HMSA RACHEL GUSLER TO MARTHA SHERMAN

Chicago, Il., November 5, 1959

Dear Martha,

Elsie calls once a week, or I call her. She attends Forum quite regularly but isn’t an “observer” this year on Wednesday evenings. I’ve attended one or two Sundays this fall. Observers pay a small fee.

Did I ever mention a Mr. Ernest to you? Elsie and I gave him and his wife a Urantia Book. They became quite interested and now he has been going to the Society. Mr. Ernest was a pastor of the Christian church for several years but has not served in that capacity for some time. He is anticipating joining the Society. He is an author and book reviewer himself, widely read and well traveled. At one time he was a reporter for the Daily News. . . .

Love,
Rachel

HIFTUB TESTIMONY of ELDRED COCKING

(written circa 1980)

In the fall of 1959, I picked up a copy of the Urantia Book while browsing in a Chicago bookstore. Over the next five or ten minutes I perused the table of contents and read a few random passages of the text. I concluded that the book was probably just another occult-metaphysical production. I set the book down on the display table and briefly wondered if it would be worthwhile to start reading this weighty volume. The next day I returned to the bookstore with no doubt in my mind. I had definitely decided to buy and read the Urantia Book. It was a decision which was to deeply influence my thinking and actions in the years ahead. What were the determining factors behind this decision? Why was I willing to pay any attention to this strange book? From whence came the urge to become acquainted with the contents of this lengthy treatise by completely unknown authors?

After several decades of reading and thinking about the Urantia Book, I have little doubt that spiritual guidance was the decisive factor in my finding and studying the book, just as it was the same spirit leading which influenced my human mind to persist in a quest for truth over several decades before encountering and receiving the book’s revelatory message.

During my long quest for mental and spiritual enlightenment I had learned much about the lives and thinking of spiritual teachers and leaders, philosophers, theologians, and scientists. Most of these personalities and their writings were interesting, a few were inspiring, but—with one exception—none were both inspiring and convincing. That exception was Jesus of Nazareth as revealed in the New Testament.

The problem I had with Jesus was the fragmentary, incomplete biblical record of his life and teachings, together with the multiplicity of sectarian interpretations of his message. I believed that Jesus was the greatest figure in human history, even though I realized that I understood all too little of his message and its implications. I longed to know more about this mysterious son of God.

The Urantia Book was a marvelous answer to my felt need for more enlightenment about Jesus and his heavenly Father. Here was a new revelation of Jesus and a vastly improved presentation of his saving message. And the wealth of additional background information about the cosmos and its creator was tremendously impressive and illuminating.

In summary, a persistent hunger for truth led me to find the Urantia Book and stay with it. Spiritual guidance prepared me for the new revelation and ensured my acceptance of this gift from God.

UBH MEREDITH SPRUNGER to WILLIAM S. SADLER

Fort Wayne, In., November 11, 1959

Dear Dr. Sadler,

Just finished an interesting conversation with a chemical engineer living here in Fort Wayne which prompts me to write you concerning our experience in Fort Wayne.

There are still periods of anxiety about my new role as a teacher. But all comments from the president of the institution down to the students, which have come back to me, have been encouraging. At the Dean’s suggestion I am working on a course in Philosophy and one on The Living Religions of the World. Indiana Technical College is definitely on the march. . . .

A number of students have come to me asking about the Urantia Book. Several have asked to be notified if a study group is started. One fellow insisted on purchasing the Book even though I warned him that it could be a dangerous book—I thought such warning wise when he told me his home pastor was interested in it!

There is a very interesting group headed by the above chemical engineer who are giving the Urantia Book the third degree. They have in their group an atheist, an agnostic, a Buddhist, a Catholic, a Jehovah’s Witness, etc. They are dividing the Book according to their various specialties and will meet eventually in our basement to discuss it. The engineer, Vietmeyer, has about 700 pages read to date. He picked the Book up at the library and became intrigued about authorship, etc. The local library could give him no information but one of the members of the discussion group is a Tech student who discovered a copy in the Tech library and was told I knew something about it—so Vietmeyer called here one evening.

There are a few other people who have shown some interest—so I am waiting to see what happens. Have appreciated receiving copies of “Science in the Urantia Book” and “Worship and Wisdom.” You have rendered a fine service in making these available. . . . We may take advantage of Leone’s invitation to put us up overnight sometime during the Christmas vacation. Greetings to all.

Cordially,
Meredith

UBF WILLIAM S. SADLER to MEREDITH SPRUNGER

Chicago, Il., November 13, 1959

Dear Dr. Sprunger,

I was very happy to get your letter and learn of the interest in the Urantia Book in Fort Wayne. It would seem that you are at this time having a very natural, and one might say, normal development of interest in the Book, and I dare say it will one of these days develop into a study group.

We have many interesting things coming in from day to day from all parts of the country. It seems to me that the small, but steady, growth of interest in the Urantia Book is developing along the lines that our unseen friends portrayed to us years ago.

I feel certain that your work in the school is progressing satisfactorily and that you are going to enjoy it more and more.

Christy says to tell you folks that you will be taken care of overnight any time you come up, and we will then be able to discuss all that is going on here and there and elsewhere.

I cannot help but be impressed by the extraordinary composition of the group that is showing interest in the Book.

Everyone here sends their best to you and we will be looking for you to show up one of these days.

Sincerely,
William S. Sadler

UBH WILLIAM S. SADLER to CARL C. MADSEN

Chicago, Il., December 10, 1959

Dear Dr. Madsen,

At the request of your mother, in a letter to the Secretary of the Urantia Foundation, I am writing you concerning the Urantia Book which she has asked to be sent to you.

First, let me congratulate you on entering the field of psychiatry, a specialty which I regard the most challenging of all medical specialties at this time. I trust you will be a broad-gauged American-Myerian psychiatrist. I was a pupil of Freud but never became a disciple. I could not accept his basic materialism—his mechanistic philosophy.

I thought you might be interested, in connection with the Urantia Book, that it was not a product of automatic writing or of any of the techniques of the psychic cults. I am enclosing an outline of a talk I gave to a dozen or so ministers who recently came here to discuss the origin of the Urantia Book.

I hope, if you are in Chicago in the near future, you will come to see us. In the meantime, I trust you may find the Urantia Book as interesting and challenging as I have found it.

Sincerely,
William S. Sadler, M.D.

* * *

UF DR. SADLER’S HISTORY (Continued)

In December 1959 the Internal Revenue Bureau of the United States government ruled that the Urantia Foundation, and the Urantia Brotherhood, and the Urantia Brotherhood Corporation were exempt from paying income taxes, and that any and all contributions made to these organizations are deductible from the income taxes of such donors.

* * *

HMSA SUZANNE WILKINS to JAMES MILLS

New York, N.Y., January 3, 1960

Dear Mr. Mills,

For some time I have intended writing to your organization to ask some questions about Urantia and to learn all I can, if you’re in a position and willing to tell, of my late husband’s connection with your work.

Sir Hubert Wilkins, to whom I was married for twenty-nine years, was a most unusual and devout man. As far as his religious feelings and views were concerned he was slightly mysterious, as he did not wear his heart on his sleeve, as it were.

I was well aware of his interest in Urantia, of course, as we often discussed it, and I have read the Book at regular intervals with absorbed interest, especially the selections he had pointed out to me. I have many of his personal notes and papers on Urantia, which are of great interest, and possibly would be of great value. Also, I am happy to have a personal recording in his own voice of his thoughts on many aspects of Urantia.

He told many others of Urantia, including Lowell Thomas,¹⁵ a very old friend of ours, who is writing a book on Sir Hubert. To add to the interest in this book, Lowell Thomas has asked me if I thought it might be possible to secure any information from the Urantia Brotherhood that they would be willing to have used or reproduced or incorporated in this book, to show this side of Sir Hubert’s life and at the same time add to the public interest in Urantia. So, in addition to writing for my own purposes, I am expressing Lowell Thomas’s interest in the matter as well.

There were many people in the Government Services, of course, who had more than a passing acquaintance with Urantia. I should therefore appreciate anything you feel free to tell me, and suggest that to avoid any breech of your principles you tell me what is for my own personal information and what may be divulged, as I give my solemn promise no confidence will be abused. Obviously, the very source of the information contained in Urantia is of great and mysterious interest.

With all good wishes for success in 1960.
Suzanne Wilkins

HMSA ELSIE BAUMGARTNER to MARTHA SHERMAN

Chicago, Il., January 5, 1960

Dear Martha,

The two long-weekend holidays have made me lazy and I fear, a bit tired. All my good intentions of getting a letter off to you before the New Year just did not work out. Sometimes it is very easy for me to be influenced away from an intended task by little interruptions, the TV or a good book. I have read some good books during 1959—Dr. Zhivago, Exodus, The Thirteenth Apostle, and have just finished Dear and Glorious Physician, the story of Luke and the writing of his gospel, and of course, a continuous reading of the Urantia Book. I don’t find time to read it at great length, so the UB is read in short bits and on random sections. . . .

On Saturday following Christmas day we all three [including sisters May and Phyllis] spent the afternoon and evening with Rachel; we had a wonderful time together in good conversation on many subjects. Unfortunately we live so far apart that we see each other only seldom, but we talk on the phone every Saturday and Sunday evening. . . .

Lulu Steinbeck arrived back in Florida early in December from her summer visit in Mexico. She enclosed a small portrait snapshot of herself in her Christmas card and I think she is looking very good. Apparently she is fully recovered from her illness. Grace [Palmer] was up in Chicago this past summer and I saw her just for a short time.

Did you see the fine write-up about Sir Hubert in the July issue of National Geographic magazine? A fine short biographical sketch and the story and pictures of the [burial] ceremony at the North Pole.¹⁶

Things go on as usual at 533, Sunday afternoon meetings of the Society and Wednesday night classes of the Brotherhood School. I understand a French translation of the UB is almost completed and ready for publication, that is, in France. While Bill Sadler is obviously very active behind the scenes he is never at any of the open meetings. Their daughter Patty is getting a Masters at Chicago U. and Chuck is a student at Lawrence College in Wisconsin.

Phyllis and May join me in sending you and your entire family the best of wishes for a happy and healthful New Year.

As ever,
Elsie

UBH WILLIAM S. SADLER to SUZANNE WILKINS

Chicago, Il., January 6, 1960

Dear Friend,

I was made very happy to read your interesting letter of January 3, addressed to Mr. Mills, Vice President of the Urantia Brotherhood.

Your letter was turned over to me because I had recently had some correspondence concerning Sir Hubert and the Urantia Book with Dr. Stefansson’s secretary at Dartmouth College.

When I read Stefansson’s article in the Reader’s Digest about Sir Hubert, and not knowing whether or not you knew much about the Urantia Book, I thought, in order to keep the records straight, I should send some information to Dr. Stefansson about the matter.

Now I am delighted to know that you know all about these things and am happy to learn of your interest. I am sending you a copy of the letter which I wrote in August of last year to Mrs. Hildick, Dr. Stefansson’s secretary.

I know of no reason why Lowell Thomas should not say whatever he wishes about the Urantia movement in his writing about Sir Hubert. I know that a great many people knew about Urantia through your good husband, as it has come back to us here in Chicago, and I know that he distributed many Books personally.

I hope to have the pleasure of meeting you one of these days, and I feel sure that if you are near Chicago you will come to see us. We all here were very fond of Sir Hubert and he has many times spoken to the Forum, which was the predecessor of our present First Urantia Society, of which I happen to be the president this current year.

In your contacts with Mr. Thomas I know of no reason why the facts of Sir Hubert’s religious experience should be in any way concealed, and you can assure Mr. Thomas that if I can be of any help I will be very happy to meet with him.

You perhaps know that Sir Hubert sort of made his headquarters here while in Chicago, and it was here that he read the Urantia papers during those years before publication.

It is a great relief to me, personally, to hear from you. I thought several times of writing to you after Sir Hubert’s sudden demise, but I didn’t know just how much you knew about the Urantia Book. As you say, your good husband was rather quiet about some of these things, and I never learned, through him, of your knowledge of these matters.

You may not know that we are still working on the Index, or Concordance, of the Urantia Book and hope to see its publication the latter part of this year. You will perhaps also be interested to know that the French translation is almost completed and 1961 will see its publication.

With all best wishes, I beg to remain,

Sincerely yours,
William S. Sadler

UBH ANNUAL REPORT of URANTIA BROTHERHOOD to the GENERAL COUNCIL

From Warren H. Kulieke, President

January 24, 1960

The question has arisen, and rightly so, regarding the immediate goals and the purpose of the Urantia Brotherhood organization. It seems fitting and proper that for my annual report I take up this question and explain what we are trying to do. Therefore I submit the following statements as viewed from January of 1960. In presenting this document I shall rely upon the following sources to substantiate my report: The Urantia Book, the Constitution of Urantia Brotherhood, and the acts and deliberations of the Executive Committee and Departmental Committees. The subject to be considered may be divided into three distinct areas:

1. The long-range purpose of Urantia Brotherhood.
2. The immediate goals.
3. The value and significance of the Brotherhood organization.

1. The purpose of the Brotherhood is aptly expressed in Article II of the Constitution where we read:

“The purposes of Urantia Brotherhood are the study and dissemination of the teachings of the Urantia Book; the promotion, improvement and expansion among the peoples of the world of the comprehension and understanding of Cosmology and the relation of the planet on which we live to the universe, of the genesis and destiny of Man and his relation to God, and of the teachings of Jesus Christ; and the inculcation and encouragement of the realization and appreciation of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man—in order to increase and enhance the comfort, happiness, and well-being of Man, as an individual and as a member of society, by fostering a religion, a philosophy, and a cosmology which are commensurate with Man’s intellectual and cultural development, through the medium of fraternal association, ever obedient and subservient to the laws of this country and of all countries wherein Urantia Brotherhood may extend.”

Nothing need be added to the above statement of purposes. These will be our aims as long as the Brotherhood exists, and the chartering of each Society witnesses, in part, the fulfillment of this purpose.

2. The immediate goals, in our judgment, constitutes the best way to proceed in the present to effect the purpose of the Brotherhood as it unfolds day by day, year by year. Our planning consists of several specific goals.

First, we are trying in a quiet, unspectacular, but personal manner to put the Book in the hands of as many people as possible—particularly those where it will find grateful reception. It has been sent as a gift to many influential people. It has been placed on the shelves of hundreds of libraries and bookstores throughout the world. In this way we are confident that those who seek the truth shall one day find the fulfillment of their quest in the Urantia Book.

Another immediate goal is being realized through the work of the Urantia Brotherhood School which was established by the Committee on Education. This school is training teachers and leaders for that time when the movement gains wider acceptance in the world. We regret that for the present the school is limited to one geographical area. As the demand for an extension of the services of this school to other parts of the world increases, a more extensive program will be undertaken—in fact, is now being planned.

The Executive Committee also foresees that the Book must be translated into other languages. Although publication has not been authorized as yet, a French translation is in process. Translations will require large sums of money. The Brotherhood will need financial aid, especially from those people of means who will supply the funds for translating the Book into other languages. And it is my recommendation that we plan definitely toward that end as soon as possible.

The Executive Committee recognizes the need for a closer relationship between the individual Societies and between the Executive Committee and these Societies. Accordingly we plan to enlarge the Quarterly News Letter so that this channel of communication will open up a closer working relationship and understanding between all groups of the Brotherhood. This goal is also being realized through the work of our Field Representative, William Sadler Jr., who is now functioning as a liaison between the Executive Committee and each Society. During this beginning period when we are so anxious for things to move at a faster pace, great patience and understanding is required of all of us.

In all its functions the Executive Committee relies heavily upon each departmental committee functioning in its own domain to achieve the goals of the Brotherhood.

3. The value and significance of the Brotherhood organization: The writers of the Constitution of Urantia Brotherhood carefully and deliberately provided for an institution with a strong central overcontrol, while at the same time establishing the autonomy of the individual Societies. In so doing they were consciously aware of the statement in the Urantia Book which says:

“While it is true that the institutionalization of religion has usually detracted from its spiritual quality, it is also a fact that no religion has thus far succeeded in surviving without the aid of institutional organization of some degree, greater or lesser.” (page 1083)

And may it be ever thus—that individual believers will band together to form Urantia Societies, and these Societies will group together to form the Urantia Brotherhood organization for the purpose of attaining the goals herein expressed.

But let us not overlook another important function of this organization, namely, the safeguarding of this revelation which has been entrusted to us. Religious fanatics and those with sinister intent as well as many well-meaning but misguided individuals will try to attach themselves to our cause or even try to take it over completely. Such have already arisen. Our Constitution is designed to prevent such attempts. We are safeguarded by law. The Brotherhood reserves the right of revoking a charter when necessary or of expelling individuals it deems harmful. The Urantia Foundation retains control over the Book itself. In supporting the organization we are insuring the future of the teachings of the Urantia Book.

We are not in a hurry. We will not be stampeded into unwise actions to promote our revelation. Those of us who have witnessed the formulation of the Urantia papers and the subsequent publication of the Urantia Book will zealously guard and control the manner in which it will be presented to the world, letting the example of our unseen friends, who have waited hundreds of years to make this revelation, curb our own impatience and govern our enthusiasm.