Q430 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            Jones Speaking

FBI preliminary tape identification note: Labeled in part “6/4/78 Documentary”

Date cues on tape:            News items consistent with tape label

People named:

Bible verses cited:             None

Summary:

Midway through this news tape from early June 1978, Jim Jones warns about an attack which Tim Stoen – together with confederates from military intelligence and other participants in the conspiracy against Jonestown – is planning to launch. Even though the US military is spread thin around the world, advancing the demands of its imperialistic and capitalistic masters, there is enough of it to form a small mercenary force that could come into the community at any time, and the people should know what “self-defensive measures” to take against this enemy.

“[W]e will provide protection,” Jones says. “We will defend our community from all outside aggression. That is our duty. That is our stance, and we give no apology whatsoever for that stance.”

Jones does include a few words of calm – the invading force would not use mortar fire or bazookas, “because they would not want the reputation for killing innocent women and children”; and in actuality the purpose of the mission would more likely be to assassinate or kidnap him – and there are things they can do should an attack occur, like flee to the central tower with arms raised. Nevertheless, they have to recognize the foe for who he is. “Tim Stoen in his narcissism, now that he’s full circle turned back to a capitalist pig, an open racist fascist pig in his associations … is impassioned with hate, he is fully a class enemy and must be considered so.”

It is not his only reference to Stoen. Early in the tape, Jones recounts Stoen’s efforts – indeed, his success – in getting television stations in LA and San Francisco to label Jim Jones an enemy of the people, even though that designation should go to the US government. Jones does not seem worried, though. He speaks of the community’s defenders in the Guyana government – from the Prime Minister on down to local officials – and notes that they are “courted” by Venezuela as well, a fact which gives them leverage in dealings with Georgetown. He also reminds his followers that both the school and the medical clinic have been accredited.

These lengthy asides notwithstanding, this remains fundamentally a news tape, with Jones providing items from the community’s former homeland of the USA, as well as international developments. He does read one lengthy commentary about the development and maturation of leftist parties in Peru, and a substantive list of rights and provisions in the Guyana constitution which is up for public vote by referendum in the near future, but most items are bulletin length.

As with many of these tapes, he does not often identify his news sources. At one point, in decrying a story’s lack of coverage in US media sources, he says it comes to them only “through the socialist press.” He just doesn’t say which one.

As a result, it is unknown whether some of the political rhetoric comes from the copy or from himself. The United States is always designated as imperialistic and capitalistic, NATO is consistently fascist – as are its member countries – mainland China is a renegade from communism, newspapers that parrot the US line are sell-outs, and blacks who do the same are Uncle Toms. “Racism, chauvinism, classism, elitism, sexism, and ageism is upheld every day by the US imperialist-financed capitalism,” he adds at the end of an item about a US Supreme Court decision. “[A]nti-union positions taken by the British conservatives are an embarrassment to conservative parties that govern with the support of or in coalition with social democratic sellout reformist communists such as … the so-called Communist Party of Italy,” he declares elsewhere.

Other comments are undoubtedly his. Following an item about the retrial of an alleged white rapist, Jones pauses and adds, “Now if he were black, not a middle-class white man, there wouldn’t be this problem. They’re always convicted one time round.” A similar pause allows Jones to formulate a brief editorial comment following the story of US-Japanese trade talks that “the dollar’s in disrepute all over the world.”

Some news items allow him to reinforce his own lessons and edicts for the Jonestown community. “Che Guevara … was killed because of his indulgence in romance,” he says. “He got diverted and was set up by the lady to be murdered by the CIA.” It reflects what he has said on numerous occasions in Jonestown, that love and sex and relationships get in the way of production goals and revolutionary fervor.

The tape ends with the promise that there will be testing on the news at the People’s Rally scheduled for that night. He coaches them on what the test will cover, including the enemies of Marxist-Leninism, and reminds people that tapes in the library can help them prepare.

As most of these tapes also do, Jones drops in periodic reminders of everything he himself does for the community, even if it means that he has to be up all night.

Among the shorter items covered:

FBI Summary:

Date of transcription: 6/26/79

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 June 6, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B100-34. This tape was found to contain the following:

A recording of a lecture on current events by JIM JONES and some music.

Differences with FBI Summary:

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

Tape originally posted May 2012