I had asked this question in the chatroom, "Who contributed the funds for Rutherford's
San Diego house known as Beth-Sarim?"
(I also asked this question in Maximus' thread, "Need Assistance re Judge R")
Van Amberg, who was the WT Treasurer at the time, said "None of the Watchtower
funds were used".
I have stood in front of the house, and it is VERY large! Most of the original 100 acres of
land surrounding it has been sold for housing development, and the house does seem
out of place among the neighboring homes.
One neighbor, who had been inside the house, told me that it had large rooms, and that
the house had been there "forever"!.
Well, it has almost! It was built in 1929, a well-known architect designed it (His name
is given in the book "Witnesses of Jehovah")
In a newspaper article, Rutherford said the landscaping was done with special trees so
that the Ancient worthies,when they return, would feel at home.
So lets see here,
* 100 acres of land bought,
* a well known architect to design the house,
* a large house constructed on the land,
* special landscaping.
Also, there was a staff to run the house and care for the grounds.
It seems hard to believe all of the above came from a "Direct Contribution", and that
"No WT Funds" were used.
Obviously, WT funds WERE used in the upkeep of the house and land.
So, does anyone know where did the funds come from?
--VM44
P.S. There is a tax problem as well. If an contribution is made to a
tax-exempt organization, and the funds are used to benefit an specific individual
(here it would be Rutherford of course), then it appears that some sort of tax dodge
has taken place. It would be interesting if anyone who knows about tax law would
comment about this aspect.
(Fictional Headlines: "JUDGE RUTHERFORD CHARGED WITH TAX FRAUD",
but it wouldn't stick, Hayden Covington would have gotten him off! )