Annie Moore’s Last Letter, November 18, 1978

(Nota del editor: una traducción al español de esta carta se encuentra aqui.)

I am 24 years of age right now and don’t expect to live through the end of this book.

I thought I should at least make some attempt to let the world know what Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple is — OR WAS — all about.

It seems that some people and perhaps the majority of people would like to destroy the best thing that ever happened to the 1,200 or so of us who have followed Jim.

I am at a point right now so embittered against the world that I don’t know why I am writing this. Someone who finds it will believe I am crazy or believe in the barbed wire that does NOT exist in Jonestown.

It seems that everything good that happens to the world is under constant attack. When I write this, I can expect some mentally deranged fascist person to find it and decide it should be thrown in the trash before anyone gets a chance to hear the truth — which is what I am now writing about.

Where can I begin — JONESTOWN — the most peaceful, loving community that ever existed, JIM JONES — the one who made this paradise possible — much to the contrary of the lies stated about Jim Jones being a power-hungry sadistic, mean person who thought he was God — of all things.

I want you who read this to know that Jim was the most honest, loving, caring concerned person whom I ever met and knew. His love for animals — each creature, poisonous snakes, tarantulas. None of them ever bit him because he was a gentle person. He knew how mean the world was and he took any and every stray animal and took care of each one.

His love for humans was unsurmountable and it was many of those whom he put his love and trust in, and they left him and spit in his face. Teresa Buford, Debbie Blakey — they both wanted sex from him which he was too ill to give. Why should he have to give them sex? — And Tim and Grace Stoen also — include them too. I should know.

I have spent these last few months taking care of Jim’s health. However, it was difficult to take care of anything for him. He always would do for himself.

His hatred of racism, sexism, elitism, and mainly classism, is what prompted him to make a new world for the people — a paradise in the jungle. The children loved it. So did everyone else.

There were no ugly, mean police waiting to beat our heads in, no more racist stares from whites and others who thought they were better. No one was made fun of for their appearance — something each one had no control over.

Meanness and making fun were not allowed. Maybe this is why all the lies were started – besides the fact that no one was allowed to live higher than anyone else. The United States allows classism, the problem being this and not all the side tracks of black power, woman power, Indian power, gay power.

Jim Jones showed us all this — that we could live together with our differences, that we are all the same – human beings. Luckily, we were more fortunate than the starving babies of Ethiopia and the starving babies in the United States.

What a beautiful place this was. The children loved the jungle, learned about animals and plants. There were no cars to run over them; no child-molesters to molest them; nobody to hurt them. They were the freest, most intelligent children I had ever known.

Seniors had dignity. They had whatever they wanted — a plot of land for a garden. Seniors were treated with respect — something they never had in the United States. A rare few were sick, and when they were, they were given the best medical care.

Although the rest of the note was written in blue ink, the last line appears in black:

“We died because you would not let us live in peace! [Signed] Annie Moore.”