I secretly think that TATT ans RB got blackballed Oops - not so secret, now, is it? I wouldn't call them experts, either, as they have only really studied the subject from anti-masonic sources and have clearly started the "investigation" (and I use that word advisedly) from a biased viewpoint.
While Russell was clearly influenced by some of the occult ideas that were going around at the time, I'm not sure whether they were of his own originality or those whom he surrounded himself. The bottom line is that there's no clear evidence of who exactly was involved.
Because of that foundation, certain buzzwords (such as Watchtower, etc) have remained as a legacy. That having been said, the JWs are intolerant of Masons being included in their ranks. I suspect it's due to a paranoid concern that there may be other masters over some of the flock
My question would have to be: what is the Masonic secret plot?
Unless you truly have an answer to that question, it's a bit difficult to apply it to the WTS. Lets be honest, they were never going to take over the whole socio-religious scene with such wildly variant doctrines from the mass of genuine scholarship, far less the Asian portions of the world.
The Mormons have much more overt symbolism and doctrines contained in their religion, so I'd rather lay my money on them. If the JWs started anywhere near that route, they certainly diverged from it pretty early on, and can hardly bear that title.
Much as I'm happy reinforcing my personal decision to leave the JWs with a litany of errors, I'm afraid I can't genuinely level this one at them. Believe me, I've tried...