cory London, Deeeaber 2, 1935- STRICTLY PRIVATE AND CONFIDERTIAL FOR THE FRRUBAL OF MR. H. SPENCER LERIS tothe Lagpucsoe x°O.7O. AND NO OTHER PERSON. ee fF nwo A ee Wt” My dear Imperator, It 4 really very good of you to have answered my letter at euch Length and with such care. Lot me firet reply to your pointe. (1) Ihave never doubted your knowledge of many of the facts in question. But Ido not think that any apparent variance between your position and mine is irreeoncilable. A. John Yarker's activities mere first and forenost Masonic, and in point of fact he quarreled with everybody! His organisation was never more than a were ekeleton. After the original splash in which he affiliated a hundred or more High Grade iiasons to the rites of Memphis and Mieraim, the opposition of the Seottish Rite in Golden Square (now in Duke Street) brought everything to naught. We had barely enough mon to fill the Grend Offices. My Diplom from Yerker ts dated Novenber 29, 1910. ‘ly Biploma from Froaini is dated 2666 AUC. I have en American Diploma, dated Harch 21, 1913, anong others: B. Reuss could not have been Grand Mester of England beceuse he wae Grand Waster ory as opposed to the official successor, imply because of his ability and energy. Ina letter written to me shortly b ore hia Heath, Yarker definitely designated Henry Meyer te succeed hin as Nation al Grand Master of Sngland. Henry Meyer wae present at the convocation of Grand Maaters in 1914. 1 was elocted Patriarch Grand Administrator General; end Meyer left all the mork to me. Reuss was a uan of action #ho understood realities; and, while very erupulous about Hinutes.and Charters and so on, did not allow himself to be fottered by them. From 1912 until the outbreak of the war, I was seeing Reuse nserly every day, and wy revised Rituals were approved by him. . He mas almoct invariably Present at our ceremonte! The war made it very difficult for Rew ind myaslf.to commmicats, end 44 was only after the armistice that we resumed regular correspondence. (2) ALL that T did was done direotly under Reuse! supervieion and hie request. Tt hee nothing to do with the Gelden Dawn, and I certainly did not call this Resicrucian, besause 1t derives directly from Sgyptian aymbolicm. There are no groups or meetings in this Order. (The "Teuple* aetivitios have always been doubtfully regular, and were discontinued in 1904.)~) & Aleister Crowley - Rough Diamonds & (3) Ae 1 stated previously, Franz flartgann was titular Grand Master of U.S-A. But I ee inclined to egr th you that his activities cannot have been ove: (4) Thave the Gharter anonz ay panere now in farehouse. With regard to my Incosr relations with heuse, . Nave ty point out thet the defeat of Germany meant his omplete financial ruin. He wee shooting about in ell directions (in what T must regretfully describe as @ random manner) for eupport. He would feeus Diplomas to 11 sorte of people, for instance Trinker, without proper tn~ Ligation. He was, I think, aleo # little resentful with the part I hed play- ed during the war. It was shen he had given up all hope thet he wrote (to - not from - Sicily) appointing me 0.H.0. to succeed him. The approach of death naturally reatored hie equilibrium. (5) Ido not expect to hear from people who are dead. And, ae you are aware, in Germany and Italy all such activities are rigorously suppressed. But I oc~ castonally reseive tatters from individuals of high position in the old organ~ Jeation. All this hes no dmportancs because there were at no tine any large or Important Lodges. It wae a cast of a for and isolated people struggling along as beet they could, and the war killed everything. (6) have a letter from the Grand Master of the Order of the vartinists ho succeeded Fapus, in which letter J aw fully recognised, dated uarch 8th, 1928. (7) I have eirendy dealt with thie under (4), (8) My point de that it does not matter who claims to be the Read of an Order mhich has no ‘tence in fact. The only Rituale workable under modern condi~ tions are thone of the 0.7.0. written by me at the instigation, and under the euperviaion, of Hew ‘The only thing that matters is the ultimte secret of the 0.1.0., which 1s not disotosed below EX°. That secret ie isportent because its possession confers real powers. I do hot know whether you yourself ere in po: ion of it, as you have not claimed any degree bayond the VII°. But pereon: charge of Governments are under no illusions to the value of thie decret, and have gone to inoredible lengthe in the hope of discovering it. See separate docu~ ments enclosed. T have no evidenss of any authority conferred on you except the Reus Diplom, which is after all a very guarded docunent, and not in any een Warrant or Charter, Besides, it te revooable. I am sure you will thank me for not referring to the City of Toulouse. That have you then which ie definitely Rostcrueian in character? ' Rhat authority have you apart from that of the 0.T.0.t In this working there {a ample authority from sources which you have so far not wentioned. But if I had no authority whatever, my possession of the ultinte seeret would confer it. In short, I hed better tell you exaetly what happened. then Nathers brought aetion ageing’ the Equinox in 1910 and was throw eut ef Court, Reuss same 40 mo and said: Iam the secret Ohief of the Reaiordetan Order.* T eaids “gpeak 40 wy secretary, and he will avsign you a plese in the quéue.” For at‘that time about # dozen or more dead-heads came along, each claiming to be the sole and supreme chief of the Rosicrueian Order. But, com time later, on the publication of a eertain book of sine, Reuse again called upon me, and saidt “You must be obligated ‘-wediately to the 1X° of the 0.1.0." I asked why. He feplied: "Because you have published the Seoreb." I said: "I have done nothing of the sort. 1 do not know the yeret. What te ttt" He then told me the Secret. I said: "I have never hoard $ thia before, and I have certainly never published anything about it." Ha went to my bookshelves, took down the book in question, and pointed out to the passage! I waa aghast. It hed been written under inspiration, and ay conscious mind had paid no attention. I had printed the passage because tt had been written under inspiration, in a mood of not wanting to be bothered to rovies what I meant to print. I saw at once that he was right, I realised the dnportance of the matter. I accepted the obligations. And I devoted ny- self to the work of the 0.7.0. (9) I hold ao brief for Dr. KrumHeller, but he has certainly been doing work of sone practical importance. And ae his aine ere generally eympathetic, T do not think that he should be altogether ignored. (10) on page 1 of your letter you deny very euphatically that the scottish Rite and the Rites of Memphis and Uizraimare any factor in your claim. Yet the only document on which you base your claim is devoted to these fites, as concentrated in the 0.7.0. (which 1s printed in big type right ecrees the Dip- Jom) and nothing whatever is said about Rosicrucians. Further, my omn private Seal in at the foot of the document. Ab the same time I wish to point out that according to uy information 1t has alrays been strictly forbidden for any Roei~ crucian to claim to be oné. I shall be interested to lear shy you have de- parted from thie tradition. - I take it that it 1 legitimte to say th thority 1e "derived" from them. - I think that the above should be an adequate basis for complete under- standing between use. There is no need for allowing these matters to come to ‘the knomledge of unworthy persone. Twill now goa Little inte personal matters, I may remark to begin ‘ith that my bankruptey affaire wera conducted on purely Rosteructan princi~ ples, and have not in any way affected my income, I am sorry about the ‘tion!, but T thought that you wanted the facts. You write: "you say that you oan clear yourself." 1 said that"! had been cleared.‘ The only difficulty that reuaine te to get this fact into the Alleged minds of the kind of people who read the lovest class of Sunday news prper, and believe the rubbish there printed. This would not matter except for the fact that even peoplé who know that the allegations against me are pure noneense aré afraid of the prejudice of the illiterete. My position ie in ‘thie respect preotesly similar te your orn. But oming te the state of the Low An Ameriea you have no reul remedy against people like Swinburne Clymer. Otte Nahn wae over here in 1922 when theré was some question ef a libel action