August 3 in A.A. History

1911: Earle M. [right] was born in Omaha, Nebraska. At age ten, he and his family—his father, mother, and brother—relocated to San Francisco, California, which he would come to regard as home. He later became a distinguished gynecological surgeon. In June 1953, he sobered up, and remained sober for 49 years until his death in 2003. His story, “Physician Heal Thyself,” appeared in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous.

1918: [Likely date] After crossing the North Atlantic Ocean, the H.M.T. Lancashire (a hired military transport ship) [left] arrived in Liverpool, England, carrying Bill W. and his Coastal Artillery Corps unit.

1985: In her syndicated column [right, as published in the Steubenville, Ohio, Herald-Star, with an edited title], Ann Landers recommended Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, and Alateen:

Dear Ann Landers: My friend was always a heavy drinker, but since his wife died he misses work repeatedly and get dead drunk on weekends.

I have tried reasoning with him, but he gets angry and orders me out of his house. How can I help him? – No Name In New York

Dear No Name: Trying to reason with a drunk is like trying to blow out a lightbulb.

When he is sober let the drinker know, in a nonjudgmental way, that you are concerned. Set aside your hostility and remember you are angry at the illness, not him.

Contact the National Headquarters of the National Council on Alcoholism, 12 West 21st St., New York, N.Y., 10010. They will put you in touch with program and services in your area

Alcoholics Anonymous is the most effective organization for drunks who want to stop killing themselves. Al-Anon is a terrific support group for relatives tives of alcoholics who choose to hang in there. Alateen is a group for teenagers whose parent (or parents) are boozers. The majority of heartwarming thank-you letters I have received over the years have come from people I’ve sent to A.A. and Al-Anon.

1989: The Liberty Bell’s Group—“Half cracked but liberated from booze a day at a time”—was founded at the First Lutheran Church [left], 217 N. Lindsay St., Lake Elsinore, California. An early meeting schedule [right] shows:

Mon. Mixed	[Closed]	As Bill Sees It
Thurs. Mixed	[Closed]	Big Book study
Fri. Men Only	[Closed]	12×12
Sat. Mixed	[Closed]	Discussion
Last Sat. of Month Mixed	Open	Birthday Meeting and Pot Luck	6:30

At some point, the group’s name would be changed to the more grammatically correct “Liberty Bell Group” (losing the possessive).

August in A.A. History—day unknown

1936: Frank Buchman [left] traveled to Germany for the Olympic Games, feeling a heavy burden about Hitler’s actions there due to his deep attachment to the country and its people. While in Berlin, he shared his concerns with Danish journalist Jacob Kronika [right] at the Esplanade, stating,

Germany has come under the dominion of a terrible demoniac force. A counter-action is urgent. We must ask God for guidance and strength to start an anti-demoniac counter-action under the sign of the Cross of Christ in the democratic countries bordering on Germany, especially in the small neighbouring countries.

Upon arriving in Berlin, Moni von Cramon arranged for Buchman to attend a lunch hosted by a German diplomat and his wife, where Himmler

[left] would be present. Buchman hoped to secure an interview with Himmler, believing that through him, he could reach Hitler [right]. He managed to schedule an appointment for a few days later.

However, the “interview” turned out to be a complete disaster. Himmler had hoped to exploit the “absolute obedience” to God exhibited by Moral Re-Armament (MRA, formerly the Oxford Group) for the benefit of his followers in the S.S. and the Nazis, but he completely failed in this.

Younger colleagues who accompanied Buchman to the interview confirmed his account, reporting that Himmler entered with several henchmen, delivered a propagandistic speech about Nazism, and left without allowing Buchman or his associates to speak. Buchman’s immediate response was, “Here are devilish forces at work. We can’t do anything here.”

Ultimately, Buchman never met Hitler and did not make any further attempts to do so.