TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ALCOHOLIC FOUNDATION
What we are told:
THE THREE LEGACIES OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS 189By 1940 we had begun to see that the AA. book should belong to
our society itself. Its shares should not be forever scattered among
forty-nine subscribers, Ruth Hock, Henry, and me. If the Foundation
could acquire these outstanding shares, the book could be placed in
trust for A.A. as a whole. The proceeds of the book would become
tax-free if the cash shareholders were paid off, and they could no
longer kick about the book’s income being used to run the AA. office.
...
Every one of the cash subscribers gladly consented to this; they were
happy to get out even. Mr. Chipman thereupon raised a total of
$8,000 dollars, to be repaid to Mr. Rockefeller and the others out of
book profits at a later date. The subscribers turned in their shares,
received their money, and placed our Foundation in possession of a
one-third interest in Works Publishing.
What documents from AAWS Inc. archives revealed:
download original document foundat.pdf
6/20/41 TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ALCOHOLIC FOUNDATION. Gentlemen, This is a proposal to readjust the status of the Alcoholic Foundation and Works Publishing, Inc., publishers and distributors of the book Alcoholics Anonymous". The legal and accounting relationship which exists between The Alcoholic Foundation and Works Publishing, Inc. at the present time is as follows: 1. The Alcoholic Foundation owns more than 2/3 of capital stock of Works Publishing, Inc. 2. Two of the Trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation, Messrs. Taylor and Crystal are President and Vice President of Works Publishing Inc. 3. The Alcoholic Foundation and Works Publishing, Inc. have jointly maintained an office at 30 Vesey St. For something more than a year. 4. Works Publishing, Inc. signed the loops for the office but has been reimbursed each month by The Alcoholic Foundation to the extent of 50% of the rent. 5. In like manner substantially all of the overhead expenses at the Vesey St. Office, including salaries, telephone and postage have been defrayed 50% by The Alcoholic Foundation. Save with one or two exceptions, Works Publishing, Inc. has been issuing its own checks in payment of all expenses and has then reimbursed itself to the extent of 50% by drawing upon The Alcoholic Foundation. 6. This arrangement functioned until March 1st of this year when the Saturday Evening Post article greatly increased Vesey St. Office expenses, making it necessary to ask the A.A. groups for contributions payable to The Alcoholic Foundation. 7. The Foundation has since received approximately $1200.00 from the groups along with instructions that these monies be placed in a separate account to be known as "A.A. Operating Expenses" intended to defray the overhead at the Vesey St. office. 8. At the time the groups were solicited for the monies, a budget for the year commencing March 1st was submitted in which it was proposed that during the year the groups raise $4000,00, that the book contributes $3000.00 and that Mr. Rockefeller's donation of $1000 be applied to the "A.A. Operating Expenses" fund. 9. To date the funds contributed by the A.A. groups and Mr. Rockefeller's contribution have not been set up as a separate account on The Alcoholic Foundation books nor have these monies been drawn upon by the Vesey St. office. 10. Nearly all of the expenses of the Vesey St. office have been defrayed since March 1st out of Works Publishing, Inc. funds. 11. From March 1st until June 1st, these expenditures by Works Publishing, Inc. for its own and The Alcoholic Foundation account have been in amount $1654.50. 12. It is therefore clear that whatever the future accounting arrangements may be, The Alcoholic Foundation should not reimburse Works Publishing, Inc. for the total expenditures of three months. At the same time, Works Publishing, Inc. should issue its check to The Alcoholic Foundation for $750.00, representing three months at $250 as outlined in the budget submitted to the groups. At the last Trustees meeting it was conceded that readjustment for the period since March 1st as suggested above would have to take place. But the question was raised whether this particular policy of disbursement and accounting should be continued in the future. It was thought that perhaps it would be unwise to mix the book funds and The Foundation funds in any way - that possibly two ... [ text missing]
Check the money trail: AA Groups --> Alcoholic Foundation --> non-alcoholics
Yes, there were "Rockefeller donations". John D. obviously received some.