have wondered if our efforts ever go beyond holding our begging hand out for your help.

Fact is that two organizations--Mattachine and One-long ago were required by the press of organizational development and individual need to establish full-time staffs of personnel who are today in every definition professional servants and spokesmen for the homophile minority. The miracle of accomplishment through education, aid to research, social service to individuals, and public relations and information to all of society is a little-understood benefit of vast importance to homosexuals everywhere. But it is there, it continues, and it must continue. It is an idea whose time has come--an idea converted into action that has received serious attention far and wide across the U.S. and elsewhere.

Books, magazines, newspapers, radio and television, lecture platforms, university classrooms, church representatives and professional groups of behavioral scientists--all of these attest to the positive accomplishment made by Mattachine, One, Daughters of Bilitis, and a host of other organizations and enterprises more recently created. Changes which these groups have made through their publications have been reflected at an ever accelerating pace in our society. In spite of pressures to the contrary there exists today a greater freedom to read, assemble and speak than existed only 15 years ago. As a result topics such as sexual expression, venereal disease, are today being stripped of the shrouds of taboo for the everlasting benefit of modern mankind. But this work is only begun; it is difficult but not hopeless as it once appeared. Signs of melting prejudice, enlightened attitudes, legal reform, and greater regard for human values and inherent human rights everywhere. Some credit for this must be given to the organizations which have struggled against tides of bigotry and ignorance, all the time against incredible odds.

It is no secret that all organizations in the field have been severely limited in what they can accomplish because support they deserve has not been forthcoming. This hard reality has been even more painfully applied to those two organizations (Mattachine and One) which have full-time staffs, and which organizations have long since progressed out of the "individual and group project" status into that of "continuous operation for service. 11 At Mattachine, it means immediate, direct availability with offices open to the public almost 60 hours per week--with immediate information and referral, face-to-face counseling for hundreds of social service cases each month, and a direct approach to solving individual problems NOT when someone returns a call, but NOW.

Translated into other terms, it means that up to half of a an ordinary work week is spent by two or more staff members with a background of knowledge and experience aiding

mattachine REVIEW

individuals' directly and immediately, and unfortunately, without revenue coming in to pay for this service. Taken a step further, it means that Mattachine is required to perform a $50,000-a-year task on $15, 000 income. It takes no great accounting skill to realize that such an operation inevitably courts disaster.

To ward off this disaster, previous fund appeals, creation of a pledge system, and continued."selling" of memberships were called upon. At the same time expenses of operation were literally butchered to the bone. A reduction in the paid staff was made. While these measures helped, they only delayed the disaster somewhat while the operation sank more deeply into debt and at the same time production dropped to its lowest point.

Thus in April we had to suspend publication of the REVIEW and forget the continuation of INTERIM for the present. While this did cut down the expense, it also resulted in a further slash of income.

Sadly, this broke almost 10 years of continuous publication of the magazine and without doubt it did much to damage Mattachine's image to its members and friends accross the nation and over the world. Ironically, this came at a time when some of the biggest and best public relations breaks were coming our way: the LIFE magazine article, creation of the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, hour-long documentary programs on Canadian Broadcasting Television, and San Francisco's KRON-TV, plus prestige-making attention in several books to name only a few.

But we didn't beat our heads against a wailing wall. An expected trust fund gift went elsewhere and didn't come to us. Our operation suffered a loss of almost $1000, largely from a legal brief we printed for which we have never been fully paid. To our aid came the Tavern Guild of San Francisco during the summer which sponsored benefit auctions and other projects that raised exactly $2000. That helped to meet our minimum overhead. Other efforts managed to keep 1964 income level almost equal to that of a year ago. But none of it erased any debt; we still were sinking deeper. Among Mattachine's almost 600 member-subscribers, contributors and pledgees, not more than a "baker's dozen' are able to support us with more than $100 per year on an individual basis. More than 75% of our support comes from the "little people" like ourselves. There is no grant-in aid, no endowment or trust, no wealthy angel supporting what we do. The day when these things--including bequests from wills, and large gifts--will come is not here yet.

Thus you realize that the haphazard schedule of the REVIEW since April was a decision over which we had no · choice. Issues for April-May, June-July, and AugustSeptember are almost ready for the press. October came out. And now you have the November-December edition. Subscriptions will be extended four issues for those who are paid In 1965, we are determined to produce the customary 12 monthly editions. But newstand circulation will be curtailed because of the 2000 copies put on the stands, only about half were sold and collecting the money for thèse is