DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
COMMUNICATION MESSAGE FORM
DATE: 1/29/79
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLAS
PRECEDENCE: PRIORITY
FM DIRECTOR FBI
TO FBI MEMPHIS PRIORITY
FBI SAN FRANCISCO PRIORITY
BT
UNCLAS E F T O
RYMUR.
For information Memphis, Civil Division of the Department is attempting to locate and freeze assets of the People’s Temple (PT) to exercise claims on behalf of obligations to the United States Government. In this regard, Terri Buford furnished a letter signed by herself and Carolyn Layton dated September 21, 1978, to the Union Bank of Switzerland (Panama) Inc., relative to bank accounts of the PT maintained at that institution. The letters instruct that any and all deposits maintained under numbered account 222-00-042-A be canceled and together with interest earned we transferred to a new numbered account 121-00-135-A. These instructions
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were to be carried out as various deposits reached maturity date up to and including May 31, 1979.
A similar letter was furnished regarding a different account at the Union Bank of Switzerland, Zürich, Switzerland, calling for transfer to member discount 121-00-135-A (supra).
For the confidential information of Memphis [6 lines deleted]
Memphis promptly reinterview Terri Buford and determine if she or anyone known to her transferred or withdrew any funds from the above-mentioned PT accounts in Panama after September 21, 1978, the date of the instructional letters to the bank, a copy of which she furnished to the San Francisco Division.
Memphis is not to advise Buford of discrepancies discovered in these accounts. Asked Buford to estimate the account balance in the United [Union] Bank of Switzerland, Panama account
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numbered 121-00-135-A.
Memphis additionally ask Buford about the history of the account name Associacion Religiosa pro San Pedro S.A., Panama, and specifically, other assets and property maintained in the name of San Pedro, S.A.
San Francisco furnish copies of the above letters to FBIHQ expeditiously for delivery to the Civil Division of the Department.
BT