[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 2277 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/1979BERN04379_e.html.]
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BERN 04379 031516Z
ACTION EURE-12
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 IO-14 ADS-00 JUSE-00 SSO-00 L-03 TRSE-00 NSCE-00 SS-15 FBIE-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 PA-01 SP-02 INRE-00 OCS-06 CA-01 H-01 /077 W
——————085430 031649Z /65
O 031458Z AUG 79
FM AMEMBASSY BERN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9006
INFO AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
USMISSION GENEVA
AMCONSUL MUNICH
USICA WASHDC
AMCONSUL ZURICH POUCH
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DEPT ALSO PASS JUSTICE DEPT
EO 12065: N/A
TAGS: EFIN, CASC, SZ
SUBJECT: PEOPLES TEMPLE FUNDS IN SWITZERLAND
REF: (A) STATE 8551; (B) 78 BERN 6288; (C) 78 BERN 6265
1. (LOU) SWISS JUSTICE AND POLICE DEPT AUG 2 SENT AIR MAIL LETTER TO WASHINGTON IN RESPONSE TO REF (A) JUSTICE DEPT REQUEST FOR JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE.
2. (U) JPD AUG 2 ISSUED FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE RE SUBJECT CASE: FEB 19, 1979 US JUSTICE DEPT SENT JPD FORMAL REQUEST FOR JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE UNDER JAT BASED ON PRESUMPTION OF OFFENSES COMMITTED INVOLVING FUNDS OF THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE. RESULT OF INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED
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THAT AT TIME OF COLLECTIVE SUICIDE LAST NOVEMBER BY PEOPLE’S TEMPLE FOLLOWERS THERE NO LONGER EXISTED IN SWITZERLAND ANY BANK ACCOUNT IN NAME OF MEMBERS OF THIS RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY. HOWEVER, JPD INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT IN 1976 ABOUT SF 3 MILLION WERE ON DEPOSIT IN THREE SEPARATE ACCOUNTS IN A ZURICH BANK. ALL THESE FUNDS WERE TRANSFERRED TO US AND PANAMA IN 1978. ADDITIONALLY, SEVERAL DOCUMENTS FOUND IN SAFE DEPOSIT BOX WERE TRANSFERRED TO US PENAL AUTHORITIES.
3. (LOU) AS DEPT AWARE, THIS FORMAL REPLY (PARA 1 ABOVE) DOES NOT CONSTITUTE FIRST RESPONSE OR ENTIRE COOPERATION WE HAVE RECEIVED FROM SWISS ON THIS CASE (REF B AND C).
CROWLEY
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