Summary prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
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FBI Catalogue: Jones Speaking
FBI preliminary tape identification note: Labeled in part “5/19/73”
Date cues on tape:
Part 1:
- 1972 (San Francisco and Los Angeles Temples recently opened, reference to 12-year-old Jim Jones Jr.)
Part 2: 1977 (Roy Wilkins recently retired as head of NAACP)
Part 3: 1974 or 1975 (supplies going to Guyana, but before Purifoy defection of New Years Day 1976)
People named:
People in attendance at Peoples Temple service
Part 1
- Brother Brown
- Pinky (likely Pinky Jones)
- Christine Bates
- John Brown
- Cleveland Jackson
- Jim Jones, Jr. (by reference)
- Marceline Jones
- Tish LeRoy
- Bea Morton, aka Bea Orsot
- Mike Prokes (by reference)
Part 3
- Sister Allen
- Archie Ijames
- Marceline Jones (by reference)
- Earl McKnight
- J.R. Purifoy
Public figures/National and international names:
Part 1
- Commander Roland (phonetic), police official
Part 2
- W.E.B. DuBois, 19th century black civil rights activist
- Martin Niemöller, German clergyman (by reference)
- South African Prime Minister B.J. Vorster
- President Jimmy Carter
- former President Richard Nixon
- Senator Dick Clark (D-Iowa)
- former Senator Joseph McCarthy
- Willie Brown, California Assemblyman
- Ben Chavis, 20th century black civil rights activist
- Angela Davis
- Thomas Dawsey, alleged spy on Peoples Temple (by reference)
- Lester Kinsolving, Episcopal priest, reporter, Jones antagonist (by reference)
- Shirley MacLaine, actress
- Roy Wilkins, 20th century black civil rights activist
- Unita Blackwell Wright, mayor of Mayersville, Mississippi
Part 3
- Rev. Ike, original name Dr. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II
Bible verses cited:
(Editor’s note: The verses below appear in order of biblical reference, not as they appear in Jim Jones’ address. For a complete scriptural index to the sermons of Jim Jones, click here.)
- Part 1
“[L]et’s make sure that we are our brother’s keeper, … we are our sister’s keeper as we walk these streets, and don’t be indifferent.” (Genesis 4:9, “And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”)
Part 2
“[T]he robber barons, the exploiters, that vicious breed of exploiters … are using the slave system of apartheid to squeeze out profits. They are cheating by their own iniquity a force that is beginning to turn and cry out, ‘No more, we have had enough.’” (Psalm 94:20-23, “Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.”)
“So let us bring that Jesus back that they’re looking for, that Jesus that turned the world upside down, that Jesus that went into the house … that was supposed to be a house of deliverance for all people and took a whip in his hand and cursed the money changers out of the temples.” (Matthew 21:12-13, “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” See also Mark 11:15-18.)
“Jesus said, if you would serve him, if you want to inherit any kind of life, he said feed the hungry, clothe the naked, release those that are oppressed and those that are in captivity.” (Matthew 25:34-46, also appeared on Peoples Temple letterhead)
“Jesus said today is a day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2, “For [Jesus] saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”)
“[I]t was written, … everyone that came, the light of conscience, that light within them was Christ in them the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”)
“The love of money … is the root of all evil. Even the Bible says that’s the anti-Christ.” (1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”)
Part 3
“Only the perfect shall enter the kingdom of righteousness in the new order of socialism…” (Proverbs 11:1-8)
“Now we’re trying to get our people ready, so we’ll be prepared to come back after the day of desolation. Desolation’s gonna come at noon day.” (Zephaniah 1-2)
“This nation is going to see the worst starvation of any nation on Earth. Even though we’ve been first, the first will be last because oil is going to take the place of money.” (Matthew 19:30, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” See also Matthew 20:16, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30.)
“[This system is] on the road to total disarray, and when it does, then even the ignorant church folks, when they get hungry, they’ll quit talking about manna from heaven and streets of gold, they’ll decide to build a little bit of heaven on Earth. (John 6:31, “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat”; Revelation 21:21, “[A]nd the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”)
“Your own sisters and brothers will rob your homes, will come in and kill you. Your own daughters and sons will come in and rob you over a crust of bread. You had better come and go with me, to find life, and life more abundantly, or your own kin will cut your throat with a dull razor to get one morsel of bread.” (John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”)
“Pentecostalism, as it was on the day of Pentecost, they had all things common. Hey, socialism, if thou will be perfect, go sell all thou hast and bring it to the apostles’ feet and then it’ll be distributed from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” (Acts 2:44-45, “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” See also 4:31-32, 34-35; Luke 18:22)
“… only those that are striving for holiness without any spot or wrinkle, without blemish, only they that see God will be they that have no spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” (Ephesians 5:27, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”)
“And each man and woman must work out this plan of salvation in fear and trembling.” (Phillipians 2:12, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”)
“Capitalism is the anti-Christ. The love of money is the root of all evil.” (1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”)
“The elements gonna melt with the fevered heat.” (2 Peter 3:10-12, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”)
“I would have you hot, sayeth God, or I would have you cold. The lukewarm I will spit out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”)
“You see that in the Revelation where it speaks of oil and barley, bargaining with oil, measures of oil.” (Revelation 6:5-6, “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. nd I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”)
Summary:
(Note: This tape was transcribed by Seriina Covarrubias. The editors gratefully acknowledge her invaluable assistance.)
This tape consists of three parts, two addresses of Jim Jones before the Peoples Temple congregation bracketing a speech he gave in an unknown rally protesting the apartheid government of South Africa.
The first address takes place in the newly-acquired Peoples Temple building on Geary Street in the Fillmore district of San Francisco, and is laced with both encouragement to his followers to become a presence in the neighborhood and admonitions against anyone who would mess with them.
The people of the Temple have been out on the streets, introducing themselves, connecting with their new neighbors, inviting them to come to church, winning converts. They have noticed the litter and broken glass, and are making plans to do neighborhood clean-ups as well, but the most important goal for the moment is to establish themselves as a presence. They do that by appearing in a way that their neighbors understand – in large groups, moving in formations – and Jones wonders if they would engender even more respect if they wore uniforms or at least dressed in similar outfits.
The approach is working. Whether there have been direct threats against the Temple is unclear, but Jones reiterates several times that people who might have been thinking about chasing them off the street or moving against the church are “reconsidering” their plans. Nevertheless, he adds, the church should think about improving its security by installing metal detectors to preclude the attacks by knife, guns and ice picks that they have experienced over the years.
What has been most encouraging about their new presence in the streets has been the response. The Temple has given the neighborhood a new respectability, and people appreciate it. “Of all the healings that are done in this Temple, that’s the most magnificent when someone can stand up and say, I am indeed a woman and I don’t look down to anyone anymore,” Jones says. “[Or] I’m a brother now and no one is above me, and I don’t feel I’d have any need to have anyone below me, but I can look you straight in the eye.”
But they know they’ve got a lot of work to do. They need to make the streets and parks safer, especially for women. After an aside during which Jones seems to make a connection between some rapists and some gays, he announces a vigilante-style justice against sex offenders. “Now we’re gonna do something about this area, and if we catch somebody would-be raper, we will rape them,” he cries over sustained applause. “We’re gonna stop this business… [I]f somebody else is not going to stop these rapists, we will, by God.”
One reason people respond to the Temple is that it does offer sanctuary and refuge against the power structure of the city, against the police, against “the Man.” “Peoples Temple is here,” Jones points out, “it offers a certain protection, and it also does not intend to be pushed around.” So strong is that protection – as Jones emphasizes several times in this address and throughout the Temple’s history – that, “blessed God, if you take on one of us, you’ve got the whole pack of us to take on.”
In return for the protection, the Temple demands loyalty, commitment, and – above all – honesty. “[I]f you are lying to us,” Jones warns, “then you’ll probably find yourself dead, like four who have died this week.”
Much of this section of the address recounts an incident which illustrates everything Jones has said: that the greatest threat to the neighborhood is the city power structure, and that the Temple will defend the people with everything it has. When an ambulance was called to a Temple service (against Jones’ wishes) to take a healed woman to a hospital, the attendants showed disrespect to members of the congregation, and in the ensuing melee, police came in and roughed some of them up and carted them to jail. Jones insisted on going along, and even though he was granted bail, he wouldn’t leave. “I said I’m gonna stay because black people can’t afford to bail themselves out and I said, I’m their leader, I’m their pastor. I’m going to be a Father, you can depend upon it, wherever I’m at. And I said, if all people can’t afford to bail out, so I’m in, I’m saying in.”
He concludes the story of the incident with his principal message: “[S]ome of you think you’re here for healing. What you need to do is get here because you need somebody to look after you, and you alone can’t fight this system, but when you stand together, we can do something about this opposition.”
All of this work requires funds, though, and at this point, Jones asks for an offering. As is the case in many tapes, the recording ends here.
Part 2 sounds like a prepared address which Jones delivers at a protest meeting against the apartheid government of South Africa, a forum which has included other speakers and a letter of support from Assemblyman Willie Brown. Citing such recent events as the near collapse of the NAACP and the Bakke case on reverse discrimination going through the courts, Jones draws parallels between a resurgence of racism in the U.S. and the system of racism in South Africa. “[A]re we witnessing the same frightening progression?” he asks rhetorically. “Are we considering properly the conditions of South Africa today in America? Are we looking at a nightmarish vision of our own future here?”
Jones returns to the theme later in his address, drawing stronger connections between black Africa’s struggles for freedom and the U.S.’ continuing struggle for equality. “We must realize that unless these great principles are secured in South Africa, in Zimbabwe, that democracy will be in peril here, it will be meaningless here.”
But there are even more insidious connections between the US and South Africa, he says. “Look at any scene of the Union of South Africa and see if you recognize any of the corporate names. See if you recognize the great motor companies, and the great rubber companies, and the great industrial companies of the United States… [I]n many sense of the word. one could conclude that the Union of South Africa is a colony of the United States corporate elite.”
Jones reminds his listeners of the consequences of apathy, and says that the people of South Africa who rise up in revolution should have the support of our own country which was itself “birthed” by revolution. “It’s too bad that people have to fight, but it doesn’t seem that we’re able to talk our way to freedom in South Africa.”
He blasts the political party in control of the South African government for naming itself after Christ, since it has failed “to live up to the ethics of the spiritual teacher who they supposedly model their lives after.” Perhaps, though, South Africa is emulating what western culture has done in the name of Christianity, with its “legacy of blood.” After describing conditions for the isolated “homelands” within South Africa, Jones says, “Every day, Christ is crucified a thousand times. I’m so sick of hearing about Christ coming. Christ is already here, and he’s being crucified in South Africa.”
Part 3 is a portion of another Temple service, this one in the Los Angeles Temple, during which Jones apparently fields questions from the audience, and makes connections between his vision for the Temple in the Promised Land of Guyana and issues in current events. In discussing the Mormons, for example, he describes the cathedral currently under construction in Washington, D.C. It will be a great structure, he says, but “they won’t let black people in… [N]o one will be able to go into it of color, won’t be able to even walk in it. That’s not only black, that’s other races too.”
Jones also notes that Mormons take care of their followers, then adds the conditions of that care: the tithing must continue, he says, or you’ll be cut off from the church’s support. “[I]f you go on welfare and cannot pay your tithes … if you don’t pay it, the moment you stop, you get no food, they promise you nothing… [T]he moment you quit paying, they drop you, they will have no responsibility for you. If you have a financial reverse and go into poverty or bankruptcy you don’t get any assistance whatsoever.” Contrast that with the Temple, he says. Merging language from both the Bible and Karl Marx, Jones says, “But in this church we say that each one that’s in our family from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
He ends up at the same point at the end of a discussion on Cuba. Eventually, he says, the U.S. will have to end its boycott of Cuba, because the island nation has what we want: offshore deposits of oil – which he describes as both “the staff of life” and “the money of the future society” – and sugar. It is our greed and worship of money which will yield to the solidarity of the Cuban people. “They survived as only the sons and daughters of God Socialism can survive. You can’t survive without this spirit of Socialism… Hey, socialism, if thou will be perfect, go sell all thou hast and bring it to the apostles’ feet and then it’ll be distributed from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”
As does Part 1, this address ends with Jones’ request for money. This pitch is for funds designated for Guyana, for supplies and equipment and the raw materials necessary for them to develop the Promised Land. People don’t need to put their money in banks, he says, because even with good interest rates, it can’t keep up with inflation. And if you don’t trust banks and keep your money at home instead, “You’re a worse fool.” The best place to put your money is in the Temple and in the hope for their future. “So why don’t you get it over there [to Guyana] where there’s no inflation, where land is going up, up, up, up, where there’s food growing, where there’d always be aplenty for everyone. That’s where you ought to invest.”
FBI Summary:
Date of transcription: 6/21/79
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 6/14/79, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B107-40. This tape was found to contain the following:
A recording of JIM JONES speaking at a peoples rally.
Differences with FBI Summary:
The summary is accurate and meets the FBI’s purposes.
Tape originally posted March 2008