the fervent plea
addressed by the Baha'is of 'Iraq to the world's supreme Tribunal
regarding an issue that for a time has stirred the Baha'i world to its
foundation has at last met with a noble and most gratifying response.

You will recall the references made in my previous communications, dated
November 6, 1925, October 29, 1926, and January 1, 1929, to the forcible
seizure of Baha'u'llah's sacred house by the _Sh_i'ah of Ba_gh_dad, to the
appeals which from almost every quarter of the globe have showered upon
the authorities of 'Iraq for its restitution, to the long and unsuccessful
legal proceedings to which the representatives of the Faith in that land
have resorted, and lastly to the petition which they have addressed to the
League's Permanent Mandates Commission setting forth the history of the
case and appealing for the intervention of the Council in their behalf. I
am now informed that after mature deliberation the conclusion arrived at
by the Mandates Commission, urging that prompt action be taken to redress
the wrong suffered by the Baha'is, has been duly communicated to, and
adopted by, the Council of the League, which in turn will formally
communicate the recommendations of its Commission to the Mandatory Power.

Decision of League of Nations

From the official text of the minutes of the meeting of the Mandates
Commission, as well as from its authorized report to the Council, both of
which have been made public, it is clear and evident that the terms of the
conclusion arrived at are neither vague nor evasive, but set forth in
unmistakable language the legitimate aspirations of an oppressed and
struggling Faith. The decision neither implies compensation to the Baha'i
Community for the loss of the sacred buildings, nor does it expressly
provide for the expropriation of the property by the State. To quote from
the text of the official document, the Commission has resolved "to
recommend the Council to ask the British Government to call upon the
Government of 'Iraq to redress without delay the denial of justice from
which the petitioners have suffered."

A glance at the minutes of the Commission's meeting will suffice to reveal
that in the course of the lengthy discussions conducted by the members of
the Commission the following important facts have been stressed and
recognized. The British accredited representative, present at the sessions
of the Commission, has declared that "it was a fact that the M