[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1948 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/1979NASSAU00481_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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ACTION L-03
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ISO-00 JUSE-00 CA-01 FBIE-00 SS-15 /031 W
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P 011923Z MAR 79
FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2377
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E.O. 12065: N/A
TAGS: CASC, GY (PEOPLES TEMPLE)
SUBJ: PROTECTION OF U.S. INTERESTS VIS-A-VIS PEOPLES TEMPLE ASSETS IN NASSAU
REF STATE 016432
PLEASE PASS JUSTICE, JIM HIRGIN
1. Embassy received today diplomatic note No. 49, dated Feb 27, from Ministry of External Affairs in response to Embassy’s note on subject. Text of note follows: “Complimentary opening … To refer to the Embassy’s note No. 06 of the 23 Jan, 1979, regarding the possibility that there may be funds in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas derived from the Peoples Temple of Jonestown, Guyana. “The Ministry wishes to inform the Embassy that on the facts supplied in the note under reference there is no lawful way for the Government of the Bahamas to interfere with the bank account of the Peoples Temple or Jim W.
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Jones and Marcelline [Marceline] Jones so as to identify the account and immobilise the funds.
“The Ministry wishes to suggest that the Embassy may wish to set out all the pertinent facts it has concerning the account to the banks it feels hold funds for the Peoples Temple and/or Jim W. Jones and Marcelline Jones and notify those banks of the claims of the United States Government.
“Complimentary closing.”
2. Please advise if any additional action by the Embassy is required.
Schwartz [William B. Schwartz, U.S. Ambassador to Bahamas]
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