July 19, 1975
Joseph Pepe
Via Malanchini 6
Florence, Italy
My very dear Joseph,
This, what I am writing you is of the utmost importance, and I would like very much if you would give it your immediate attention.
When I was with Mason in Washington, in the spring of 1961, he told me that he had made a gold medallion overlaid with a relief of a nine-pointed star, and set with nine diamonds, which he attached to a gold chain. He said that he had made it for the first Guardian, for he thought that the guardian needed to have something to wear around his neck on special occasions and at affairs of state to distinguish him from other people. But that he had never found any occasion to give it to Shoghi Effendi, and that he still had it in his possession. He said that he didn't think that he would wear it at special occasions, but that he was going to give it to him who is to be the third Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, and in that way I was to know the third Guardian. He said that he would wear it at special functions and then everyone would know the third Guardian, or words to that affect. I took it at that time for him to mean that he was going to use this method to appoint his successor in Guardianship.
Last year I had my dear wife write you to inquire as to what happened to this medallion, for this is the way that I am to tell who is the third Guardian. In your reply you stated: "I know nothing of a golden chain or locket that Mason made to give to Shoghi Effendi. He wore a gold chain around his neck with a Baha'i insignia on it and which I have. I do not remember his ever mentioning anything about anything else. He may have given it to Shoghi Effendi years ago??"
The ones present when Mason told me this, that I am sure of, was Donald Harvey's father, Count, and his step-mother, Pearl. As this was all verbal and Count has passed on, and I believe that Pearl is now either with Rex or Joel, and I wasn't sure that Mason had told this to anyone else; so then when my wife received your letter of July 17, 1974 in reply to her inquiry, I decided to let the matter rest until you came here. We were expecting you long before this. Recently, however, in rummaging through some old files I ran across a statement sent me a long time ago by Marie M. Frain M.D. and signed by her. This statement is of the utmost importance and has now brought this matter into focus again. This is why I am rushing this letter to you. Part of her statement is quoted below:
"MEETING WITH MASON REMEY THE SECOND GUARDIAN 8/4 AND 5 19 62
"At the home of Edith Birchard and Ethel Kelly, Cambridge Spring Pa. Present: Della Emary, Martha Kelly, Edith Birchard, Ethel Kelly, Marie, Diane, and Frances Frain; Joseph Pepe, and Charles Mason Remey.
"Mr. Remey was accompanied by a sincere soul, a recently made Baha'i, who is devoted to Mr. Remey and will act as his secretary, one Joseph Pepe....
"A truly significant statement was made by Mr. Remey at supper Aug. 4, 1962,
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when he showed us a gold chain with a gold disc attached engraved with a 9 pointed star. He informed us that this insignia was made up in a wonderful necklace consisting of 18 links with a 9 pointed star attached. It was set with 9 diamonds. This, he said was to be worn by the next Guardian and would be left to the next Guardian that succeeded him. This was tantamount to saying that this would be the means by which the Believers could tell who the third Guardian was to be. He also said that, he had designed 2 or 3 other chains but not with diamonds which would also be left to the next Guardian. These are presently in a safety deposit box. We were very bright eyed."
After now finding this statement I now remember receiving it. It is essentially what Mason told me, and now that it is witnessed, his verbal document to me, now becomes legal. In addition to this my wife now tells me that Mason had written a tablet on this and had sent it to Mary Magdalene Wilkin and that she had sent my wife a copy. She tells me that she had just recently run across the copy of this tablet, but has now misplaced it. She called Mary a few days ago, but she doesn't seem to remember the tablet, but would look through her files and if she found it she would send her another copy. I hope she remembers to do so.
Because this necklace with the Baha'i insignia on it is in your possession I assume that Mason did not give this medallion to Donald Harvey nor to anyone else. That he either gave it to you personally, or left it to you as the inheritor of his personal effects. Therefore, I and the close friends here have come to the conclusion that you were the last one to be appointed to succeed Mason Remey in the guardianship. If, as his adopted son you inherited this medallion from him, as part of his worldly possession, it is legally and rightfully yours. Then, therefore, he gave this to you the day he died--during his lifetime--in accordance with the Provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, by his decision not to give it to anyone else before he passed on, thus, making you the last one that he appointed to succeed him. According to the Provisions of the Will and Testament the guardianship is both an inherited and appointive position and you fulfill both, you therefore, Joseph Pepe, are hereby the third Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. It is through the Promised Joshua that God is to bring forth His servant the BRANCH (Zechariah 3:8, KJV). That is, I am to establish the Provisions of 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament in the world.
Mason explained to me that in the unique way that Shoghi Effendi appointed his successor the guardianship was tested. He said the believers would not be put through that test again. He said the next time they wouldn't know who the guardian is for a while. This is through his unique way of appointing you. It seems that the guardians try to out-do each other in using unique ways in appointing their successors. For me I must be absolutely certain that the one that I support and give my allegiance is the true guardian. I must take no one's word for this. I must see with my own eyes. Investigate with my own intellect and know with my own heart. I have been turning to Donald Harvey, but this is due to your writing that Donald was the last one appointed. Undoubtedly you have been unaware of your own appointment to the guardianship.
I am to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth. I am the Promised Joshua. I am because I fulfill the prophecies of His Advent. I had the 'Stone with 7 eyes' placed before me. I wear the dirty garment, I have the name of 'the land'. I had satan oppose me, on the date given by Daniel for "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the 1335 days" (Dan. 12:12). As the Joshua of old established Israel, so I am to establish Israel (Baha'i) today. To this end I have been arduously working, and it now looks like we have come to the Promised Great Projection. This is the center of activity and we need the International Baha'i Center here, at least until we cross the River Jordan, so to speak, and have it on Mt. Carmel. We have the building and all of the help and facilities for it. The Guardian needs to come here and set it up.
It would also be very important for you to attend a meeting that is planned to take place in Sheridan, Wyoming on August 9th and 10th. The Baha'is there have planned a lamb roast on the side of the mountain and the people of the
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city of Sheridan and round about are invited to attend. There are about 35 believers here that are planning on being there. You are hereby cordially invited to attend.
This could be the fulfillment of the vision seen by the seer Jean Dixon. She is considered as the foremost clairvoyant in America. She saw me in a prison in the Rocky Mountains. Then she saw the return of Jesus (Joshua) descending the side of a mountain in the Rocky Mountains and that there were a great many people there to receive him, but some cried give us Barabas. She also saw me in a vision in which the Great Pyramid was present. I won't be able to go into all of this here because the material is too vast. I am enclosing something Jerome sent me so that you may have some idea about this. He is in correspondence with Jean Dixon and she is studying his explanations and commentaries with interest. According to her visions she is to recognize me. This affair may be the way that she will. She and her visions and predictions are widely publicized in two national newspapers here, the Star and the Enquirer. There are also many books written on her visions and these that I mention here are included.
If she should recognize me now I would be thrown into the communication media. It would electrify the world. I would be a conversation piece. Everyone would know. This would be the judgement. God wants everyone to believe by proofs. That is why there are so many prophecies telling of my Advent. There will be inquiries coming from all over the world and we will need a well-working International Baha'i Center to take care of them all. I have raised up a strong center here. The Guardian needs to meet his responsibility and to come and take his seat at the head of this new body. There will be people coming from all over the world to see the 'stone with 7 eyes', to meet Joshua the promised Lamb of God and he who sits upon the Throne, the Guardian of the Cause of God. They will come by all the various means of transportation, by plane, train, bus, auto, bicycle, motorcycle, and they will walk. They will come. We will have an instantaneous 144,000--Israel, the elect. Then the bombs will drop, and the death pangs of the Beast will be the birth pangs of the Kingdom. We need an active Guardian at the head of this new body.
We will conquer the world with the sword of the Word of God. The enemy, the Covenant-breakers, have been doing everything possible to stifle the progress of the Cause of God, including refusing to sell to us the Baha'i Books. As a result, we have set up a printshop, at a cost of about $10,000, so that we would have these reproduced. This is necessary so that we will be able to answer all of the inquiries, especially in the oncoming projection.
Due to my open Epistle to Governor Judge, the projection has already started. They are now to a certain extent waiting for the next phase. We would like for you to be with us. Missoula is in a saucer surrounded by the Continental Divide which will filter out the fallout after the dropping of the bombs. There are no targets in this saucer. It is the safest place to be in America during the oncoming thermo-nuclear holocaust. We have the funds to bring you here and the resources to take care of you after you get here. Don't delay! Come at once!
May I anticipate a very prompt reply?
Faithfully in El Abha
Dr. Leland Jensen
Source: Dave Cornell, http://web.archive.org/web/20030625072155/www.lelandjensen.net/html/doc/750719pepe.htm