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Science Fiction Fan, v. 3, issue 12, whole no. 36, July 1939
Page 3
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FANFARADE By Donald A. Wollheim The "World" Science Fiction Convention has come and gone. For over two years the thought of it has occupied the minds of science fiction. Since your correspondent first conceived the idea and broached it at the Second Eastern S.F. Convention in February 1937, the plan has grown, changed forms, gone through conflicts, various schisms, etc. The rightful Convention Committee ,headed [sic] by myself, was forced out of action after a long series of onslaughts lead [sic] by William Sykora to satisfy his own personal vanity and petty ambition. He had lead [sic] an attack on it steadily not hesitating to use the most unscrupulous methods, never hesitating to make empty promises or to break his word in order to gain his end. He held one Convention in Newark in order only to appoint a new committee—appointing that committee he found that he dared not even trust his own appointees and never called a meeting of that. Finally he worked up an organization which he called "New Fandom" and which he ran without benefit of elections, constitution, open membership lists, etc. for the objective of gathering money from fandom to finance a convention. In connection with two henchmen, James Taurasi who had been impeached twice as Director of the GNYSFL for refusing democratic procedure, and Sam Moskowitz who had made himself the laughing stock of fandom by his blustering and empty writing, Sykora ran New Fandom towards the Convention.— The Convention has been and gone. According to the original plans as first worked out in 1937, it was to be a fan convention to discuss for the first time the problems of science fiction and the world. The opportunity of getting fans together across thousand of miles could [NEW COLUMN] not be let slip without solving the problems of fandom by discussion. But the New Fandom leadership never dared face open discussion. Their hands were too dirty, their record too shabby to face such things. So it was necessary for them to run the convention though dictatorially, threatening any opinion at variance with theirs and with rough-tactics, threats, and general hoodlum methods. They had boasted that they would get 1000 people to attend. The asininity of "New Fandom", the emptyness [sic] of their plans, the general bad-odor arising from their tactics kept dozens away. Though about a dozen British fans had promised to attend, due to what happened, none showed up. No national boundary was crossed. A total of perhaps 150 attended, the out-of-towners accounted for perhaps 25 or 30. The convention ran through all right. A few stock pat speeches, no resolutions, no debates, no discussions. Of course fans met and fans discussed things—but off the floor not on it. Hoodlum tactics and fraudulent reasoning barred entry to the floor to six supporters of science-fiction. During the entire session as a result an element entirely new to stf occured [sic]—underground activity. Where freedom of thought is supressed [sic] officially, it will grow unofficially. During the entire first session work went on from mouth to mouth to rally fans against the un-democratic actions of the cavorting trio in control of the rostrum. A printed pamphlet exposing them, which had been published by David A. Kyle for the Association for Democracy in Science Fiction Fandom, was sureptitiously [sic] circulated. Steadily pressure was kept up on the infamous trio to open the doors, fans, writers, editors, their wives all demanded the admittance of those barred. The answer by Syroka [sic?] was that if they were admitted he would close the hall and turn everyone out in the street. When Kyle seized the floor towards the end and
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FANFARADE By Donald A. Wollheim The "World" Science Fiction Convention has come and gone. For over two years the thought of it has occupied the minds of science fiction. Since your correspondent first conceived the idea and broached it at the Second Eastern S.F. Convention in February 1937, the plan has grown, changed forms, gone through conflicts, various schisms, etc. The rightful Convention Committee ,headed [sic] by myself, was forced out of action after a long series of onslaughts lead [sic] by William Sykora to satisfy his own personal vanity and petty ambition. He had lead [sic] an attack on it steadily not hesitating to use the most unscrupulous methods, never hesitating to make empty promises or to break his word in order to gain his end. He held one Convention in Newark in order only to appoint a new committee—appointing that committee he found that he dared not even trust his own appointees and never called a meeting of that. Finally he worked up an organization which he called "New Fandom" and which he ran without benefit of elections, constitution, open membership lists, etc. for the objective of gathering money from fandom to finance a convention. In connection with two henchmen, James Taurasi who had been impeached twice as Director of the GNYSFL for refusing democratic procedure, and Sam Moskowitz who had made himself the laughing stock of fandom by his blustering and empty writing, Sykora ran New Fandom towards the Convention.— The Convention has been and gone. According to the original plans as first worked out in 1937, it was to be a fan convention to discuss for the first time the problems of science fiction and the world. The opportunity of getting fans together across thousand of miles could [NEW COLUMN] not be let slip without solving the problems of fandom by discussion. But the New Fandom leadership never dared face open discussion. Their hands were too dirty, their record too shabby to face such things. So it was necessary for them to run the convention though dictatorially, threatening any opinion at variance with theirs and with rough-tactics, threats, and general hoodlum methods. They had boasted that they would get 1000 people to attend. The asininity of "New Fandom", the emptyness [sic] of their plans, the general bad-odor arising from their tactics kept dozens away. Though about a dozen British fans had promised to attend, due to what happened, none showed up. No national boundary was crossed. A total of perhaps 150 attended, the out-of-towners accounted for perhaps 25 or 30. The convention ran through all right. A few stock pat speeches, no resolutions, no debates, no discussions. Of course fans met and fans discussed things—but off the floor not on it. Hoodlum tactics and fraudulent reasoning barred entry to the floor to six supporters of science-fiction. During the entire session as a result an element entirely new to stf occured [sic]—underground activity. Where freedom of thought is supressed [sic] officially, it will grow unofficially. During the entire first session work went on from mouth to mouth to rally fans against the un-democratic actions of the cavorting trio in control of the rostrum. A printed pamphlet exposing them, which had been published by David A. Kyle for the Association for Democracy in Science Fiction Fandom, was sureptitiously [sic] circulated. Steadily pressure was kept up on the infamous trio to open the doors, fans, writers, editors, their wives all demanded the admittance of those barred. The answer by Syroka [sic?] was that if they were admitted he would close the hall and turn everyone out in the street. When Kyle seized the floor towards the end and
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