Jonestown
Audiotape Primary Project : Transcripts
Transcript prepared by Fielding M. McGehee, III. If
you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
Tape Number : Q 638
MP3 is available.
To read the Tape Summary, click here.
Jones: —it was over with, I’d get it out now, and order some more on the boat. I’m— (Pause) I’ve played Russian roulette, but I don’t know this shit. How much that liquor cost us? Go ask the accountant how much that liquor cost us.
Hubbub. Laughter.
Jones: Cost us a hell of a price. (Pause) The next t— tell ‘em to steal it. (Pause) Now how do you feel, Dale [Parks]?
Tape off for few seconds
Jones: Planning Commission. (Pause) Let’s just finish this, that’s what I want. We don’t know where in the hell we are at this point. They do anything to make an 8R1 contact, or they’ve not got that goddamn miserable radio uh, fixed, or are they still hung on 8R3, on WATCJ?
Reply too soft.
Jones: Oh. Okay. Well, I— I— and that’s obvious, of course. What about settin’ up this other radio? It’s not doing me any good. Try to get 8R1. W— WATCJ to get us on here, at 8R1. Is that possible. Not possible? With two antenna system. I doubt it. But uh, try it anyway.
Reply too soft.
Jones: I don’t know, you can get (radio breakup) this antenna will pick it up. Twenty meters will pick it up at this hour. Twenty meters will pick it up at this hour. (Pause) Wha—
Reply too soft.
Jones: Okay, okay. Checks— s— check the power. Okay, turn it on.
Reply too soft.
Jones: Ain’t this the shits? Probably the US (short laugh) jamming. Normally we can hear USA clear up to two o’clock in the morning, and we can get nothing now. (Pause) Can’t get anybody, either one. Our people was here, I wish it would— I wish somebody had launched a bomb. So we could go to huntin’. (Snorts, laughs) And fishin’.
Scattered applause.
Jones: I— I— All right, uh, I want that kept on account of he’s out of it, he’s out. (Unintelligible syllable) Okay.
Voice from crowd too soft.
Jones: Yes, Ernestine [Blair].
Ernestine: Uh, I would like to say—
Jones: When you people stand up here, you go down, ‘cause (radio breakup) participation.
Ernestine: I know you’ve finished with Kenny, but if he can drove—
Jones: If I finish with Kenny— If I finish with Kenny, I finish with Kenny, Ernestine. Now if you want to talk about her, that’s fine. What is it?
Reply too soft.
Jones: Who’s tied together?
Reply too soft.
Jones: Oh, well, oh, let’s hear it then.
Ernestine: What I’m saying is—
Jones: Let’s hear it, let’s hear it, just don’t— let’s hear it. What is it?
Ernestine: Uh, it’s a lot of clinging and clicking in that— the apartment, and it doesn’t help him to grow, if they continue, not only hi— her, but a lot of the other girls, like the younger girls are clinging to Kenny or hitting him, pulling at him at all the time. Whenever he’s walkin’ along, they’re attackin’ and hittin’ on him. Even after he was confronted—
Jones: I find it very amazing that young children, hearing about him molesting children, would be playing with him. I think that’s very cruel, and they’re all too intelligent to know— they were too intelligent. They know better than that. ‘Cause he’s a wonderful worker. And we know— that’s the wonderful thing about a socialist society. If you’re a child molester, we don’t isolate you, we just say, you’ve got a sickness in a certain area. We recognize you’re good— in the United States, you’re done. They lock you up, and put you away forever, you got a little— If you get— If you are a child molester, and once even get picked up on that matter, or even the homosexual, it’s on your record, you have to report— is it every month? Chaikin, what is it? Have to report, ah, every year? Every monthly. Every month, you’ve got to report. No matter where you go, where you go to shit, what town you visit, you gotta report. If you don’t, you go to jail, as he said.
Chaikin: And you don’t survive in jail, either.
Jones: And they don’t survive, no. God, no, no, God, no. (Pause) No, God, no. (Pause) No, God, no. One of the reports that came in here, and it was a Mrs. Chamber, her uh, one uh, one of her grandchildren was killed in, in a— in a East Bay jail. Murdered in an East Bay jail.
Reply too soft.
Jones: They never come out the same, that’s right. Okay, okay, what the hell is it now, we’re— what’re we dealing with now?
Reply too soft.
Jones: You girls better— you better— You girls better stay away. Ah, for sic ‘em. You— If you go and for sic ‘em for dog, you— your ass is uh, going to go on the Learning Crew. Get on there. When you move, when somebody calls you dog and you go sic ‘em, and he wasn’t directing at you, and you still go after him, you— you sit down. You go on the Learning Crew.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: What? If I’m— If you disagree with that, I know I’m tired, I got a high blood pressure, and by the way, it’s time to check my blood pressure, that hadn’t even been done— (Pause) I don’t give a shit.
Reply too soft.
Jones: Ah, that’s good. And try to get it co— just try to get it, uh—
Tape cuts off for several seconds.
Jones: —just cost too. Appeal to somebody, and see if— And by the way, when you get a hold of Lily, Lily owes me a few, see if Lily will use her goddamn credit card on her daddy. (Pause) Thank you, Father.
Reply too soft.
Jones: If anybody mentions what I say in the slip of a moment, your ass’ll be grass too. (Pause) All of you owe me more than a few.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: (Emphatic) Who are we talking to?
Reply too soft.
Young Male: Dad—
Jones: Settin’ here waitin’ on, seein’ what the hell come out of a conference about our doctor.
Young Male: Dad, um, I’m sorry, um, from laughin’, when you had said, um, about practicing the points of— what it was hittin’ him at— I had told Patty, I said, we can practice the point, and I start— I started laughing, but I’m sorry, because I know that you— about you giving your life up to Dana, and I— what I can say, I’m— I’m ready to die any minute for, um, for Dana and John, (stumbles over words) what you’re giving all— your life up for Dana. And I’m ready to die. And I’m sorry from laughing, while you was discussing.
Male: You been talkin’ all in the service. I’ve talked to you several times, today, about it, and all the time, you always got something smart to say, and keep talking.
Young Male: When you— Dad, when said that um, you could ask— you could ask your neighbor next to you or something, that you said if you didn’t understand what Dad said, that’s what I was asking him, and he came around, and I told him.
General crowd reaction. People tell him to "come on now"
Young Male: I’m not lying.
Male: If you— if you was so concerned about what Dad was doing, you keep your mouth shut and you listen, because (unintelligible name— Cannelle?) is one of the persons that’s in it, that tried to kill Mom, her and James, her— her— I mean, Mother, her and James, is, uh, was one of the main people that was in this shit. So you need to keep your mouth sh— quiet and listen.
Jones: Ain’t saying— not that I taking you any of— any of you up on it. It’s amazing, Mother, who has offered to go back and take care of these sonsabitches, she said I’m 51 and— it’s just amazing that, after I made that statement, there hasn’t been one person sent up a message.
Reply too soft.
Jones: I don’t doubt it, I don’t doubt— I’m not saying some of you didn’t, but I’m just saying, you know. And it’s not possible for all of you to get up here, but it ought to be— ought to be a lot of thinking. You know, it’d be, though, somebody like you that’s very functional, you— shit, you’re one of the, you’re one of the few things keep me going with your sense of humor and direction. (Pause) The old drag-assed bitch, I’m like thinking— (unintelligible word) shit, she wouldn’t be able to lift her cane.
Replies too soft.
Jones: Hell of a blood pressure, so don’t be fu— let’s— let’s don’t fuck now, let’s get— get on with it. (Pause) And if I lose my temper, you can understand it. I got a high blood sug— sugar and these enormous headaches, my eyebe— eyeballs pulse, just like pain, boom boom boom boom. I gotta wait for these pricks— (angrily) I’d like to kill them, goddamn, if I could just kill me some of these pricks that have been bothering you. If I could just get a hold of one of them. That’s all that— my blood pressure’d be all right. If I just get hold of one of them. Send somebody, when we get our boat, get me one of them and bring them back here for a public trial.
Crowd: Cheers and applause.
Jones: And I know— And I know that much about me. And I know that much about me, and you— and I’ll tell you— that’s what I mean, study yourself. And that— that’s why I compensate and see I don’t have any race, and the first thing I thought was, and don’t make it black. Get me a white one. (Pause) See, that’s how much I know about me.
Reply too soft.
Jones: I know all my thoughts. You have to know your thoughts. That’s not right, ‘cause some of the black ones are worse.
Crowd: That’s right.
Jones: Some of the black ones are worse, ‘cause the sonsabitches know the problem of what it is. They know what the hell we been fightin’ for. Some white ass, he can’t know. He can’t know. How can ol’ Tim Stoen— shit, he never had no black child. He didn’t have a black wife. But what I— what I really wanted was to get me a white one. So you see, I study my mind all the time. That’s why I compensate. Nobody can accuse me of being prejudiced on behalf of black people. But I’m prejudiced. (Pause) So all you people, and your black shit, I want you to just cool it.
Scattered Crowd: Right.
Jones: I don’t mean any prejudice against you people here. ‘Cause I see some of the best one— I don’t even think of you as white. Some of you people go down, you look more nigger to me and you’re lights— light as a (struggles for words) this light. I think of you— I don’t think of you, but I mean, out there, I— any — I don’t know how anybody can be in Peoples Temple wouldn’t be prejudiced.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: The goddamn white folk got reason to be prejudiced against them back there. Sonsabitches have been doing such murderous acts.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: I mean, not just against us, but what they’ve done, the Ku Klux Klan, and then, let’s see, the Nazis and H— Adolf Hitler. All the murder. We haven’t had no black murderer lately. We haven’t had no black leader do these mass murders. Some sonofabitch ha— like Adolf Hitler, blue-eyed. (Pause) (Lower voice) (Stumbles over words) Blue-eyed, I don’t know whether he blue-eyed or brown-eyed, I don’t give a shit what he is. (Voice rises again) Anyway, I tell you my thoughts. I know my thoughts. Every time I say something, I know what the hell’s a— behind my thoughts. That’s what I’m trying to train you people to do. (Pause) Now a lot of you wouldn’t be so goddamn openly bigoted if you’d face your thoughts. You’d compensate for it. That’s why some of you are so goddamn hostile, ‘cause you don’t know your goddamn thoughts. That’s why you treat white people bad, that’re here— anybody treatin’ white people bad here ought to have their ass kicked.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: Peace. (Pause) Now I don’t see color here. Socialism. And I wouldn’t see it. I wouldn’t be prejudiced at all, if there wasn’t a racist USA. It’d all be gone. But most of goddamn surly bastards gathered on that mountain of (unintelligible word) our steps, the one that got the highest on the steps was the white bastards and bitches. Like to get me those Mertles. I’d like to get her. I know what— white, green, or polka-dot, I’d like to have her, ‘cause, shit, it ain’t got nothing to do with race, I’d like to have her. She started this shit. She started the whole orchestration of it. (Pause) And you see, I gotta be objective. I’d like to get Grace, ‘cause Grace has put me through more personal pain. But the real conniving bitch that I’d like to get, and have delivered here, from a revolutionary standpoint, is her, and put her out in the fuckin’ sun, and let the birds pick on her for about a week.
Crowd: Applause.
Jones: And see, you gotta learn, to not let vengeance— (Radio interference) and I got blood pressure, well, I don’t know whatever the hell it is, 170 over 130. I got blood pressure way up there. That’s high. You say, well, 170’s not— (Struggles for words) It’s the low one that’s dangerous. When it’s over 130, as Dr. Schacht— (Radio interference). There’s a transistor, or there— there’s something that isn’t— the P.A. system— it’s not them, they got to do what they got to do. Seems like they’re coming through there louder, or they’re not?
Crowd: Murmurs of assent.
Jones: He said, every time you go over 130, I can’t take no chance— he said, your— your chance of it stroke— your chance at a stroke. If I went over there and sat in that radio room, I’d be chancing one, too, ‘cause I’d still know the problems are there. (Pause) Anything won’t make me sleepy, you got any blood pressure medicine that won’t make me sleepy? (Pause) ‘Cause I— I— I can’t afford to be sleepy tonight, till this thing’s over. I haven’t had any sleep for so fuckin’ many days, they never let me pick these White Nights. That’s what annoys me. Every time they pick a goddamn White Night, our enemies, I’ve never had any sleep. What the hell’s the matter with you? Think I wou— If I was going to have a White Night, I’d be sure I got a whole goddamn day’s rest, and didn’t have 35 sonsabitches come through to, ah, there’s where you have to be on the top of your toes. By the way, never put me in a position to speak. Always announce me, to say, uh, my Dad’s here, he’ll answer some questions. ‘Cause I don’t do well. ‘Cause uh— a person with no ego has got nothing to say. You throw me in a zero right there. You throw a zero and odd— and, and nothing to say, when Marceline said that to me, whoever, I don’t remember, but don’t ever throw me in that position. Say, here is Jim, he can answer some questions and please give him some questions. You give me questions and I can answer them, because I got principle in me. But you throw my ass up to speak, hmm-mmm. Always put me in that position, if I’m in anyplace. They want me to come in, and g— that man today said, you spoke so eloquently. [Hamilton] Green, said, I want you in to speak in Port Kaituma, or you’re going to have to see, if it’s a question-and-answer situation. It’s dangerous, ‘cause— hell, it’s very dangerous, to be answering questions. Huh? Huh?
Reply too soft.
Jones: I— I thought you did, but I’m just saying, don’t do it. So you can know me. Don’t do it. ‘Cause I got nothing to say. And a person without ego has nothing to say, plus I got knowledge. It don’t do a fuckin’ good bit of good to say it. But at least if somebody ask the question, you think, maybe there’s a hope. (Pause) How many understood that? You better— better. ‘Cause you’re going to be tested on that. Socialist class, they better get to learn Jim Jones. They’re trying to learn the— the dialectic and the triangle of— of the— the contradictions, so forth, and uh, Hegel’s— Hegel’s dialectic concept, and the thesis and the, the antithesis and the synthesis and so forth, all that shit. You better— you better, better get them to know Jim Jones. Then maybe they might get to know socialism. I think we got— we got the goddamn cart before the horse.
Crowd: That’s right. (Applause)
Jones: Shift. (Pause) Know how I think. Then you’ll automatically be a socialist. (Pause) Now what would you have done? What would you have done, if someone done you what Grace Stoen has, bit your penis half off and your damn nose half off. You’da wa— you’da picked her, wouldn’t you? Or Tim Stoen, when you had to be up his dirty ass, white ass, and put up with his shit, his pompous WASP shit. I’ve always hated his pompous WASP shit. While some of the Jews and blacks were laying around in corners, his white ass never was. (Pause) But, what does principle say? Who was the meanest? Who was the most wicked? Who was the most devious? Who organized it? (Pause) Who was the most evil that she said she enjoyed sex when she thought of children being tortured. Mrs. Mertle. So she’s on the priority list. I’d like to get her. See, vengeance is not the rule of law of a communist. Principle is. (Pause) Now you— some of you, not all of you, but some of you, the person you’d go after is the one that hurt you personally most. (Pause) And you have to weigh that, (unintelligible phrase— sounds like "I may be under my pressure"), and not be weighing it. Who’s done us the most physical damage? (Pause) Stoen. (Pause) Who knows more? Timothy Stoen. So you have to rationalize through that, and I’d do— I’d like a lot to rationalize through that, in this, uh, paper that you write of what went on tonight, and in the classes that hadn’t come up to any conclusion, who is it that deserves to meet revolutionary justice, first? (Pause) No, not tonight, don’t make quick answers. (Pause) Can’t do it. When you gonna be honest, you can’t make quick decisions. Sometimes emergency will force you to it, but you— you don’t want to be— you want to be careful you’re not making quick decisions. You gotta think them through. I want all of you to be thinkers. Some can’t. The system’s hurt you bad. As Mother said, some of the old— old-timers, they really don’t know when they’re difficult about certain things, uh, athero-sclerosis, the hardening of the arteries. (Pause) Some of them, they’re good people, they’re proud, and they’ve never been accustomed to admitting that they’re failing. Like one sister took, uh, tried to take something the other day, she didn’t even know— she didn’t even remember she did it. (Pause) ‘Cause that’s the part of it. When a person’s old and uh, senile and forgetful and the brain’s beginning to damage, if they’ve been a fairly intelligent, upright p— uh, posture, nice, uh, intellectual, they’ll tend to— they’ll keep that pattern. (Pause) Hmm?
Responses from crowd unintelligible.
Jones: And they can make an honest mistake, and I know some of you shitheads, but more shitheads about this sugar and all that shit, you ain’t old enough to be senile. You just old enough to be mean.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Man speaks too low off mike.
Tape off for undetermined time, 30 seconds of real time.
Jones: — it’s a stimulate, and I—
Tape off for undetermined time, 10 seconds of real time.
Jones: — any time that— it’s all right— there’re no— ain’t not no secrets here. Everybody knows I’ve got (Pause) certain problems, I’ve had ‘em for a long time, don’t count on me dying tonight. (Sighs) Unless we all do.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: Peace. (Pause) All right. All right. (Pause) Now what’s her work, what’s her work habits, she shouldn’t be pawing all over these (unintelligible name), that’s true generally, but what’s her work habits?
Woman in crowd: Dad, she’s a good worker.
Jones: No trou— no trouble. Off. I don’t want a war with my children tonight. (Pause) My workers are what’s going to save the day, but don’t paw on him no more. You make these men— you do— get them in their damn headiness. (Voice sharpens) You realize, don’t you, that m— women are more intelligent than men, do you realize that? That’s a natural fact. Their IQ is higher. Their genetic code— They live longer. Your body is stronger. You live longer. So why in the hell don’t— to whom much is given, much is required. Why don’t you use that genius and quit acting like some stupid ass, simple-minded alley cat that can’t even keep her ass in gear.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Pause. Furniture moved. Mike moved. General crowd noise. Tape then off for undetermined time.
Jones: (sounds tired) —we have some people who are written up like Selika [Bordenave] and uh, Wanda and Don’s and others, and so forth, I don’t want to go into all those, though. Uh, younger and older.
Woman in crowd too soft.
Jones: (Voice sharpens) Now don’t be telling me "No shit" about tho— don’t give no names, I just made that mistake. Take a word from me when I’ve said it, sometimes I get tired and forget, too. (Pause) I just eliminated two of them, right then. (Pause) You understand that, didn’t you? You understand that? You guys got— don’t hesitate to come up and say, Father, get me the ear, get me by the ear. Father don’t have any ego, he don’t mind, just don’t publicly embarrass him. But honey, I didn’t mention a lot of them. (Pause)
Radio interference for several seconds.
Jones: Okay, now what about her work habits? (Pause) Work, work, is what I’m interested in. Work. What about her work habits?
Woman in crowd: Dad, her work is slow—
Radio interference for several seconds.
Another woman in crowd: (fades in) —every time she comes late.
Marceline: (Unintelligible word) Medical department had given me—
Girl at mike: Um, Dad, that—
Marceline: —answer another question. I want to know who gave— I want to know where the medical department is that’s giving these medical excuses.
Jones: You got one of the hardest working mothers in the goddamn place, whose—
Radio interference breaks up conversation for several seconds.
Jones: She’s one person I can look at with white and think a nigger easy. But you— you— now that’s what you— you hurt all of us who are light-skinned. You—
Radio interference.
Marceline: Have you been— have you been giving medical excuses for a reason to be late?
Lee Ingram: Where you been?
Girl: I— I haven’t got ‘em— I haven’t been— that was my last one a couple of weeks, so I haven’t got ‘em ever since then.
Jones: Are you in a relationship?
Girl: No, Dad.
Jones: Well, hell. What’s your excuse? That’s usually the first excuse. Hunting for one?
Girl: No, Dad.
Jones: Mmmmm.
Girl: Uh—
Lee Ingram: (Angry) You better not lie.
Voice in crowd: Why are you laughing, Dad?
Jones: I don’t want to— you’d be the first one up here tonight. (Pause)
Woman in crowd: — not hunting, do you want one, (unintelligible name)? Do you want one?
Girl: Um—
Voices in crowd unintelligible.
Girl: No, I don’t like nobody now, right now, I don’t like nobody.
Lee Ingram: That’s not the question.
Male voice: Do you want one, (unintelligible name)
Another male: Do you want one?
Voices in crowd unintelligible.
Lee Ingram: What’s the next one, we already got this answered, what’s the next one? Hmm?
Woman: Let her answer it.
Lee Ingram: Okay
Woman: If you don’t mind.
Man: No, no.
Woman: Answer it. Hurry up.
Radio interference for 15 seconds.
Man: The question is, does she work better since she had her warning? Or is she still working slow (unintelligible word)?
Jones: He thinks I should have brandy. We got some of that brandy someplace, (stumbles over words) we got any goddamn brandy? Joyce, do you know where in the hell it is? Uh, my blood pressure’s up and I don’t want to take these fuckin’ pills. They’re too costly. You can buy brandy. I can get all the brandy I need. That’s a part of you— If we have a l— If we have a White Night less, I want to tell you, honey, we got some shit that you gone be drunk on your last night.
Crowd: Laughter. Applause.
Jones: Part of it’s— Part of it’s sleeping potion, the rest is is drunk.
General crowd noise.
Jones: Start it with a (unintelligible word) ounce. I hate this shit. I’m not trying to justify it any, but I just thought you’d like to know. (Pause)
Woman: You shouldn’t have to justify anything.
Several voices: Right.
Jones: I’d think not. Nobody’s seen me going around here drunk. (Laughs) (Pause) I have been tempted. (Laughs) Not— because I don’t like this stuff, but I sure would like to quit feeling for a moment. Just for a moment. Just for a moment. But I love you too much to quit feeling for you in a second. That’s why I don’t want to be—
Radio interference for 90 seconds.
Jones: —thyroid condition, she keeps on going, so if she didn’t— I don’t know what the hell I’d do with these fucking letters. These sonsabitches want to fight over the goddamn letter, (goes into nasty mimicry) they want to write this, they want to write that, they don’t want to do what they’re told. (Pause) (Normal voice) What is this? Who— what ex— example you got of, of a hypochondriac? Who you got of example of being uh, playing sick?
Girl: Nobody, Dad. Nobody in my family, and they’re not— I only— (struggles for words) one time I did lie, because um, I didn’t want to go to work because uh, of Yvonne [Morrison?].
Jones: Oh, shit, now what about Yvonne?
Girl: Because Yvonne— it’s nothing, Father.
Jones: Yvonne. The woman that just now talked to you?
Girl: She my supervis— uh, she’s my supervior. When I, unh— Okay. Me and Melanie Breidenbach—
Jones: Yeah but— yeah but you’ve always had some excuse, honey.
Voices in crowd: That’s right.
Jones: What was your excuse before that one?
Male: Let’s hear it (fades out)
Woman: That’s right.
Girl: I don’t have one—
Jones: I remember this, I— we— we been through this pattern before, sweetie. (Pause) Everybody could find some reason not to go to work. I could, before I got outta the damn door. Or lifted up the phone.
Male voice too soft.
Girl: I don’t have—
Radio interference for 30 seconds.
Girl: Yvonne, um. Okay, he’s involved, good friends and everything, then. Um, she— they was (unintelligible word) and then Melanie got kicked off. I don’t know how come.
Jones: I’ll tell you one thing, a parent. They always watch, and I’d say that uh, lovingly to Rita who’s one of my favorites. Don’t ever ask that question from the parent. What’s your problem? Don’t ever show it. Because children will manipulate you around (Radio interference for two seconds) —parents, and I’m sure you’re not doing it, ‘cause you have very little time for children, as I see, but they’ll do— they’ll keep them, they’ll keep them weak like that, but what they’re really doing is destroying children, because the children will continue to um, come to you for problems, only use you. The moment they don’t need you—
Radio interference.
Jones: —saying? A whole lot of you don’t. And if any case further does this, we’re going to have to bring you up for discipline. (Pause) Because you are retarding the growth of your child. (Radio interference) You know who I’m talking about. (Pause) You’re holding on to the child, so that you’ll have something. That’s cruel. That’s not love. (Pause) That’s selfish, to hold on to a child, ‘cause you want— (Radio interference) (Pause) Do you hear me— And that’s something else I want taught in the classes. It’s a very great problem around here. (Pause) Don’t ever se— I don’t care if it’s you— (Radio interference) —love, pat ‘em on the back, tell ‘em how much you love ‘em, but whup whup, they don’t start that stuff, organization is (Radio interference). If you don’t, you are being guilty of selfish, possessive love, and it isn’t worthy of love. Selfish possessiveness. And you’re retarding, you’re holding back your child, or whoever you’re calling your child, or whoever you’ve adopted as your child— (Pause) Keep this in mind—
End of Side 1.
Side 2:
Jones: (tape cuts in)— years, we’ve had a lot of youth and seniors — not many, not a lot, no, that’s not fair, very few — other— other time when we thought we were going to have to take poison, we’re prepared to it, I mean, heh— there wasn’t uh, I don’t think one person acted up, did they? Or two? Maybe two?
Crowd responses unintelligible
Jones: Well, that’s how close we came, darlings. So we been through it. We’re accustomed to it. Say, I can’t stand it. Well then, you ought to stand it.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: Some of us say, don’t need it, are the ones that ought to be able to say, we can’t stand it. But we stand it. (Stumbles over words) I don’t need to test my faculty to die. When they told me today that the goddamn attorney general was on my case, I said, oh well, shit. I went ahead, in five minutes, I gave five minutes to this young woman. (Pause) Janice. I gave five minutes to talk to her. They walked up and said (snaps fingers) attorney general’s on you, is on the case now. He’s— he— he— he’s— he’s going to try to do something to get these kids back. I said, oh, shit. I knew it was all (unintelligible word— over?). Attorney General starts this shit. Governments can’t stand up to attorney generals in the United States. That means the whole U.S. government’s after our ass. (Pause) So all we gotta do is back the attorney general off. And there are ways. (Pause) (Dramatically) Oh yes, there are ways, if we can win one, there was nobody in here and in the United States, our friend, everybody wanting us killed, and we fought them off with guns. There’s ways, darling, (emphatic enunciatiuon) there are ways.
Crowd: Applause.
Jones: I still believe out of the barrel of the gun. I hope Cleve Swinney’s— well, I hope you guys are working that— now you people I waste no shit on this time (stumbles over words) these White Night— if we get through this one, by God, there’s gone— one of them come we’re not going get through, and we better uh, be prepared— when I say, not get through, talk will stop. And the only thing we’re going to be able to use is a force of arms. (Pause) That’s what we had that night. That’s what the hell we had when they drove their vehicles up behind us. They can get more severe. Coming, darting in out of the goddamn woods. Shooting at you. (Pause) Yes yes yes.
Jack (Beam?): I’d say that’s quite an honor to have the US government on our ass.
Jones: Now, I think that’s (hiccup) well said, Jack. Good old college man, made his money in chemistry, if he wanted to do as a chemist. That’s quite an honor to have the whole fuckin’ government on our back. I think so— I’d say so too. (Emphatic) Makes me know we’re doing what’s right.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: Shift. Shift. (Pause) How much coffee do you have?
Response unintelligible
Jones: You know I’m thinking it’s a serious time in human events when I’m talking about coffee. ‘Cause it costs about six, seven dollars a pound. On the world market today, coffee’s bad. (Pause) Yet methinks I’ll come through with the attorney general, methinks I’ll come through wi— this shit somehow. Some point, some point in time, though, you gotta be prepared to put all— put your a— your all on the line.
Scattered: That’s right.
Jones: That don’t mean I think it’s gonna be coming out from some astral plane, either. It’ll come from our own ingenuity, that primarily flows from me, unfortunately, lot of the creative shit. What’s up?
Tape turned off for several moments.
Male voice: Have we cleared the authorities?
Jones: What’s that? (Stumbles over words) What else have we got here? You better get the ass to work now. ‘Cause you got one warning. And I want to see the— the work to— crew, crew to get it— What is it, Ruby?
Ruby: I just want to say, if— if she keep the eleven o’clock curfew, we wouldn’t have— you know, if either Annie or I gets her up in the morning, and we have our time waking her up. And if we think we waking her up, and then she doesn’t get up then when we leave, or if I go to the bathroom, she crawls back in and goes back to sleep.
Marceline: (fades in) for not keeping eleven o’clock curfew. (fades out, then back in) Is she still doing it? I think she should have another warning, right now.
Jones: What is today? This Wednesday? Is this Tuesday, Wednesday? What the shit day is it? Wednesday.
Male: She asked her a question (unintelligible)
Young woman: Um, she— she’s talking about— I— I was at the movie and I stayed up at the movie. I didn’t (unintelligible). I did it twice (JJ speaks over her)
Jones: Explain why, (unintelligible name), explain why to all those they interviewed while they were holding it off till (unintelligible) — ‘cause we have radio contact, (Stumbles over words) we can’t conduct the interview, we haven’t got enough people there, so then tell them why it has to be tomor— the uh, set-up, to the uh, time it does, because ah, we want our attorney present there. I don’t trust those pricks. (Pause) Ol’ [Temple attorney Charles] Garry did come through and said he’d put his reputation on the character of our work here. You wouldn’t believe what those sonsabitches said. You wouldn’t believe. (Pause) (Incredulous) You wouldn’t believe. They got us running around here in balls and chains. (Pause) No, you wouldn’t believe— fenced sentinels, with machine guns (Stumbles over words) I’m glad for that, though. I’m glad they’re telling that kind of shit. I’m a really— I really am. Keep telling it, so they come in here with bombers. Then they’d be at least, by God, they’d come (laughs) they’d be (unintelligible). (Pause) All kinds of shit, you wouldn’t believe. (Pause) Now I’m gonna tell you something too. Yolanda Crawford, making a statement I tried to fuck her. Uh, listen, I’m gonna tell you, I’m gonna tell you. I never even thought about fucking her, ‘cause I knew she was too stupid to be of any real damage to us, and she sure would never make anything worthwhile, so I never even got near her. And these— all these people claim I fucked ‘em. They’re sure big lies, ‘cause I sure didn’t do it. The right ones haven’t talked yet. Grace sh— Grace denies I fucked her, and she got pregnant by immaculate conception. (Pause) Sure does, all the headlines there, they all died, uh, denied. Never had a fuck from me. And some be— some folk there witnessed it and put the foam in, and put the goddamn diaphragm on and saw she took the pill, and she still got pregnant, (Unpleasant tone) the simple bitch. Which is which? Okay. (Pause) People lie, and the press pick it up. Anybody look at my John, and know— who in the hell reads this shit? (Pause) She t— What’s that?
Marceline: (voice fades in) I see in every one of them, and every one of them, well, he certainly looks more like Jim Jones than he does Tim Stoen.
Audience hubbub.
Jones: I’m glad he don’t look like Tim Stoen. That’d be a fuckin’ curse. Even when I thought he was somewhat decent, I thought he looked like shit. (Pause) ‘Course, that’s again my subjective feelings. What’re we talking about now? What’s the problem? We’ll wait— we have to wait— we have to wait for contact. We have to get through to a patch, we gotta find a patch on Richard’s (unintelligible) tonight. ‘Cause I— I— I— I gotta find out what in the hell, what’s uh, transpired with my demands, this doctor’s not going out of here. Attorney General, you got some days between you, maybe, and whatever in the hell they’d do, if I don’t stop block that, or whatever in the hell any Congressman want to do, or any other shit. We ain’t got no days about some of this shit. I want to find out about ‘em. Piss on ‘em. (Pause) I don’t give a fuck if we never get licensed, but the— ou— our doctor’s not going anywhere.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Male talks low to Jim.
Jones: How much is this?
Male: That’s uh— that looks like a— that’s a lot (radio breakup of tape)
Jones: Okay. Shit, (Stumbles over words) I mean, you get me drunk.
Laughter.
Male: (unintelligible) call him, and get him on stateside. (unintelligible)
Jones: That’s the matter. They can— Can’t they switch around and find anybody, Cali, Colombia or anybody that could phone patch him? They ought to look around to that band, there are a lot of Spanish-speaking people who speak English. Try it. Try it. Miami has a slightly lesser— uh, East Coast has slight lesser (unintelligible word— bill?). (Pause) Shit, I could drink that glass, wouldn’t get drunk. Don’t worry about it. (Pause) No such luck. (Pause) What is it?
Voices too soft.
Jones: Hold it, how long she going to be— how long she be on— she ought to be back by now? Has Patty got back yet? Yeah— Patty’s— Is Patty coming in?
Woman’s voice too soft.
Jones: Is Patty coming (breaks off in laughter)
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Laughs) You— you— it’s— it’s— it’s not funny, but, poor Patty, every time she comes home, there’s a White Night— (unintelligible as he laughs) I can hear Patty say. You gotta have her talk. If we make it, you gotta hear— one night, you gotta have her talk on White Nights.
Woman’s voice in crowd unintelligible
Jones: (Laughs) Helen, do that, if she gets in. Helen, Helen. Helen. Might as laugh while we’re dying. Helen, where— where’s Helen at? (Pause) Helen, get uh— be sure and set by— (laughs) and she said every night, (mimicry of Patty) "Every time I come in, it’s a White Night. And who’d I set by but Helen Snell." (Laughs) Helen, you got a better sense of humor. You’re growing. That’s cute. Be sure, Helen, you get up and set down by her. That’ll, that, that— that’ll be funny.
General hubbub.
Tape goes off for several seconds.
Jones: Umm-hmm. (Pause) I get— (Pause) If I get Charlie [Touchette] off, you could get your— off your feet, Charlie, you’re about to have another stroke. Go ahead. (Pause) (Sounds tired) Let’s go on. (Unintelligible name— Bull?) what do you want to say here, I told you the warning, what else is there?
Young male: See, um, Ruby brought up that I ain’t been coming home at uh, eleven o’clock ‘cause um, when they have movies—
Jones: Oh, shit, woman, why do we let her get by with all this shit to m— midnight to Sunday. Uh, uh, it’s not required by Rita [Tupper]. It’s not required by my son, Tim. (Stumbles over words) She not special privilege. What do you wait with all this shit comes up till a White Night?
Another male: We’ve been handling it, Dad, and I talked to Joyce and wrote it up, and we’ve been trying to handle in on our own counseling, Janet—
Jones: Now, there ain’t no handling on it, it’s Learning when people come— it’s warning when they come in l— ah— at that hour.
Jack: No excuses. No excuses.
Jones: She gone get pregnant. Some of these kids out there, they don’t know. Some of these fools will even rape ‘em when they’re not willing.
Jack: That’s right, Jenny?
Female: Right.
Male: You only like toucans, right?
Female: No, um, just— no, she talking— I, I’m come home, I— even when they have a movie, I stay here or else I’m talking to Mary.
Jones: Yeah.
Female: ‘Cause when she went to Georgetown, I stayed— I— I— um, I— when I went to bed, I got back up and I just— uh, I went to the bathroom and stayed up with Mary and talked to her.
Jones: Okay. Okay.
Another female: She did more than that.
Jones: Take that blood pressure now, take that—
Second female: When she went to Georgetown—
Jones: I think it’ll have an effect. I think it’ll have an effect. (Pause) Think it’ll be down. (Pause)
Man: When you’re on the floor, let’s not hold up—
Jones: What is it, what is it, what is it, what is it? Shift.
Second female: Well, she had uh, I—
Jones: Shift. The last few minutes of this conversation, here (pause)
Second female: I came home—
Jones: We have to uh, put people into sleep under dormitory conditions, when we’re not under military attack. When we’re under military attack, like we were on one six-day, seven nights, that’s another thing. But whether anything’s settled— maybe there’ll be some good news. I don’t know. But, um (pause) I mean, I can feel, but I don’t— I don’t know absolutely. But we have to uh, go to sleep under military conditions. If we’re attacked by military, then we stay right out on the front line, like we did for s— what was it, seven days and six nights.
Crowd: Right.
And whatever number nights we stayed on the front line, goddamn it, we didn’t sleep, we didn’t shower, we didn’t do shit.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: And nobody got pneumonia either.
Crowd: Right.
Jones: So it’s all in your damn head. You can stand up there. If you really care about freedom. Say, (goes into mimicry) we’re going die, I can’t stand this. (Normal tone) Well, Cuba stood it for ten years, and they won. (Pause) I’m asking— I’ve gotta meet with the Soviet Union, I want to know what the Soviet, well, well, we’ll check on that. I’m talking to Soviet Union. I always look for every chance for life. For you. I don’t give a shit. But I’ve asked the Soviet Union, any guarantees we can have to get out of here, if worse came to worse, this goddamn government was taken over. We ordered the bi— boo— I ordered that boat to be bought today, didn’t I? I— I ordered it, I hope it got transmitted. Will you check? That 350-ton? ‘Cause that sonofabitch would sail us all down the river.
Voices of reply too soft.
Jones: Yeah, I know, but I told him, if he would sign the fucker, we wouldn’t show it.
Scattered applause.
Man talks too soft.
Jones: Oh, shit.
Man’s voice: — transaction would be approved by (unintelligible)
Jones: I— I— I want him to tell us, and I’m going to take my chances.
Man talks too soft.
Jones: That’s all. (Pause) No, I— I understood it. Uh, if he says it, then I’ll say, well, shit, we didn’t know. Then let him— let him say oh, you want to arrest us, oh, come on out and arrest us. We’re all here, all thousand of us. Try to arrest us. See if you got big enough paddy wagon.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: I want that fuckin’ boat bought. I think it’s worth a chance. I think it’s worth a chance, don’t you?
Crowd: Yes.
Jones: If he— If he signs, if he signs what I want him to sign, you— you— you quote what I want uh, you know what I want.
Male: I just want to make sure there’s no misunderstanding.
Jones: I— I didn’t have no misunderstanding. (Stumbles over words) I— I believe in r— playing Russian roulette once in a while. (Pause) I don’t play— (Stern) I don’t mean no goddamn games, like you people. Shit, I’m ready to die any day. (Lighter tone) Woo, that’s strong brandy. They ought to told it was brandy before I drink quarter of a glass of it.
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Laughs) Laugh, Laura. Or you’ll have to fuck in front of the center.
Crowd reacts in amusement.
Jones: You and Mom Dean. (Laughs) Shift. You fuckers did that on purpose.
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Calls out) I’m drunk.
Crowd: Applause
Jones: I could depend upon you to clap, but don’t start no shit, I’m on— I’m on to you. I may stagger to get you, but I’m after you. (Laughs) Laugh, Jeff, or your ass’ll stay on the Learning Crew.
Audience calms. Woman talks softly.
Jones: Yeah. (Pause) Nah, she couldn’t now, she been here all the time, if she don’t mind, let her— but be sure to stay al— stay alert and awake, boy. Be our luck to have some shit going loose while we’re at battle. And we can win these— You get nervous, some of you new ones, but we’ve won such— uh, we’ve won such things that uh, nobody on earth could win.
Crowd: Right. (Applause)
Jones: You know what we’ve done? Today, already — I haven’t heard back what the results is — we barged into uh, the hi— head government office? We all barged in. We didn’t ask for no interview, we just shut the fuckin’ door — you’re all right, aren’t you, my son, you’re—
Laughter. Sounds of gentle slapping.
Jones: It’s stone-faced Steve, they called him in those days. (Laughs). How ‘bout a ha— how about some of my brandy? (Laughs) I love him, I love him, I love him. And we b— we we— went into the Russians, the Russians had an important conference, and we barged in there, too. And we barge anyplace else we want you want to suggest tonight. What is it, dear?
Girl: You—
Jones: You want to fuck?
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Laughs) I just feel relaxed enough to just fuck.
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Laughs) Whisper it to me, dear. Whisper.
Crowd: Laughter.
(Tape off for several seconds)
Jones: You mean I gotta drink more of that shit yet? (Pause) I’ll be the happiest stroke victim ever came down the road. (Laughs) (Pause) What— Take his blood pressure while you’re at it. This kid holds too much in. Take a blood pressure, see what he’s got in there. (Slurs over sentence) (Clear voice) What you need tonight is a good fuck, son.
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Laughs)
Male: Give me a good fuck, I’ll take it.
Jones: He say, if you give me a good fuck, I’ll take it, but I’m not sure it’ll be good, and they— that’s a (Stretches out word) wise man.
Male: That’s right.
Jones: ‘Cause there’s consequences, aren’t there? Anything you do, there’s consequences.
Marceline: I need brandy or something, I’m—
Jones: Dear? Whatever in the hell they got in this shit is strong. (Pause) What were we talking about? What the hell have you done, Tish [Laetitia LeRoy]? Aside being a mean old bitch in the Accounting Office. (Laughs)
Crowd gets rowdy.
Jones: (Laughs) Don’t give me too much liquor tonight. (Pause)
Tish: When uh, when Ruby was in Georgetown, we had a problem with Janice staying out too late at night. I came home one night, very late, and she had locked Annie MacGowan in the house.
Jones: (calm and sober) Locked her what?
Tish: Locked Annie MacGowan in the house from the outside, latched it. And Annie couldna gotten out, if she’d had to in an emergency— (Jim talks over her)
Jones: (unintelligible) congratulations to you people in accounting, could get in those important papers out, so they couldn’t start some shit in that area (unintelligible word). It’s all out, is it?
Tish: Uh, everything that we could get out is out. I hope they picked up the package that we sent into Georgetown today.
Jones: Oh, that’s a good question. With all this mess. No— (Tish talks over him)
Tish: We got that out.
Jones: (unintelligible) — we’ll find it somewhere, I guess. Is everything done (unintelligible as Tish talks over him)
Tish: Everything is done that we can do. Not everything is done that should be done, everything is done that we can do without additional W-2s and things like that, that we have sent for.
Jones: I see. You mean, they’ll block some of our checks coming in?
Tish: If the package gets picked up in Georgetown, and gets delivered into— I recommended that they take it to the U.S. Ambassador, because he can (pause) officially postmark it.
Jones: Hear what she said? That’s a good point. Clever.
Tish: Then it’ll get postmarked before the 15th.
Jones: That’s clever. What’s that?
Voice too soft
Jones: Whoa, that kid’s healthy. How can he st— be healthy around me? That’s amazing. Go ahead, and—
Tish: That’s all.
Jones: (Incredulous) She locked little Annie MacGowan in the house.
Tish: I— I don’t know if it was intentional or not, I— in fairness to—
Jones: Well— are we answered?
Janice: Um—
Jones: Tish sees the CIA behind every plot, maybe working for the CIA.
Janice: Uh, Dad, when I went out of the house, um, Annie— (JJ talks over her)
Jones: Shut up, Vince, and I’ll kill you. (Laughs)
Janice: I locked the last one outside to keep it shut until I got back, and, then Tish came home, and uh, she was locked in, and that’s— uh— I— I— see I— what I did, is, okay, Annie was in there—
Jones: What were you doing in George— when were you in Georgetown?
Janice: I wasn’t— Dad, I was— no, it’s not at the home. Ruby was in Georgetown. See, oh, I left the house—
Jones: Oh, I’m sorry.
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Happy cry) Oh, goddamn you, I’m gone drink some more of it. Shit.
Crowd reacts.
Jones: They got that to me. I wouldna drank this much. This is something else.
Voice in crowd: Drink it up.
Jones: Nooo. If I drink it up, you people wouldn’t be protected. I got too much sense for that. I feel good, but I ain’t gone go that far. You folk wouldn’t have an ounce of protection, if I drank very much more, ‘cause I’d be going through the audience seeing who’d be willing for a fuck.
Crowd: Laughter and whooping
Tape off for several seconds.
Jack: — this thing up. Could we speed it up, now?
Voice in crowd: Did you do it on purpose?
Janice: No, no I didn’t.
Jack: No, you didn’t do it on— Do you know she didn’t do it on purpose?
Annie MacGowan: When she came in, it was round about three o’clock.
Jack: (Angrily) Did she do it on purpose? (unintelligible)
Annie: And I told her—
Jack: Did she do it on purpose?
Female: Annie!
Annie: She, she—
Jack: Did— Did she do it on purpose? Did— Just yes or no. Did she do it on purpose? Do you think she did it on purpose?
Annie: I don’t know. I don’t know.
Jack: Okay.
Female: She knew that Annie was there.
Annie: She knowed I was in there, but she— I asked her she was going back out and she said, no. And so I didn’t even know the door was locked until Tish came.
Male: I don’t (unintelligible word) believe Janice goes around locking seniors in.
Annie: No, I don’t—
Johnny: I don’t either. ‘Cause— ‘Cause I’ve gone out the door and I’ve locked the door, and people been in there— it’s just a ha— a force of habit.
General hubbub.
Male: Hey. Dismiss the case, Johnny.
Johnny: Dismiss the— Case dismissed. (Authoritative voice) Everybody sit down. Thank you.
Crowd: Applause
Hubbub and laughter.
Johnny: Are you still on the floor? (Pause) Are you guys still on the floor? Are you still on the floor? Are you still on the floor? (Pause) You guys just sit down. Just sit down, all right? (Pause)
Tape clicks off and on several times
Jones: I wonder (Pause) who thought to give me all that quarter glass of brandy, ninety per cent proof with no food on my fuckin’ stomach. Some folk ought to think for me. Whee!
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: (Cries out joyously) I’m— I’m an example and a sample, Reb [James Edwards], of what it’s gonna be on the laaaaasst night. Hahahaha. Ahhh, yeah! (Pause) You better put something on my fuckin’ stomach. ‘Cause I see two Vinces, and one is enough. (Laughs)
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: Nah, I kinda like him. I love all of you, drunk or sober. And I know just how serious a White Night is, drunk or sober. I must admit things are fi— (Deliberate) ah, kind of calm. (Pause) It’s marvelous. What other shit can we stir up tonight? (Laughs) Whew! (Pause) Is that beans? That’s my shit, I like them beans beans beans, (sings) the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot. (Cries out) The more you toot, the better you feel. (Pause) (Normal tone) I know you fuckers are happy to see me drunk.
Hubbub.
Jones: That ain’t beans. That’s okra. (Pause) Food’s food, isn’t it, anyway. Good to be eatin’, when some people are starvin’. Then you feel guilty with every foo— every piece you put down. (Pause) How many feel guilty when you eat? Ah, don’t lie too quick. (Pause) (More emphatically) Don’t lie too quick.
Tape off for several seconds
Jones: The reason I had this reaction, they didn’t have any food on my stomach. And everybody knows, when you take alcohol, that much alcohol and you haven’t eaten, you have a slight problem.
Crowd: Laughter.
Jones: You fuckers. I just douse some more of this shit. Come on, now. Goddamnit. Get this shit out of my way. (Pause) Hey, goddamnit. I took a whole swallow more of that shit. (Pause) I wish White Nights quit when I got drunk, but they won’t. If they did, I’d get drunk from ev— now on forevermore, wouldn’t you, Mom [Burger Lee] Dean?
Dean: Yep.
Jones: But Mom, before you die, got some good liquor over there. (Eating) I got enough for everybody to get drunk twice. (Pause) See how I even— I even got one of the (unintelligible word— stole steppers?), she’s smiling. Shit, she’s straight-faced all the time. (Pause) Shift your ass before it glues itself to the bench. (Pause) (More serious) That’s enough. I think it’s enough. I think it’s enough. (Pause) Moms Mabley, have you got a good joke for folk that are ready to die? I feel guilt now, and I didn’t even know I was getting the liquor. I feel guilt that you don’t all have some. (Cries) Hey! Order! I ain’t got much, but order is an extra dose so that we can get drunk during one White Night. After it’s over. I think— I think— Don’t you think that’s right, we get drunk one White Night? Shit. One White Night. Just one— (squeaky kid’s voice) one White Night?
Crowd: Applause and cheers
Jones: You smile, bitch, or I’ll pour it up your vagina. Yeeheeheehee! (Pause) Shit, you could drink anybody under the house and stand there smilin’. (Pause) Don’t count on no shit tonight, though, ‘cause I’m gonna keep me awake till I get sober. Woo! (Pause) It don’t do nothing for you, though, honey, you still know what reality is. I’m drunker than a skunk, but I still know what reality is. So don’t think it’s any way out. It isn’t. (Pause) Well, hell, I couldn’t help but be happy!
Woman: No, but I’m saying, that everybody’s happy.
Another woman in crowd: You have a high tolerance—
Jones: (Fake crying) You want to get me a cup of hot coffee, honey? Shit, let me enjoy three more minutes. (Laughs) No, I don’t care. No, in my case, it is— she— she’s right, it would not necessarily make you happy. It don’t make me happy. It just makes me— (Pause) It makes me not feel my headache as much, although I got a burning in my stomach, ‘cause it was empty. But shit, I’d take that burning to this headache.
Woman: You want some milk, Dad?
Jones: Hmm? (Disgusted) Milk? Oh, shit, no. No milk.
Hubbub.
Jones: Shift your ass, honey. I’m sorry, I— if I’d had more liquor, and we didn’t— if we knew—
End of tape.