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Oct. 27, 1978
Carolyn [Layton]–
I hope by now you have gotten the Reports I sent in, mostly concerning Seth so you have some background.
– Seth has been very solicitous of Leslie except where money is concerned. He feels he shouldn’t have to pay for anything for Leslie unless it is extra. For example, her plane fare was a big issue involving several confrontations. He is of the opinion I deserved a holiday and that PT should be quite willing to pay for one of their senior staff to see a heart specialist in S.F. I told him there is no senior and junior staff and then I got excellent care in J/tn [Jonestown] with heart monitoring daily. Nevertheless, he refused to pay. Only after much arguing and many tears did he verbally given in (but I still haven’t got the money in hand), but he only agreed to pay the G/tn [Georgetown] – Wash part. I don’t want to bring another blow up to him unless he pays the first or he will likely refuse both, saying I am going to make a habit of it or some such B.S. Yet he is willing to spend on me generously for so-called luxury when I am with him.
– Another subject which I feel should be
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mentioned because I am so incompetent in it. He brings up marriage several times a day. He is asking what I would do if we were to marry. He is saying such things about his wife that I prefer not to hear, i.e. she is a pain in the ass, all she does is quarrel, etc. He says these loving things about her in front of others. Last night he asked me if I would move to Washington if he and Juliette split up. I said, “No, that is between he and his wife and I wouldn’t want to be in the middle.” I told him, “it was his decision to make.” I have not given him the encouragement he is putting out feelers for. I really don’t know what to say: encourage, discourage, and different. Right now I am maintaining the position that I had never thought about because I didn’t think it possible. Please advise!
A brief explanation of what marriage to him would be, as I have analyzed it.
Cons.: – Not allowed to go anywhere except approved by him.
– No long distance or overseas calls.
– Severance of activities with P.T.
– Jealous possessiveness.
– Non-acceptance of Monique [Bacon].
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– Not allowed to travel without him.
– Brunt of irrational temper tantrums.
– Possible child.
Pros: – contacts with Guyana & US government officials.
– Endorsement of PT by union of marriage.
When I was in J/tn there was some discussion of what could be gained, so I wanted to give some of my own impressions.
– He now speaks more supportively of PT and introduces me as a member. Before, I would have to tell people myself. This is likely from the impression left from Mark Lane’s visit. I don’t think it is anything I have done. He is impressed by names and hearing of Dick Gregory and Muhamid [Mohammed] Ali’s visits are definite points won.
– He is more impressed by Marceline than any woman he has ever met. She mothered him when he and I were both sick in New York. He speaks about her graciousness and sweetness in a way I have never heard him speak about anyone before.
– He is now attending a conference to discuss
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how to rig the elections for the overseas vote. (He only told me the part about the elections; not the rigging. That in itself was confidential and I was not to know about it.)
– He is much more critical of the US and US policy and talks about the highly right-wing pro-business era American politics are entering. He is well-informed about the happenings and trends in the US (or I am so uninformed, it makes him seem well-informed). I have never heard him so critical of the US. It could be a reflection that he makes because the US is unwilling to give financial aid to Guyana. I know he signed a sizable loan last week ($16 M), and he brought a check down for some road construction. Both the Prime Minister and Rasheigh [Rashleigh] Jackson asked if he brought the check so he is concerned that Guyana is in such a bad way that it is living hand-to-mouth. The check he brought was for US $500,000.
– I stayed at the Christopher “Pryor” Jones, Minister-Counsellor from Guyana Embassy in
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Washington when I was there. Pryor took Claude Worrell’s job and was a good friend of Claude’s. Pryor works more directly with the Guyanese nationals in the US and Canada and through Dr. [Ptolemy] Reid’s ministry. He is in the process of getting a divorce. He is like most West Indian men trying to prove his sexuality by having a variety of women. He knows a great deal about us from his former job as Consul in New York. He is very sympathetic to us and has kept up on information about us right through Mark Lane’s press conferences. I like him more than most I have met. He is sensitive in a way. He has a maid who was a friend of a relative who has had some bad luck in life and needed money to help support her 8 children. Most of the children are grown but she has a year and 1/2 old baby and maids and general staff are not allowed to bring their children. Pryor is trying to get it arranged for her baby to join her because she misses her child so much. He told me he didn’t feel it would interfere with her work. Most people would not give a damn. He is also not afraid of manual labor. He has a swimming pool in Wash which fills up with
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leaves and he wouldn’t let his maid clean it saying he didn’t mind doing the work. I don’t know that he is a “great guy” but compared to the superior hairs my friend puts on, anything is an improvement. He is the one who told me about Dick McCoy being two-faced. I was only able to talk to him for about 7 minutes because my friend is very jealous. He told me Dick McCoy was supportive of us to him when they spoke. I said, “yes to our faces he is and to Guyanese officials he is, but several people almost simultaneously told us that he was the source of several lies being spread around about us.” He became animated and said he found that too. He said he saw a memo with a slant to it and he said I asked McCoy about why he would tell me one thing and write another. He then said, “I saw the PM once and at the end of our discussions I mentioned the PT. [“] The PM said, “Look, as far as I’m concerned, the PT has broken no laws, they, support government, they are helping community development – they are not apart from it, and they have the only doctor for miles around helping people.” At this point we were interrupted by Mr. Jealousy
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so I was not able to probe. It would be good to reciprocate his kindness in letting me stay at his house in Washington while he was in Canada by inviting him to dinner. I mentioned this to Sharon [Amos]. If I go, my friend will go, and it would stifle conversation. If he will not accept any other way, then we will join him or perhaps a gift could be taken to him and conversation could be stimulated.
Oct. 28
– Today he asked me if Jim was [“religious” struck out] believed in God. I said, “No.” He said, “But I understand he blessed some people. How is it he doesn’t believe in God?” Before I could answer, he said, “Marceline believes in God.” I said, “No.” I then told him that Jim was an ordained minister and used the teachings of the Bible to bring people together to help fight oppression. I said that is what ministers are for is to interpret the Bible and he has used it to help people.” He seemed to have accepted my answer but he asked if the old people believed in God. I said some. He asked if we have a chapel. I said no. He asked if they practiced religion in their own homes. I said yes. He said he thought religion and God were for people who were afraid or insecure, and he hasn’t believed
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in God from the time he was a little boy.
– He asked if my husband [Tom Adams] remarried (He thinks we are divorced – I told him 2 years ago I was getting one). I said no but they live together (Marceline told him Hattie and Tom were engaged). I told him it wouldn’t be long before they married. I told him I saw he and Hattie together a couple of times but we have nothing to say to each other. He is fairly convinced that there is nothing to worry about but he has to be reassured continually.
– He overslept for the first morning of the conference and conspicuously walked in 2 hours late. He played poker until 3 AM.
– I have been taking a firm approach with him when he starts BS and I call his bluff on everything. For whatever reason, he doesn’t want to lose me (he is probably CIA and I am that link). When I brought in 3 duffel bags of recorders for Patti [Patty Cartmell], I told him I had the keys if he wanted to see for himself it was nothing unusual. I told him it was gifts for relatives & it was he who told me to make sure relatives cd. [could] make contact. He didn’t check them, after making a scene about it.
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He said he didn’t know if he would find out anything after I joined the Temple.
– He then accused me of worshiping Jim. He said I thought Jim was Jesus Christ. He said Jim told me and others to go to bed with certain people. He claimed that this conversation was to test my loyalty to him. I stormed out of the room telling him that calling me a political prostitute if he meant I was told to go to bed with him it is hardly the kind of thing a man in love would say. He coaxed me back into the kitchen where we were talking and changed his accusational tone (he had been drinking). He said PT should be grateful to him for him sticking up for PT when we are attacked (this was in reference to another time when we quarreled over my plane fare). He said PT should pay it to keep him in favor with us. I said PT doesn’t buy favors. He said, “Well, you should.” He is always saying I don’t make my own decisions – (marriage discussions) – and I told him my personal life was my decision and if we seem close knit it is because we came close together fighting oppression.
Somewhere in this conversation I made
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a serious blunder. I told him that Monique meant more to me than anything in this world. He said, “Thanks for telling me the truth.” He said and revealed a lot about myself in our little talk. He repeated several times that he was so deeply in love with me and then I meant so much to him that he wanted to know all about me.
[When I wrote this in the US, I was extremely paranoid that I was being set up. He still talks that way and we are back in Guyana so I am not sure if this is manipulation or serious. It is rather extreme for manipulation, but could be.]
– When we were eating dinner he said he wanted me to stay in Georgetown because he wanted me to eat meat at least twice a day because he was afraid my heart problems were caused by a protein deficiency. I told him I get plenty of protein and I had an endless amount of blood work done and I was not protein deficient. What brought this on was that I told him I eat meat, finish, poultry, eggs, cheese, beans, or black-eyed peas for protein and he was upset that would
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substitute cheese or beans for meat. I told him it was a balanced meal by any nutritionist’s standards and that we always cook our greens with meat so I do get meat every meal. He thinks I have never looked better than I do now. I gained 10 lbs since leaving J/tn, so he assumes I was not getting enough to eat: I told him his theory was absurd because I lost weight in Georgetown, not J/tn. He likes me with a big ass – and that is surely the case now, so I guess I will have to keep this excess weight on to stay voluptuous (I am being sarcastic). I think his real concern is that I have a man in J/tn or I would want to leave the jungle for civilization once in a while.
– He asked me on a couple of occasions to move to Washington, and to go to London with him. I told him no to both questions.
– He tells everyone we meet that we have been together nearly 4 years and that no one knows him better than me. I know what to put in which pocket of his shirt, when he will want a drink, etc. He is so routine-oriented that it is no feat.
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– Joyce Parks’ name is mentioned quite frequently as is Jean Brown’s. Joyce’s is made to sound as a sexual challenge. Jean’s is mentioned with admiration. He thought Jean had a lot of character. Mary Wotherspoon is his newest fascination. I knew it would be. He likes big women with big bottoms. I warned Mary ahead of time because she fit in that category. (Of course, they have to be white .) I guess I do know him fairly well which is not any credit to me.