JWN Researchers - Early financial records for WTS

by Lady Lee 22 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  Lady Lee

  How would we get the early financial records of the WTS?

  Was the WTS considered non-profit? a religious order? publishing house?

  Religious property has always been considered tax-free. As a religious order would their financial records be available from the beginning. Where? NY? PN?

  The charter of Zion's Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania states:

  II. The purpose for which the Corporation is formed is, the dissemination of Bible Truths in various languages by means of the publication of tracts, papers and other religious documents, and by use of all other lawful means which its board of directors, duly constituted, shall deem expedient for the furtherance of the purpose stated.

  Witness our hands and seals this 12th day of November, A. D. 1884.

  It was approved April 29th, 1874 [correction: December 15th 1884] by the Court of Common Pleas No. 1 of Allegheny County Common Please No. 1. The copy I have comes from Watchtower Documents (Barb Anderson's website) [sorry about my error]

  The reason I am asking is that we keep saying that the money for Beth Sarim, and the Cadillacs were donations to Rutherford. But we don't have proof. Is there a money trail in the early records?

  • money trail for 3 Cadillacs or 2 Cadillacs and 1 Lincoln
  • Beth Sarim
  • 100 acres of land around Beth Sarim
  • Beth Shan which was built across the canyon from Beth Sarim but on the 100 acres
• 

  thetrueone

  There probably are records of these acquired assets and their possible sales somewhere hidden away in Brooklyn HQ,

  but those pieces of information are not in the publics domain being that the organization has its own corporate identity .

  Certainly those properties when they were sold had a high financial value, even if they were sold off in the 1940's.

  You could also assume that the WTS. would try and keep these luxury items and land allocated by Rutherford out of the eyes

  of the regular R&F JWS. It would also be assumable that since the WTS. is a religious corporation, free from taxation that holding on to receipts

  had a lesser importance than apposed to a taxed profiteering organization. Rutherford for instance knew very well being a lawyer how

  to manipulate the US tax laws to his favor, the reason why the large properties in San Diego were tittled in name to religious bible figures.

  The connection with Rutherford purchasing or someone donating the land (somewhat questionable ) is that Russell used

  Rutherford as a legal representative buying properties in Pennsylvania New York.

  As I mentioned on another thread, Rutherford most likely knew of the financial wealth of the WTS., even more so when

  Russell collaborated his entire wealth into the WTS. (INC.) to protect his wife from extrapolating money from him upon their divorce.

  After decades have past, to keep those discredited purchases by the WTS. would be of little purpose and might even stir up

  some harmful debate if openly viewed, it would be a good guess that those receipts were trashed a long time ago.
• 

  Lady Lee

  If they are a religious organization then wouldn't their records have to be available to the public. We know the WTS is going to keep a tight grip on them but public records are open. At least I think they are. And if so someone should be able to get copies.

  Properties that have been sold can be traced back to when they were first bought. If I bought a house I should be able to research it back to when it was built. The Beth Sarim property has only had 2 or maybe 3 owners.

  Tax records might show proprties bought and if so then expenditures would appear in the records. If those are also public record then someone might have a shot at finding them.

  Maybe I just don't know enough. And certainly what I know about non=profit org applies here in Canada and not in the US in the early 1900s
• 

  thetrueone

  There might be a record of the sales of the properties in San Diego as to their sold to price.

  It would interesting to see what they actualy sold for, they were certainly a good chunk of land to be sure.
• 

  thetrueone

  If anyone is interested in the Beth Shan and Beth Sarim land and buildings here is web site

  that has some further information. http://www.seanet.com/~raines/bethshan.html

  The bomb shelter at Beth Shan is interesting in that Rutherford felt

  that he could protect himself when WW2 broke out, being the self indulgent asshole that he was

  he used the WTS. money and influence to secure his own personal well being and piece of mind.

  So he had first built Beth Sarim for luxury and pleasure complete with swimming pool and two expensive

  prodigious Cadillacs in the garage, then when WW2 broke out he bought and built Beth Shan for protection and

  security. Man that man had balls the size of bowling balls when you think about it, particularly since all of this was done blindly away

  from the eyes of the common devoted JWS.
• 

  Old Goat

  I don't think you'll find much without serious research into county records. Those would be scattered everywhere. In the Russell era, financials were published in The Watch Tower. On the private blog for the TruthHistory people there's an analysis of Russellite finances, including the full text of the February 1881 "organizational document" with a scan of the signatures.

  That's an invitation only site, but all I did was request access. They seem to grant access on request, giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. I don't know of any analysis of Rutherford era financials, which seem to be more complex. When I was a new Witness (back in the late 40's) the gossip was that the Cadillac cars were the gift of two women living in the South who had money from Coca Cola interest. I wasn't interested enough to find out. At the time, all I thought was, "My how nice of them."

  My best guess is that while there is a lot of foolishness tied up in the houses and in the cars, there's little scandal there. Might be, but I doubt it. My impression of the 1916-1942 era is that it was a mean spirited Jerk (Rutherford) against the Flakes (van Amburg would be one) and the Crazies (PSL Johnson would qualify). Probably the real scandals are in their interactions.

  The shift from congregationalism to "theocracy" is also troubling. I don't think anyone has really followed that in detail. I believe the real issues with Rutherford rest in his dictatorial grasp on gullible worshipers.
• 

  thetrueone

  One thing for certain is the WTS has tried intently on hiding these so called locations of preservation and solitude for the then

  President of the organization. I was a born in JW and practicing JWS for 25 years and I never read anything about these homes or

  properties. Talk about ruining a wholesome righteous image, having the Present of the WTS. living in luxury homes, driving the most expensive cars

  made in the world, illegally garnering alcohol for his own use and philandering with pretty female assistants who were not

  his wife from whom he was separated from. I think this guy ( Rutherford) would be described today as a real player or playboy.

  Funny what a lot of power and money does to men, even if it was all derived around a religious organization selling litature

  openly to the public.
• 

  clarity

  Old Goat, great to hear from you again,

  When I was a new Witness (back in the late 40's) the gossip was that the Cadillac cars were the gift of two women living in the South who had money from Coca Cola interest

  .

  Witnesses from the 40's are getting pretty rare these days, I sure hope you share more of your knowledge and stories with us. I am from the late 50's era but the whole time I was in, I did not read nor hear of Rutherfords antics, his Beth Sarim/Beth Shan houses, his apartments in NY, his expensive cars(during a depression yet!) nor his 'drinking problem' and god knows what else! If only I had.

  Being that Rutherford was a lawyer (of sorts) financial records must have been kept somewhere. Too bad we didn`t have the internet then!

  clarity
• 

  JRK

  The Caddy's were V-16's. Extravagent to the max. Unless someone donated them to get to the New Order, they were a drain on the WWW, or whatever they called it then. Big Judge had a great time living it up. He even had his sexual liasons. I hope they were good, because he is only getting his pineapples in hell now. (please refer to Little Nicky video)

  JK
• 

  thetrueone

  I think Rutherford lapped up the attention he cultivated and not only by the recognized JWS,

  you can just imagine the looks he would have gotten driving those cars around San Diego, at time in America

  that was going through a terrible depression. He did have the foresight what the WTS. and its already acquired wealth

  accumulated by C T Russell could do for him, no wonder he was so adamant in taking control as the acting Presidency.

  As many of the devoted were instructed by him in working for the WTS. in the printing operations or the door to door service work

  and encouraged to live a life of poverty devoted to the WTS., instead he lived a life of luxury, privileged with status , hidden away

  from eyes of the devoted followers. Similar in many ways to the religious charlatans today who live lavishly in some obscure place gated and

  protected from benevolently exploited. Some things never change.