Q432 Summary

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).
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FBI Catalogue           Miscellaneous

FBI preliminary tape identification note: Labeled in part “10/1/78 Entertainment”

Date cues on tape:     Reference to Proposition 13 consistent with tape ID note

People named:

Public figures/National and international names:
Lyndon Johnson, former U.S. president
Daniel Ellsberg, Defense Department worker who leaked Pentagon Papers
Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense
Dean Rusk, former Secretary of State
General Maxwell Taylor
General William Westmoreland

Salvador Allende, assassinated president of Chile
Victor Jara, Chilean singer, killed after 1973 coup

George Jackson, imprisoned Black Panther
Martin Luther King, slain civil rights leader
Patrice Lumumba, assassinated Prime Minister of Zaire
Malcolm X, black activist with Nation of Islam
Harriet Tubman, black activist, organized underground railroad

Ethel Rosenberg, executed U.S. spy
Julius Rosenberg, executed U.S. spy

Jonestown residents:
Mike Prokes (speaks)
Jose Simon (speaks)
Peter Wotherspoon (speaks)

Bible verses cited:      Unidentified male during skit: “The Lord says you’ve got to render unto Caesar that which is of Caesar and you’ve got to render under God that which is of God.” (Matthew 22:21, “Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” See also Mark 12:17 and Luke 20:25)

Summary:

(This tape was transcribed by Vicki Perry. The editors gratefully acknowledge her invaluable assistance.)

The editors of this site are also grateful to Luis Ángel González Rocha for identifying and documenting the song “El Derecho de Vivir En Paz,” which was composed by Chilean poet Victor Jara, and performed on this night in Jonestown.]

A number of Jonestown residents perform skits and sing songs for the community. The lyrics of the songs – including “A Simple Song of Freedom” by Bobby Darin, “Yesterday” by Paul McCartney, “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, and “The Internationale” – are adapted to reflect their own beliefs and understandings of political philosophy. The skits are statements of the oppressed people of the world, most likely written by the performers themselves.

FBI Summary:

Date of transcription: 6/26/79

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 6, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B100-36. This tape was found to contain the following:

A recording of an entertainment session by the people of Jonestown.

Differences with FBI Summary:

The summary is accurate and meets the FBI’s purposes.

Tape originally posted December 2009