Even before Mark Lane completed his work on the “Counter Offensive,” members of the Jonestown community – especially Gene Chaikin, but also Dick Tropp and Sarah Tropp – were active in preparing support materials for Lane to use.
The rough strategy notes, while undated, were likely the earliest, since the purpose of their compilation would be to educate Lane on what the Temple had faced in the way of the conspiracy against it. On item six on the first page, for example, the notation of “Conn” is a reference to David Conn, a man who allegedly presented himself as a Treasury agent to Dennis Banks and who tried to persuade the American Indian Movement leader to publicly criticize Peoples Temple and Jim Jones, in exchange for leniency on a legal matter Banks was facing. The “tape from under [the] house” was likely a reference to a conversation of Temple critics who were allegedly plotting to frame the church, a conversation which was secret recorded by Temple members hiding underneath the house of one of the critics.
The second set of memos, while still predating Lane’s presentation of his strategy to combat the conspiracy, shows more development of the initial ideas and more logistical arrangements to accomplish the pending plan. The first two predate Lane’s presentation with an outlines of tasks, the third follows with a proposed strategy in narrative form.
Basic Research Materials and Organization Plan, RYMUR 89-4286-NN-6–B – NN-6-C
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Project Reports, RYMUR 89-4286-NN-6-D – NN-6-F
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Project Report 1, September 19
Project Report 2, September 24
Project Report 3, September 28