Q157 Summary

Summary prepared by Fielding M. McGehee III. If you use this material, please credit The Jonestown Institute. Thank you.

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FBI Catalogue            Unidentified Individuals Speaking

FBI preliminary tape identification note: Labeled in part “June 6 Afternoon”

Date cues on tape:            Tape makes reference to event that occurred two days later, June 8, 1978

People named:

Bible verses cited:             None

Summary:

In announcing “a socialist practice, a moral and humane practice,” Jones informs the Jonestown community about new discipline rules and guidelines which include a means by which previous instances of bad behavior can be expunged from the records of residents who can stay out of trouble for six months following their last crime against the community. The announcement also rearticulates and refines the system for maintaining order and punishing miscreants in Jonestown, which results in assignments to work details. Finally, Jones outlines the leadership’s definition of what constitutes an “extreme” crime – although they are imposed at his discretion – and include “cruelty… violence, theft, destruction of the people’s property.”

The announcement is fairly brief, and the news bulletins which follow are relatively short as well. As is typical of almost all the newscasts Jones delivers, the adjectives in describing the nations of the world reflect his own views. The United States is always designated as imperialistic and capitalistic, its agencies – such as the CIA – are as bloody and murderous as they are omnipresent, American allies are puppets, mainland China is a renegade from communism, and the few nations which dare to stand up to American hegemony are cast as motivated by bravery, if not outright socialistic, impulses.

Even the asides are familiar to the Jonestown population. Two out of three babies go to bed hungry each night – a statistic which has endured from the Temple’s days in Redwood Valley – a nuclear war could come at any time without warning, and “there is no loyalty amongst thieves, particularly capitalist rogues, the ruling class, big business.”

Among the news items:

FBI Summary:

Date of transcription: 5/25/79

In connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s investigation into the assassination of U.S. Congressman LEO J. RYAN at Port Kaituma, Guyana, South America, on November 18, 1978, a tape recording was obtained. This tape recording was located in Jonestown, Guyana, South America, and was turned over to U.S. Officials in Guyana and subsequently transported to the United States.

On May 24, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B68-7. This tape was found to contain the following:

A speech by an unknown male regarding teaching, education and discipline of children within the community.

A reading of news and current events also was contained on this tape.

The remaining portion of the tape was either blank or contained music.

This tape was reviewed, and nothing was contained thereon which was considered to be of evidentiary nature or beneficial to the investigation of Congressman RYAN.

Differences with FBI Summary:

Other that the fact that the “unknown male” is Jim Jones – a voice which should have been familiar to the agent reviewing the tape, since approximately half of the tapes recovered from Jonestown had been processed by this time – the summary is accurate and meets the FBI’s purposes.

Tape originally posted May 2012