In the Cradle of the Faith, the site of the Siyah-_Ch_al, the scene of the
birth of Baha'u'llah's Mission and the second holiest spot in His native
land, purchased in the course of the first year of the Ten-Year Plan, has
been transferred by the donor of this holy and historic place, Habib
Sabet, to the name of one of the Hands of the Cause acting as my official
representative in that country.

A five-year Plan has been inaugurated for the purpose of raising twelve
million tumans for the construction of the first Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar in
that land. The design of this historic Edifice has been finally selected
from among a number of designs submitted by Baha'i Architects in both the
East and the West, the choice falling upon the plan conceived by the Hand
of the Cause and President of the International Baha'i Council, Mason
Remey--a design which incorporates a dome reminiscent of that of the Bab's
Holy Sepulcher.

A contract has moreover been signed as a preliminary step for the eventual
purchase of the Fortress of _Ch_ihriq and its surroundings, for a sum of
over two hundred thousand tumans.

GOALS ATTAINED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

In the United States of America a plot has been acquired in the precincts
of the Mother Temple of the West to serve as the site for the construction
of a Home for the Aged, and which will constitute the first of the
Dependencies to be erected around that holiest Baha'i House of Worship.
Measures have been adopted, and the design authorized, for the completion
of the landscaping of the area surrounding that same building. The
National Baha'i Publishing Committee has been converted into a Baha'i
Publishing Trust, functioning under the jurisdiction of the American
National Spiritual Assembly. The total number of American Indian tribes
with which contact has been established has now reached twenty-two, whilst
members of the Apache, the Cherokee, the Omaha, the Oneida, and the Sioux
tribes have been enrolled in the American Baha'i Community. The number of
territories, federal districts and states of the United States of America
where official authorization for the conduct of Baha'i marriages has been
granted is now twenty-one, whilst the number of localities in that same
country where the Baha'i Holy Days are officially recognized is over
twenty-five.

PROPERTIES ACQUIRED AROUND THE WORLD

Land for no less than eight of eleven Temple sites to be acquired
according