[Editor’s notes: This document appears as Serial 633 in the FBI RYMUR release and as State Department cable 302486 in the State Department release.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978STATE302486_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 01
STATE 302486
ORIGIN ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 ISO-00 SSO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 ICAE-00 INRE-00 PM-05 H-01 INR-10 L-03 PA-01 SP-02 SS-15 SCS-06 CA-01 USSS-00 SYE-00 SY-05 /077 R
DRAFTED BY ARA/GWG – RLBRUCE:LEE
APPROVED BY ARAGWG – RLBRUCE
S/S-O – JTHYDEN
——————020820 300737Z /11
O 300540Z NOV 78
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO IMMEDIATE
FBI WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0046
JUSTICE IMMEDIATE
CINCSOUTHCOM QUARRY HTS CANAL ZONE IMMEDIATE
CINCMAC SCOTT AFB ILL IMMEDIATE
US REDCOM RCJ2 MACDILL AFS FLA IMMEDIATE
UNCINCARRED FT MCPHERSON GA IMMEDIATE
CDR 18TH AIRBORNE CORPS FT BRAGG NC IMMEDIATE
USCINCEUR VAIHINGEN GE – ATTN: J-2 IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 302486
LONDON FOR MICHAEL FINLEY
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS:CASC, GY
SUBJECT: SITUATION REPORT NO. 25
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02
STATE 302486
1. The seven elderly Peoples Temple members departed Georgetown and arrived in New York Wednesday evening, where they caught onward flights to California. Members of the press were present on the plane from Georgetown, but all seven survivors declined to be interviewed. Customs and immigration clearances were done on the plane upon arrival in New York, as were interviews by the FBI and Secret Service. The FBI reports that about 80-90 members of the press were waiting for the survivors in New Work, but that only hurried interviews were possible as the group walked down the hall of the pan am terminal. One survivor, who was waiting for his onward flight in the TWA terminal secure area, was interviewed for a longer period by a reporter who was a passenger on the same flight.
2. Traveling with this group was a consular officer returning from temporary duty, who carried the undeveloped film of the Guyanese immigration fingerprint records and a copy of the autopsy report on Congressman Ryan.
3. Embassy personnel will go to Jonestown by helicopter midday tomorrow to place consular seals on the Peoples Temple property there. This action gives notice that the property has been placed under the protective custody of the US embassy.
4. The US marshals assigned to accompany the Peoples Temple survivors from Georgetown to Charleston as part of the air force crew have been asked to stand down from alert until we receive notice that a considerable number of survivors have been released by the GOG [Government of Guyana] and wish USG [U.S. Government] transportation. The marshals will be able to return to
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03
STATE 302486
Charleston within six hours of being notified.
5. Dover reports that six more bodies have been identified, bringing the total of positively identified dead to 46. Dover has also announced that the final count of bodies received in the US stands at 911.
6. The Department of Justice has arranged for autopsies to be performed on Reverend James Jones, at the request of the Guyanese government, and on Jones’ mistress, Maria Katsaris.
Vance [Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State]
CONFIDENTIAL