The following letter was submitted by prolific author Dick B. in response to a series of articles on early A.A. history published on this web site which were written by archivist and historian Mitchell K.

A.A. History by Dick B.

Mitchell K. has well said that many are researching history of early A.A. However, many don't like and don't report what they see.

When I started my research ten years ago, I asked permission from Frank M. at GSO to see tapes and transcripts of the oldtimers. He submitted my request to the trustee archives committee, and it was granted. Those materials are reflected in The Akron Genesis of A.A. which Mitchell generously mentions on his page.

However, the materials had largely to do with what those oldtimers had to say about the use of the Bible in the homes, in the hospitals, and in the meetings.

Then, I went to Stepping Stones twice and with the permission of the archivist, Paul L., obtained all kinds of information from manuscripts by Bill which showed that he proclaimed he had been born again, that he had found religion, that he had heard almost every principle of the steps from Ebby (whether true or false) back in 1934. (See Turning Point). There was a great deal more in terms of Lois's own notes and the Oxford Group and the Oxford Group people she and and Bill met.

Doing Research

Without covering the rest of the ground, I'll mention that when my son and I recently spent a week at the Episcopal Church Archives in Texas going over 58 boxes of materials, we discovered some important facts:

(1) The material on Russell Firestone had been deleted from the records.

(2) A large chunk of Wilson-Shoemaker correspondence was lifted whole cloth by one of three sets of previous visitors and has never surfaced (though I believe I saw a large part of it at the home of one of the visitors many years ago).

(3) The records that remain are filled with names of Rowland Hazard, Shep Cornell, Bill Wilson, and many of our other forbears.

There is ample evidence as to how much of our history was thoroughly edited by Father John C. Ford and Father Ed Dowling when they reviewed the manuscripts for the Twelve and Twelve and A.A. Comes of Age. Ford did so with a "fine tooth comb," said Wilson to Shoemaker.

Correcting the Errors

None of this material is reported in the most recent comprehensive "history" of our movement. And the omission has not been corrected by the author (as yet, we hope) or by others.

So, correcting the errors requires painstaking research of evidence located in many parts of the United States. It means honesty about omissions. It means willingness to take the facts even when and where they lead to the Bible and Jesus Christ.

It means open-mindedness about what A.A. was, rather than expositions of what people believe it should be and have allowed it to become. It's a tough job. And Mitchell K. did one part of his work well in finally getting out part of the Clarence Snyder story.

The True Picture

People have become so saturated in the story that A.A. came from the Oxford Group, that we learned more about what not to do than what to do from the Oxford Group, and that the atheists gave us "God as we understand Him" that I wonder when we'll get the true picture.

You have to start with Akron -- that's where A.A. was founded. In Akron, they had no steps. Dr. Bob had been steeped in the Bible since his Christian Endeavor days in St. Johnsbury, Vermont (See Dr. Bob and His Library).

When the Oxford Group splash occurred in 1933, Dr. Bob got aboard; but his participation did not get him sober. He read their literature. He read lots of other literature (See The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth).

He read the Bible three times and was able to see some basic ideas (See The Good Book and The Big Book).

Bible Study

When Bill met Bob, they stayed up for hours each evening discussing what they knew of the Oxford Group ideas, what Dr. Bob knew about the Bible, what Bill didn't know about the Bible (See The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous), and what basic ideas in Jesus's sermon on the mount, 1 Corinthians 13, and the Book of James could add to the picture of belief in God, coming to Him through Christ, examining one's life in terms of Christ's "yardsticks," confessing to another (James 5:16), becoming convinced of the need to repent, letting God do the lifting (James 4:7 and 4:10), making restitution (Matthew 5), continuing the process (Matthew), seeking God's guidance (James), letting their faith be shown by their works (James), and practicing the principles (1 Corinthians 13, Matthew 5-7, and James).

Dr. Bob covered this in his 1948 address. He said the same thing on other occasions. And Anne Smith recorded the whole picture in the 64 page journal she shared with early AAs when they came to the Smith home for "spiritual pablum" in each morning's Quiet Time.

My oh my, how I would love to see someone putting out the facts as they were instead of what we've been told. Mitchell should know better because Clarence told him the foregoing facts, got him to study the Bible, and led him to Christ. Fear is the greatest enemy! (See That Amazing Grace).

Dick B.
http://www.dickb.com

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