(12/05/1943) Grady McMurtry to Aleister Crowley

1684th Ord MM Co (Avn) (Q)
APO 635
U.S.Army
5 December 1943

Care Frater

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Dispatched the £30 by telegraph on the 30th Nov.
Received your letter of the 27th Nov.

Have read through the “Legend”. I suppose you have attempted to get an official statement from the Government concerning your activities as an “Irish Patriot”? If such were available, now or after the war, it would alter the entire campaign, of course. “Great patriot falsely accused”. “Hero suffers scorn of countrymen for the sake of England”, etc, etc, & etc. Was this what you were referring to when you mentioned “another Dreyfus case”? That should give us the needed “air superiority” articles by leading men and a play on your literary genius and mountain climbing, etc, should then be able to consolidate the position with the Law of Will and Magick (a strong play on the “philosophy” angle — Americans at least are blase concerning religion and mysticism but philosophy makes them feel cultural) held as a strategic reserve to be used as a striking force in the next phase of operations — all geared to a master time table. Such is tactics. I might suggest that you soft pedal your “getting America into the war on our side. We resent it. Strongly. Maybe that doesn’t make sense — maybe it was for our own good — the fact remains that we, as a nation, resent it. And I am more interested in the spread of the Law of Thelema than in playing up to Crowley’s cleverness.

Have received both of your letter of the 29th Nov. plus the one of 1st Dec. as well as “The City of Dreadful Night” since starting this. I hope I haven’t appeared rude in not answering them sooner but I wanted to polish off “Nadir” and it has taken some polishing as you can see. Practically reworked with a totally different ending. Had to restrain myself from calling it “Elevator Down” — you know “3rd floor — pell, astrolabes, alembics, blood pots, best vampire tooth penpoints”. Wrote “Oblivion” on the night of 4th Dec. while about half way through “The City of Dreadful Night”. Had three double shots of rum under the old belt. ‘Wings of the Shadow” is an earlier work.

{remainder missing}

Note: Originally published in Thelema Lodge Calendar, June 2001.

(12/05/1943) Grady McMurtry to Aleister Crowley

Note: Thank you to William Heidrick for making this image available.