Q747 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 (Side 1, Side 2).
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FBI Catalogue Tapes Not Summarized

FBI preliminary tape identification note: One Tracs 60/ “Marcie”

Date cues on tape: Likely early winter 1978

People named:

Public figures/National and international names:

    Rep. John Burton (D-CA)
    Rep. Ron Dellums (D-CA)

    Fred Wills, Guyana Minister of Foreign Affairs (by reference)

    Joan Brann
    Jane Fonda
    Charles Garry, Temple attorney
    Joseph Freitas, District Attorney of San Francisco
    Bob Gnaizda, reporter
    Carlton Goodlett, San Francisco newspaper publisher and physician
    Mr. Helton [phonetic], Temple supporter (speaks)
    Mr. Jenkins
    Enola Maxwell, San Francisco community activist (speaks)
    Phil Tracy, New West reporter
    Dennis Roberts, lawyer
    Robert Wallach, lawyer
    Cecil Williams, Methodist minister (speaks)
    Robert Winslow, lawyer (speaks)

    Willie, son of Jonestown resident (speaks)
    Clare/Claire, sister of Willie

Temple adversaries; members of Concerned Relatives:

    Grace Stoen (by reference)
    Tim Stoen

Jonestown residents, full name unknown:

    Mike (several Mikes in Jonestown, likely Mike Prokes)

Members of Peoples Temple/Jonestown residents:

    Sandy Bradshaw (speaks)
    Hue Fortson
    Lee Ingram
    Chae-ok Jones
    Jim Jones Jr. (by reference)
    Johnny Moss Brown Jones
    Lew Jones (by reference)
    Marceline Jones (speaks)
    John Victor Stoen

Bible verses cited: None

Summary:

This tape consists of a series of phone calls, all but one placed by Marceline Jones during one of her trips to San Francisco following the mass migration to Guyana. She makes appointments with congressional offices, speaks to reporters, and thanks supporters of Peoples Temple. The calls probably occurred one after another on a single day, rather than spread out over several days, as suggested by the fact that her calls to wrong numbers, busy signals, and misdials are not edited out.

Her message to all the recipients is the same: everyone is happy in Jonestown, she is always impressed with the place whenever she goes down herself – especially with the health care and education facilities – and Jim misses his friends in the U.S. During several conversations, however, she pauses for a moment before answering a question about life in Jonestown.

Side two begins with a phone conversation between Sandy Bradshaw, a Temple member in San Francisco, and a man who is trying to make contact with his mother in Jonestown. He explores the idea of going down to Jonestown to meet with her, or bringing her back for a brief visit, because the communications back and forth to South America have been so frustrating. His mother has three children in the States, the caller says, and “I can’t conceive her saying I don’t want to come back and visit you for a week.” But Bradshaw frustrates every possibility he makes for communication: it takes a long time to travel back and forth, mails are unreliable, and “hundreds of people” have been waiting for a phone patch between San Francisco and Jonestown.

The balance of side 2 consists of additional calls made by Marceline Jones.

There is no real indication when the calls were made, but a reference to a letter written in December suggests that the tape was made early in the winter of 1978.

FBI Summary:

Date of transcription: 3/21/79

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 March 20, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B62-64.

This tape was reviewed, and nothing was contained thereon which was considered to be of evidentiary nature or beneficial to the investigation of Congressman RYAN.

Differences with FBI Summary:

There is nothing to compare between the two summaries, since the FBI did not write anything for this, or 64 other tapes which bear the notation “Tapes Not Summarized.” These tapes seems to have little on them which the FBI could use for its purposes of investigating crimes arising from the Jonestown tragedy, but then again, that describes many other tapes as well. The difference seems to be that one or two FBI agents catalogued this set of tapes – as evidenced by the typewriter used in writing the reports – and that generally, the transcriptions were made early in the process, before someone may have asked for greater detail in the reports.

Tape originally posted July 2011