I wish to reaffirm, in clear and categorical language, the
principle already enunciated upholding the supreme authority of the National
Assembly in all matters that affect the interests of the Faith in that land.
There can be no conflict of authority, no duality under any form or
circumstances in any sphere of Bahá'í jurisdiction whether local, national or
international. The National Assembly, however, although the sole interpreter of
its Declaration of Trust and by-laws, is directly and morally responsible if it
allows any body or institution within its jurisdiction to abuse its privileges
or to decline in the exercise of its rights and prerogatives. It is the trusted
guardian and the mainspring of the manifold activities and interests of every
national community in the Bahá'í world. It constitutes the sole link that binds
these communities to the International House of Justice -- the supreme
administrative body in the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh.
(In the hand writing of Shoghi Effendi, appended to a letter dated 11 June 1934 written on his behalf to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, National Spiritual Assembly)
(In the hand writing of Shoghi Effendi, appended to a letter dated 11 June 1934 written on his behalf to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, National Spiritual Assembly)