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: Tapes Not Summarized
FBI preliminary tape identification note: One 60 min Compact cassette/ Keith N.
Date cues on tape: Likely Fall 1977 (Gene Chaikin speaks of child custody suit brought by Grace Stoen to retrieve her son)
People named:
Grace Stoen
Jonestown residents:
Gene Chaikin (speaks)
John Victor Stoen
Keith Wright
Bible verses cited: None
Summary:
This tape is almost – but not quite – blank. It consists of little more than three tests of recording equipment. In two of them, Temple attorney Gene Chaikin is trying to figure out how to get the tape equipment to work so that he can file a statement in the child custody case over John Victor Stoen, and expresses his frustration, both in the tape and in a lack of assistance in getting anything to work.
FBI Summary:
Date of transcription: 3/13/79
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 March 2, 1979, Special Agent (name deleted) reviewed the tape numbered 1B47 #71.
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:
There is nothing to compare between the two summaries, since the FBI did not write anything for this, or 64 other tapes which bear the notation “Tapes Not Summarized.” These tapes seems to have little on them which the FBI could use for its purposes of investigating crimes arising from the Jonestown tragedy, but then again, that describes many other tapes as well. The difference seems to be that one or two FBI agents catalogued this set of tapes – as evidenced by the typewriter used in writing the reports – and that generally, the transcriptions were made early in the process, before someone may have asked for greater detail in the reports.
Tape originally posted April 2006