1814th Ord S&M Co (Avn)
APO 149. % PM, NY, NY
2 April 1945
FRANCE
Dear Aleister,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law!
Considering the postscript on yours of 15 March have not written Jack terminating friendship. Had a letter from him a few days ago but he said nothing about Smith. You mentioned some letters pertinent to that matter that you had intended sending. Would like to see them to get myself straightened out on the point. Just how far did Smith go on his project? Or did he ever actually start? And how has Jack come clean? Jack tells me that an old acquaintance of mine from San Francisco is staying with him now. One Louis Goldstone — a young fellow with considerable artistic talent. Jack seems to think that he may be with us soon.
Have computed the total of my contributions. After having tallied my receipts and balance them against the sums you have acknowledged receiving in your letters I came out with a total figure of $1,045. This lump sum maybe broken down as follows: $20 — paid upon receiving first three grades; $65 — monthly contributions in small amounts from Dec. 1942 to Jan. 1944 (either directly to you or to you through the transfer); $400 — in two £50 installments at 20% interest, completed 3 March 44; $400 in five £20 installments completed 2 Aug. 44; and $160 — contributed since that time ($80 — 2 Nov. 44, $80 — 2 Feb. 45, $40 — 3 March 45, $20 — 2 April 45). Now the first $400, plus interest, will amount to $480 by 1 July 45, a few months form now, but will not be collected because of our understanding on the backlog copies of the Book of Thoth. I now propose that that money be transferred from my Book of Thoth account and credited to my initiation fees account. If you wish you may knock off the $80 interest, 20% is rather high, and leave it as a straight $400 loan as tallied in my total of $1,045. Thus whatever interest I have in the books you are now holding for me should revert to you. I know that they would be handy to have around later but I am willing to take the loss to get this fee business straightened out. The second $400 is the loan for the 50 letters on which my payment is to be from the royalties of the book, as I understand it. Subtracting this $400 from the $1,045 we have a total of $645. As total fee amounts to $607 this leaves a balance of $38 in my favor as a general contribution. If you still wish to save the copies of the Book of Thoth for me you can credit it to that account with my future contributions until I again build up the required $400.
Still no word from you concerning my revision of “The Dynamics of Equilibrium” I really must get busy on “The Evolution of Economics” in which I intend to go into the economic side in much greater detail — even bringing in one general section on finance which I had to leave out because it was supplementary rather than essential. Also “The Trend of Social Change” in which I will have room to expound on the unlimited possibilities of education, research and the application of Thelema to a high energy civilization.
Think that’s all for now. Is Grant with you? If so give him my regards.
Love is the law, love under will.
Yours ever,
P.S. The figure $160 contributed since August includes the $20 I got off to you today. Did you receive the $40 I sent last month?
Note: Originally published in Thelema Lodge Calendar, November 2001.
Note: Thank you to William Heidrick for making these images available.