The official chanel about information of JW " WOL " admits that there were "perhaps" + "exaggerated" + " ecpectations"
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101993009#h=72:0-72:714
In the years following 1966, many of Jehovah’s Witnesses acted in harmony with the spirit of that counsel. However, other statements were published on this subject, and some were likely more definite than advisable. This was acknowledged in The Watchtower of March 15, 1980 (page 17). But Jehovah’s Witnesses were also cautioned to concentrate mainly on doing Jehovah’s will and not to be swept up by dates and expectations of an early salvation.*
This is referring to a W from 1980 where
Wt 1980: "
There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility.
It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated."
This is it, the regret of 1980. That was it. But now we live in a time in which this is forgotten and they teach a lie namely that only the "WEAK ONES" followed the extremist course and sold their homes and so forth, that the wise would have been cautionary, while the Watchtower itself produced DUPLICITY.!
The comments about Franz show that there they talked with 2 tongues, once they gave advise not to believe in a fast salvation, then they created a hype. This is unexcusable for Mr. Franz.
At the convention held in Baltimore, Maryland, F. W. Franz gave the concluding talk. He began by saying: “Just before I got on the platform a young man came to me and said, ‘Say, what does this 1975 mean?’” Brother Franz then referred to the many questions that had arisen as to whether the material in the new book meant that by 1975 Armageddon would be finished, and Satan would be bound. He stated, in essence: ‘It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975. But the big point of it all is this, dear friends: Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that.’