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[Letterhead of Guyana North West Region No. 1]
1st November, 1977.
Cde. Jim Jones,
People’s Temple Agricultural Project,
Jonestown,
Kaituma.
Dear Comrade,
I am sending you a summary of the discussion which representatives of the People’s Temple Agricultural Project had with the Cde. Regional Minister and Regional Development Officer on 17th October.
Cde. Minister trusts that a positive response to the Administration’s proposals will not be much longer in coming.
Yours cooperatively,
/s/ W.D. Wyatt
W.D. Wyatt
Regional Development Officer
Region #1
cc: Cde. P.A. Reid, General Secretary, PNC
Cde. Vincent Teekah, Minister of Education.
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On Monday 17th October, 1977 Cde. Minister of State, Region No. 1 and his Regional Development Officer met representatives of the People’s Temple Agricultural Project. Representatives of that Organization were:
Cde. Johnny Jones
Ava Jones
Anita Kelley
Lee Ingram
Sharon Amos
Carolyn Layton
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss relations between the People’s Temple and the rest of the Sub-Region.
Cde. Minister alluded to the original understanding between the Regional Administration and the People’s Temple underlying the latter’s settlement in the Kaituma area. That understanding was that the Settlement would be integrated with the rest of the Kaituma Community. Their activities had started in this way. People from Kaituma had gone to work at Jonestown and imparted their knowledge of local agricultural practices. Later the People’s Temple had dispensed with those persons’ services. Now there was no member of the Kaituma Community employed with the People’s Temple. He considered that this was not in keeping with the spirit of integration. It was his wish that the position be corrected. To this end it was proposed that the People’s Temple accept groups of Guyanese, about 20 at a time, to work with the Jonestown Community and participate in farming and other activities. The Guyanese would, in this way, we learning the industry, organization and discipline of the Temple Community, which had shown considerable progress. Since members of the community were not paid for their work Guyanese would not be expected to be paid.
The representatives of the People’s Temple said they would have to take this proposal back for consideration of the members as a whole. In the meantime they offered the Kaituma Community the services of their medical personnel on one day a week – in the Port area. Their “Water Deviner” was also available to the community to identify the location of ground water as he had done at Jonestown.
Cde. Minister then referred to the schooling of children of the Settlement. It was desirable, he said, that the education of these children be integrated with that provided by the State. The Community School at Kaituma provided education from Nursery to Secondary levels. He had observed that there were hundreds of children at Jonestown. These children should be sent to the Kaituma School. There was accommodation for about 200 additional children at the Secondary level and others at other levels.
He was aware the Temple was conducting its own school. However education and the establishment and conduct of schools in Guyana were governed by Guyana legislation and it was necessary that they be in compliance with the relevant legislation. He was not aware that the school at the Peoples Temple Project was in compliance with the law.
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The representatives of the People’s Temple explained that the children at the Settlement had a background of persecution and were generally disadvantaged, in their native communities. They had come recently into a new and congenial situation at Jonestown. It would be traumatic to, so soon, remove them to another strange school environment and away from the people they knew and had come to trust. In addition there would be the problem of transport between Port Kaituma and the Project.
They were informed the transportation of children at the Secondary level would be four times per term. At the beginning and end of term and at mid-term when they were allowed to go home on holiday for a week-end.
The Temple representatives saw this as yet another difficulty, since the children were required to participate in an ongoing programme of orientation. Living away all term would interfere with this programme.
They were informed that consideration might be given to concessions as follows:
1) in the beginning some children less likely to suffer from the change might be selected to attend the Kaituma School;
11) They might be permitted to go home at week-ends during the early period;
111) members of the Temple might visit them at prearranged periods during the term.
Again the representatives of the People’s Temple wished to discuss these proposals with other members. In the meantime they were offering the services of persons knowledgeable in art and craft to teach part-time at the school.
Cde. Minister informed them that since the term was already advanced an early decision was required.
At the request of the delegation, Cde. Minister explained the procedure for becoming members of the People’s National Congress.