The Bahá'í Communities of North America, on the occasion of the world-wide commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the call to the world's leaders to establish universal peace through justice and unity by Bahá'u'lláh, observed 1968 as the International Year for Human Rights. At the Bahá'í Intercontinental Conference in Chicago the Bahá'ís affirmed that in accordance with the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, human rights are God given rights.

"As regards the Bahá'í principle of obedience to just governments, what is meant here by just is recognized and well-established authority."

"What the Master's statement really means is obedience to a duly constituted government, whatever that government may be in form. We are not the ones, as individual Bahá'ís to judge our government as just or unjust - for each believer would be sure to hold a different viewpoint, and within our own Bahá'í fold a hotbed of dissension would spring up and destroy our unity. We must build up our Bahá'í system, and leave the faulty systems of the world to go their way. We cannot change them through our becoming involved in them; on the contrary, they will destroy us."

"Under the present circumstances in the United States it is preferable that Bahá'ís not buy or own arms for their protection or the protection of their families."

Wellesley Tudor Pole first encountered 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Alexandria during His first sojourn in Egypt in 1910. At that time he wanted to find out more about the Faith and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. He met 'Abdu'l-Bahá many times over many years, specifically in Palestine in 1918 when he was able to assist in the protection 'Abdu'l-Bahá's home against the occupying Turks. [The Servant, the General and Armageddon by Roderick and Derwent Maude]

Mr. Eichelberger, Chairman of the Commission to Study the Organization of Peace, will receive the award for his accomplishments in the field of human rights over a period of many years. He was a consultant to the League of Nations Secretariat and was a member of a committee to prepare the first U.S. working draft of the United Nations Charter. He was a consultant to the U.S. delegation to the 1945 Conference in San Francisco to organize the United Nations. His most recent effort was overseeing the drafting and presentation of a special report on The United Nations and Human Rights. He is the author of four books on the U.N.

The Xerox Corporation was selected because of its sponsorship of the television series Of Black America and its other outstanding efforts in behalf of human rights. [Bahá'í National Review Issue 12 December 1968 p3; Bahá'í National Review Issue 14 February 1969 p10]