Shoghi Effendi announced his decision to launch 'the fate-laden, soul-stirring, decade-long world-embracing Spiritual Crusade' in the coming year. [BW12:253–5; MBW40-41; StS42]
• For the objectives of the Crusade see BW12:256–14.
• Among the goals to be achieved was the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives building. [BBD22; DH168; MBW43]
  "the first of the major edifices destined to constitute the seat of the World Bahá'í Administrative Centre to be established on Mount Carmel". [PP264]
• See The Bahá'í Faith 1844-1952 Information Statistical and Comparative (PDF) compiled by Shoghi Effendi.
• See map of the Ten Year Crusade.

The Asian Intercontinental Teaching Conference was held in New Delhi. [BW12:178; CBN No 50 Mar 1953 p6-7]
• For Shoghi Effendi's message to the conference see BW12:178–81.
• At the request of our beloved Guardian a memorial service was held for our dearly loved Hand of the Cause, Mr. Sutherland Maxwell. Loving tributes were paid to his memory by Mr. Remey and Mr. Giachery. [CBN No 50 Mar 1953 p6]
• For a report of the conference see BW12:181–8.
  • Photos.
• This was the first international Bahá'í gathering ever to be held in the East. [BW12:181; SBR171]
• It was attended by 489 Bahá'ís representing 31 countries. [BW 12:181]
• The design for the International Bahá'í Archives was revealed to the Bahá'ís of the world for the first time at this conference. [DH168]
• Following the New Delhi conference the Hands of the Cause and other visiting Bahá'ís travelled the length and the breadth of the country speaking in universities, teachers' training colleges, agricultural schools, theatres, hotels, Y.M.C.A.'s, at service clubs, and theosophical societies. Prominent citizens representative of the Hindu, Moslem and Christian faiths were chairmen at many of these meetings. There were numerous press conferences and wide-spread newspaper publicity. The Hands of the Cause were able to present Bahá'í books to world famous Indian scholars, to the family of the Maharaja of Indore and to representatives of the press. Perhaps never since Abdu'l·Bahá visited America has the Faith been presented in such a variety of places in so short a time. Dorothy Baker was one of the Hands who participated in this post-conference proclamation. [CBN No54 Jul 1954 p5]

A plot of land of slightly less than half an acre (1,300 metres) owned by Farah Sprague (Farahangiz Khanum), a Covenant-breaker, was purchased (after expropriation by the Finance Minister of the state of Israel on the recommendation of the mayor of Haifa), overcoming the final obstacle to beginning the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives. This concluded a thirty-year struggle in the acquisition of land on the Arc for the Guardian. [LI210-211; DH169; MBW73–4; CBN No 60 January 1955 p1]
• He said, in a letter dated the 27th of November 1955...
  "The truculence, greed and obstinacy, of this breaker of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, demonstrated by her persistent refusal to sell and by the exorbitant price subsequently demanded, raised, during more than thirty years, an almost insurmountable obstacle to the acquisition of an area, which, however circumscribed, occupies a central position amidst the extensive Baha'i domains in the heart of God's holy Mountain, is situated in the vicinity of the Báb's Sepulchre, overlooks the Tomb of the Greatest Holy Leaf, and adjoins the resting-places of the Brother and the Mother of Abdu'l-Bahá, and which, through deliberate neglect, has. been allowed to become an eyesore to all those who throng the embellished precincts of a Mausoleum rightly regarded as the second holiest Shrine in the Bahá'í world.
  The ownership of this plot will now enable us to locate the site, excavate the foundations, and erect the structure, of the International Bahá'í Archives, designed by the Hand of the Cause, Mason Remey, President of the International Bahá'í Council, which will serve as the permanent and befitting repository for the priceless and numerous relics associated with the Twin Founders of the Faith, with the Perfect Exemplar of its teachings and with its heroes, saints and martyrs, and the building of which constitutes one of the foremost objectives of the Ten-Year Plan. [CBN No 60 January 1955 p1]

Shoghi Effendi announced that for the construction of the International Bahá'í Archives thirty of the fifty-two pillars, each over seven metres high, had been raised and that half of the nine hundred tons of stone ordered from Italy had been safely delivered at the Port of Haifa. He also said that a contract for over $15,000 had been placed with the tile factory in Utrecht for over 7,000 green tiles to cover the 500 square metres of the roof. [MBW95]
He announced as well:
• the purchase of a plot of land adjacent to the resting-place of the Greatest Holy Leaf for $100,000,
• the purchase of the dilapidated house situated south of the Mansion at Bahjí in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá used to receive friends, among them the first party of Western pilgrims after Bahá'u'lláh's passing,
• a plot of land situated in the neighbourhood of the Shrine of the Báb,
• and that the formalities had been completed in the purchase of the site of the future Mashriqu'lAdhkár on Mount Carmel. [MBW78-79, 95]
• The transfer of the deeds for the above plots of land were being transferred to the name of the Israel branches of the United States, The British, the Persian the Canadian and the Australian Baháa'í National Spiritual Assemblies. [MBW95]

Shoghi Effendi announced that the remaining 22 pillars of the International Bahá'í Archives had been erected and that the last half of the 900 tons of marble from Italy had been delivered. Forty-four tons of glazed green tiles from Utrecht had been placed in position. [MBW108]
He also announced that:
• the dilapidated house located near the Mansion had been restored,
• Negotiations were underway with the Development Authority of the State of Israel for the acquisition of two plots to the north and south of the Shrine.
• the destruction of a row of sheds near the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh,
• that an expropriation order had been published in the Israel Official Gazette related to the buildings enclosed within the Haram-i-Aqdas regarding the occupancy of these buildings of the Covenant-breakers. [MBW108-109]

There were now 3,700 localities opened to the Faith over the surface of the entire planet
- 237 Sovereign States and Chief Dependencies where the Bahá'í Faith was present
- 900 Local Spiritual Assemblies
- All the countries listed as pioneering goals were now opened to the Faith except for those in the Soviet Union
- Over 70 islands in the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Indian Oceans, were opened except for 6, bringing the total to 98 islands worldwide
- 40 territories were opened to the Faith in the Pacific, with 170 Bahá'í localities
- Bahá'í literature was now translated into 190 languages including 34 not included in the original plan
- In over 60 territories, the number of those who have become Bahá'ís has surpassed the number originally anticipated
- In a considerable proportion of these territories, Bahá'í membership has far exceeded the number required for the formation of local Assemblies, such as Gambia, for example, with 300 Bahá'ís
- There were 3,000 Bahá'ís in Africa
- 58 territories and islands were opened in Africa, with 400 Bahá'í localities
- 140 African tribes were now represented in the Bahá'í community
- 120 Local Spiritual Assemblies in Africa were functioning
- Bahá'í literature was now published in 50 African languages
- There were 43 National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds—National Bahá'í Centres
- 168 incorporated Local and National Spiritual Assemblies
- Land for 10 Temple Sites was acquired
- The value of National Bahá'í endowments in 51 countries exceeded $100,000—$1.1 million in today’s currency—and now included the Maxwell Home in Montreal
- The design for the House of Worship in Iran was approved
- Plans for three additional Houses of Worship in Europe, Africa, and Australia had begun
- In the Holy Land, the Covenant-breakers suffered defeat after defeat and Mírzá Majdi’d-Dín, the last survivor of the original Covenant-breakers from the time of 'Abdu'l-Bahá finally died
- In more positive news, 52 pillars of the International Bahá'í Archives had been raised and 450 tons of stone safely arrived in Haifa
- The contract was signed with the same factory in Utrecht who provided the golden tiles of the Shrine of the Báb for the green tiles of the Archives building
- The Monument Gardens were extended
- Several properties were acquired in Bahjí and on Mount Carmel
- The Temple Land on Mount Carmel was in the process of being purchased
- In the United States the Bahá'ís were invited by the San Francisco Council of Churches to attend a prayer meeting for the United Nations
- At this inter-religious gathering, the voice of the Bahá'í representative was the first to be raised, reciting a prayer revealed by Bahá'u'lláh
- A prayer revealed by `Abdu'l-Bahá for America was presented by the elected national representatives of the United States Bahá'í Community to President Eisenhower, who acknowledged its receipt in warm terms and above his own signature.
- A Bahá'í Publishing Trust was established in India
- 30 new centers and 15 assemblies were formed in India, Pakistan and Burma
- In Edirne, Bahá'ís were able to purchase sites blessed by the footsteps of Bahá'u'lláh
- The very first Bahá'í Summer School in Central Africa was held in Kobuka, Uganda, with 100 attendees
- The first All-France Teaching Conference was convened
- The Bahá'ís of Tripoli, Libya and the Capital of Tanganyika both identified plots to serve as future Bahá'í cemeteries
- In Iraq, the Bahá'ís purchased land for a Bahá'í Summer School in Iraq
- The women of Egypt were granted the right to be elected to the Egyptian National Spiritual Assembly and participate as delegates at National Convention
- In the Mentawai Islands, a plot of land was purchased supplementing the National Bahá'í Endowment of Indonesia
- The northernmost outpost of the Faith in Alaska was pushed beyond the Arctic Circle
- The Seychelles and the Sudan both initiated plans for the propagation of the Faith
- The worldwide Bahá'í communities appealed with over 1,000 messages to the United Nations after the massacres of the Bahá'ís in Iran in 1955, subjected to the severest persecutions in decades.
- The Bahá'ís also contacted the Sháh of Iran, Government, the Majlis and the Senate
- Publicity was given on radio, in the world’s leading newspapers, protests were voiced by scholars, statesmen, government envoys and people of eminence such as Pandit Nehru, Eleanor Roosevelt, Professor Gilbert Murray and Professor A. Toynbee
- A written memorandum listing the atrocities was submitted to the Secretary General of the United Nations, who appointed a commission of United Nations officers, headed by the High Commissioner for Refugees, instructing its members to contact the Persian Foreign Minister and urge him to obtain from his government in Tihrán a formal assurance that the rights of the Bahá'í minority in that land would be protected. [Utterance Project part 20]

In his last Ridván message Shoghi Effendi announced that the exterior of International Bahá'í Archives had been completed and that the roof was in place. [VBHP38; DH169; GBF63–4; PP264–6]
It had cost approximately a quarter of a million dollars and was, like the Shrine of the Báb, ordered in Italy, entirely carved and completed there, and shipped to Haifa for erection; not only was each separate stone numbered, but charts showing where each on went facilitated its being place in its proper position." [PP265]
• Ugo Giachery supervised the work in Italy and Leroy Ioas in Haifa. Because the landscaping had been completed prior to the completion of the construction, it had to be built from the rear with only a space of about 5 metres on three sides to work in. [PP265]
• For details of its construction and photographs see BW13:403–33.

Passing of Shoghi Effendi

Shoghi Effendi passed away in London of coronary thrombosis after a bout of Asian influenza. [CB377; PP446 BW13:207-225]

• The 1957 influenza pandemic (the "Asian flu") was a category 2 flu pandemic outbreak of avian influenza that originated in China in early 1956 lasting until 1958. It originated from a mutation in wild ducks combining with a pre-existing human strain. A vaccine for H2N2 was introduced in 1957, and the pandemic slowed down. There was a second wave in 1958, and H2N2 went on to become part of the regular wave of seasonal flu. Estimates of worldwide deaths vary widely depending on the source, ranging from 1 million to 4 million, with WHO settling on "about two million". [Sino Biological website]
• He was in London to purchase some furniture to complete the interior of the International Archives Building at the time of his passing. [PP445]
• For a tribute to Shoghi Effendi written by Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum see BW13:58–226.]
  
  In it she lists four major aspects of his life: (Copied and arranged in point form here.)
  • "his translations of the Words of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, Àbdu'l-Bahá and Nabil's Narrative;
  • his own writings such as the history of a century, published as God Passes By, as well as an uninterrupted stream of instructive communications from his pen which pointed out to the believer the significance, the time and the method of the building up of their administrative institutions;
  • an unremitting programme to expand and consolidate the material assets of a world-wide Faith, which not only involved the completion, erection or beautification of the Bahá'í Holy Places at the World Centre but the construction of Houses of Worship and the acquisition of national and local headquarters and endowments in various countries throughout the East and the West;
  • a masterly orientation of thought towards the concepts enshrined in the teachings of the Faith and the orderly classification of those teachings into what might well be described as a vast panoramic view of the meaning, implications, testing and purpose of the religion of Bahá'u'lláh, indeed of religious truth itself in its portrayal of man as the apogee of God's creation, evolving towards the consummation of his development-the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth." [PP226-227]
• See also Rabbání, The Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith and The Priceless Pearl.

The International Bahá'í Archives Building was opened to Bahá'í pilgrims. [BW13:429; MC20]
• For details of the Archives building and several pictures see BW13:403–34.
• Marble for the the International Baha'i Archives building was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria dei Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]
• Shoghi Effendi chose the Parthenon as the basis for the design possibly due to its apparent enduring beauty. The capitals of the fifty columns were in the style of the Iconic rather than the Doric order.

The International Archives Building was reopened for visits by pilgrims after a three-year programme for its restoration and improvement. The exterior stonework was repaired. The foundations of the building have been waterproofed, and the entire structure made earthquake resistant through incorporation within it of a reinforced concrete and steel frame, not visible to visitors, extending from the foundations to the roof level.

Interior improvements included installation of an attractive granite floor at the main level; use of high-quality display cabinets similar to the original cabinets, designed to ensure preservation of the objects on display far into the future; development of basement facilities for receiving pilgrims; provision of means for persons with a physical disability to have access to the building; and installation of complete environmental, safety, and security systems.

Progress was made with the restoration of the edifice of the Shrine of the Báb. A comprehensive programme for the structural reinforcement of the original building and the superstructure for earthquake resistance was nearing completion. Restoration and repair work to the exterior stonework and the ornamental metal balustrades was ongoing. Work was advancing on the preparation for use by pilgrims and other visitors of the three rooms on the southern side of the Shrine, and arrangements were being made for restoration of the dome and replacement of its golden tiles to recover the original lustre. Installation of a new electrical and environmental control system was in progress.

In the Akka work was continuing in both the Riḍván Garden and the newly acquired land surrounding the resting-place of Bahá'u'lláh, the Qiblih of the Bahá'í world. [15 December 2009]