[Editor’s note: The State Department FOIA release of 1981 withheld one paragraph from this cable. It is 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/1979STATE113907_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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STATE 113907
ORIGIN SS-15
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ADS-00 OCS-06 CA-01 PA-01 L-03 INR-10 ICAE-00 SSO-00 INRE-00 /048 R
DRAFTED BY C:PMBUNGE
APPROVED BY THE COUNSELOR
ARA:BGROVE
ARA/CAR:RMCCOY
——————061208 050042Z /73
O 042241Z MAY 79
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
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FOR THE AMBASSADOR FROM THE COUNSELOR
E.O. 12065: N/A
TAGS: CASC (PEOPLES TEMPLE), GY
SUBJECT: CRIMMINS/CARPENTER REPORT ON PEOPLES TEMPLE
1. I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN REGARDING THE RELEASE OF THE CRIMMINS/CARPENTER REPORT. COPIES WERE SENT TO YOU BY POUCH LAST WEEK. THE TEXT OF THE REPORT HAD BEEN EMBARGOED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE UNTIL TODAY BUT LOCAL NEWSPAPER BROKE THE EMBARGO AND ENSUING PRESS COVERAGE FOLLOWED. I UNDERSTAND THAT EMBASSY WAS ALERTED TO COMPLETION OF REPORT AND TIMING FOR PUBLIC RELEASE.
2. CRIMMINS AND CARPENTER CONDUCTED FORTY-FIVE MINUTE ON THE RECORD PRESS BRIEFING TODAY ATTENDED BY ROUGHLY TWENTY REPORTERS. QUESTIONS WERE THOUGHTFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE AND DEPARTMENT WILL PROVIDE FULL TRANSCRIPT ASAP. I THINK
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THAT YOU WILL AGREE WITH ME, WHEN YOU HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW FULL REPORT, THAT INITIAL PRESS COVERAGE BY SOME MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES DID NOT PLACE ITS CONCLUSIONS IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE OR MAINTAIN FULL CONTEXT OF FINDINGS.
3. WE OBVIOUSLY HOPE THAT RELEASE OF REPORT WILL NOT INFLUENCE GOG IN THE CONDUCT OF ITS OWN INVESTIGATION. NONETHELESS, THE ALTERNATIVE OF WITHHOLDING COMPLETED REPORT FROM THE PUBLIC WAS NEITHER PRACTICABLE NOR PARTICULARLY DESIRABLE. TO PRESERVE ABSOLUTE INDEPENDENCE FOR CRIMMINS AND CARPENTER, FINAL REPORT WAS SUBMITTED DIRECTLY TO THE SECRETARY WITHOUT ANY ADVANCE REVIEW.
4. NO PUBLICITY BY THE DEPARTMENT IS CONTEMPLATED.
CHRISTOPHER [Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher]
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