Great summary by you, too!
A friend of mine who worked in the more "inner circles" at Bethel said they sent out "trial balloons", they hinted at things in articles, and then watched the reactions coming in. If nothing came, they proceeded. If letters and calls of critical comments or questions came in in abundance, they dropped the point in question until a later, "more appropriate time".
Another friend, working as a translator, told me a Question from readers article came on birthdays, which made the translators and others say "aha!", it probably (although he did not eloborate) went far in approving - but then a couple of days before the magazine should be sent to the printers, another Question article came, exact matching size but dealing with another topic.
Reminds me of the Great Soviet Encyclopaedia, those subscribing to it received a long article on Berlin which was to be glued over the exactly matching article on Beria (Stalin's second in command) after he was executed following Stalin's death. Comrade Napoleon. 1984.