Addressed to Alcoholics Anonymous, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, the Western Union message carries a greeting from President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the opening date of the 1955 convention. Its dateline identifies the White House in Washington. The familiar telegram heading and compact transmitted text give a physical form to a message intended for the assembled Fellowship.

Eisenhower’s words move beyond a ceremonial wish for a successful meeting. He singles out A.A.’s growth and service and places its work alongside efforts to address serious personal and public health problems. In a collection concerned with A.A.’s coming of age, the telegram supplies the outside view: recognition of the Fellowship’s contribution from the President of the United States.

Its relevance is specific to this gathering. The message names the twentieth anniversary and is addressed to the convention venue; it is not a general statement of support later associated with the occasion. Read beside Bill Wilson’s private letter, it creates a striking change in scale—from public recognition of A.A. to the intimate work of remembering how it began.