Who is Robert Johnson and his WTS/UN Connection

by hawkaw 31 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  hawkaw

  Hello all,

  Someone very nice (Alan F) passed this on to me late Friday and I did not have the opportunity to pass it on to you.

  If any of you guys have been following my UN thread (which is now very tough to find thanks to the changes in the board) you may have noticed the 1994 UN Directory. It provided three names on page 261 that were linked with the WTS's name. One person was W. L. Barry (at the time he was the Vice President). Another was Ciro Aulicino (of the writing Department) and considered the main representative.

  Finally the alternate representative was "Mr Robert Johnson".

  Now who is this guy. Well Alan was nice enough to pass this message to me and asked me to post it.

  Robert Johnson, in 1994, was a member of the Service Department and was the Watchtower Society's official spokesman. He remained the main
  spokesman until James Pellechia was appointed head of the newly formed
  Public Relations department around 1995. According to insider reports,
  Johnson is a polished speaker as well as a fine man, and he and his wife Grace are well-liked members of the Bethel family. Johnson once served as a District Overseer.

  The fact that Johnson was both the official Watchtower spokesman in
  1994, and that he was a prominent member of the Service Department,
  connects the Service Department officially with the Writing Department
  (through Ciro Aulicino) in that it demonstrates that Watchtower
  officials in each department were thoroughly involved with the UN NGO
  connection, and that they must have known about each other's
  involvement.

  It should also be noted that Ciro Aulicino is a researcher in the
  Writing Department, and as such he had no authority of his own to get
  the Watchtower Society associated with the UN as an NGO. His "boss"
  Harry Peloyan certainly must have been instrumental in getting Governing Body member Lloyd Barry, and after Barry's death another GB member (likely Jack Barr) to sign the various application and yearly
  accreditation forms. As editor-in-chief of Awake! magazine, Peloyan has been in the perfect position to get articles seemingly supportive of UN goals printed in Awake!, and to influence the necessary GB members and other Watchtower officials to buy into the Society's associate NGO status.

  Hope this helps all of you understand the connections.

  Thanks Alan. Oh, I believe Kent has posted this at his http://watchtower.observer.org site.

  hawk
• 

  NeonMadman

  Wasn't he a blues singer back in the '30's who was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil so that he could play the blues? The movie "Crossroads" with Ralph Macchio was loosely based upon his legend, I believe...

  Tom
  "The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure; to live it you had to explode." ---Bob Dylan
• 

  MadApostate

  Hawkaw:

  Well, I see from his wording that AlanF agrees with Maximus, Norm(?), AND the WTS that this whole UN-NGO business was nothing but a moronic attempt by the Writing Dept to merely get the now infamous "UN LIBRARY CARD":

  Robert Johnson, in 1994, was a member of the Service Department and was the Watchtower Society's official spokesman. He remained the main
  spokesman until James Pellechia was appointed head of the newly formed
  Public Relations department around 1995. According to insider reports,
  Johnson is a polished speaker as well as a fine man, and he and his wife Grace are well-liked members of the Bethel family. Johnson once served as a District Overseer.

  The fact that Johnson was both the official Watchtower spokesman in
  1994, and that he was a prominent member of the Service Department,
  connects the Service Department officially with the Writing Department
  (through Ciro Aulicino) in that it demonstrates that Watchtower
  officials in each department were thoroughly involved with the UN NGO
  connection, and that they must have known about each other's
  involvement.

  It should also be noted that Ciro Aulicino is a researcher in the
  Writing Department, and as such he had no authority of his own to get
  the Watchtower Society associated with the UN as an NGO. His "boss"
  Harry Peloyan certainly must have been instrumental in getting Governing Body member Lloyd Barry, and after Barry's death another GB member (likely Jack Barr) to sign the various application and yearly
  accreditation forms. As editor-in-chief of Awake! magazine, Peloyan has been in the perfect position to get articles seemingly supportive of UN goals printed in Awake!, and to influence the necessary GB members and other Watchtower officials to buy into the Society's associate NGO status.

  Hope this helps all of you understand the connections.
• 

  Room 215

  Hawkaw,

  Thanks for the update. I think what you said about Aulicino/Peloyan reinforces my suspicion that they made a conscious strategic decision to use Awake! as their vehicle to diseseminate the favorable references to the U.N., so that these articles might be submitted to the DPI as evidence of compliances with the rules of NGO affiliation, all the limiting their anti-U.N. diatribes fpr the bound books and the WT, in the belfief that these rarely get seen by the U.N. officials.
  Interesting about Aulicino; my recollection of him was one of a ``closet liberal,'' a former pianist and quite talented musician.
• 

  hawkaw

  ummmm....

  Hi MA,

  I am not sure if Alan was saying that or not.

  I know we now have the GB connected to the writing department and now all connected to the service department.

  What Alan showed me is that all portions of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Brooklyn New York knew about this "membership" as Gillies (WT PR man in Britian) stated.

  Your information that you provided on the UN Major News - UN letter and Press Releases" thread clearly shows that besides getting an "official UN pass" they also used this for prestige and influence as well.

  Clearly I can see your facts that you provided that shows the connection. If others can't well ........

  If people didn't pay attention to your "facts" well .... their loss.

  It seems to me MA, that trying to explain what an NGO "associate" is, along with what the WTS really used their "membership" for, are the most difficult thing for me to explain to all people when it comes to this scandal.

  hawk
• 

  outnfree

  I agree with hawk, MadA.

  AlanF's info on Robert Johnson is DAMNING to the Society, because it shows that Writing, Service and at least one GB member were fully aware of the WTBTS's NGO/DPI affiliation in 1994.

  Alan is not trying to imply that Peloyan pulled the wool over anyone's eyes, I don't think. Rather, having met Peloyan, he knows how duplicitous this guy can be -- having no compulsion whatsoever to publish the truth, if the truth doesn't fit his/the Society's agenda.

  Am I right, AlanF?

  outnfree

  Par dessus toutes choses, soyez bons. La bonte est ce qui ressemble le plus a Dieu et ce qui desarme le plus les hommes -- Lacordaire
• 

  AlanF

  Let me try to clear up a few things here about the Society's connections with the UN. There are a few facts we know; there is a great deal of speculation.

  I am reasonably sure that it was Ciro Aulicino and Harry Peloyan in the Writing Dept. who initiated obtaining associate NGO status in order to get access to UN research and library facilities. We know that Lloyd Barry of the Governing Body was listed along with Aulicino as a contact. We know that Robert Johnson of the Service Dept. knew about it in 1994. Since Johnson was the chief Watchtower spokesman in 1994, it is certain that others in responsible positions must have known, because none of these people act without direct instructions that they know are authorized by the Governing Body. It has become evident to me, through certain contacts, that most members of the Bethel family, including officials, had no knowledge of the UN connection until the story hit the Internet a few weeks ago.

  So what can we conclude from this? A few people on the GB, in Writing and in Service knew about the connection. Most Bethelites did not know. It is unclear from various other actions we know about, such as the Society's using UN airplanes to distribute relief supplies in the 1990s, just who else knew about the UN connection and used it. We may also conclude that because the Society has been involved in lobbying for human (religious) rights in various countries, apparently using its UN connection, the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses has become politically active. This latter is probably the most damning of all, in terms of traditional WTS statements condemning the UN and anyone who gets involved in politics.

  Overall, I think that the Society's connection with the UN evolved. It evolved from a simple desire to get access to the library, to a vehicle for influencing politics. Focusing on what must be circumstantial evidence to prove this evolution will be an interesting task. I think that putting all of the information that has been gathered so far, along with other information directly from WTS publications, into a logical presentation, will provide almost enough evidence to convince anyone of the Society's involvement in politics.

  To Room215: I completely agree with your comments.

  AlanF
• 

  AlanF

  You're right, outnfree. Peloyan is a JW politician par excellence. My impression of him is that he will bend truth as necessary to get what he wants. That doesn't take away from his many good accomplishments. He has been on the "liberal" side and has spearheaded the institution of some good changes regarding the status of women and the handling of child molestation cases. My impression is that Peloyan is basically a decent man who has been ethically damaged by long association with other JW leaders.

  AlanF
• 

  hawkaw

  From the UN's DPI/NGO brouchure

  "What are the responsibilities of NGOs associated with DPI?"
  Since the founding days of the United Nations in San Francisco, NGOs have made valuable contributions to the international community by drawing attention to issues, suggesting ideas and programmes, disseminating information and mobilizing public opinion in support of the UN and its Specialized Agencies. Association with DPI constitutes a commitment to that effect. Associated NGOs are expected to devote a portion of their information programmes to promoting knowledge of the United Nations' principles and activities. In addition, they are expected to keep the DPI/NGO Section abreast of their activities by regularly providing samples of their information materials relating to the work of the UN. These are also made available for perusal at the DPI/NGO Resource Centre.

  I have contacted my NGO associate to find out what we can get since only "associated NGOs" can access the reference area.

  hawk
• 

  Room 215

  Alan F (re Peloyan)
  If I recall, you recounted on a posting some time ago that you met with him to talk about errors in one of the Society's published defenses of creationism. Are you basing you impressions on that meeting? It seems to me that most of the JW writers are fairly liberal and that there's been an ongoing antagonism between that camp and the Service Department and its apparatchiks that goes back decades. Is that how you see it? rgds,