B-1-l-1
[Letterhead of Eugene Chaikin]
December 5, 1976
Paula Adams
Jonestown
Port Kaituma, NWR
Guyana
Dear Paula;
Thought it was time for a note – sparked by yours on the insurance which I just got. I have the insurance all taken care of as far as locating the companies, coverages, costs and an Agent. I sent a memo to you about it, but I guess you never got it. I have gone no further because I have no further instructions. I am assuming that the coverage that we set up when I was there is still in effect. If not please let us know PDQ.
Things here continue to be very arduous. I often look back to my days in Guyana, especially on the farm, with some wistfulness. Somehow, surely a testament to his very great capacity, Jim is managing to build the Guyana Mission, expand and strengthen the movement here, develop an excellent (and well deserved) reputation and public image of the Church, publish what has become a tabloid size newspaper, and still minister to the needs of innumerable of his parishioners. He has become a well-recognized leader in the San Francisco community.
Doing all of the things that must be done to keep these projects under weigh [way], coordinating and arranging priorities, all takes a level of intelligence and concern that is hard for me (still) to comprehend. With him, we are moving on…
Please give my best wishes to everyone down there. Let them know that all up here are working very diligently, in the context of a very complicated situation, to make possible the success of their Mission. We appreciate their work and dedication.
Best regards,
/s/ Gene
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B-1-l-2
June 7, 1978
The People’s Temple
Box 15156 San Francisco
Ca 94115
Dear Sir
I have not received a reply to my letter of April 29 1978 regarding the $432.72 suit I have had to pay with respect to Brian Davis.
Regarding child support I now attach a schedule showing the amount of $8625.00 due me as of June 30 1978. Also enclosed again is a copy of the “Stipulation and Settlement Agreement”.
I have consulted with the District Attorney and he has told me that this non-payment is a very serious matter and one to be pursued with Mr Davis immediately upon his return to the U.S.
I will look forward to hearing from you with regard to your plans for the payment of this child support, and the $432.72 suit.
Truly
/s/ Marietta F. Davis
Marietta F. Davis
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B-1-l-3a – 3b
[irrelevant letter]
—–
B-1-l-4a
[Handwritten heading: “Terri”]
Personally, I think we could have gotten the same info from Chaikin in 1/2 hour or less. None of this is new. We paid for Chaikin’s trip to Washington DC tax nonprofit corp, tax seminar in February 1977, and it wasn’t cheap! Here we go again, and either [Marshall] Bentzman is just being the traditional paternalistic attorney, not dealing in specifics because he is not talking on the same level, or he’s a lazy schmuck. I would bet on the latter, and he’s probably reluctant to do anything more til we ask for specific work to be done. That’s how they are at my office – we are paying for a flight to Washington, not legal advice.
Our problem as that we don’t know what specific questions to ask….
June
1/24
—–
B-1-l-4b
1. He explained the routes between the local branches, and the D.C. office of IRS; that all tax exempt work on churches is done in D,C., and that requests for IRS rulings go to D.C., where as local branches deal with local area questions. Specific technical advice questions go to D.C.
2. He talked about alternatives to the present situation of P.T. receiving its tax exemption under the blanket-umbrella of the national denomination. Disciples of Christ:
a. the mother church (S.F.) withdraw from denomination for period of time; change name and start new church, and get exemption. P.T. members join this new church. It would be a separate entity, not affiliated with D/C.
If you start new church, under the name Peoples Tempie you would have to bare all past records to IRS scrutiny; if you started new church with new name, there would be no records to expose.
We questioned him about how we would transfer assets of P.T. to the new church, assuming we opened new church with different name – without inviting the same IRS scrutiny? He said he would look into transfer of assets from one church to new tax exempt church through IRS resolutions
b. He said San Francisco is the most liberal city for churches, tax exemptions. IRS in San Francisco is more liberal than say for instance in Salt Lake City Utah.
c. He said the donations and transfer of property all turned over tb the church was all right, no problem.
Re political activity done by the church, he said this is bad; if it appears that individual members do things on their own initiative, such as write letters, etc., ok. (We’ve known this for a long time.)
He said he would make a few phone calls, not naming names, to see find out more about local exempt organizations, how IRS treats them.
But he advised before we do anything, we should wait till things are more quiet down re media, etc. ???
He said he would look at our Apostolic Corporation files which had been delivered by to him; he had briefly looked but needed to do more.
He could find no evidence of any tax investigation against P.T. in D.C. but he was limited to the technical ruling branch, where no lists are maintained. He was unable to check further because he had no personal contacts in other divisions in D.C. He recommended our using FOIA for inquiring into investigation. (We’ve already tried; today received answer from IRS, copy attached, the usual negative response.)
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B-1-l-4c
[Letterhead of IRS Office in Los Angeles]
Jan 20, 1978
Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ
P.O. Box 15023
San Francisco, CA 94115
Attn: Jean F. Brown
Dear Ms. Brown:
This letter is in response to your request concerning Internal Revenue Service files which may contain information relative to your organization.
Please be advised that we have checked the indices of the Los Angeles District Intelligence Gathering and Retrieval System along with our Audit, Collection, and Exempt Organization files. These indices failed to disclose any record of your organization.
Sincerely,
/s/ J.W. Brannan
J.W. Brannan
District Disclosure Officer
Los Angeles District
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B-1-l-5a
April 29 1978
From Marietta Davis
111 Arundel Road Burlingame
Ca 94010
To The People’s Temple
Box 15156
San Francisco
Ca 94115
Dear Sir
Attached is a copy of summons received by me yesterday regarding money taken and kept by Brian Davis from his San Mateo Times Newspaper route. At the time of this incident Brian was in my temporary care, after running away from the San Francisco Temple.
As I do not have this money to repay this debt, and as it is not my responsibility but that of Brian and his father. Both father and son are now in Guyana. Brian has always been the financial responsibility of his father, as evidenced by the attached dissolution documents.
As this must be resolved by May 11, please give this matter your immediate attention and forward the sum of $432.72 (which includes all costs), plus $25.00 already paid by me on account, copy receipt attached, to me by return mail for settlement to the collection company, or let me know if you wish the collection agency and attorneys to contact you direct.
I should add that in both the Stipulation and Settlement agreement filed March 21, 1973 and the Interlocutory Judgement filed April 19 1973, (copies attached) Mr Davis agreed to pay $75.00 per month per child for Robert and Cary. These payments have never been made to me, but payments of $25.00 per month have been received by me from Dec 1977 to date. Before that, small sporadic payments were received by me very infrequently. There is, therefore, a large backlog of child support payments due to me.
I look forward to your immediate reply.
Truly
/s/ Marietta Davis
Marietta Davis
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B-1-l-5c – 5j
Legal papers in Davis lawsuit
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B-1-l-6
[Letterhead of Marvin A. Burnett, attorney-at-law, Los Angeles]
March 29, 1978
Mrs. Essie Mae Townes
c/o Chaikin
PO Box 15156
San Francisco, California 94115
Dear Mrs. Townes:
I have now opened an escrow for the sale of the house previously owned by your mother. However, the title company has advised us that title cannot be passed based upon a Power of Attorney from you which is neither been acknowledged before a Notary Public or before the American Consul. I therefore issue a new such Power of Attorney. I realize from your letter that apparently this presents a very difficult situation, but unless we have the signed Power, the deal will fall through and the property will be lost for taxes over a period of years. I hope that under the circumstances, you will be able to have this taken care of as soon as possible.
As you will notice, this time I have attached a space for two acknowledgments, one before the American Consul and an alternate before a Notary Public. Either one of these should be sufficient without the other.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Marvin A. Burnet
Marvin A. Burnett