Summary prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
- To read the Tape Transcript, click here.
- Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1, Pt. 2).
- To return to the Tape Index, click here.
FBI Catalogue : Jones Speaking
FBI preliminary tape identification note: Labeled in part “9/10/78 [September 10] Entertainment”
Date cues on tape: Tape contents consistent with identification note
People named:
Public figures/National and international names:
Former President Lyndon Johnson
Dean Rusk, former Secretary of State
Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense
Dennis Kucinich, Mayor of Cleveland (by reference)
General William Westmoreland
General Maxwell Taylor
Fidel Castro, president of Cuba (by reference)
Victor Jara, Chilean singer
Patrice Lumumba, assassinated Prime Minister of Zaire
Martin Luther King, black civil rights leader
Malcolm X, black activist
Harriett Tubman, black activist
Cesar Chavez, organizer of farm workers
George Jackson, imprisoned Black Panther
Barbara Walters, television news anchor
Woody Allen, film director and actor
Richard Burton, film actor
William Randolph Hearst, newspaper publisher
Charles Garry, Temple attorney (by reference)
Joseph Mazor, private investigator (by reference)
Patrick Ng-A-Fook, Guyana dentist (speaks)
Delegates of Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement
Doreen Colbson (speaks)
Avril Daniels (speaks)
Gloria DeJonge (speaks)
Meghan Duke (speaks)
Susan McAllister (speaks)
Colin McAllister, son of Susan
Ruth Raphael (speaks)
Betty Savagery Terarri (speaks)
Temple adversaries; members of Concerned Relatives:
Tim Stoen (by reference)
Jonestown residents:
Sharon Amos
Versi Perkins Connessero
Marceline Jones (speaks)
Mike Prokes (speaks)
Jose Simon (speaks)
Debbie Touchette
Deanna Wilkinson (sings)
Bible verses cited: None
Summary:
The Jonestown community hosts a visit from the Women’s Revolutionary Socialist Movement, and everyone is in a good mood. The members of the Guyanese political organization have good relationships both with the government of Prime Minister Forbes Burnham and his political party, the Peoples National Congress, and with the Temple leadership in Georgetown, and on this trip in early September, they offer short speeches of solidarity and lead the Jonestown community in songs.
The performing artists of Jonestown respond in kind. There are several songs – likely sung by Deanna Wilkinson – as well as skits and stylized speeches with revolutionary messages that focus on the evils of capitalism and American imperialism. Both are standard fare: the songs appear on numerous tapes, and the skits are similar – if not word for word duplications – of some of the speeches on Q 432.
Even so, there are a couple of themes articulated in word and song that anticipate words from the final day. At one point, a woman speaks for two minutes playing the words “case” and “because” against each other, but ultimately promoting the Temple’s belief that they are ready to die for something bigger than itself. “What is the cause for the cause, just because,” she says. “You better find a cause to die for soon, because if you don’t, you’re gonna die anyway. I hope you get right soon and find a cause to die for, and that cause need to die just because you don’t believe that there is no cause to die for?”
A few minutes later, two women perform a call-and-responses, with the first woman speaking words, and the second echoing in song. The ultimate message – repeated numerous times – is “Save the babies.”
In general, though, the mood is light and carefree, and the people of Jonestown are lifted by the praise of their guests. There is another reason for celebration, too: Through the efforts of Temple attorney Charles Garry, a private investigator named Joe Mazor – who once worked for the Concerned Relatives before he switched his allegiance – is on his way for a visit, during which he will impart information that will help them destroy their enemies.
FBI Summary:
Date of transcription: 6/20/79
In connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the assassination of U.S. Congressman LEO J. RYAN at Port Kaituma, Guyana, South America, on November 18, 1978, a tape recording was obtained. This tape recording was located in Jonestown, Guyana, South America, and was turned over to U.S. Officials in Guyana and subsequently transported to the United States.
On June 2, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B93-81. This tape was found to contain the following:
A lecture by JIM JONES where he is telling the people about a private investigator that will be arriving in Guyana, and a recorded entertainment session by the people in Jonestown.
Differences with FBI Summary:
Other than the fact that person telling the people of Jonestown about the private investigator who will soon visit Jonestown in not Jim Jones – likely the speaker is Don Freed – the summary is accurate and meets the FBI’s purposes.
Tape originally posted January 2022.