This tape was transcribed by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
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Man: (unintelligible beginning) people fill out. It says that I, Martha Wade, certify that all monies which I have given to Peoples Temple Christian Church or any of its members were intended by me to be a gift to the church, without any restrictions whatever. Any gifts that I have made, including the gift of August of seven hundred and five dollars and thirty-six cents, was made because of my belief and appreciation of the wonderful human service ministry of the church. I have made these gifts knowing of the possible competing claims of my daughter and other relatives, which I have done so freely, voluntarily, and without any duress or pressure whatever. I’ve had this explained to me in full. Do you understand that, Martha? Do you want–
Martha Wade: Yeah, I understand.
Man: Is that true?
Wade: I– I (unintelligible) this morning.
Man: Well, then, why don’t you sign these two– these uh– please sign these (unintelligible word) like everybody else does, and then we’ll get the things–
Wade: Well, I can’t write.
(overlapping voices)
Man: Put your mark right there.
(tape edit) (Pause)
Man 2: Is it ready?
Woman: Yeah, it’s ready to go.
Man 2: Martha? We want to give permission, to– We want your permission to tape you, put you on a tape. Is that okay?
Wade: I ain’t gone– I ain’t going to speak well.
Man 3: Martha. Uh, Martha, just– just say yes and no to the fol– You just say yes and no to the following. He– He’s going to read this to you, and then you just say yes at the end, and say, yes, this is my desire. That’s all you have to say.
Wade: Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm. [Yes]
Man 3: Martha, today is uh– is Sunday, October 26, 1975, and you and I are meeting in the office of the church, the Peoples Temple Christian Church, at 1366 South Alvarado. And I– And we’ve been talking about uh, some, uh, money that you gave to the church in August, and you’ve made it quite clear to us that this money was intended to be a gift to the church, and I wanted to make sure you understood this, so we– we don’t want any difficulties with any relatives, ‘cause we want to do right by– by people. If people uh– And so I wanna– I wanna go over a– a statement that I’m gonna ask you to sign, uh, Martha, and I want to make sure you understand it, okay? You’re being taped now. Is that okay?
Wade: Okay.
Man 3: We have your consent to being taped?
Wade: Okay.
Man 3: Okay. Here’s a document that says at the top, Acknowledgement of Gift. Then it says, I, Martha Wade, certify – that means, I state, that’s my position – that any and all monies which I have given to Peoples Temple Christian Church or any of its members were intended by me to be a gift to the church, without any restrictions whatever. That means that whatever you ever handed to anybody in the church was intended to be a gift to go to the work of the church, its human services ministries. Is that right?
Wade: That’s right.
Man 3: Any gifts that I have made, including a gift in August of seven hundred and five dollars and thirty-six cents check was made because of my belief and appreciation of the wonderful human service ministry of the church. I have made these gifts knowing of the possible competing claims of my daughter and other relatives. In other words, you’ve made these gifts knowing that other people in your family may uh, not wish that to be so, you’ve still done it anyway. Is that correct?
Wade: Mmm. That’s correct.
Man 3: And– and you’ve done so freely and voluntarily, and without any duress or pressure whatever, and that this has been explained to you in full. Is this true?
Wade: Yes.
Man 3: Are all these statements that I’ve read to you true, Martha?
Wade: All of it’s true.
Man 3: Okay. Well, why don’t you sign right here, uh, this copy and when– and then two underneath it, Martha, and that’s exactly what I read to you. And then we’ll be notarizing it–
Wade: (unintelligible under man) here.
Man 3: Right here, where it says–
Man 4: Tell her to put the “X” in the middle.
Man 3: Put the “X” right in the middle of– right– right here. Excuse me, I’m sorry, right here.
Man 4: Right here, and then I’ll fix it (unintelligible word)
(Pause)
Man 3: Okay. And– and you can understand it, when we’re talking to you, what we’re talking about.
Wade: Yeah. I know. I understand it.
(Pause, low conversation)
Wade: Yeah, I understand.
Man 4: (unintelligible word) gonna record two witnesses, so it might indicate that some of the people that were here who are (unintelligible word) on the tape who are listening to this.
Man 3: Martha, the two– there’re gonna be two people witnessing this. One will be uh, (Pause) Paul Flowers and the other will be Terri Buford. Okay? They’re going to be witnesses to the fact that this “X” is your signature. Is that okay? We just want that on the tape, so there’s no question about it. This is Terri and this is Paul. Is that okay?
Wade: Mmm-hmm.
Man 3: Okay, thanks. And Paul, if you would sign underneath her name, that you witnessed it, and Terri, if you would do the same.
(tape edit)
Man 3: Martha, I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions, just to make sure that we understand each other clearly.
Wade: Mmm-hmm.
Man 3: Uh, did anybody in the church tell you that your bank was going to go bankrupt before you took the money out of the bank? (Pause) Would you speak clearly into the tape, so we have it–
Wade: No.
Man 3: Uh– Are you happy in the church, Martha?
Wade: Oh, yes. I love it.
Man 3: Do you wish to stay here for the rest of your life.
Wade: Rest of my life.
Man 3: And– Now the other thing is, is that, this little paper that I had you sign, you understand that the only reason that we’re asking you to sign it is to clarify, to make it clear, what you intended to do last August, when you brought the money to the church. Is that right?
Wade: Mmm-hmm. That’s right.
Man 3: And that you intended to put the money in the church. Right?
Wade: That’s right.
Man 3: And not a bank. Is that right?
Wade: That’s right.
Man 3: And you knew that if the money went into the church, it was going to be used for church purposes, and you– it would– it would– would not be in a– in a– in a bank account. You understood that?
Wade: I understood that.
(tape edit)
Man 3: You said uh, Martha, that you were happy in the church. Is that right?
Wade: Yes, (unintelligible word) I’m really happy.
Man 3: Uh, and how about Pastor Jim. How is he– how has he treated you?
Wade: Oh, he has treated me nice. I’d be dead (unintelligible word). I’da been dead.
[End of conversation]
Music.