February 25 in A.A. History

In 1951, a Regional Conference took place in Jacksonville, Florida, beginning at 2:30 PM in the assembly room of the Mayflower Hotel. Representatives from all groups in North Florida were invited to elect an Area Delegate for the newly established Area 15, Northern Florida. The chosen delegate would represent the area at the first annual General Service Conference in New York City.
    The invitation [right] stated that this Conference…

    will act as a “guinea pig” for ob­servers from the Southeastern region, so that they may return to their respective districts with an excel­lent knowledge of the correct procedure in the formation of their group districts.

    Among those in attendance was Bill W, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

In 1951, President Richard M. Nixon replied to a letter from Thomas P. “Tom” P. that suggested that Nixon apply the 12 Steps to the Watergate situation by substituting the word “Watergate” for “alcohol” in the 1st Step and then “conscientiously apply the rest of the 12 Steps” to his own situation.

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 25, 1974

Dear Tom:

    Before another day passes, I wanted you to know that I received your very thoughtful let­ter of February 1. Many times in the past I have had occasion to thank you, but I must say once again how much it means to know I have been able to count on the loyalty and under­standing of so many long-time friends.

    I deeply appreciate your suggestions and the genuine spirit of concern and goodwill in which they were made. As you know, in several televised press conferences I accepted responsi­bility along the lines you discussed. Further, on a number of occasions I have pledged my full cooperation to the Special Prosecutor and to the Judiciary Committee so that the in­vestigations can be concluded, the guilty parties brought to justice, and those innocent of any wrongdoing may be cleared and, hopefully, have their good names and reputations re­stored. However, I have also stated that I will follow the precedent set by every other United States President of never doing anything that weakens the Office of the President or impairs the ability of future Presidents to make the great decisions that are so essen­tial to this Nation and to the world. This has been a difficult period not only for me but for all Americans, and when this and related matters are brought to a full and just reso­lution, I am confident the majority of the American people will come to understand that the trust they placed in me has not been violated.

    In the meanwhile, it is a source of constant reassurance to me to have the support of friends like Katherine [Tom’s wife] and you and to be included in your prayers. Pat joins me in sending you both our warmest personal regards.

        Sincerely,
                   <initialed “RN”>