Blog 8: Tracing Our Origins - The Article that Brought AA to Australia

By Adrienne V – Hobart 

Accounts of the history of AA in Australia state that Dr Sylvester Minogue, after reading an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP), wrote to the journal on 7 December 1942 seeking information about AA. His letter was forwarded to AA in New York, and on 2 February 1943, a copy of the Big Book was sent to him. This correspondence ultimately paved the way for the establishment of the AA fellowship in Australia in 1945. The article Dr Minogue is believed to have read is often attributed to Dr Harry Tiebout, the psychiatrist associated with the early pioneers of AA in New York, who authored several papers on alcoholism and AA.

About ten years ago, I set out to locate the Tiebout article that Dr Minogue supposedly read, but my search proved challenging. The earliest Tiebout paper published in the AJP was in January 1944, titled Therapeutic Mechanisms of Alcoholics Anonymous, the same article included in the appendix of Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. However, Dr Minogue’s letter predates the publication of this article, raising questions about the source of his information.

From this, one can deduce that either Dr Minogue read an article in the AJP by a different author, or he encountered a Tiebout article published elsewhere. Given that Minogue’s letter was addressed to the AJP, the more likely explanation is that he read an article in the journal by another author.

So, what was the article, and who was its author? A review of AJP issues published in 1942 suggests that the article Dr Minogue most likely read was The Treatment of Chronic Alcoholism by Walter A. Thompson M.D, published in the May issue. This was the only article from that year to mention AA. I acquired a copy of the article and can confirm that it provides a comprehensive description of AA. It mentions the Big Book, discusses the disease concept of alcoholism, explores the spiritual element of recovery, quotes the Twelve Steps, describes the role of the fellowship, and evaluates AA’s outcomes. The article concludes by recommending AA as an effective method for treating certain cases of chronic alcoholism.

These findings strongly suggest that the article Dr Minogue read, which ultimately led to the establishment of AA in Australia, was The Treatment of Chronic Alcoholism by Walter A. Thompson M.D, published in the May 1942 issue of the AJP.

Anyone wishing to access the Thompson article can search for it via AJP Psychiatry Online. Access is available for a fee of $35 (USD), but permission from the AJP is required to copy or distribute the article.

Another historical point worth noting involves Archie McKinnon, who is credited as a co-founder of the first AA meeting in Sydney. In his book Castle of Shadows, Archie recalls reading Dr Tiebout’s article in the AJP in 1944. This prompted him to write to the journal, resulting in a Big Book being sent to him from New York. The accompanying letter, written by Margaret (Bobbie) Berger, AA’s Secretary in New York, also encouraged Archie to contact Dr Minogue. Archie followed this advice, and this connection ultimately led to the establishment of AA in Australia in 1945.