do. Maybe I am wrong, but that is the way I feel Love, Smithy"8
Clarence S., the "sparkplug" of Cleveland
A.A. and the Secretary of the
"first" Central Committee, was even less ecstatic with Bill's efforts to
'organize' A.A. In a letter to his ex-wife Dorothy on March 9, 1951, Clarence wrote:
"The question is, WHY A CONFERENCE? Personally, I must go along with all the
oldtimers who feel that as A.A. grows larger and becomes more accessible, the need for any
important control in New York or any other place diminishes. Our groups are autonomous,
and our members are pretty much the same. I don't see how some guy in Columbus Ohio or
someplace else, is going to represent me in any conference.
I have discussed this matter with a lot of (people)..., and I have yet to find a
ONE of them in favor of this conference deal. As far as they and I am cencerned, this a
fellowship, and it should remain (as such). All we need (is) simplicity. The steps, the
absolutes, and a couple of alkys who want to do something with themselves. Then we are in
business."9
Undaunted, Bill continued his quest. He published The General Service Conference of
Alcoholics Anonymous, outlining the purpose, structure, scope and principles for his
new organization. At the International Convention in Cleveland, which took place on July
28-30, 1950, Bill once again discussed his plan.
After Dr. Bob's death on November 16, 1950, the General Service Conference became a
reality. The first Conference was held in April 1951, and a Conference has been held
yearly ever since. With the exception of Chicago, Bill did not attempt to integrate the
Intergroup / Central Office structure with the General Service Conference structure. Most
of the Intergroups and Central Offices were already Incorporated as separate service
entities, so there was little he could do to alter what was already in place. Instead, he
established The General Service Conference structure on top of the Intergroup / Central
Office structure. This move has resulted in considerable conflict over the years. These
conflicts are so numerous, they could easily be the basis for another history book.
When all is said and done, our primary purpose remains crystal clear. the only question
is how best to accomplish our objective. From my review of the Intergroup and Central
Office operations in the 1940s, I can only conclude that in the early days of Alcoholics
Anonymous, these local service centers were very successful in carrying the
A.A. message
of hope to the still-suffering alcoholic.
In the early days, even Bill W. was opposed to organization. In September 1945, Bill
wrothe the following for The Grapevine.
RULES
"Were we to proceed by rules, somebody would have to make them and, more difficult
still, somebody would have to enforce them. 'Rule-making' has often been tried. It usually
results in controversy among the 'rule makers' as to what the rules should be. And when it
comes to enforcing an edict - well, you all know the answer. When we try to enforce rules
and regulations, however reasonable, we almost always get in so (much trouble) that our
authority disappears. A cry goes up, "Down with the dictators, off with their
heads!" Hurt and astonished 'Control Committee' after 'Control Committee', 'leader'
after 'leader' makes the discovery that human authority, be it ever so impartial or
benign, seldom works long or well in our affairs. Alcoholics are yet the most rugged of
individualists, true anarchists at heart.
When, therefore, we A.A.s look to the future, we must always be asking ourselves if the
spirit which now binds us together in our common cause will always be stronger than
those personal ambitions and desires which tend to drive us apart. So long as the positive
forces are greater, we cannot fail. Happily, so far, the ties which bind us have been much
stronger than those which might break us.
For example, 'the 12 steps' of our
A.A. program are not crammed down anybody's throat.
They are not sustained by any human authority. Yet we powerfully unite around them because
the truth they contain has saved our lives, has opened the door to a new world. Our
experience tells us these universal truths work.
Ultimately, these truths govern (our lives) and (we) come to live under their
authority, the most powerful authority known, the authority of full consent, willingly
given. (We are) ruled, not by people, but by principles, by truths and, as most of us
would say, (we are) ruled by God."10
1Alcoholics Anonymous. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services Inc., 1976) 164.
2Anonymous (Barry C. & Ed W.) The Little Red Book. (Minneapolis,
MN: Coll-Webb Company, 1954) Back Cover of Dust Jacket.
3Bill W., "Suggestions for The General Service Conference of
Alcoholics Anonymous. (Undated memorandum - February 1950?).
4"A Statement by Leonard V. Harrison on Future Organization and
Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation," (Dated July
23, 1946) 1.
5Pass It On. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services,
Inc., 1984) 333.
6Ibid., 330.
7"A Statement of Principles Governing the Policies and Activities of
the Board of Trustees of The Alcoholic Foundation."
8Pass It On. (New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services,
Inc., 1984) 333.
9Letter from Clarence S., to his ex-wife, Dorothy (March 9, 1951) 1-2.
10Bill W., "Rules," The Grapevine. (New York, NY: The
Alcoholic Foundation, September 1945) 2.
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