The Rawe Files > Document Downloads


This page contains a huge downloadable collection of correspondence between Richard Rawe, his local draft board and other government officials after he was ordered to report for military duty. Richard saved every letter (and even the envelopes) from 1952 when he was 18 and being called up for military duty until 1960 when he was 26 and too old to be drafted.

What makes this collection unique and special is that there are many, many important private letters from Watchtower attorney, Hayden Covington to Richard containing instructions and advice. This is historical material that allows us to peer into the legal mind of Covington with regards to the draft situation during that time period. These letters also serve to give us a glimpse into a time in America when one young JW man refused to become part of the military. Why? Because for him and all other JW men of draft age it was a requirement of their religion – not because they were pacifists in the strictest sense in that they believed God’s war at the Battle of Armageddon was justified.

Browse these document downloads from Richard Rawe’s historic collections: