How did the connection
between the Rockefeller's and Alcoholics
Anonymous develop?
Answer
After the meeting in Akron
in the Fall of 1937, I went back to New York as
we say, all steamed up. I then made the dismal
discovery that the very rich who had the money
that we needed had not the slightest interest in
drunks, they just didn't give a damn. I
solicited and I solicited and I became very
worried. I even approached the Rockefeller
Foundation, you know, I figured John D. would
have an interest in alcoholism, sociology,
medicine and religion and this should just fit
the bill. But no, we didn't fit into any
category with the Rockefeller Foundation and
they felt a little poor at the time what with
the depression. One day I'm in my
brother-in-law's office, he a doctor. I was
moaning about the stinginess of the rich, our
need for money and how it looked like this thing
wasn't going to go anywhere. He said, "Have you
tried the Rockefeller Foundation." And I told
him that I had. "Well," he said, "it might help
if you saw Mr. Rockefeller personally." I said,
"Dr. Winn, I don't want to seem facetious, but
could you recommend me to the Prince of Wales,
he might help out too." And then came one of
those strange turns of fate, if you like, or
providence, if you prefer and the slender thread
was this, My brother-in-law the doctor sat there
scratching his head and he said, "When I was a
young fellow I used to go to school with a girl
and I think the girl had a uncle and it seemed
to me that his name was Willard Richardson and
it seems he was a pretty old guy and he might be
dead now but it does seem to me that he had
something to do with the Rockefeller charities.
Supposing I call the Rockefeller offices and see
if he is around and if he would remember me. He
called this dear old gentleman on the phone, one
of the greatest nonalcoholic friends that A.A.
ever had. Immediately he remembered my
brother-in-law and said, "Leonard where have you
been all these years. I'd love to see you."
Unlike me, my
brother-in-law is a man of very few words and he
rather tensely explained that he had a relative
who was trying to help alcoholics and was making
some headway and could we come over to Mr.
Rockefeller's offices and talk about it. "Why
certainly," said the old man, and soon we were
in the presence of this wonderful Christian
gentleman who was incredibly one of John D's
closest friends. When I saw that I thought that
now we are really getting close to the bankroll
and the old man asked me a few shrewd questions
and I told the yarn so far as it had been spun.
Then he said, "Mr. Wilson, would you like to
come to lunch with me early next week." Oh boy,
would I. Now we were really getting warm. So we
had lunch and at the lunch he said, "I know of
three or four fellows who would be real
interested in this. I'll get a meeting together
with them as they are friends or are associated
with Mr. Rockefeller and some were recently on a
committee, which recently recommended the
discontinuance of the prohibition experiment. So
presently, several of us alcoholics, Smitty and
a couple from Akron, some of the boys from New
York, found ourselves sitting in the company of
these friends of Mr. Rockefeller in Mr.
Rockefeller's private boardroom. In fact, I was
told that I was sitting in a chair that Mr.
Rockefeller had sat in only a half-hour before.
I thought, now we are really getting hot.
Well, we were nonplussed, a
little lost for words, so each of us alkies just
started telling his story. Our new friends
listened with rapt attention and then with
reluctance and modesty I brought up the subject
of money and at once you see that God has worked
through many people to shape our destiny. At
once, Mr. Scott who had sat at the head of the
table said, "I am deeply impressed and moved by
what has been said here but aren't you boys
afraid that if you had money you might create a
professional class, aren't you afraid that the
management of plants, properties and hospitals
would distract you from your purely good will
aims." Well, we admitted, we had certainly
thought of those difficulties. They had been
urged upon us by some of our own members, but we
felt that the risk of not doing these things was
greater than the risk of doing at least some of
them. "At least," we said, "Mr. Scott, this
society needs a book in which we can record our
experience so that the alcoholics at a distance
can know what has happened."
One of the gentlemen said that he
would go out to Akron and we kind of steered him
that way as the mortgage on the Smith's house
was bigger than mine and he went out to Akron
and came back with a glowing report which Mr.
Richardson placed in front of Mr. Rockefeller.
This marked another turning point. After hearing
the story and reading the report on Akron Group
No.1, Mr. Rockefeller expressed his deep
interest and feelings about us. "But Dick," he
said, "If we give these fellows real money its
going to spoil them and it will change the whole
complexion. Maybe you fellows think it needs
money and if you do go ahead and get them up
some." He said, "I'll tell you what I'll do,
I'll put a small sum in the Riverside Church
treasury and you can draw it out and at least
try to help these two men for a while but this
thing should be self sustaining. Money, Dick,
will spoil it." What a profound realization. God
did not work through us but through Mr.
Rockefeller whose every interest we had actually
claimed from that moment. This man who had
devoted his life to giving away money said "not
this time." And he never did give us real money,
praise God. (Chicago, Ill., February1951)
