[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979GEORGE01041_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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GEORGE 01041 081749Z
ACTION ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 H-01 L-03 SS-15 /035 W
——————073771 081800Z /46
P 081710Z MAR 79
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9144
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E.O. 12065: NA
TAGS: OREP, PINS, GY
SUBJ: AVAILABILITY OF DEPARTMENT LAWYER DURING HFAC STAFF DEL VISIT TO GUYANA.
REF: A. STATE 50207 B. AMB-ARA/CAR DIR HEWITT TELECON 3/7.
1. EMBASSY HAS BEEN INFORMED THAT HFAC STAFF DEL, WHICH HAS BEEN CONDUCTING AN INQUIRY INTO THE PEOPLES TEMPLE, THE ASSASSINATION OF CONGRESSMAN RYAN, AND THE MASS MURDERS/SUICIDES AT JONESTOWN NOVEMBER 18, WILL BE COMING TO JONESTOWN MARCH 17 FOR ONE WEEK IN ORDER TO INTERVIEW AMBASSADOR AND OTHER STAFF MEMBERS. IT WOULD BE MOST VALUABLE TO THIS MISSION TO HAVE AVAILABLE TO US AT THE SAME TIME MR. TERRY FORTUNE OF L/ARA WHO, WE UNDERSTAND, HAS BEEN PRESENT AT INTERVIEWS BETWEEN ARA PERSONNEL AND THE STAFF DEL IN WASHINGTON. MR. FORTUNE SHOULD ARRANGE TO ARRIVE IN GEORGETOWN ON MARCH 17 IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT STAFF DEL MAY WISH TO BEGIN ITS WORK ON SUNDAY, MARCH 18.
2. AT THE SAME TIME THAT HE IS IN GEORGETOWN IN CONNECTION WITH THESE INTERVIEWS, MR. FORTUNE COULD ALSO CONTINUE HIS DISCUSSIONS WITH LEGAL OFFICIALS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA AS WELL AS THE LOCAL LAWYER WHO HAS BEEN
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RETAINED BY THE EMBASSY REGARDING WAHT [WHAT] NEXT STEPS MIGHT BE TAKEN TO PROTECT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT’S CLAIM TO THE CORPORATE ASSETS OF THE PEOPLES TEMPLE IN GUYANA. AS DEPARTMENT IS AWARE FROM OUR REPORTING THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA, THE GUYANA AIRWAYS CORPORATION, AND VARIOUS SURVIVING MEMBERS OF PEOPLES TEMPLE HAVE ALL FILED CLAIMS TO THESE ASSETS BEFORE THE COURTS IN GUYANA.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]
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