[President Heber J. Grant Diary] John F. Bennett and Bishop Sylvester Q. Cannon called and I explained to them the program I intended to follow out concerning the directors of Z.C.M.I., which they approved, namely, that Ashby Snow and J. Reuben Clark Jr. be nominated in place of A.H. Woolley and George Albert Smith as members of the Board. (1)
-- Apr 25, 1933
[President Heber J. Grant Diary] Brother George F. Richards called and we discussed temple matters and also with regard to the committee of which he is chairman that is trying to settle the troubles between daughter and Sister Vilate Raille and the Pirmary (sic) Board. He asked for more time, thought that George Albert was going to settle it himself. We expressed the hope that he would. (1)
-- Jun 30, 1933
[President Heber J. Grant Diary] George Albert Smith brought into the office Frederick M. Smith, President of the Reorganized Church. President Smith expresses a perfect willingness to have the Relief Society place a marker on property owned by the Reorganized Church in Nauvoo. (1)
-- Aug 7, 1933
Wesley P. Lloyd, later dean of BYU graduate school, writes in his journal of a three-and-a-half-hour conversation with his former Mission President B. H. Roberts: "The conversation then drifted to the Book of Mormon and this surprising story he related to me.... a Logan man by the name of Riter persuaded a scholarly friend who was a student in Washington to read thru and to criticize the Book of Mormon.... Riter sent the letter to Dr Talmage who studied it over and during a trip east ask Brother Roberts to make a careful investigation and study and to get an answer for the letter. "Roberts went to work and investigated it from every angle but could not answer it satisfactorily to himself. At his request Pres. Grant called a meeting of the Twelve Apostles and Bro. Roberts presented the matter, told them frankly that he was stumped and ask for their aide in the explanation. In answer, they merely one by one stood up and bore testimony to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
George Albert Smith in tears testified that his faith in the Book had not been shaken by the question.... No answer was available. Bro Roberts could not criticize them for not being able to answer it or to assist him, but said that in a Church which claimed continuous revelation, a crisis had arisen where revelation was necessary. After the meeting he wrote Pres. Grant expressing his disappointment at the failure... It was mentioned at the meeting by Bro Roberts that there were other Book of Mormon problems that needed special attention. "Richard R. Lyman spoke up and ask if they were things that would help our prestige and when Bro Roberts answered no, he said then why discuss them. This attitude was too much for the historically minded Roberts... "After this Bro Roberts made a special Book of Mormon study. Treated the problem systematically and historically and in a 400 type written page thesis set forth a revolutionary article on the origin of the Book of Mormon and sent
it to Pres Grant. Its an article far too strong for the average Church member but for the intellectual group he considers it a contribution to assist in explaining Mormonism. "He swings to a psychological explanation of the Book of Mormon and shows that the plates were not objective but subjective with Joseph Smith, that his exceptional imagination qualified him psychologically for the experience which he had in presenting to the word the Book of Mormon and that the plates with the Urim and Thummim were not objective. "He explained certain literary difficulties in the Book... "These are some of the things which has made Bro Roberts shift his base on the Book of Mormon. Instead of regarding it as the strongest evidence we have of Church Divinity, he regards it as the one which needs the most bolstering." (2)
-- During 1933
In 1933, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., was chosen as a counselor to President Heber J. Grant of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Clark subsequently served as a counselor to succeeding church presidents George Albert Smith and David O. McKay. As a member of the First Presidency of the Mormon Church for twenty-eight years, Clark had a profound influence on the church. He was instrumental in developing the renowned church welfare system and in improving church finances and administration. He was a forceful and inspirational speaker on both religious and governmental topics. He also authored a number of religious books. (3)
-- Jan 9, 1934
[President Heber J. Grant Diary] At 10:15 I met George Albert Smith and John Wells and discussed officers for the organization for the blind. Brother James E. Talmage was formerly the president and George Albert Smith the vice-president. I suggested that George be made the president and that Brother Samuel O. Bennion be added to their board of directors. (1)
Footnotes:
1 - Diary of Heber J. Grant, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
2 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
3 - Utah History Encyclopedia: J. Reuben Clark, http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/c/CLARK%2CJ.REUBEN.html
LDS History Chronology: George Albert Smith
Mormon History Timeline: The life of George Albert Smith
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
