Bill W. Handwritten Letter to Nell Wing — March 6, 1968 — G.S.O. Visitors and the Demands of A.A. Leadership
An important two-page handwritten letter from Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson to Nell Wing, his longtime secretary, trusted assistant, and one of the most important early custodians of A.A. history.
Written from the Long Bay Hotel in Antigua on March 6, 1968, the letter offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the demands placed upon Bill during the later years of his life and his concern about establishing expectations of personal access to him and the General Service Office.
This is more than a routine travel note. Bill is privately working through a practical problem created by A.A.’s extraordinary growth: how could he and G.S.O. remain available to the Fellowship without creating the expectation that visiting groups were entitled to personal meetings and special attention?
Bill W. Writes to Nell Wing
Nell Wing joined the A.A. headquarters staff in 1947 and became Bill’s secretary in 1950. Over the following decades, she served as his assistant, correspondent, organizer, and trusted intermediary.
Her role extended far beyond ordinary office work. Nell understood the people, relationships, and responsibilities surrounding Bill and Lois Wilson and later became closely involved in preserving A.A.’s historical records.
The informal and direct tone of this letter reflects the trust between them.
Bill begins by thanking Nell for keeping him and Lois informed about friends at home. He asks her to pass along their love and then turns to a proposed June visit from a Cleveland delegation.
The Proposed “Pilgrimage”
Bill tells Nell that he intends to decline the proposed visit:
“Now about the proposed June pilgrimage from Guatemala — I’m afraid I’ll have to draw the line this time.”
He explains that an earlier delegation had already been told there could be no repeat visit and then identifies his broader concern:
“Were we to create a widely known precedent that any small group of AAs in the world who can afford the plane fare are entitled to call upon G.S.O. and me for the ‘full treatment’—well, I think we could rapidly run into an impossible situation. On this trip I've seen much evidence of a desire to deify me to a degree that could really get out of hand. Just a few "pilgrimages" could do this."
This passage is the historical heart of the letter.
By 1968, Alcoholics Anonymous had become a worldwide Fellowship, and Bill’s position as its surviving cofounder brought a steady stream of requests for meetings, visits, advice, and personal attention. The letter captures him attempting to balance warmth and availability with the need to establish reasonable boundaries.
His concern was not simply the inconvenience of one proposed visit. He feared creating a precedent under which any group able to travel might expect private access to Bill, Lois, and the General Service Office.
Bill asks Nell to speak with others about the matter, showing her role as a trusted intermediary in the practical management of the demands surrounding him.
A Private View of Bill’s Later Years
The letter provides a rare view of Bill addressing the consequences of A.A.’s success in his own words.
The small fellowship he helped begin in the 1930s had grown into an international organization. With that growth came increasing pressure upon Bill’s time and upon the staff responsible for managing correspondence, visitors, and headquarters affairs.
Unlike a prepared speech or published essay, this letter records Bill thinking privately and practically. He is not explaining A.A. principles to the Fellowship. He is confiding in Nell about a genuine operational problem and asking for her help in handling it.
The letter closes in Bill’s familiar personal style, with an update from Antigua, affectionate greetings, and the simple signature:
Bill
Date Note
Bill dated the letter “Thursday 3/6/68.” March 6, 1968 fell on a Wednesday rather than a Thursday, indicating that he likely misstated the weekday while writing from Antigua.
Because the handwritten year clearly reads “68,” the letter is cataloged as March 6, 1968.
Item Details
Author: William G. Wilson, known within A.A. as Bill W.
Recipient: Nell Wing
Date: March 6, 1968
Day written by Bill: Thursday
Calendar day: Wednesday
Place Written: Long Bay Hotel, Long Bay, Antigua, West Indies
Format: Two-page handwritten letter
Medium: Blue ink on hotel stationery
Signature: Signed “Bill”
Subjects: Nell Wing, Bill and Lois Wilson’s travels, G.S.O., visiting A.A. groups, a proposed Guatemala delegation, and the demands placed upon A.A.’s cofounder
Condition
The letter remains in very good condition for an original handwritten manuscript from 1968.
It retains its original mailing folds and shows light age toning and general handling wear. There are several small areas of paper loss and edge disturbance, but these do not materially affect the letter’s content.
The blue handwriting remains strong and legible throughout, and the Long Bay Hotel letterhead remains clearly visible.
Please review all photographs carefully for a complete understanding of the condition and appearance.
Historical and Collector Significance
This letter combines several features of particular interest to collectors of Alcoholics Anonymous history:
- Two pages written entirely in Bill Wilson’s hand
- Direct correspondence with Nell Wing
- Substantive discussion of G.S.O. and visiting A.A. groups
- Bill’s candid concern about creating expectations of personal access
- A revealing view of the pressures created by A.A.’s worldwide growth
- Distinctive Antigua hotel stationery
- Bill’s warm, informal closing and signature
The recipient is central to the letter’s importance. Nell Wing was not simply a casual correspondent. She was one of Bill’s closest working associates and a trusted figure within A.A.’s headquarters.
This is a substantive Bill W. manuscript documenting the practical burden of leadership and the boundaries required as Alcoholics Anonymous expanded into a worldwide Fellowship.
