Actions unanimously approved by the General Service
Board at its January 1962 Meeting (Executive Session)*
The Board agreed to:
- Accept the twelve suggested principles of World Services (Concepts) as a guide for the future with three changes:
(a) The substitution of this paragraph for the one now appearing as the first paragraph on page 24:“Perhaps someone will object that, on close votes in the Conference, the combined Trustees and service worker ballots may decide a particular question. But why not? Certainly our Trustees and service workers are no less conscientious, experienced and wiser than the Delegates. Is there any good reason why their votes are undesirable? Clearly there is none. Hence we ought to be wary of any future tendency to deny either our Trustees or our service people their Conference votes, except in special situations that involve past performances, job qualifications or money compensation, or in case of a sweeping re-organization of the General Service Board itself, occasioned by misfunction of the Board. However, this should never be construed as a bar to Trustee vote on structural changes. It is also noteworthy that in actual practice our Trustees and Headquarters people have never yet voted in a “bloc”. Their differences of opinion among themselves are nearly always as sharp and considerable as those to be found among the Delegates themselves.”
(b) Deletion of the last sentence of Paragraph I on page 46, including the item in parentheses. (Concept IX)
(c) Deletion of last three paragraphs on page 50. (Concept IX)
- Mail the accepted suggested Concepts to 1962 Conference delegates at least one month in advance of the April Conference with a letter from Dr. Norris reporting the action of the Board with respect to the suggested Principles and Recommendations.
- Mail Bill’s Recommendations together with Trustees’ comments, and Bill’s January 23rd letter re Trustees’ comments.
- Adopt the following program which includes parts of Bill’s Recommendations and additional steps which the Board feels will strengthen A.A. structure:
(a) Change the By-laws and Certificate of G.S.B. to provide for an additional two Class A and an additional two Class B directors.(b) Adopt Bill’s recommendations for a new electoral method in selection of Area Trustees:
(1) All states or provinces of a given “nominating area” would be invited to submit candidates who could meet the current administrative requirements of the General Service Board, respecting the particular vacancy to be filled. Such nominations would be made by the several state or provincial committees of a given nominating area.
*Present were all Trustees except Messrs. B. Smith, L. Harrison and D. Goddard.
(2) At Conference time, the G.S.B. Nominating Committee, the Conference Nominating Committee, and the Delegates from the states or provinces of the “nominating area” would hold a joint meeting to select a single “area” Trustee candidate for election to the General Service Board.
(3) The G.S.B. Nominating Committee would then offer its tentative choice to this caucus. If this G.S.B. nominee could not be named by a two-thirds vote, then discussions of other candidates would be heard, after which the whole caucus would then turn to our standard Third Legacy method as the final means of making the choice. This candidate would be offered to the General Service Conference for approval, and his election tot he General Service Board would follow.
(c) Adopt the principle of 6-region zoning of the U.S.
- Present the entire program to the Conference meeting in April for its consideration and possible action.