Published in the interests of the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund by Ron Ellik, 1825 Greenfield Avenue, Los Angeles 25, California.
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Accompanying this newsletter you will find the current TAFF ballot – fill it out and send it off with an envelope full of money. Do it now – act without thinking. You have until Hallowe'en – but I can practically guarantee you that doing it now, while you have the ballot in your hand, is the only way to keep from forgetting about it until long after the deadline. Vote.
About that contribution: This Easter, the fans gathered for a TAFF discussion at Peterborough voted by a heavy majority to increase the minimum British contribution. Americans have said for some time that the fee ought to be raised – and now we've gone and done it, we've let our cousins transmarine jump the gun on us. With tardy pride your Administrators hereby announce an increase which has been long anticipated by overlarge contributions. It takes money as well as votes and enthusiasm to get winners across the Atlantic and back again.
And you are naturally thinking that with more money coming in, TAFF will be giving the winner more than $500 – and believe me, I'd love to announce that there is enough money to plan on that. But at this writing we can send the US winner to the next British convention and have approximately one hundred dollars left over; if we can count on a healthy turnout at the polls and contributions as well from fan clubs and conventions during the year, there will be no difficulty about the British winner making the trip, too. But you can see that we still have to raise four hundred dollars, before summer of next year.
If the financial picture changes before this campaign is over, TAFF may well be able to raise the ante to $600, making the amount well over the jet fare from London to New York, and allowing winners to travel more in the host country. We want to be sure that the sponsors of TAFF – you – want us to do this, and we'll be happy to hear your opinion by correspondence or at conventions; if you want to underline your argument with a five dollar bill to make the raise possible, we will be even happier to listen to you.
But the best we can say now is that the winner will be given $500 and will become my successor as American Administrator of the Fund after his trip. He will be an honored guest at the Peterborough convention – and those people really know how to make you feel welcome – and can probably expect the vacation of a lifetime in the British Isles. Any travel other than to and from the convention is, naturally, something extra for the winner and for the host country – it makes the trip more than a convention, and gives everyone an opportunity to meet the distant visitor.
And by the way, if you're unhappy about not having been a fan before the cut-off date on the ballot, remember that you can do more for your favorite candidate than just vote for him, by getting on the bandwagon and interesting apathetic fans in TAFF, and by your contributions. TAFF belongs to everybody, not just long-term fans – the restriction on the franchise is to make sure voters know at least a little about each candidate and his qualifications.