A Global Network to Publish Bible Truth

In the late 1960’s and thereafter, a concerted effort was made to achieve further decentralization of the Watch Tower Society’s printing operations. Growth in the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses was rapid. More factory space was needed to provide Bible literature for their own use and for public distribution. But expansion in Brooklyn was a slow process because of limited available property as well as legal red tape. Plans were made to do more of the printing elsewhere.

In that same year, 1992, not only was the Watch Tower Society printing Bible literature in 180 languages in the United States but four of its major printeries located in Latin America were supplying much of the literature needed both domestically and by other countries in that part of the world. Eleven more printeries were producing literature in Europe, and all of these were helping to fill the literature needs of other lands. Of these, France was regularly supplying literature for 14 countries, and Germany, which printed in over 40 languages, was shipping large quantities to 20 countries and smaller amounts to many other lands. In Africa, six Watch Tower printeries were turning out Bible literature in a total of 46 languages. Another 11 printeries—some large, some small—were supplying the Middle East and the Far East, islands of the Pacific, Canada, and other areas with literature to use in spreading the urgent message about God’s Kingdom. In yet another 27 lands, the Society was printing smaller items needed by the congregations in order to function smoothly.

It would be beneficial to have more of this work done in lands outside the United States and by our own brothers there instead of by commercial firms. Thus, if future world crises or governmental interference with the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses should hinder operations in any part of the earth, essential spiritual food could still be provided.

So it was that in 1971, nearly two years before the first Watch Tower factory at Wallkill went into operation, work got under way to provide a fine new printing plant in Numazu, Japan. The more than fivefold increase in Kingdom proclaimers in Japan during the preceding decade indicated that much Bible literature was going to be needed there. At the same time, the branch facilities in Brazil were being enlarged. The same was true in South Africa, where Bible literature was being produced in more than two dozen African languages. The following year, 1972, the Society’s publishing facilities in Australia were quadrupled in size, with a view to providing each issue of The Watchtower and Awake! in that part of the world without prolonged shipping delays. Additional factories were also erected in France and the Philippines.

Early in 1972, N. H. Knorr and the Brooklyn factory overseer, M. H. Larson, made an international tour to examine the work being done, in order to organize matters for the best use of these facilities and to lay the groundwork for more expansion to come. Their visits included 16 countries in South America, Africa, and the Far East.

Shortly thereafter, the branch in Japan was itself producing the Japanese-language magazines needed for that part of the field, instead of depending on a commercial printer. That same year, 1972, the branch in Ghana began to print The Watchtower in three of its local languages, instead of waiting for shipments from the United States and Nigeria. Next, the Philippines branch began to care for the composition and printing of The Watchtower and Awake! in eight local languages (besides printing English-language magazines that were needed). This represented a further major step in the decentralization of Watch Tower printing operations.

By the end of 1975, the Watch Tower Society was publishing Bible literature in its own facilities in 23 lands spread around the globe—books in three countries; booklets or magazines or both in all 23 locations. In 25 other lands, the Society was reproducing smaller items on its own equipment.