Shoghi Effendi's cars, gold gift, trips to Swiss Alps and Cameras

Shoghi and Abdul Baha's Cars

Shoghi Effendi for many years had had a private automobile and chauffeur (like ‘Abdu’l-Bahá before him) ...

I remember the Guardian telling me of how (I believe it must have been in early 1920) one of the old American Bahá’ís had sent a gift to the Master of a Cunningham automobile; notice of its arrival at the quayside in port came just as the weekend commenced and the Master gave Shoghi Effendi instructions to see that it was cleared and delivered to the house.

Shoghi's Swiss trip and his camera

A very happy young Guardian on top of a Swiss Alp with his guide; Shoghi Effendi carried his own camera with him, ...

Gold ring

“I have received the gold ring which you sent me ... and have offered it, after wearing it myself, to the Greatest Holy Leaf ...

Shoghi Effendi's new big lovely Buick car is stolen.

[4-5-48] “Today the car was stolen! [A gift to Shoghi Effendi from Roy Wilhelm. The Guardian had had no car for years as the old one was sold during the war owing to no spare parts.] ... I phoned Dr. Weinshall, who advised us to go to the Hadar Hacarmel Police Station. Shoghi Effendi was calmer than anyone else, and only said ‘How it will rejoice my enemies!’ I guess none of us hoped to really see the car again—but how sad it was to have our big lovely Buick, just received after so long a time, gone! ... Then our nice taxi driver took us to another Haganah place and we again reported. Then a strange thing happened! We were walking home tired and dispirited, and in the window of a cosmetic shop on Herzl Street she saw a hand lotion I had tried several times to get. I thought I would not bother, but then I decided to get it and went in. The proprietor has known Dad and me for years so he asked about Daddy and I enquired about his old father, etc. I was not going to say anything about the car as I felt humiliated about it but after paying for my things I started out without them. That looked so foolish that I apologized and said ‘I am very upset because our car has just been stolen!’ The man said ‘But I saw your car today at about 2:15 in the new Business Center! And I was surprised because I wondered how you could sell such a beautiful new car!’ It seems he had seen Gladys and me driving by the day before and remembered the car vividly and the U.S. license plates! He said Jews had been in it and a Jew driving it and it was just around the corner from the Savoy Hotel. He also said please not to give his name as a witness, but I said then it won’t help us, so he weakened and said we could. ... Of course we rushed back to the police station and reported what he had said and when I got home I found Mr. Friedman had left his number for me so I called him and told him and he said ‘That’s all I need to know. Now I know they brought it into our part of town I can get them!’ Some time later the Hadar Police Station called and said ‘Your car has been located and you will get it back tomorrow so don’t worry.’ 

(The Priceless Pearl, Rúhíyyih Rabbani)

Driving the big car, though, was a challenge in Haifa's narrow streets. Ben noted that the car needed 'a hinge in the middle'. But Ben was really happy to drive because Shoghi Effendi had great enjoyment from it.

(Shoghi Effendi Through the Pilgrim's Eye, Volume 1, Building the Administrative Order, 1922-1952 by Earl Redman)