of 5 January 1944

5 January 1944(33)

KINDLY CABLE DATE FORMATION FIRST BAHA'I NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

SHOGHI RABBANI

Letter of 13 March 1944

13 March 1944

Dear Baha'i Sister,

Your letters dated July 15th, Aug. 12th, Oct. 3rd, Nov. 1st and 10th and
Dec. 5th together with various enclosures have been received, and the
Guardian has instructed me to answer them on his behalf.

Regarding the article by Mrs. Thornburgh-Cropper, the Guardian does not
place such material in the archives, but it might possibly be either
stored with past documents or have been returned to the "Baha'i World"
Committee. He regrets his inability to forward it to you in time to be of
any use in preparing the Centenary Pamphlet.

He would like you to assure Mr. St. Barbe Baker that the Baha'is would be
happy to avail themselves of his connections in Africa and his assistance
and advice in the future teaching work there. Tremendous tasks lie ahead
of the believers during the opening years of the second Baha'i century,
and undoubtedly spreading the Faith in Africa will be one of them.

He considered the Diary gotten out by the Publishing Trust to be in
excellent taste, and is very pleased it has proved a medium of spreading
the news of the existence of our beloved Faith and its nature. He
appreciated receiving the copies forwarded to him. He is also very pleased
to hear that the publication of the Centenary Pamphlet is now assured.

He sees no objection to getting out a compilation of Tablets of
Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha (as per minute No. 906) providing the source
is authentic and the translations faithful and presentable.

He was very pleased to see that new and better headquarters for the
Assembly and meetings in London have been found, and trusts this
foreshadows the development of a national administrative headquarters
there in England in the not too distant future.

In spite of the burden the Baha'is, in common with their countrymen, are
bearing these days, they are showing marked progress in their activities,
and he feels confident that the friends, so loyal and devoted to the
beloved Faith, will arise unitedly, in so important a country as
England--one of the first to receive the Divine Message in the West--and
will ensure that the Centenary is befittingly celebrated in spite of the
many difficulties to be overcome.

Assuring you one and all of his ardent prayers for the success of your
work, for your strength an