Publishers of the Theocracy

Anticipating that negative court decision, on April 13, 1940, the brothers wisely sold all the Society’s possessions to a newly established publishing company that was named Kustannusosakeyhtiö Vartiotorni (Watchtower Publishing Company). So when the authorities moved to confiscate the property of the Society, they found, to their dismay, that there was no property.

Previous to this expected attack against the Society, the brothers also established, on February 15, 1940, an unregistered association called Publishers of the Theocracy. After the court broke up the local Watch Tower Society, all activities were cared for by this association.

Although most of the authorities in Finland did not actively oppose us, it must be remembered that Finland was cooperating with Germany, and some of the officials had adopted a Nazi-inspired attitude. Extremist elements repeatedly flung false charges against the organization, so that, as a result, the association Publishers of the Theocracy was also dissolved by a court decision on April 17, 1941.