Transcript prepared by Fielding M. McGehee, III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.
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(Note: This tape was one of the 53 tapes initially withheld from public disclosure.)
Side 1:
Eight poorly-recorded popular music selections, with underlying unintelligible conversation at the beginning of the tape
Side 2:
Several minutes of silence
Jones: When I asked you those questions— I’ve asked that about four times—
Voice in crowd too soft
Jones: Before dark? The dark hits here at 7:30. It’s now s— five after eleven.
Male in crowd: What time, Anthony?
Voice in crowd too soft
Jones: 7:30 when they went out of the front gate? (Pause) They gotta— They— They bearing [arms]? They bearing. They got arms. And it’s sweet. (Pause) I still think you better try to find— somebody on that roving band to see if there’s anything alive, and call for Paula Adams, person-to-person. What? Well, that’s good. And they’ll say she’s been gone— She’s not been here, if they’ve got good judgment, so we won’t have to pay no money, they’ll tell us, uh, that she’s been gone such and such a minutes, and so forth, and then we can know whether we got trouble. (Pause) (Dismissive tone) And you that didn’t believe in White Nights. It’s convenient.
Woman’s voice near Jones too soft.
Jones: Okay, okay. Thank you. That’s sweet of you. (back to crowd) Okay, I haven’t got any more to say. Anybody else got any advice you want to say something to him? (Pause) You did? Okay. Anybody else got (slurs over words)? I expect m— more— I saw you come through when you didn’t have to back there. You were outside. And I’ve seen folks turn their relatives in, they don’t think shit about turning their relatives in. Magnolia [Harris]’s daughter— Magnolia’s daughter s— setting her up to be killed. They all stood on that steps and said they knew we’d die. It’s on TV. And that fucker still pushed it. So that’s what you can thank all your relatives. Plus all of them in the petition. You don’t know how many of them are in there. I haven’t bored you all with it. Damn near everybody’s relative in here. Damn near everybody’s relatives is in the fucking petition.
Voice in crowd: Everybody should think (unintelligible word) your relatives, (unintelligible phrase under radio interference)
Jones: What are they trying to accomplish? Push the government on us, so we’ll all die. Get us killed. They said so. We have an informant [who] stepped out of their ranks. I told you folks all about him [Joe Mazor]. How many heard me tell you? (Pause) I post you good news and bad news. Somebody fill in, um, um, Selika [Bordenave], ‘cause she’s sharp. She just missed that. Apparently she didn’t hear that announcement. (Drinks from glass) Starve us out, kill us out. K— Wipe us out. Destroy us. [Temple defector and Concerned Relatives organizer Elmer] Mertle told you that in the paper. [He] Said I want to destroy that movement. That’s you. That’s not Jim Jones. That’s you.
Unidentified voice: (unintelligible)
(Tape silence for several seconds) (Radio interference for several moments)
(Silence for several moments)
(Seven poorly-recorded popular music selections, with underlying unintelligible conversation, meeting with Jim Jones and several unidentified people before crowd in Jonestown.)
Woman: I know you know about it, ‘cause that’s why she left the church, and all she can do is (unintelligible as music starts again)— over there, and I just decided to stay (unintelligible word), because I was sick of that shit (unintelligible word), and you know it.
Second woman: (unintelligible)
Woman: (unintelligible under music) Every time he says something about you, (unintelligible under music)
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: Momma Taylor, 97 years of age, got through there, (unintelligible under music), not only did she get from Pasadena, but brought everybody she could find. (Pause) Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Steve—
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: She did it before. And she’s scared— (unintelligible under music) trouble, from any church, because she knew you’d get her out of it.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: Since when— Since when—
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: I been trying to answer it.
Jones: I’ve asked you (unintelligible word under music) this simple question, did you use both names to make (unintelligible word under music)
Woman: I don’t know, Dad.
Jones: You never.
Woman: No.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (unintelligible under music) —she likes to show off.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Another voice: I think the thing is, that she’s got strong (unintelligible phrases under music), she’s a stronger woman now. (unintelligible under music)
Woman: Dad, the reason why I’m upset is (unintelligible phrase under music), when she first got here, she was saying uh, that she wished she hadna came here, (unintelligible sentences under music) —she believe me, ‘cause I’m here. That’s what I’m saying. That’s— Somebody said something about (unintelligible sentences under music)
Jones: Did they say anything about me?
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: (Incredulous) Never? Not once?
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (upset) I’m not— I’m not— (unintelligible sentences under music)
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: (unintelligible sentences under music) When we asked (unintelligible phrase under music) your relatives, anybody know what that means. We ask that question every day.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (unintelligible sentences under music) I didn’t hear anything negative. If I— If I had— (unintelligible balance under music)
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Man: Anybody can say you (unintelligible phrase under music) about your relatives.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (unintelligible sentences under music, talks about name change) —cut it out now.
(Numerous exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (unintelligible sentences under music) —get out of my face, and stop screaming and hollering in my face.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: Now some of you have been asleep for a good long while. Don’t you think you ought to join the rest of us?
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (Talks about changing name and confrontation over it) —She said, um, she said, (unintelligible phrase under music) my face, or I’ll slap you in your mouth. (unintelligible balance under music)
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Woman: (unintelligible sentences under music) —why shouldn’t I tell the truth about it, instead of covering up for him?
Second woman: (unintelligible under music)
Woman: The way you put it off (unintelligible balance under music)
Second woman: Mila, I’d like to ask you, do you ever say anything that uh, you— you don’t realize what you’re saying or you forget what you said? Do you ever say anything that you forgot what you said?
(Numerous exchanges unintelligible)
Another woman: (unintelligible sentences under music) I didn’t write it up.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: (unintelligible sentences under music) —It’s like stealing back there. It’s all right. (unintelligible sentences under music) You stealing here, you’re stealing from us. (unintelligible sentence under music) You’re not stealing from rich— (unintelligible sentences under music) (calmer) —when the goddamn tractor comes in. (unintelligible sentences about rising blood pressure under music) Typical (unintelligible word under music), every goddamn time. (unintelligible sentences under music, rising voice) —has a doctor, even those there’s no doctor here. (unintelligible sentences under music)
Woman: (unintelligible sentences under music) —replaced by Ruby Johnson, and she asked to get out of the medical department, and Chris, who started off by wanting one uh, day off, and then started uh— and then she wanted two days off. (unintelligible phrase under music) she got the whole week off, and she wanted to be out of the medical department.
(Several exchanges unintelligible)
Jones: (unintelligible sentences under music) —standing in that hedge. (unintelligible sentences under music, voice rises)
(Meeting recording stops before last song ends)
End of tape
Tape originally posted September 2003