From Pioneering Fellowship to National Movement: Jack Alexander’s A.A. Articles
On March 1, 1941, The Saturday Evening Post published Jack Alexander’s landmark article, “Alcoholics Anonymous: Freed Slaves of Drink, Now They Free Others.” It became one of the great turning points in A.A. history—bringing the Fellowship to national attention and triggering an immediate wave of public interest.
The story begins with Post owner Judge Curtis Bok, who first learned about A.A. through friends and believed the magazine should tell the story. He assigned the project to Jack Alexander, one of the Post’s best-known journalists. Bill W., eager to carry the message, cooperated fully—sharing records, arranging interviews with both A.A. members and nonalcoholic trustees, and guiding Alexander through key A.A. locations and early history.
Letters exchanged in early 1941 show the anticipation building. On January 4, 1941, Alexander sent Bill W. a manuscript draft. Two days later, Bill replied with unmistakable gratitude, writing that Alexander and the Post would soon be “the toast of A.A.—in coca cola, of course!” He believed the article would directly relieve enormous suffering, bringing help to people who otherwise had no access to A.A.
After publication, the response was immediate and overwhelming. The small staff at A.A. “Headquarters” in New York—precursor to today’s General Service Office—was swamped by inquiries. In a letter dated March 12, 1941, Ruth Hock (A.A.’s first nonalcoholic secretary) reported to Dr. Bob that the office had received 918 inquiries in just 12 days, directly tied to the article. The Post’s own offices were flooded as well, prompting internal bulletins noting the unusually heavy reader mail and requests for contact with local groups.
Eight years later, Bill W. wrote Alexander again—this time to ask for a follow-up. In a June 8, 1949 letter, Bill credited the Post with taking A.A. “out of the pioneering stage and [making] it a movement,” and noted that reprints of the 1941 article were still being shipped “by the carload.” Although A.A. rarely sought publicity, Bill felt an exception was warranted: the public still had only a vague idea of what A.A. really was, and an “inside view” could help protect the Fellowship’s future by strengthening understanding of unity and purpose.
Alexander replied the next day, June 9, 1949, admitting he had often thought about doing another piece—but doubted there was enough new material beyond membership growth. The fundamentals, he wrote, seemed unchanged: the psychology of drinkers, how A.A. works, and the steps toward arresting the habit.
Bill continued to make the case. In December 1949, he outlined major turning points in A.A.’s development—separation from the Oxford Group, Rockefeller’s insistence that A.A. did not need money, the formation of the Alcoholic Foundation, and the early shaping of the Big Book. Over the following months, the two corresponded about revisions and factual corrections. Finally, the follow-up appeared: “The Drunkard’s Best Friend,” published in the April 1, 1950 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.
The second article was also warmly received within the Fellowship. On April 22, 1950, Bill W. wrote the Post’s editor to express gratitude for Alexander’s work—saying it was no exaggeration that the 1941 article had brought recovery within reach of thousands, and that the new piece would accomplish a similarly “fine result.” Over time, the two Alexander articles came to be regarded as among the most consequential pieces of public service journalism ever written about A.A.
When Jack Alexander died in 1975, his obituary credited him as the newspaperman whose reporting helped make Alcoholics Anonymous a major organization. Even today, the General Service Office Archives continues to receive inquiries from people seeking both articles—a testament to their lasting impact on A.A.’s public history.