With the release of almost 250 audiotapes since the beginning of the year, the FBI has duplicated almost all Jonestown recordings which contain conversation and provided them to the editors of the jonestown report.

The balance of the tapes – consisting of approximately 30 that the FBI neglected to duplicate on its first pass through our initial Freedom of Information Act request – should be released by the end of 2003.

The FBI recovered 971 tapes from Jonestown and Georgetown following the deaths of 18 November 1978. Of that total, according to the FBI, 245 were either blank (22) or contained only music (223). Over the years, we have made requests to obtain copies of the remaining 726 tapes, including the 53 which were initially withheld from public disclosure.

More recently, we requested copies of 11 tapes from the “Music” category which the FBI describes as including “live entertainment” in Jonestown or “performances by the Jonestown Express.” Release of these tapes is also expected by the end of the year.

All Jonestown audiotapes which are denoted on the website at http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Tapes/Tapes/FBISummaries/fbi.html with an asterisk (*) symbol are available for duplication. In addition, we have transcribed and summarized more than 100 tapes which are listed at http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/AboutJonestown/Tapes/Tapes/TapeTranscripts/transcripts.html.

For copies of tapes, contact us through fieldingmcgehee@yahoo.com, or write to Fielding McGehee, 3553 Eugene Place, San Diego, CA 92116. Tapes are $2 each, postage included. Contact us about rates for bulk orders.