United States Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Memorandum
Date: 12/27/78
To: Mr. Moore
From: J. O. Ingram
Subject: RYMUR
Purpose: To advise of information received from Departmental Attorney Mike Abbell that the Government of Guyana (GOG) had authorized release of documents and tapes pertinent to captioned investigation.
Recommendation: None. For information.
Details: On 12/23/78 Departmental Attorney Mike Abbell advised he had received information through the Department of State that GOG had authorized the release of seven crates of documents and four crates of tapes which had been obtained by Guyanese authorities as a result of a search of Jonestown subsequent to Congressman Ryan’s assassination. Abbell further stated he did not know the exact date that the above items would be forwarded to the United States.
Upon receipt of above information, attempts were immediately initiated to contact Legal Attaché Dwight Garretson at the American Embassy, Guyana, in order to determine the exact date the above materials would be released by GOG. At approximately 7:45 PM, Garretson contacted Criminal Investigative Division Night Duty Supervisor [name deleted] and advised that the above materials were to be shipped on Thursday, 12/28/78, via Pan Am and that he would accompany the materials to Trinidad and from there they would be shipped nonstop to JFK Airport, New York City.
On 12/27/78, Legal Attaché Garretson was recontacted in Guyana and advised the shipment of documents and tapes have been confirmed and that these items will be shipped via Pan Am flight #228 on 12/28/78 as unaccompanied baggage. Arrival time
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Ingram to Mr. Moore Memorandum
RE: RYMUR
JFK Airport, New York City, 6:15 P.M. On 12/27/78, ASAC Terry Knowles, Brooklyn Queens Metropolitan Resident Agency (BQMRA), and ASAC Larry Lawler, San Francisco, both of whom had been previously alerted on 12/23/78 regarding the shipment of above materials, were again advised of the expected date of shipment. Exact details concerning the handling of the 11 crates had been relayed to the BQMRA, San Francisco and WFO by teletype. In essence, this teletype advises respective field offices to insure proper handling of above materials. The seven crates of documents will be forwarded from JFK directly to San Francisco while the four crates of tapes will be forwarded from JFK to Washington, D.C., for delivery to the FBI Laboratory.
In accordance with the previous request, forwarded through the Department from the physicians conducting the authorized autopsies, Legal Attaché Garretson is also forwarding with the above materials a sample of the Kool-Aid taken by the members of the Peoples Temple at Jonestown. This sample will be forwarded to Colonel Cowins [William Cowan], Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C., for chemical analysis.