I think some are giving Solace a hard time on this one.
We must remember what it was like when we first found this board. We were told again and again not to trust the internet and "apostate lies".
There is nothing wrong in asking for proof.
The following Solace is taken from the WT 15/3/1980, cut and pasted from the WT cd, but i have put some in bold for emphasis
5
In modern times such eagerness, commendable in itself, has led to attempts at setting dates for the desired liberation from the suffering and troubles that are the lot of persons throughout the earth. With the appearance of the book LifeEverlasting—inFreedomoftheSonsofGod, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of man’s existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated.6
In its issue of July 15, 1976, TheWatchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: "If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises." In saying "anyone," TheWatchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah’s Witnesses, hence including personshavingtodowiththepublicationoftheinformation that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date
This is the closest the WT came to an apology. Notice that it admits they "published statements that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility".
Interestingly the next paragraph lays the blame at individuals, including those "having to do with the publication of the information". So rather than blame themselves they shift the blame to individuals who published the information, which in fact is what the WTBTS is, individuals who publish information.
Paul
