Haifa, Israel,
March 1, 1951
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand
C/- Mrs. Mariette G. Bolton, Secretary
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
Your letters addressed to our beloved Guardian, and dated June 22, August 4 and 22, November 10 and December 5 and 11, of 1950 and January 30 and Feb. 20, 22, 26, of 1951, together with their enclosures, have been received; and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
In regard to the various matters raised in your letters:
It is indeed a great tragedy that ... should have such an utterly despicable character, and the ability to be a teacher. He has undoubtedly dealt with the greatest injustice with the friends in Fiji who wrote to Mr. Blum; and the Guardian was extremely sorry to hear that this man, attracted to the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and evidently a sincere and decent person, should have been duped by the very man who gave him this glorious Message. It was very wise to send Mr. Blum out there; and he hopes that your Assembly will keep in close contact with the friends who were attracted, it would seem almost miraculously under the circumstances, to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh in those distant islands.
It might interest your Assembly to know that since leaving Fiji, ... went to the United States, and himself admitted in a letter to the Guardian that he had seen Ahmad Sohrab.
The Guardian assures your Assembly, and, through you, all the believers throughout Australasia, that he has been deeply touched by the spirit of loyalty which you have all shown at this difficult time for him, and also the devotion to every work which is undertaken here at the International Center of the Faith.
The support you have given to the construction of the Shrine of the Báb has been deeply appreciated; and he hopes that in the not distant future it will be possible for the doors of pilgrimage to be opened once more; and then the believers can see with their own eyes what their sacrificial contributions have helped to erect, on Mount Carmel. It will interest the friends to hear that we are at present busy with the preliminary work required prior to the erection of the second story of the Holy Tomb, in other words, the octagonal portion, which will be built on top of the roof of the original Shrine building erected by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself. The stones have been ordered from Italy for this next stage in our undertaking, and soon will be coming to Haifa another 300 tons of granite, some of it with beautiful carved ornamentation.