Brother Rutherford wrote to the French-speaking brothers, his letter appearing in the November 1919 French Watch Tower. After having expressed regret over the Freytag affair and explaining that now Brother Ernest Zaugg in Berne was in charge of the French-language work, he said:

“We now hope that the Lord will see fit to make unity and harmony prevail among the French-speaking friends. . . . If circumstances had been more favorable, I would have been happy to visit you, but in this moment of great distress upon individuals and nations, it seems impossible to do this. However, if, by the Lord’s providence, the way is opened up next year, I hope to come to see you.”

The new setup for managing the work in France, as organized by Brother Rutherford, was as follows: Conrad Binkele, whose office was in Zurich, was in general charge. Ernest Zaugg, with an office in his home in Berne, was the manager of what was called the “French work,” under the supervision of Brother Binkele. Brother Zaugg had two local “assistants and counselors,” namely, Joseph Lefèvre, in Paris, and Emile Delannoy, in Le Havre. Lefèvre was Zaugg’s assistant for the publishing of literature in French, and Delannoy was to help him take care of the needs of the French congregations.

Early in 1920, Brother Zaugg made a long trip to visit the brothers in France (including Alsace-Lorraine) and Belgium.