670218 - Letter to Brahmananda written from San Francisco

Letters by Date, 1967

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, INC.
TWENTY-SIX SECOND AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10003
TELEPHONE: 674-7428

Branch:518 Frederick Street
San Francisco, California,
February 18, 1967

ACHARYA: SWAMI A. C. BHAKTIVEDANTA
TRUSTEES:
Larry Bogart
James S. Greene
Carl Yeargans
Raphael Balsam
Robert Lefkowitz
Raymond Marais
Stanley Mogkowitz
Michael Grant
Harvey Cohen
My dear [handwritten] Brahmananda,
Please accept my blessings. With further reference to my letter of yesterday's date I may inform you that from the letter of Mr. Payne and the schemes which produced no fruit, it appears to me that he is not in a position to secure money for the house from any financial party. That is my conviction. Now if you think that he is able to secure money for us, if you think that there is something hopeful by this time then you can continue the negotiations as he is doing but do not for Krishna's sake advance a farthing more on any plea by him. He may be trying his best but he is incapable to do this. That is my honest opinion.

Next thing is that when a man takes work in his own hand it is sure to be done. If you are serious about purchasing the house then do not depend on Mr. Payne take the work in your own hand. Just enter with Mr. Taylor in agreement of hire purchase system sale contract for any reasonable market price. We shall pay rent to the amount of $1000.00 per month and cash down $10,000.00. The repairing work may be done by Mr. Taylor as he is doing. So long his full money is not recovered we shall continue to remain as tenant and as soon as his full money is paid up the title automatically becomes conveyed to us. We have already engaged our Lawyer and Mr. Taylor has his Lawyer. Let them draw a hire purchase-sale-contract on the above basis. It is not amortisation but it is practically an agreement between the tenant and the Landlord. Let us remain as tenant and let Mr. Taylor remain as land lord. As Landlord he will have full right to evict us failing to pay the stipulated rent. So there is no risk on the part of Mr. Taylor and I hope the lawyer of Mr. Taylor will gladly accept these terms. Mr. Taylor will be profited by this, because he gets an immediate tenant and income up to 1000 dollars per month for a house which is lying vacant for so many years. And for us we get a house which is suitable for us. Convince Mr. Taylor like this and enter into such hire-purchase system-sale-contract. I think this is the best solution for both Mr. Taylor and ourselves. Try for this and quickly occupy the house without waiting for help from so called financiers. No sane financier will invest money on the complicated schemes drawn by Mr. Payne. It is simply utopian it will never be successful.

Now next proposal is that why don't you arrange for Kirtan and lectures by me in every school, college, clubs, association, etc in New York. Now we have 'Mridangas' and cymbals. Let us organize a Kirtan party both at New York and at San Francisco and on our off days at least twice in a week let us have our Kirtan outside. Here the students are arranging another dance meeting like the one they did on the 29th January and they are expecting good collection. Even there is no good collection, by outdoor Kirtan and lectures we shall at least be popular to everyone and automatically we shall be successful in raising fund. The other day we had a very nice meeting in the California State College it was grand successful. They are going to arrange again like that in Berkeley college where they are expecting three thousand audience. I am enclosing herewith a copy of the letter received from Himalayan Academy. See how they are appreciating our method of peace movement. So in this way we have to forward our cause. No business man will come forward to help us on utopian schemes as contemplated by Mr. Payne. We have to try for ourselves. So the summary is to obtain a hire purchase sale-contract from Mr. Taylor and popularise our movement by outdoor engagements as many as possible.

Now my staying in your country is increased for two years at least and while I am here (U.S.A.) we can work tremendously by working ourselves on the above scheme. Let us take help from Krishna by honestly working for Him than on utopian theories. Even there are three centres I can move everywhere without any tiresome feeling. I can stay one month in each centre every quarterly and see things going in order.

I hope you will try to understand my view point and let me know how do you appreciate the scheme.

Neal has arrived here yesterday evening and he feels jolly. Please send me all the tapes that are lying there. I hope you will realise the repairing charges for Dictaphone. There is again some defect in the microphone. It is not rewinding by pushing the finger clip. I do not know what to do. I hope you have by this time cleared off the consignments per M.V.Jaladuta from India. And I shall be glad to know how [handwritten] you have received the goods.

Here everything is going on nicely. I have not heard anything from Kirtanananda. I hope everything is well there.
I understand that Sriman Acyutananda is feeling my absence. I shall be very soon there. Please offer blessings [handwritten] every one specially Sriman Acyutananda and Srimati Jadurani. Please ask Gargamuni to write me occasionally about his good account keeping. Please ask him to dispatch all the Srimad-Bhagavatam sets without delay. They have paid me the price of former consignment.

It is understood that you have now an electric Typewriter. If so why not send it here to be worked on by Neal or Howard.

Awaiting your early reply.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
Enclosure :1
Sriman Brahmananda
Iskcon New York.