Serial 1894-4

FD-302

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Date of transcription 12/4/78

[Line identifying interview subject deleted], Guyana National Police, advised that a tan Samsonite briefcase was found by [name deleted], Guyana National Police, at 41 Lamaha Gardens residence in Georgetown in Sharon Amos’ room.

The contents of the briefcase were examined and the following attached copies of materials were obtained from the Samsonite briefcase.

[Page 2 – Miscellaneous handwritten notes]

[Pages 3-6: Four-page document listing “People Critical of Guyana,” including members of Concerned Relatives, former Temple members, and other outspoken critics of the Temple. A better copy of the document may be found here.]

[Pages 7-10: “Statement: Regarding Visit of Leo Ryan and Members of ‘Concerned Relatives’,” dated 13 November 1978, may be found here.]

[Page 11 is a second draft of a petition to block Leo Ryan from entering Jonestown. Both drafts may be found here. Both drafts seem incomplete, and neither may be the final version.]

[Page 12 is a death notice issued by Peoples Temple in Georgetown following the death of P.C. Norris in October 1978. The page is almost completely illegible.]

[Page 13 is a marriage certificate dated October 11, 1977 from Clark County, Nevada, between P.C. Norris and Emma Jurado. The wedding took place at the “World Famous Chapel of the Hills” in Las Vegas.]

[Page 14 is the second and last page of a memo likely intended as a draft for a public relations campaign. There is no date or context for the memo.]

[Pages 15-17 are three-pages of the four-page statement found on pages 7-10 of this serial.]

[Pages 18 and 19 is a listing of Jonestown residents who fill various key positions, with names denoted by signature. The document begins on page 2 of the “Message to the People of the Soviet Union,” and the titles of the people in Jonestown reflect the language of such communiques.]

Message to the People of the Soviet Union

Message to the People of the Soviet Union

[Page 20 – Errant page from promotional Temple brochure]

[Pages 21-22]

22 October, 1978

The Hon. Forbes Burnham
Prime Minister
Public Buildings
Georgetown

Dear Prime Minister Burnham;

Hands Off Policy

Three journalists in Guyana on separate occasions told us that there is a hands-off policy in regards to Peoples Temple. They also stated that there has been pressure put on Guyana by the U.S. Embassy officials to expel Peoples Temple from Guyana. One of them said that we have always been undermined in the press. Please let us know if there is anything that can relieve our minds about this.

When Donald Freed came here to visit, he as well as our other guests, were not believers in the Guyana government because of propaganda in the U.S. but now Dr. Freed and others of our visitors are lecturing all over the United States on Peoples Temple and Guyana’s behalf. They had packed crowds in Unitarian Churches in Los Angeles and San Francisco. We didn’t tape the speech; it was so crowded that we had to stand up in the back. The same happened when Dr. Carlton Goodlett came to Guyana. He has been very favorable to Cheddi Jagan when he first came – in fact he had helped Cheddi get his son into a professional school in the United States. He too had been brainwashed by the propaganda in the US. He wrote a very good article praising us and Guyana. It was right in the headlines in a newspaper on the West Coast. He is a MD, the President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (the black press of America), and Ebony Magazine considered him to be one of the 50 most influential and powerful black Americans. He said that Jagan was full of crap about Guyana. These guests coming meant a great deal, and we will continue to do our part.

We are not going to sue the U.S. even if the conspiracy members step forward and say that the U.S. Government is involved. We don’t intend to unless it is a have to situation. All we want the U.S. Government to do is to understand and we want the harassment stopped, such as the breakup of the 94 crates we had on the docks by U.S. Custom Officials. We have affidavits that this did in fact happen in Houston, Texas. There have been all kinds of harassment but we don’t blame President Carter or the State Department per se, although liberal supporters of ours say and believe that the State Department is involved. We have always tried hard to keep up good relations with United States and to do nothing that would affect relations with the US. We just don’t understand why there is a total blocking out concerning the press.

One pro-PNC man who is in a high position wanted to say something but the press wouldn’t allow it. This certainly makes us feel very alienated to say the least. I don’t know whether you realize it or not but there may be some quarrel over border rights in which we would have to stand up for our rights and our property because we love Guyana. We will lay down our bodies to protect the Guyanese land in the conflict with Venezuela. Venezuela is certainly wrong to believe that it has any territorial claims to the North West District.

Pressure to Expel Peoples Temple from Guyana

As was mentioned before the journalist said that there was pressure for us to leave Guyana and someone from the State Department said the same thing. Of course we didn’t believe him singularly – that’s a cinch, we don’t believe everybody – but we do trust you and that’s why we are coming to you. We are in a frustrating situation. Even though the State Department official spoke badly about Guyana, we stood up for Guyana. When we defended Guyana we could see that this person came back with a sort of retaliation and what he said was “well, they’re trying to expel you from the country.” What seems strange to us is that four people have given us the same image, and it is obvious that we are being played down in the press.

We know you are terribly busy but if you could just get a word to us through Minister Mingo it would ally [allay] our anxieties.

Cooperatively Yours,

Cde. Sharon Amos
Administrative Assistant to Cde. Jim Jones

[Pages 23 – 28, random and illegible notes and Guyana government forms]