[Editor’s notes: The letters on this page derive from several sources, principally FBI Section 126 • EE-1 • Letters to Dad (G-J); FBI Section 130 • EE-2 • Letters to Jim Jones; and FBI Sections 121-123 • BB-31 – BB-32 • Tim Stoen, D Touchette.
[Insofar as possible, these letters have been arranged in alphabetical order of the writer’s last name. Unless otherwise noted, the letters retain their original spelling and grammar.
[Peoples Temple member often used old reports and documents as scratch paper, using the reverse side of these pages for their letters. We have labeled and transcribed those scratch pages which include information about Jonestown.]
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EE-1-G-37
Undated Note to Jim Jones from David George
Father told us about how it is very bad back there. You show us one article about all the black leader getting kill. You also told us to show love the other comrade. And how the KKK is getting more bigger all over in the state and getting bad. Anita Drian how she say that how the people to say what they want. Delancey St [Street] is getting attack by the news paper just to the black people made to get a reson to kill them out. How we shoud not be thing [thinking] about going back there. And how som white people put a sign up how every white person shoud have a black person.
David George
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EE-1-G-11
Mattie Gibson note to Jim Jones, October 1977
Oct. 20, 1977
Dear Father I have tryed men. Now I would lake a young girl are women I thank I have found the girl.
Love Mattie Gibson
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EE-1-G-25
Note to Jim Jones from Mattie Gibson, December 1977
Dec. 27, 77
Dear Dad I thank you.
it was your love that keep the fire from doing any more dameg. When I went down to the fire it was all ready out my [illegible] I won’t take candy for a month Thank you Dad
Mattie Gibon [Gibson]
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EE-1-G-72
Undated note from Mattie Gibson
- Father why we left the United States Because the shortest of oil.
- Because the passed the senate bill 1427
- The nuclear bomb.
- Because we are saved from earth quakes an cyclone.
- Because the seniors can walk here without being molested.
Mattie Gibson D.2.
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EE-2-f-12a – 12b
Thank You Note to Jim Jones from Irma Lee Gill, September 1978
[Editor’s note: The numerous spelling and grammatical errors in this note have been corrected.]
Sept 25/78
Dear Dad,
Thank you for healing me and my daughter of cancer & also mother when she had cancer in her lungs. Also saved Rick Johnson’s life. Also thank you for [illegible word] beautiful home. Andrew love and kindness thank you for what you are doing for everybody. I know you are the Christ & I [illegible word] your flesh so much for that. This is my suggestion: have people to pass out paper & a copy to go by to write letters in the meeting when we are altogether in that way everybody can write letters. That is the [way] we did is in SF. If 3 hundred in the Temple we wrote 3 hundred letters if needed to be. Also I suggest for quietness in the meeting have all young people sit in front & Sec. in back & see that if that will help the noise. Have all people to meditate twice a day. You was with this in SF but we [illegible word] the same when I was there [illegible word] at 6 AM at home when I got to work I meditated. Before I left work I meditated when I got home I meditated & meditated on the elevator 1029 I did the same thing not just for myself but for others. Police was beating up people. We could hear the [two illegible words]
[Second page, writing too faint and illegible]
Irma Lee Gill
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EE-1-G-39
Undated Note to Jim Jones from Ernestine Glazier, San Francisco member
Yes I do want to go to freedom [land] and I am willing to do what I am told but its taking me a long time to realize that I have to stop playing and living but I am going to stop trying to look good in front of every body and start doing what a person supposed to do that wants to get to freedom and that wants to be a socialist.
Ernestine Glazier
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EE-1-G-71
Undated note from Lue Goodspeed
I Lue Dimple Goodspeed
the way I feel, and my believe and concern of Socialislem.
Since I have been under such great leader who is my pastor Jim Jones who have great love for everybody. Know respectful person he has taught me they that believed all we’re together and had all things common,” you may find this in Acts 2:44,
Pastor Jim Jones live and practis what he preach I feel that we all should be on one accord. And again he taught that a body without the spirit of love is dead, so as work with faith is dead also, and I feel that all this concist of socialism. Also I feel we all should have equal shairing.
[cut off text] most of the fulness do not want love & peace
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Reflection on Jim Jones’ Pain from Vern Gosney, May 1978
EE-2-f-7a – 7b
Verne Gosney
What I Think Dad’s Greatest Suffering Is
I think that Dad probably suffers the most from helping people and in their understanding of Socialism and have them turn around and shit on him. To constantly open up to people, to reach out to them and get no understanding or realization of Dad’s feelings as a human being.
Also Dad is always the brunt of People’s hostilities when he has always done the loving thing towards that person or persons.
Also the lack of thinking comrades do & our un-kindness & insensitivity to others. We are incredibly unkind to each other – ready to cut each other’s throat for the slightest offense. We are always yelling at each other too. I think this must grieve Dad because he is the Supreme example to us – and we should follow that example of kindness & love.
I know for myself I am trying to assume guilt for the many times I have heard Dad, & angered him severely by flaunting my rebellion & hostilities to his great teachings. Now each time I feel certain resistance in my mind to some of Dad’s teachings – I think of those things over & over again to realize why I feel this way & to change them & overcome those feelings because I know I have been very brainwashed by capitalist living & decadent thinking and it takes a while to reverse the process. Mainly whenever I examine myself I find that my resistance to any points of Dad’s teachings is a resistance to think – once I think about it I realize that I was trying to deceive myself so I could preserve a holdout of illusory thinking.
Thank you Dad.
My money-making idea is an herb shop to be in Georgetown selling all kinds of herbs for natural cures. This could be coordinated with experimental kitchen & herb committee.
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EE-1-G-41 [misnumbered]
Undated note to Jim Jones from Willie Grady
Dear Dad
I have wasted money that I know could have been used to help build this cause up so that all of our members may be here in the land by now. I was living like a capitalist and not caring for anyone else, trying to get by in the system didn’t work because blacks and often other minorities are persecuted DAILY. My life was empty until I moved communal and learned more about socialism and I haven’t been one of the best workers in the Temple, but I know I can’t go back to AMERICA because I have made a stand for socialist change and I know that I may have to give my life for this cause But I don’t care, for the first time in my life I have felt like a free man
Thank-you Dad
Willie Grady
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EE-1-G-42
My reason for going to Georgetown is to represent Peoples Temple in an attempe to show the people of Guyana that we want to help in their fight for socialism
Thank you Dad
Willie Grady
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EE-1-G-73
Undated note from Juanita Green
Juanita Green
Dear Father, I am here because we were liven in a Capitalistic City Stat where there were no freedom for black people an poor people and Sented Bill 14-27 the law can rest you put you in presson what ever if you don’t Tell him what he want to know. The Genesege Bool that Con Killan one and not move a pece paper.
The US pass a Law they can go in an Serah your home without a Serch want if they don’t find what they want oyes they can Round you up and put you in a Conlralion Camp at any time Los Angles likely to go under water By earth quak any time
Food is not Healthy for you for they put and Thing in they food.
Oyes US have pill for old people to diside weather they live are die. And that why I want to be Free it not safe for Black and poor people. No edecation for Black children are poor Race
D2-
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Undated Note to Jim Jones from Juanita Green
EE-2-f-13a – 13b
[Editor’s note: The numerous spelling and grammatical errors in this note have been corrected.]
Hi Dad
You asked all who had swelling in their legs and lots of us stood. I went to the nurses office but they didn’t have any of those cow foot leaves. So I went up behind the apartment, got some of the leaves, put them on my leg, kept on overnight, it drew all pulse [pus?] out and took all swelling out. I felt like I had a new leg. I thank you dad. I hope I didn’t do wrong. But it sure felt better. You so good to us dad, you opened so many doors for us we should be more grateful to you for everything.
Juanita Green
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EE-1-G-38
Undated Note to Jim Jones from Anitra Greene
Father my name is Anitra Greene and I haven’t been doing what I suppose to do. And I do want to go to the promise land. Yes I am welling to do what Im asked to do to get everybody to the Freedom Land.
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Undated Statement by Kevan Grubbs
EE-1-S-7 – 8
[word cut off] of normal people you talked about Russia giving aid to Angola and the U.S. didn’t like this and about the workers the 17 that were killed this plant because of unsafe working areas in Philadelphia. You talked about the Nazi uprising and the coming of swastikas and praising Hitler like some messiah
Russia claimed they could make the neutron bomb in [illegible] than 96 hours if the U.S. starts [illegible] the neutron bomb back in the 50s.
In Zaire where they put a puppet [two lines illegible]
I will try to get more of the [illegible] as much as I can
Your son
Kevan Smith
To Dad from Kevan Smith
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Writings of the Griffith Family
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