The work of declaring the “good news” was making fine advancement in Peru when Brother N. H. Knorr visited us in December 1959. An assembly was to be held in connection with that visit. However, just the previous year we had been ousted from our chosen assembly site. So, to prevent a recurrence of this, we instituted a writ of habeas corpus against the Director of Government. When confronted with it, he disclaimed any responsibility for what had happened to us the year before and even proclaimed himself a friend of Jehovah’s Witnesses. So, we had a fine assembly in the “U” Stadium where the main talk was attended by well over 2,000 persons. That was almost twice the number of Kingdom publishers in the country. Incidentally, we shelved the writ of habeas corpus, although it is still on file in the Palace of Justice at Lima.

ANOTHER ASSEMBLY “FIRST”

Our first large international assembly was held in Lima from January 4 to 8, 1967. The Peruvian brothers were thrilled that the delegates included many fellow believers from other lands, as well as certain directors of the Society. Almost 500 Witnesses from various countries were on hand and their presence certainly upbuilt their Peruvian brothers and sisters.

Brother F. W. Franz gave the principal talk to 5,940 conventioners on Saturday night. But the largest crowd that had ever attended an assembly in Peru up to that time gathered to hear Brother Knorr speak the next day. That audience numbered 6,925. That was a fine attendance, for in 1967 the peak number of Kingdom publishers in Peru reached only 2,810.