tions among themselves, without having the membership vote specific individuals into a directorship for special purposes? The wording of the plodge, for instance, which eachmember must agree to, designates evoryono, at least inferentially, as a. public relations representative of the Society. While a specifically named Public Relations Director might be thought of as a so-ordinator of this function, it does not seem entirely reasonable that one person should be saddled for his term of office with a more or loss limiting designation of this sort. If, for instance, a professionally qualified researcher should approach the Public Relations Director with a scientific project to be handled in the locality where both are resident, it is unrealistio to think that it ought to be shunted to a geographically distant Research Director with whom neither of those involved in the project are likely to have any immediate contact.

Furthermore, since the elected Research Director would, of necessity, be a member of the Sooiety, it would require also that he be a professionally well-known person in scientific research circles, if his criticisms or suggestions about the project were to carry very much weight with the scientist who had originatod a contact with the Society for its cooperation.

As an alternative to having a specifically designated research director on the Board, I would recommend to the membership that ho bo replaced with an advisory research board, composed of those non-members of the Society who wore found to have sufficient intorest in our field of endeavor as well as professional stature to donate their time, onorgios and thought to such a task. The New York Area Council has, in fact, such a professional advisory group working in their area now. Perhaps this group .could be expanded to perform the same function for the national headquarters of the Society, with additional members rooruited from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver, the three localities with sufficiently active chapters to warrant such a stop.

The suggestions contained in this report will be brought to the membership formally as new business at the time of the annual business meeting on September 2nd.

--Sam Morford, Research Director, 1956-57

REVIVAL IN CHICAGO:

Small Membership Promises to Enlist Interest of Others, Based Upon Planned New Program

EVENTS IN THE CHICAGO AREA of the Mattachine Society have continued regularly during the past year, but at a pace lacking the vigor seen two years ago when three active chapters were busy in the area. Since the previous national convention, Chicago's schedule of regular meetings has been intermittent. Monthly meetings of a core of members and interested friends have been held, and the long-heralded "legal brochure" has been completed.

In July 1956, Hal Call of San Francisco addressed a meeting of the members and friends in this area after his East Coast visit. His talk concerned ways to overcome the fear of association which were strongly felt in Chicago at the time, and still are a factor in the smallness of membership in the area.

But in August 1957, Jack French, the legal committee chairman of the Chicago area, visited Los Angeles and San Francisco. He was enthusiastic in his hopes for a revival of interest in the Chicago area, and outlined a series of fall meetings to be set up in terms of a concrete program based upon:

1. Public Discussion Forums

2. Research Projects on the Sex Subject: Cooperation by the Chicago Area in such projects as that proposed by British Social Biology Council of London

3. Discussion and Distribution of the booklet, "Your Legal Rights"

CHICAGO'S MEMBERSHIP stood at only four persons in August. It is not an imposing record, but it does indicate a continuation of interest and a promise of a definite revival which will be significant.

THE LEGAL BOOKLET was published in August at San Francisco. Copies of it are being mailed to all Mattachine addressees in Illinois, and additional copies will go into other states. It is possible to adapt the booklet so that it is useful in any state, although it was compiled in Illinois. The Chicago area is grateful indeed for the aid and cooperation of Pearl M. Hart, Chicago attorney, in preparing the booklet.