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Correspondence from Superintendent P. Quinn[1] to the Home Office
[EXTRACT]
[13 September 1916]
In April 1914 information was received by Police that Crowley was committing certain acts of indecency in the presence of females, in a room occupied by him at 2 The Avenue Studios, 76 Fulham Road, where he was visited by a woman named Waddell [Leila Waddell].
Police enquiries revealed that during the time he had resided at the above address he had been holding a certain kind of service at which incense had been burnt, and various instruments played, during which time a number of both sexes were present. Although he had been seen to commit an act of indecency in his studio on one occasion, no offense on which proceedings could be taken had been committed.
On 25 February 1914 a letter was received from the Director of Prosecutions enclosing a letter from a correspondent in Paris, in which reflections were made upon the contents of a periodical called The Equinox edited by Crowley. Owing, however, to the high price of the book, and that the complaint came from Paris no action was taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the matter being left to the discretion of the Police.
On 5 November 1914 a letter was received here from The Mayfair 174 Bond Street, W., stating that a Representative who had just returned from the United States, reported that the whole country was overrun with German agents. A. Crowley, whose name was mentioned, it was alleged was not doing very much work in New York but was closely associated with a woman of the fortune-telling class.
Information was received from New York on 8 March 1916, that Aleister Crowley is an Irish Agitator, who has attracted a certain attention from the Press largely due to his personal extravagance. He went to New York towards the end of 1914.
An article published in the NY World of 2 August 1914 gives a description of the performance of an alleged black mass celebrated by Crowley in London. In the same paper in December 1914 Crowley denied ever having participated in such a ceremony and claimed to have hypnotised the newspaper man who wrote of it.
Brought himself under notice in July 1915 by setting out at 4 a.m. for the Statue of Liberty which stands on an island in New York Harbour, accompanied by 'Miss Leilah Waddell, J. Dorr, an editor, Patrick Gilroy, an agitator, and others'. All of them described as members of the Secret Revolutionary Committee of Public Safety of the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic. The object of the outing was to declare Ireland's Independence. Crowley tore up his passport, and after reading a lengthy document, renounced allegiance to the 'alien tyrant', and took an oath to fight to the last drop of blood for Irish Independence.
The avowed purpose of the Secret Revolutionary Committee is to procure the establishment of the Irish Republic after the war is over and to dissuade Irish from enlisting.
In the above information Crowley is described as a man about forty.
In view of an article written by Aleister Crowley in the Rheinisch-Westfalisch Zeitunge purporting to describe his visit to England recently, enquiries have been made by Police to obtain corroboration, but up to the present time no trace has been found of such a visit.
1—Superintendent P. Quinn was with New Scotland Yard.
[14 September 1916 — Appended as a note from Minister Newton]
A very unpleasant gentleman I should imagine. Send a copy to Capt. Guy Gaunt (by bag) for such use as he may be able to make of the information at any suitable opportunity. Truly the Germans are unfortunate in their selection of British subjects to further their propagandist ends!
Should not A. Crowley be notified to Passport Dept, Permit Office, etc. in case he should attempt to come here or, having got here, try to leave again?
[14 September 1916 — Appended as a note from M.W.K.]
The Report is 'Confidential'. If it goes to Captain Gaunt (as I think it should) he must be cautioned not to give away his source of information in any way. I think we can trust his discretion. And certainly inform Passport and Permit authorities as suggested.
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