FBI Airtel
Date 5/11/79
TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (89-4286)
FROM: SAC, SAN FRANCISCO (89-250) (P) (SQ. 1)
SUBJECT: RYMUR
Re Bureau airtel, 4/23/79, enclosing letter from House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HCFA).
San Francisco has reviewed documents in evidence received from Jonestown, Guyana. San Francisco has been unable to locate documents referred to by HCFA.
Bureau should note that San Francisco has reviewed evidence from Guyana and has retained only evidence that the USA’s Office feels is of possible value in pending criminal matters. Considerable amounts of material received from Guyana has been determined to be of no evidentiary value and is being returned to the GOG [Government of Guyana]. In addition, it is known to the FBI that the GOG is maintaining considerable amounts of property and documents from Jonestown that has not and will not be made available to the FBI.
It is conceivable that the documents requested by HCFA may be contained in the material returned to Guyana of no evidentiary value or possibly in possession of the GOG and never furnished to the FBI. Further it is conceivable to assume newsperson writing article may have the only existing document in which he makes reference to.
Armed and dangerous. Suicidal tendencies.
[Page 2 – letter from Chairman of House Committee on Foreign Affairs]
April 17, 1979
Mr. Dan Shaffer
Federal Bureau of Investigation
10th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535
Dear Mr. Shaffer:
In connection with the staff inquiry I have ordered into the death of Representative Leo J. Ryan and the resulting incidents at Jonestown, Guyana, the Committee respectfully requests the following additional information and materials:
(1) A copy of the personal history of Jim Jones cited in the attached December 20, 1978 New York Times article.
(2) An evaluation of the authenticity of the above document.
Thanking you in advance for your cooperation and assistance, I am
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Clement J. Zablocki
Chairman
[Page 3 – copy of the referenced New York Times article]
[Page 4 – envelope addressed to Dan Shaffer [name deleted on envelope]