[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1776 of the FBI’s RYMUR release.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979BERN00386_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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PAGE 01
BERN 00386 231018Z
ACTION EUR-12
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 JUSE-00 L-03 TRSE-00 NSC-05 SS-15 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 FBIE-00 PA-01 /047 W
——————038119 232309Z /75
R 230840Z JAN 79
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7604
INFO AMEMBASSY BONN
AMCONSUL MUNICH
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE BERN 0386
EO 12065: NA
TAGS: EFIN, CASC, SZ
SUBJ: PEOPLES TEMPLE FUNDS IN SWITZERLAND
REF: STATE 8551
EMBASSY HAS RECEIVED COPY OF LETTER DATED JAN 4 TO LAWRENCE W. CHAMBLEE, DEPT OF JUSTICE, FROM DR. FREI, SWISS DEPT JUSTICE & POLICE. LETTER STATES SWISS VIEW THAT CHARIG INTERVENTION WAS NOT APPROPRIATE, NOT IN ACCORDANCE TREATY ON MUTUAL ASSISTANCE, AND CAUSED CONFUSION RATHER THAN MORE EXPEDITIOUS HANDLING. LETTER ASKS THAT SUCH REQUESTS BE MADE THROUGH EMBASSY BERN OR IN CASE EXTREME URGENCY DIRECTLY FROM US DEPT OF JUSTICE TO SWISS DEPT JUSTICE & POLICE. IT ASKS THAT MR. CHARIG AND MR. RISTAU BE INFORMED OF LETTER. EMBASSY POUCHING COPIES DEPT (EUR/CE PORTER), BONN AND MUNICH.
WARNER [Marvin L. Warner, U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland]
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