[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1404 of the FBI’s RYMUR release.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978BERN06288_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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BERN 06288 211900Z
ACTION JUSE-00
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 EUR-12 SS-15 ISO-00 L-03 FBIE-00
TRSE-00 CA-01 SCS-06 SSO-00 PA-01 INRE-00 CIAE-00
INR-10 NSAE-00 SPTA-02 ( ISO ) W
——————098758 212047Z /46
O R 211445Z DEC 78
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7442
INFO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMCONSUL MUNICH
USMISSION GENEVA
USICA WASHDC
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DEPT PASS JUSTICE
EO 12065: N/A
TAGS: EFIN, SZ
SUBJ: PEOPLES TEMPLE FUNDS IN SWITZERLAND
REF: STATE 319415 AND PREVIOUS, BERN 6265 AND PREVIOUS
1. Contrary to what we were told earlier and what was stated to Swiss press by Dept of Justice and police yesterday, we were informed late Dec 20 that there is no account of Peoples Temple in Union Bank of Switzerland in Zurich. Numbers of accounts we gave them are apparently those of accounts in Panama. The number we gave them for Swiss Bank Corporation account is also not an account in Switzerland but presumably in Panama. Swiss Bank Corp has reported that two years ago several Americans opened accounts at branch in Panama.
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About one year ago, these accounts were all changed to give another person, believed to be member of Peoples Temple, access to the accounts. We were told yesterday that there is small 5×7 cm safety deposit box at UBS in Zurich, which apparently belongs to the Peoples Temple. All remains blocked. Access would require a request under the treaty by Jan 15.
Warner [Marvin L. Warner, U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland]
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