[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1771 of the FBI’s RYMUR release. The FBI withheld many names from this serial. They are designated below in red type.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979GEORGE00391_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
PAGE 01 GEORGE 00391 252015Z
ACTION JUSE-00
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ISO-00 L-03 OCS-06 CA-01 FBIE-00 SSO-00 /022 W
——————073369
252032Z /43 O 252010Z JAN 79
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 8831
LIMITED OFFICIA USE GEORGETOWN 0391
E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: CASC, OREP (RYAN, LEO)
SUBJ: GUYANESE GOVERNMENT APPROVES LOAN OF EVIDENTIARY MATERIAL FROM JONESTOWN TRAGEDY
REF: STAE 12047
1. Minister of Labor and Jonestown Committee Chairman Hamilton Green notified charge Jan 25 that the Guyanese Government (GOG) had approved temporary transfer of evidentiary material on Jonestown tragedy held by Guyanese authorities to Washington and tentatively approved plans made jointly by Legatt and Assistant Superintendent of Police Cecil Roberts to accompany Matzbual to Washington via Pan American flight 228 on Tuesday, Jan 31.
2. Green said that he wished to consider possibility of coordinating Washington visit of Roberts with that on Minister of Information Shirley Field-Ridley (Septel) and would be in touch with charge again promptly.
3. Suggest question of seeking Guyanese approval to return enhanced copies of tapes rather [rather] than originals due to tape deterioration in uncontrolled temperature and humidity storage be discussed during Roberts visit.
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE
PAGE 02 GEORGE 00391 252015Z
Dwyer [Richard Dwyer, Deputy Chief of Mission, American Embassy, Georgetown]
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE