Letter of October 23, 1981

Mr. George D. Beck, Jr.
320 Glen Park Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901

Re: Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ v. Attorney General of the State of California

Dear Mr. Beck:

This is another status report on your claim against the Peoples Temple.

As you may recall from my March 19, 1981, letter to you, there were two major contingencies which may effect [affect] the compromise offers extended to you. First, the claim the Federal Government had pending for several million dollars for the expenses incurred in flying the deceaseds back to the United States. Since our last report, the Court has approved settlement of the claim for approximately 1.4 million dollars.

The other major contingency is the claims made by persons who either did not accept the offers made to them or to whom offers were not extended. As mentioned before, those people have chosen to object to the settlement plan established by the Receiver and approved by the Court, and are now in the process of litigating the claims. A schedule for gathering information and proof pertinent to the claims has been established by the Court and is to be concluded by March 15, 1982. Evidentiary hearings are scheduled to be convened during the week of June 7, 1982. No funds in settlement of claims can be disbursed until all claims have been settled or judgments rendered. Therefore, nothing further can be done concerning claims such as yours until the litigated claims have reached a conclusion, which will be, at the earliest, next summer.

Meanwhile, the Receiver has continued to try to track down all of the Temple’s assets and secure them for distribution. Also, the interest accruing from the assets continues to exceed the receivership expenses, meaning the assets themselves do not appear to be decreasing.

I am as anxious to see the end of the case as you are. However, because of the complicated nature of the case, it simply won’t be easily and quickly concluded. We’re doing all we can to speed things along. As I suggested in my last letter, the best thing for you to do is put the matter out of your mind and we will keep you posted concerning any developments.

As always, don’t forget to let us know of any name or address changes.

All Best Wishes,
[signed] John E. Hill
JOHN E. HILL