Rutherford & Knorr letter to the Reichsfuhrer

by Gorbatchov 4 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Gorbatchov

  I read many reply's on the topic about the WTS letter to the Reichsfuhrer. What I want to say about it:

  The letter is written by J.F. Rutherford and N.H. Knorr, both visited Germany to prevent the lose of the Magdeburg offices.

  For current readers the letter is against Jews and against the United States. It seems the writers want to please the Reichsfuhrer.

  The Reichsfuhrer has never read this letter. It did not pass through the Nazi secretary's.

  J.F. Rutherford and N.H. Knorr showed they want to prevent the lose of their investment (Magdeburg offices). Just like their property is still number one at this moment.

  The letter is the greatest mistake: East Germany and the Soviet Union got their evedence that Jehovah's Witnesses were on the hand of the Nazi's. The communist party used the letter in anti witness propaganda!

  J.F.R. and N.H.K. shot in their own feet.
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  Band on the Run

  Gorbachev,

  Can you give us more details about how the letter came to be in the public domain? What were the repurcussions after the war?

  I thought it was seizure of WT assets. When human lives were involved, they antagonized Hitler.

  To be fair, I am certain there are Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestants who sent similar letters, which is nothing for Christians to celebrate. The Nazis alone could never have run their killing machine.
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  Gorbatchov

  Band on the Run,

  The letter can be found in the Nazi archives. The Soviet Union and the GDR (East Germany) used the letter against the witness. Also the West German press published the letter in the '60 or '70. Also the Watchtower Yearbook of 1934 (english version) containes the text of the declaration of facts.

  Clear is that the letter is written by Rutherford & Knor during their Germany visit.
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  Band on the Run

  I',m curious as to why the JW pro-German stance was not publicized in the states. Frankly, I was so burdened during the Cold War being of Russian heritage and the JW part that I am glad no one seemed to know.

  My mom's family was active since Russell so she provided much historical detail to me most Witnesses would not know. I wish she were alive to read this letter. She made her opinion of Nazis very clear to me. Not only her opinion, I could hear the anger and fear in her voice decades later.

  I'm not surprised by the property vs. human lives equation but I'm still stunned.

  Americans don't know the Eastern European take on WWII
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  Gorbatchov

  Hi Band on the Run,

  For a balanced view about this matter you can read Dedlef's Garbe Zwischen Widerstand und Martyrium.

  To make your own conclusion: read the letter by yourself, read the declaration of facts (yearbook 1934) and

  read the history of Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany in the yearbook of 1975 and read the Awake of 22 august 1995.

  What I forgot to mention in my earlier post:

  Rutherford & Knorr wrote the declaration of facts, but the Yearbook of 1975 gave the credits to P. Balzereit, to blame him, the black sheep of WTS Germany.

  In the Awake issue July 8, 1998 the society admits that Balzereit was not the writer.

  When I mentioned this all above in the 90's I contacted the WTS HQ in Brooklyn. The answer I got above this issue was shocking.

  A staf member arround the GB circle told me that the publications of the society can not always present the truth about JW history, because the average JW can not handle

  the new facts. They have to be prevented of losing their belief.