Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses - Watchtower Archive

166 Yearbook
closes her report, saying: "He shakes hands with me. AmI
then I see him for a moment standing calm and quiet in the
whirl of people passing by; a small boy dressed in a blue
skiing suit among women with poodles and men with brief
cases, people gOing to the barbel' or the movies or to work.
As I realize from his ardent up-turned face that he hus again
addressed somebody as he did me, It seems as if he is the
only one In the whole street who stands still."
But our German brethren in the East did not fall short
in zeal and devotion of the publishers in Western Germany
who could carry out their service on the broadest scale. Also
they went from house to house, made back-calls and had
home Bible studies and placed The Watchtower, books and
booklets with persons of good will despite many difficulties
and steadily increasing interferences by communistic police.
They still held their company meetings even If they could
scarcely protect themselves against numerous spies in their
Kingdom Halls.
With the rapid increase of our companies the communists
became more and more aggressive. l'hey began to disturb
the meetings of Jehovah's witnesses, to break up circuit
assembl1es, and answered our protesting brethren with
police clubs. By the fearless attitude and the steadfastness
shown by the brethren in spite of this terror they gained
more and more the respect and sympathy of the population
which is sighing under the communistic suppression. One
day a brother lured into a GPU trap disappeared from
Bethel at Magdeburg. Because of the untenableness of these
conditions and because further plans and purposes against
us became known, we submitted a protest, a petition, which
found its answer in the night raid on our property In
Magdeburg and the confiscation of it.
The spirit and the mendacious tactics of the rulers in the
East become very clear through a letter from the Ministry
of Home Department addressed to the Watch Tower, Magdeburg,
in which we were notified of the ban. This letter
written to our office was dated August 31, after all the
brethren had been arrested on August 30, the preceding
day. In this letter the Watch Tower Society is accused of
espionage in favor of America. Another letter Is being cir­
CUlated by the police. On this all Jehovah's witnesses are
to certify by signature that the Watch Tower Society
really had to do with espionage. He who does not Sign
this paper is arrested without consideration.
A hard time has begun for our brethren in the East.
Almost all company servants are already arrested and
many other brethren also. Almost everybody loses his job
these days and thereby the daily bread. Daily groups of
brethren arrived in Berlin. Some want to be counseled and