Q207 Summary

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

To read the Tape Transcript, click here. Listen to MP3 (Pt. 1, Pt. 2).
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FBI Catalogue            Jones Speaking

FBI preliminary tape identification note: Labeled in part “6/12/78”

Date cues on tape:            News items consistent with tape label

People named:

Bible verses cited:             None

Summary:

This news tape consists of three separate broadcasts, with the content indicating they were all likely recorded on the same day.  The first two end in fairly typical fashion, with familiar calls to watch out for waste and destruction of people’s property, both of which result in costs which are not only unnecessary but which – as he says in one – ends up “killing some souls’ opportunity to get this land of promise, the only place in the world that can live through a nuclear holocaust, the only place our people can get out from being under the pointless brunt of racist oppression that will finally lead to genocide and concentration camps, if not beforehand to nuclear hell.”

The editorial asides to the news items and commentary are fairly typical as well: some comments are undoubtedly spontaneous observations which Jones himself makes – capitalists have no loyalties except to the bottom line of profit, tax dollars spent for CIA operations “always causes us great pain,” etc. – while others, such as the notation that a group of world bankers are meeting to avoid the imminent likelihood of “an economic depression leading to worldwide depression in the capitalist system” may be from the unnamed news wire that he is reading from.

Jones is able to relate some of the news to the Jonestown community. The bulletin that Thailand may be returning to a parliamentary democracy is possible only because the nation’s socialists were able to flee into the Southeast Asian jungles following a military coup and recoup. “That should have meaning to us,” Jones adds, “because the jungle of Thailand is quite similar to ours, and in spite of USA special advisors assistants and Green Berets and the military crack force of the Thailand fascist regime, the socialists were never able to be apprehended.”

The only commentary-length piece of the newscast comes early in the tape, as he reads an article about former U.S. General Hugh B. Hester, a military man who became critical of US foreign policy, especially its post-World War II Cold War stance towards the Soviet Union, and who referred to NATO as an “aggressive” rather than defensive organization.

Among other items covered in the day’s news:

The final broadcast of the day ends with an announcement of the evening’s movie entertainment – even as he warns the people of Jonestown that “the propaganda of USA media, Hollywood variety, is notorious for its brainwashing people back into a sleepy opiate condition” – and a simple declaration of his love for his people.

FBI Summary:

Date of transcription: 6/11/79

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 27, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B69-33. This tape was found to contain the following:

News and commentary for Thursday by JIM JONES. News items included topics such as:

1. Border disputes between the Soviet Union and Mainland China
2. General HUGH B. HESTNER (phonetic)
3. Earthquake in Japan
4. Martial law in Japan
5. Zaire
6. Thailand

Differences with FBI Summary:

The summary is accurate and meets the FBI’s purposes.

Tape originally posted May 2012