FIRST POSTWAR INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY

The big event in 1951 was the first international gathering held in Paris since 1937, the Clean Worship Assembly. Delegates came from 28 lands, including faraway places such as Australia, New Zealand, the Philippine Islands, India, South Africa, Venezuela and North America. The convention site, the Palais des Sports, stood only a block from the beautiful Seine River and a few blocks south of the skyscraping Eiffel Tower. A convention of the magnitude planned had never been held by Jehovah’s Witnesses in France.

“The assembly was like a big experiment,” observed The Watchtower. “This was the first time a hot-meal cafeteria had been organized, the first time magazine bags had been made, distributed and used, the first time special trains had been arranged. But the big job was undertaken with faith, obstacles were surmounted and God Almighty imparted his blessing and help. Result: grand success! . . . the attendance shot up from 6,188 witnesses to 10,456 present for the announced public lecture.”

During the convention Brother Knorr explained that after many years of faithful service, Brother Henri Geiger, for health and other reasons, was being replaced by Brother Léopold Jontès as branch overseer. The French applauded their appreciation of both the outgoing and the incoming branch servant.

[Picture on page 125]

1951

PARIS​—First postwar international assembly. 10,456 attended from 28 lands