[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 1627 of the FBI’s RYMUR release. The State Department release withheld all names associated with Peoples Temple from this cable. They are denoted 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/1979GEORGE00121_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 01 GEORGE 00121 101711Z
ACTION ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SCS-06 CA-01 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 INRE-00 USSS-00 FBIE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 HEW-06 INSE-00 CTME-00 CCO-00 PASO-00 FSE-00 PPT-01 SSO-00 H-02 /047 W
——————123085 101715Z /50
O 101701Z JAN 79
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8686
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 0121
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO: USSS, WASHDC
FBI, WASHDC
HEW, WASHDC
INS, NEW YORK
U.S. CUSTOMS, NEW YORK
E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: CASC, GY (PEOPLE’S TEMPLE)
SUBJ: REPATRIATION
REF: MCKENZIE/MASON TELCON 1/9/79
1. THE FOLLOWING THREE PEOPLE ARE SCHEDULED TO DEPART GEORGETOWN ABOARD PAN AM 228 ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1979: JOAN PURSLEY, ROBIN TSCHETTER, AND STANLEY CLAYTON.
2. WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY PAN AM REP GEORGETOWN THAT THE 16TH IS THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE FLIGHT FOR THESE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE MEMBERS BECAUSE OF FULL BOOKINGS ABOARD EARLIER FLIGHTS.
3. ALL HAVE OWN TICKETS SO NO REPATRIATION FUNDS REQUIRED. THE TICKET PURCHASED EARLIER FOR STANLEY CLAYTON WITH SCS/ HAVEN FUNDS WILL BE RETURNED TO PAN AM.
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 02 GEORGE 00121 101711Z
4. WE WOULD LIKE TO REMIND HEW THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS DO NOT HAVE WINTER CLOTHING.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador to Guyana]
NOTE BY OC/T: PASSED TO INS NEW YORK AND US CUSTOMS NEW YORK.