August 9. On this date in 1960, the Custodians wrote the Hands of the Cause of God about Mason Remey, noting "a persistent and well-thought-out campaign" by "these henchmen (who) are circularizing the Bahá'í world widely with violent attacks on the Hands."
To the Hands of the Cause of God
CONFIDENTIAL
We know that you are anxious to receive news of the situation which has developed as a result of the tragic defection of Mason Remey and his preposterous claim to be the one chosen to fill the place of our beloved Guardian who was the divinely appointed scion of God on earth.
It seems that his agitation, far from ceasing and far from being-as we at first hoped and believed-the evidence of great emotional disturbance and unbalance-is a persistent and well-thought-out campaign. Not only does he personally continue to send out communications asserting his claim and adding ridiculous arguments to support it, but his attacks on the Hands and all who support them are becoming more violent and insidious all the time, and his chief supporters in France, Joel Marangella, Don Harvey and others, have now been joined by Mary Magdalene Wilkin in the United States. These henchmen are circularizing the Bahá'í world widely with violent attacks on the Hands, their decisions and their right to carry on the beloved Guardian's Crusade while at the same time deducing so-called "proofs" of the authenticity of Mason's claims and position.
In view of this critical situation and the urgent need to close this door through which spiritual pollution was pouring unhindered into the Bahá'í world, following receipt of your replies to our July 7th, letter we expelled both him and his supporters from the Faith. We felt we could not take the risk of deferring this drastic action until the time when we all meet together-even if the date of the meeting had been advanced to early September (we could not have gotten the Annual Meeting ready before then). We thank you for the prompt expressions of opinion we received here from all of you in response to our letter which enabled us to take this action for the protection of the Faith on behalf of the entire body of the Hands. We therefore sent the two following cables to all National Spiritual Assemblies:
JULY 26, 1960
ENTIRE BODY HANDS OBEDIENT PROVISIONS WILL TESTAMENT CENTRE COVENANT COMMUNICATIONS BELOVED GUARDIAN ENJOINING THEM PROTECT HOLY CAUSE ATTACKS ENEMIES WITHIN WITHOUT ANNOUNCE BAHA'I WORLD MASON REMEY COVENANT BREAKER EXPELLED FAITH STOP ACTION FOLLOWS LONG PERIOD PATIENCE FORBEARANCE OPPORTUNITY GIVEN HIM WITHDRAW SHAMEFUL PRETENSION SACRED STATION GUARDIANSHIP CONSTITUTING HERETICAL CLAIM CONTRARY EXPLICIT PROVISIONS WILL MASTER STOP DESPITE UNIVERSAL REPUDIATION DENUNCIATION BY ALL HANDS INTERNATIONAL BAHA'I COUNCIL ALL NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES REMEY CONTINUING AGITATE UNFOUNDED CLAIM ACTIVELY SEEKING CREATE DIVISION RANKS FAITHFUL SOW SEEDS DOUBT HEARTS BELIEVERS UNDERMINE ACTIVITIES INSTITUTION HANDS CHIEF STEWARDS DEDICATED FULFILMENT BELOVED GUARDIAN'S TEN YEAR PLAN STOP ACCORDANCE INJUNCTION WILL TESTAMENT 'ABDU'L-BAHA, CALL UPON FRIENDS EVERYWHERE SHUN REMEY AND ANYONE ASSOCIATING WITH HIM OR ACTIVELY SUPPORTING HIS CLAIMS STOP CONFIDENT COMMUNITY MOST GREAT NAME UNITED WHOLEHEARTED CONDEMNATION THIS LATEST ILL-FATED ATTEMPT DISRUPT GOD'S HOLY CAUSE WILL EMERGE TRIUMPHANT STRENGTHENED GALVANIZED ISSUE FORTH WIN REMAINING GOALS GLORIOUS WORLD ENCIRCLING CRUSADE STOP CABLE MESSAGE ALL NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES.
HANDSFAITH
AUGUST 3,1960
BELOVED GUARDIAN'S GLORIOUS EPISTLE GOD PASSES BY CLEARLY STATES HOLY CAUSE CONSTANTLY SUBJECT CRISES GIVING RISE GREATER VICTORIES STOP HISTORY DEFECTION DISTINGUISHED BELIEVERS FOLLOWING ASCENSION FORERUNNER FAITH SUPREME MANIFESTATION CENTRE COVENANT NOW REPEATED AFTER ASCENSION PRECIOUS SHOGHI Effendi THROUGH MASON REMEY'S DEFECTION HIS PREPOSTEROUS UTTERLY UNFOUNDED CLAIMS STOP PROTECTION BELIEVERS FROM ACTIVITIES MISGUIDED MISCHIEF MAKERS GIVEN EVERY OPPORTUNITY REPENT NOW REQUIRES EXPULSION FAITH REMEY'S HENCHMEN JOHN CARRE BERNARD FILLON, MONEER DARAKHSHAN JOEL MARANGELLA JACQUES SOGHOMONIAN DONALD HARVEY JOHN BYERS IN FRANCE AND MARY WILKIN UNITED STATES STOP HENCEFORTH ANYONE ASSOCIATING THESE PEOPLE OR SUPPORTING REMEY CLAIM LIKEWISE CONSIDERED COVENANT BREAKER STOP CONFIDENT FAITHFUL DEVOTED BODY BELIEVERS MINDFUL INFINITE BOUNTIES PRAISES SHOWERED BELOVED GUARDIAN WILL DEMONSTRATE THROUGH UNITED ACTION IMPREGNABLE SOLIDARITY ARISE ACHIEVE GLORIOUS GOALS GODINSPIRED CRUSADE STOP CABLE MESSAGE ALL NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES.
HANDSFAITH
Replies expressing gratitude for and approval of this action are now beginning to come in from the National Spiritual Assemblies.
Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, cut short a much-needed rest after her exhaustive tour of the United States and Canada when we informed her of the sudden death of our dear co-worker Horace Holley, and flew back from Canada as soon as she could arrange her travelling plans. Bill Sears, who had planned to visit some of the European centres prior to our Bahji meeting, hastened his arrival after being informed of Horace's death, and got here three days before Ruhiyyih Khanum. Faizi, (whose return entry visa held him up) arrived a few days later. Their report made it clear that responsible believers were considerably puzzled and distressed by the lack of action from the World Centre in expelling what had obviously become a most active and threatening group of Covenant-breakers. In addition to this, the American National Spiritual Assembly, in whose area this poisonous material was being most widely circulated, cabled us as follows:
JULY 18, 1960
CONSIDERED JUDGEMENT OUR ASSEMBLY ACTIONS TAKEN THUS FAR BY HANDS HOLY LAND INADEQUATE DEAL DECISIVELY SATISFACTORILY NUMEROUS BELIEVERS ATTRACTED REMEY CLAIM STOP SITUATION FRAUGHT CONFUSION DOUBT DANGER STOP RESPECTFULLY URGE DEFINITE DRASTIC IMMEDIATE ACTION HANDS DECLARING REMEY VIOLATOR SAME FATE ALL THOSE CONTINUING SUPPORT HIM DEVOTED LOVE.
WOLCOTT [SECRETARY]
We all knew after the passing of our beloved Guardian false claims would surely be made; but we never dreamed they would come from one of ourselves, from a Hand honoured by both 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi History has repeated itself once again, and from the text of that glorious epistle God Passes By we are assured that any crisis this may momentarily precipitate in Bahá'í affairs will inevitably be succeeded by a resounding victory and a great forward surge in the work of this holy Faith.
We need not tell you how difficult has been this whole series of events for those serving here at the World Centre!
You can well imagine. In the midst of this crisis, with four Custodians absent --Milly Collins and Leroy Ioas for reasons of health and Ruhiyyih Khanum, and Faizi, on specific missions --our very dear co-worker Horace Holley, suddenly died. As you know his heart was in a state where this could have happened at any moment during the past years. For a few days he had felt too weak to get up and be about, but his condition did not lead us, or his physician, to believe his death was imminent. On the evening of the 12th of July he collapsed on leaving the bathroom and died immediately. A very beautiful and moving service was held in the hall of the Master's Home; and less than twenty-four hours after his passing we laid him to rest in the Bahá'í Cemetery, right near the graves of Dr. Esslemont and the Afnan who built the 'Ishqabad Temple. We are deeply grateful to Bahá'u'lláh that we had the valued, mature and wise advice of dear Horace during the most difficult period of this whole Remey affair and that he was able, through his example and counsels, to render at the end of his life yet another great service to the Faith he had worked for so constantly, with such outstanding distinction and devotion, and for so many years --a Faith whose Guardian had heaped upon him so many honours. May God in His mercy give each one of us an end as blessed as his!
All this has made us feel very keenly, and we know the same feeling is in your hearts too, that we must draw ever closer to each other-we who were chosen by our beloved Guardian, poor and unworthy though we are, to carry on his work, to serve as Hands of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, and help crown with victory this latest stage in the unfoldment of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine Plan. Our essential unity, the love we have for Shoghi Effendi and in his love for each other, must grow daily stronger, so that we can fulfil our primary function of protecting and propagating the Cause of God. We feel our forthcoming Annual Meeting will inevitably, after this serious onslaught on the Faith and the Institution of the Hands, be productive of great results for the forthcoming year, and that we will be assisted to make truly inspiring plans for the tremendous work that lies ahead of the entire Bahá'í world during the closing years of the Crusade.
We are eagerly looking forward to your arrival here. As soon as possible we will send you the agenda for the meeting. Now that this defection of Mason and the handful of his supporters (about 15 people in all, some of them wives of the chief dissidents) has been put in its proper light before the Bahá'í world, we can go on to other matters for which there has been no time during the past critical three months when we were investigating the situation, studying Faizi's detailed reports on the condition in France and answering a tremendous amount of correspondence pouring in in connection with winning the Crusade goals, Mason's claims, and so on.
We ask you to pray for all of us, but particularly for the health of Ugo and Bill; the former is slowly recovering from a very grave infection contracted during his tour of Central America, the latter has just left for a sanatorium in Europe to care for a disturbing liver condition seriously impairing his health. Our dear fellow-Hand Musa Banani; has suffered a stroke and is at present in a hospital in Frankfurt receiving medical care for his paralyzed right side. We ask your ardent supplications on his behalf. Please also pray for the improvement in health of Milly, Leroy and Enoch.
In the holy Shrines we always supplicate for all of the Hands, as you know, and beseech Bahá'u'lláh's confirmations, protection and grace.
With deepest love,
In the service of the beloved Guardian,
HANDS OF THE CAUSE IN THE HOLY LAND
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