United States Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Memorandum
Date: 4/5/79
To: Mr. Herndon
From: Mr. Kelly
Subject: RYMUR
00: San Francisco
PURPOSE:
To initiate examination of evidence furnished by the San Francisco Division in connection with the above matter.
DETAILS:
On 3/30/79, Supervisor Dan Buckley, San Francisco Division, personally furnished SA [Name deleted] a box containing charred paper and advised this evidence had been furnished to the San Francisco Division by Mr. [Name deleted], Criminalist, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, Redwood City, California. He stated it is believed these items were a part of documents maintained by the ”People’s Temple”.
Buckley stated the San Francisco Division was requesting an attempt to be made to read the charred documents in effort to determine their possible evidentiary value. He advised upon the completion of the document examination, the evidence should be returned to the San Francisco Division along with the report.
The above evidence was personally returned to the FBI Laboratory in Washington, DC, by SA [Name deleted] for appropriate examination.
Attached is a copy of an FD-302 reflect an interview of Mr. [Name deleted].
[Page 2 is a carbon copy of page 1.]
[Page 3]
FD-302
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Date of transcription 11/25/78
[Name deleted], Criminalist, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab, made available a cardboard box which measures 14” x 14” x 7” and contains miscellaneous charred papers. This box was initialed by [Name deleted] and Agent Sullivan and has writing on it identifying it as a box that contained highway fuses.
[Name deleted] made available Sheriff’s Deputy reports which indicated that the box had been turned over to Ano Nuevo State Beach Park Ranger by [Name deleted] on November 26, 1978 by a citizen named [Name and address deleted], California, telephone [number deleted]. [Name deleted] had explained to [Name deleted] that he found the box containing charred miscellaneous papers in a bonfire at the north end of Bean Hollow Beach in a small cove. [Name deleted] advised that some of the ashes had words legible still on them indicating that the literature was from the People’s Temple.
[Name deleted] stated that on November 27, 1978 Sheriff’s Deputies picked up the box containing the documents which appeared to contain Power of Attorney forms and Membership forms for the People’s Temple. Two names were legible according to the Sheriff’s Deputies on the Power of Attorney forms, that of Carolyn M. Layton and Eva H. Pugh. The Sheriff’s report indicates that there are other legible names and telephone numbers on various pieces of paper contained in the box. The Sheriff’s report indicates that the site of the fire was located and it is believed to have been a 5’ x 6’ area which [Name deleted] believes should be researched for possible further evidence.