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(This tape was transcribed by Connor Ashley Clayton, who also contributed to the summary. The editors gratefully acknowledge his invaluable assistance.)
Jones: Lot of food being wasted, they say. Uh, this– uh, this isn’t done. Now you better read–you better read the signs, and the neighbour is responsible for neighbour. We’ll let you eat what you choose, but you better not send food down the way to waste.
Congregation: Scattered shouts, affirmation
Jones: They need to be told about it – don’t tell me about it – you tell the person when you pick up food in front of them, say, Don’t you read that sign? Right up there? Don’t you eat– read that sign, darling? Can you read– if you can’t read, I’ll read it for you. Take as much as you like, and we request that you please eat all you take.
Congregation: Right.
Jones: Too many hungry people.
Congregation: Scattered shouts, affirmation
Jones: Now I don’t know how you do at home, but I know that you’ll end up starving to death if– Did you hear what the– the news today on– uh, uh, just prior to the noon news, I was reading, uh, hundreds of letters today that just poured in, and I turned it on and I caught just a bit of a program before. I can’t think of that woman’s name, some woman that, uh, has a program just before noon. What is her na– What is it, some wo– middle-aged uh, white woman. Virginia Graham. Virginia Graham’s show had– they had a geneticist, a very prominent one. And he said, I’m horrified to note, while some of you people, you’re filling your bellies are wasting it and putting clothes on your backs, he said, I am horrified to tell you that the minority ethnic groups, there is a plan in a military journal that– issued by the Pentagon, for weapons, ethnic weapons. What an ethnic weapon means? He said, the total destruction of the races that they don’t want. A do– prominent doctor was telling it over Virginia Graham, who’s a very conservative – in fact, she’s sickeningly conservative – and that they have developed ethnic weapons. They have them – they already have them – that will destroy a whole race. And what do you suppose a military magazine’s carrying such a thing as that? They weren’t just saying it could be done. This– this doctor was suggesting that it be done. This doctor in the military paper – this was today – was not just saying this is a possibility but it was being reco– recommended by the military journal. This is the way to solve all the minority races.
Unidentified male 1: (Unintelligible beginning)– how many heard?
Jones: That’s not just black. That’s uh, Mexican Americans, Indian Americans, to get out and get rid of all the undesirables. You better learn to quit wasting food and put your money with people that will help. Because what we’re trying to do, we’re investing in down payments in these properties, and let most properties carry their weight. But we’re not taking the total of our monies away by any means, we’re keeping them in a– in a definite liquid state so that we can make arrangements to get out of here if trouble comes.
Congregation: Scattered murmurs
Jones: That’s sensible. So, when you waste food, you’re lucky somebody doesn’t come down and smack you right in the mouth.
Congregation: Calls
Jones: I don’t know how to make it any plainer than what I feel, when– when there– that it’s come to this place in thisnation, that a military paper that’s sent out all over the nation, suggests a way to destroy races. They’ve got genetics down to such tremendous science that they can destroy all the undesirable people. And if you haven’t found it out yet, honey, you and me, in their eyes, are undesirable.
Congregation: Responds
Jones: Just any case that you thought that none of you were with-usn’s you better pinch yourself and wake up, because you’re with-usn’s. So I’m not gonna tolerate it, and I don’t expect anybody to tolerate it, I don’t care what uh– how uh, uh, new the person is, you can be kind, but you can say, Say, would you please read the sign? Please read that sign. We’re trying to keep our monies. There’s nobody– I’ll say this, you don’t– may not want to subscribe to my divinity, but this is one thing you can subscribe to, there’s nobody that watches money like I watch it. Because I know it’s a medium of exchange. There’s no group that builds things and utilises the goo– the gifts so administratively sensible as this group does. You just look at this building. I told Archie [Ijames] what I wanted – practicality – and that’s what we got. And we did the work ourselves. You look at every place, you’ll see frugality. Most churches with this size congregation, they’d be worried about building buildings. I say, we crowd until there is absolutely proven to me, there’s no more room. Because we don’t use a building that many times to worship, we can afford to be inconvenienced rather than put something in a building we can’t use. Now this convalescent home, we can sell that. This children’s home, already we’re making changes. I was over there today in both places, and it’s looking– they’re all looking more beautiful. Those things can be sold. Now normally I believe in paying cash. But in this case, I’m quite glad we’re not paying cash. We’re paying it down, and we’re letting it take care of itself, because land values increase. You put all your money in something today, you lose the value of it. Let it pay with its own inflated money. Let it pay. We got a fixed price, today’s dollar. And the old ways, we’ll have to give up some of our old ways. Now you shouldn’t get under the bondage of it in your system. We believe here in no credit buying, because credit buying individually is a chain around your neck. It’s a noose. It’s a bondage. So you get out of debt. And, uh, frankly, there’ll come a day – you might well know it – I’m gonna ask what debts you got. The closer the the wolves get to our door– I’m gonna ask what you’re buying, if I need to.
Congregation: Scattered affirmation
Jones: Because I figure, if you want protection – you Christians might call it salvation, whatever you want to call it, safety – if you wish it, it’s not fair unless you participate wholeheartedly. Everyone should participate wholeheartedly. Because, uh, I have a mind of a place that’s the other side of Jordan (numerous references to the other side of Jordan as sanctuary, principally in Joshua) where the sweet fields of Eden are, where there’s milk and honey aplenty (numerous references to the land of milk and honey, principally in the Pentateuch). And it doesn’t come by speculative imagination, it doesn’t come by theories or opinions, it doesn’t come by prayer, ‘cause there never was one answered when it come to saving people from genocide. Nobody ever heard one answered. The blessed Jews, like my precious Simon, they– and Dick Tropp, uh, the teacher over to my uh– my left, uh, his sixty relatives– no prayer was answered, and they were the chosen people. Didn’t stop seven million of them from going to gas ovens. This brother over here, sixty of his relatives went to gas ovens. Sixty of his relatives went to gas ovens. Don’t you tell me that they’ve changed any. Don’t you tell me those folk out there have changed any. If they have, it’s– they’re just a little damn meaner than they were before.
Congregation: Shouts
Jones: Don’t talk about them getting any better, ‘cause they aren’t getting any better. You’re in that kind of pollyannishness, everything getting better and better, you just haven’t pinched yourself lately. ‘Cause they’re mean out there. I just heard over the news tonight, they come in and beat up some woman, grandmother, children, and wasn’t satisfied– raped everybody in the house, just in the Bay Area, and then pulled, poured– what would you think, what– what kind of meanness that would cause ‘em to pour plaster in and kill all the fish, just as one last stroke of meanness. Don’t you tell me things getting better. Don’t talk about any rapture. We’re ruptured, we’re in a tribulation.
Congregation: Calls
Jones: A great tribulation. And you’re gonna have to go through blood. I’m not the only one who’ll have to shed blood. I hope I am. But not likely. So we better get free of this old thing of thinking we’re gonna buy ourselves safety. It– It– It looks good and it sounds good, and they tell us, some– of this Jesse Jackson comes along, that phoney ass. I been wanting to lay him where he belongs. And I’ll do it now. He breaks away from this uh– the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that’s on the course to socialism, and he wants to build black capitalism, and black America sweeps in behind such a phoney as him. I said he’s phoney!
Congregation: Loud affirmation
Jones: To think that we’d throw aside Shuttleworth [Fred Shuttlesworth], and [Ralph] Abernathy, and Martin Luther King for a phoney like him that broke off and started their own business, now is taking over all the SCL uh– buildings (stumbles over words) in Chicago and (sneering tone) saying the way for emancipation of black America is through black capitalism. And they’ll be fools that listen to him.
Congregation: Responds
Jones: (Quiet) Millions and millions and millions. Idiocy. Now we uh– we can’t do much about all the idiocy outside, but we sure don’t have to be idiotic inside.
Congregation: Responds
Jones: We’ve gotta be frugal, we’ve got to save, we’ve got to be sparing, we’ve gotta put our monies to the resource. Now I didn’t– I’m not speaking this way because of the offering, uh, I’m not beating you – uh, browbeating you, if you haven’t to give. But you sure don’t have to waste our food and send it to the garbage pails. (Cries out) You sure don’t have to do that! And I don’t like for you to do that, and if you haven’t taught your children some sense, then I will teach them – if I have to – at the point of their ass. I’ll teach ‘em something!
Congregation: Loud cheers
Jones: (Moderates) And if you don’t believe ass is biblical, you just look through the Gospel of John and find uh– you’ll find asses there (John 12:14-15, “And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written. Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.”). Everybody else translates it that they can shoot themselves, I’ll uh– I’m just using it with much more effectiveness than John used it. And I mean, I don’t want to see you letting people throw food away, when we got starvation in these cities, we got little babies with sunken eyes and their ribs that are just poking through their skin. I get– I’m like that fella you once heard when the income tax– you heard about that joke they used to do, which shows that I’m somewhat ancient. Back then before we had TV, they had a radio skit, that uh, a guy with income tax, you know, they say income tax, he say (imitates Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) “Slowly I turn, step by step.” You ever see Costello do that, uh, he’d– he’d always– Costello, poor Costello, would say the wrong word and get this– this guy to go. “Slowly I turn, step by step” and he’d go– he’d go lunatic. Completely mad. When I see people waste, I wanna go, “Slowly I turn–”
Congregation: Light applause
Jones: I wanna shake people. I wanna shake people that’ve not taught their children. Particularly brown, and black, and light-skinned yellow, I wanna shake you that you don’t know where you are.
Congregation: Applause
Jones: That you don’t know the time of day. (Voice drops, then rises throughout) What you talkin’ about? You know that they’re not going to give us a thing that we don’t build for ourselves. You know we can’t dress our way into their promise. They’ll hate us if we’re in minks, they’ll hate us if we’re in Cadillacs, they’ll hate us if we drive Rolls Royces. We’ve gotta be smart, and not have to have all the cancerous diseases of Rolls Royces and jewellerys, and save our money, and get some of it invested (voice softens) in some place in the sweet fields of Eden. Eden’s changed south of the equator now, the sweet fields of Eden! On some side of a Jordan, where they don’t have to have all their technology that’s brought us such disasters as this. I tell you, I wouldn’t care if I never had another stroke of medicine, I wouldn’t care if I had to have a headache and never had an aspirin again. I’d like to be someplace away from crazy people that create genetic weapons to destroy whole races of people!
Congregation: Applause, cheers
Jones: I wouldn’t care if I never saw another one of your dirty old TV’s. Wouldn’t care if I never had one of your radios again. I don’t care nothing about your fashions and your flashy clothes and all this foolish thing. We call ourselves emancipated, going around in this rich, Afro-design clothes. (Slowly) We’re still the same you-know-what. To the world, you might as well think it, you might as well believe it. To us, we’re just as important as the universe itself. But I don’t care what we put on ourselves, we’re still gonna be the (cries out) dirt of the earth.
Congregation: Shouts
Jones: (Cries out) They’ll still spit on us! (Moderates) And finally, they’ll come, and they’ll kill us thinking they do God a service (John 16:2, “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”). You’re not in some kind of a mission now with insane pollyannishness, that every day and every way, things are getting better and better. This is a new age. The only way they’re better is in our circle. But outside there, it’s gonna wax worse and worse. The love of many gonna wax worse and worse.
Unidentified male 2: unintelligible
Jones: What is it?
Unidentified male 2: unintelligible
Jones: Why, he’s a paid pimp! He’s a paid pimp! I heard someone talking about he uh– his Operation Breadbasket uh, uh, today that should know better. The Sun Reporter gives you enough, they– they have to print a press, but you can tell by every slant of their paper that they don’t have no use for Jesse Jackson.
Congregation: Scattered affirmation
Jones: Tells about what he did to SCL – uh, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference – you people ought to learn to quit looking at somebody’s damnable body, and how well they can stand up and look like they got the right sideburns and hold their chin just right. [Adolf] Hitler– (short laugh) Hitler held his chin pretty well. Time you gotta realise we got black dirt just as we got white dirt to watch out for. And the black dirt’s mis– more miserable than all.
Congregation: Scattered shouts
Jones: So, let’s just get our nose clean and know that– they– we uh, not gonna waste here, and it’s your responsibility as a neighbour to see that they don’t do it. As I said, we can’t make you p– uh, pay your way, but I am disturbed, I’ve gone over this thing, and so you’ve seen who in s– in the Bay Area that didn’t participate in our Christmas, and I’m chagrined.
Congregation: Murmurs
Jones: You see, I asked for every name that participated. And I’m looking at every name that didn’t participate. And I wonder what you’re doing while we’re trying to save your life. I wonder what you’re doing!
Congregation: Responds
Jones: Out there, selling and buying, in the old spirit of this– all false traditions, giving gifts to people that are not of this consciousness. I wonder what you’re doing, didn’t– you couldn’t be here on Christmas, and an influx comes home every time we get home, and I can always tell folk been out on Christmas. You know what I wish you’d do? I hope you go some Christmas and get lost.
Congregation: Calls and applause
Jones: (Voice rises sharply) I hope you go to grandma, I hope you go to grandaddy, I hope you go to your aunts and uncles, because I’ll tell you, unless you forsake all those, you’re not worthy of one inch of my protection!
Congregation: Cheers, shouts of affirmation
Jones: (In full throat) If you’re socialist, call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, but if you’ve got houses back there, if you’ve got lands, or husbands, or a wife, in that false consciousness, if you’ve got somebody to bury, then you stay back there. You don’t belong here!
Congregation: Shouts
Jones: (Moderates slightly) You got any other gods beside one god. Not this person, I’m an impersonal reality. I’m a universal principle. They’re not glorying this body. This body means nothing, only in that this body, is this nothing in it, nothing under this robe but pure socialism.
Congregation: Calls
Jones: That’s the only reason this body has any significance! This body represents the redemptive quality (Cries out) that will save mankind!
Congregation: Cheers
Jones: (Softly, then builds) So I’m– I want you to realise, that this impersonal principle better be put in the hearts and minds of people. ‘Cause one day, you may come and say, Well, where is Sister so-and-so? The Temple’s embl– empty. Where’s the one that’s garning the grain, where’s the one that’s at the wheel, where’s the one that’s at the utensils, or at the– (stumbles over words) the uh, counter distributing the food? Where are the workers? One shall be taken, and the other left. One shall be in the field working, and suddenly they’ll say, where are my comrades? (Luke 17:35-36, “Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” See also, Matthew 24:40-41.) And I’ll tell you, you’ll have to look for us (voice rises) in the sweet fields of Eden! Somewhere, where there’s peace in the valley, somewhere where people won’t sell out their brother and sister, somewhere where they won’t bring in the rag-tail symbolism of that old mortal mind, won’t drag you in all their new clothes. You make me sick with your new clothes, you make me want to vomit with your new clothes! Whosoever you are! (Pause) I said, whosoever you are! (Pause) (Moderates) The plainer and the simpler this group gets, the more we dress up the heart, instead of the external, the happier I’ll be. We can’t expect the old to do it, until the young will do it too. You young will set an example, because older people feel insecure in this mad race, capitalist society. They feel insecure. ‘Cause everybody makes you conscious of aging in this society, make you realise that age has no value, that you only have value in as much as you can look like something outside. Don’t make a difference what’s in your heart, you gotta look like something. So some of you young people will have to set the pace of modesty, moderation. So we can get off of this binge of wasting our money. I’m so tired of seeing Uncle Tomahawk and Aunt Jane-hawks, and Uncle Toms and Aunt Janes. I’m so tired of seeing the white man’s (voice rises) you-know-what! I’m tired of looking at you! (Moderates) I’m looking at less of you tonight than most. Unfortunate fact is I hope it’s being recorded, ‘cause everyone gonna– ought to get a burst of this someday when I go to build a mansion – I’m not talking ‘bout dying – I’m talking of preparing a place for those that love God Socialism.
Congregation: Shouts
Jones: When I have to go away, if it’s necessary to prepare such a place, I want them to listen to this, uh, I want people to hear this, because I don’t like tinselled Uncle Toms and Aunt Janes. (Voice slows, pointed) I don’t like the white man’s N. Do I make myself clear?
Congregation: loud calls of affirmation
Jones: Well, I hope I have. I don’t like people manipulated by that old false system, and I see too much of it in here. When holidays come, I can see the crowd (unintelligible word). Where have you been? I’ve been to Auntie so-and-so. (Slowly) Who in the hell is Auntie?
Congregation: Responds
Jones: (Voice rises sharply) What will grandma do to get you out of your trouble? Is she making any plans, when they come along with their medicines that will stop you dead in your tracks?
Congregation: No!
Jones: It’s no longer theory, now. You just ask for a copy of Virginia Graham’s program. It’s no longer theory! It’s on us! (Pause) (Softens) So what is grandma gonna do, what is your grandchildren gonna do, what are your sons and daughters doing about it? While you’re setting around feeding your gut, while some of us are working our rear ends off trying to save you. I don’t– Now don’t tell me, don’t ever ask me. Don’t you ever, ever ask me if you can go see Auntie. ‘Cause I’m gonna tell you to take Auntie, and stick Auntie–
Congregation: Murmured response
Jones: ‘Cause if you’ve got an auntie that’s not a socialist, (voice rises sharply) I’m afraid of you! I don’t trust you! If you’ve got one relative you hold on to that isn’t socialistic, I don’t have faith in you! I want you to understand, if your mother and your father and your sister and your brother are not socialist, you’re traitors. That’s what you are! (Voice softens) Now that’s exactly where it is. You say, that’s not Bible. That’s as Bible as apple pie is American. Said, except you forsake all! (Luke 14:33, So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” See also Matthew 19: 26-28) So don’t talk to me about your blood ties. They mean nothing to me. My so-called father [James Thurman Jones], if I’da been listening to what my so-called father, none of you’da been saved from the wheelchairs and the crippling conditions and the cancers and poverty and disease. I’da been living under a Ku Klux Klan consciousness with a sell-out dad that was trying to make-believe he wasn’t (breathless) Indian. (Voice rises) I wouldn’t accept my natural father, and that’s why you’re saved! So don’t talk to me about your damned mothers and fathers, I don’t wanna hear who they are! I don’t wanna hear who your children are. I don’t wanna hear your grandchildren. I don’t want you to put them up. That’s why you’re not well, whole in your mind and body, except you sell all! (Luke 14:33, Matthew 19: 26-28) You shall not inherit that which I am (Galatians 5:21, “…which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”) (Pause) (Quiet) I thank you.
Congregation: Sustained applause
(Tape edit)
Part II
Jones: (Calm but intense) Lotta things (unintelligible) in me. If ever– If this place was ever [to] betray socialism, some night I’d set every damn building afire, it’d burn down so fast, there wouldn’t be left– nothing left but cinders. So don’t ever– don’t ever fool with me. I gave to this– I lived (unintelligible word) through this– in this body. If it hadn’t been for this enormous task of trying to build socialism in an alien country, in a country that doesn’t want it, where selfishness is all around me. So if any– anyone ever betrays this place, if anyone falls into enemy hands (Pause) or if I– if I happen to leave the body, I’ll get it done one way, you better be sure you not go back to religion in here. (Pause) (Tape malfunction for several seconds) Right, 60 percent of the world. Not you or me, but three percent of the hidden rulers of this country, the big capitalists own 66 percent of the world. And they give us a little Kleenex, and they give us some shampoo, and some bath bubbles, and this meat, and some tea and some coffee and other crap. They give us that as our Judas price. Our Judas price. Here’s the Judas price we pay (reference to payment of thirty pieces of silver to Judas for betrayal of Jesus, Matthew 26:14-16). I’d like to be naked in the jaybird in midwinter. I’d feel cleaner. I wish they’d strip me and meet me head on. I wish they’d come for me tonight, if it wasn’t for you. I feel dirty. I don’t believe in taking anything don’t belong to me. And this doesn’t belong to me. This is not my world. (Pause) You dig me? Do you understand what I’m saying?
Congregation: Muted affirmation
Jones: When my black brothers are dying, while the American giants, the CIA, is killing people like [Che] Guevara all over this world, then I can’t be at peace. When they’re killing our black brothers and our yellow brothers, I feel dirty being here, and I’m only here for you. And if we ever sell out socialism, this place would be torn up. Don’t sell it too far, ‘cause there’s a lot of things capable in me. If this ever– If this place was ever [to] betray socialism? Some night I’d set every damn building afire. It’d burn down so fast there wouldn’t be left– nothing left but cinders. So don’t ever– don’t ever fool with me. I gave my life for this. I’d lived– I could live several centuries in this body, if it hadn’t been for this enormous task of trying to build socialism in an alien country, in a country that doesn’t want it, uh, where selfishness is all around me. So if ever– if anyone ever betrays this place, I’ll burn it down ‘fore it ever falls into enemy hands. (Pause) Or if I– if I happen to leave the body, I’ll get it done one way, you better be sure you better not go back to religion in here. If you go back to the Skygod in here, I’ll send a bolt of thunder that’ll knock you on your ass, even if I’m not here. I guarantee it.
Congregation: Sustained applause.
Lengthy pause
Jones: Yes? John, you did have something to say while ago, didn’t you, while I– (mumbles) Yeah.
John: I’d like to uh, get– give you some information about what happened before uh, [Fulgenio] Batista was uh, killed before– or not killed, but chased out of uh, Cuba. For years I belonged to the Seaman’s Union, and uh, we smuggled literature, communist literature, into Cuba. I’ve had comrades killed doing this. I’ve had comrades that were liberated only when the revolution came about, because they were caught and thrown in jail. So this thing’s hit– hit me pretty hard tonight. And, uh, you’ll have to forgive me. It’s hit me very hard. And to watch what’s happening here – kids being brats – and there are no juvenile children. I’ve never heard of one in my life. But there are juvenile adults.
Jones: Yeah. Delinquent adults.
John: That’s right. People have to– Everybody has to get their head into uh, what Jim is saying. This is where it’s at. Religion is the most poisonous goddamn thing that ever existed on the face of the Earth. The only thing it’s ever done is killed off millions of people throughout the world. Not Christianity. There isn’t any. The only place there is, is here. And that’s only with a few. But Churchianity, that’s taken over Christianity right from the– right off the bat. When they couldn’t uh, destroy them, they simply joined them and changed the whole thing over, and it’s run that way ever since. I’m glad that Comrade Jim is here, uh– back here to straighten it out. I think we should really get into this thing, there– this business of we can or we can’t. We have to. Now what is love? If you let your child run around bossing you or doing as it pleases, you don’t love him, you hate him. And you’re showing it to the entire public. If you can’t be an example to your kid, turn him over to somebody else that can be.
Jones: True, true.
John: And if you can’t even take that, just pack up and go. We’re not– we can’t–
Jones: Yeah. Don’t drain– Don’t drain the blood of every– everybody that’s trying. That’s a good point.
John: And uh, I think that uh, the more we see of these movies, and the more we relate them to ourselves, the sooner we’re going to get where we’re going. Well, I’m afraid too that uh, it’s going to have to be uh, probably to a country likeCuba or somewhere where they have a structure, if uh– if it doesn’t work out here, we’re sure gonna try it. But if it doesn’t work out here, something’s gotta be done, some structure’s gotta be formed. And uh, I would much rather see it done here.
Jones: Of course. Of course.
John: Where we’re needed. Not to go over, uh, they’ve fought and died for it already. This is the place for it. This is a place to do it. And this is a place where we have to get like they are right in that– like you saw tonight.
Jones: I think you’re so true. Some of us old workers, particularly, we’d uh– we older comrades, we would uh, be miserable probably to be in a place where we knew somebody else had brought about that. So I think the only answer would be– would be to send those who had a future and could give something and who were young and couldn’t be protected, to send them and some of us to stay, and uh, then do what we supposed to do. (Pause) That’s probably the way I would do it.
Unidentified female 1: Unintelligible
Jones: What is it? What’d you s–
Unidentified female 1: Unintelligible
Jones: Well, would could– we’d do it if we can do it, you see. But sometimes you have to go away until you can get– uh, till people get ready. There’s nothing like the brainwashed American. Nothing. Uh, that’s sick. They’re miserable. Miserably sick. But we’ve got some optimums in the– in the air, if uh– we’ll see what happens. I think a lot of enlightened people will see this– this election, they’re gonna see how all the systems corral– uh, coerce uh– the forces of good, and how they use every method under the sun to try to block progress. Maybe then people will realise that (short laugh) it’s gonna take other kind of steps than conventions. ‘Cause don’t think Mister [George] McGovern gonna slide in easily. Yes, (unintelligible name)?
Unidentified female 2: I was so glad to see the picture– (mic switches on) I was so glad to see the picture because it really opened up Cuba for me, because I didn’t realise that was Cuba at all. I thought Cuba uh, was really uh, united with the communists, and the people were very much bound. And to see them all so free – and I mean really living this life and the little children waiting on each other and all – I thought it was really beautiful. And I really am so glad I saw it. Thank you, Father.
Jones: You’re most welcome. Well, you know, it’s just like the (unintelligible word). Everything that they– anything that’s good, they make you immediately hate. They brainwash you. And so the press is owned by [Randolph] Hearst and the rich and so they brainwash our minds saying everything is bad, you know, Cuba’s communist, Cuba’s this, that, and the other. But here’s a film done by an American from the University of California right there. No rehearsal, just done. Children don’t know how to rehearse, you know. Children don’t know how to do anything but be themselves. So when you see a film like that, you know it’s real. Isn’t no acting to it. That’s just children, the way they are. And if you’ve got any kind of uh, uh, discernment, you can see the sincerity, as she said, the freedom, the relaxation of those children. (Pause) Well, the people that need to hear this are fast asleep. The ones of you that are listening don’t need to, and I’ve got some folk here that I hope to get to, and they’re sleeping like a log. It never fails. (Pause) Yes?
Unidentified female 3: Uh, I had noticed a– a couple years ago that my kids were becoming very sabotaged by capitalistic television. It’s very, very undermining for children, so we got rid of the set completely. Well, what happened, we just– it broke and we didn’t fix it.
Jones: That’s a good thing. Better to break it, and say it’s broke.
Unidentified female 3: Uh, I– I feel at this point I have such negative feelings toward the television programs they have for children right now. I think they’re horrible, and I think the advertisement is horrible, and I think perhaps if we have disciplines for our kids, like not smoking and not drinking, we can have that discipline too.
Jones: Uh, I think it’s certainly something to consider. My problem has been to estab– establishing discipline is that some folk, uh, they can– they can say a lot of thou-shalt-nots, but they don’t know how to give any love. And so I have been hesitant to uh, go that, you know, to– to the extremes I’d like to go to. I’m not thinking in your case. I’m sure you know how to give love. But some– some–
Unidentified female 3: A great deal more love. Since that television’s been out of the house, we’ve had a much more close relatings to each other.
Jones: I think– I think there’s much to be said for it. Put it– We oughtta put it to a vote of the children and see what their– their reactions are and their parents’ reaction. Then getting it done. Just like we’d be a healthier people if sex was banned, but who– who’s going to go around the bedrooms and watch it? I’m sure, ‘cause I’ve seen– I’m sure not gonna do it ‘cause I’ve seen all that foolish failure that I want to. I’m not going to go around, hunting around bedrooms, seeing who is doing it and who’s not doing it. I’d sooner go across the street and watch a– a crap game than watch sex. Nothing so boring in all my life than two bodies rubbing together each other, don’t know what they’re doing. Nothing. Some people yearning to get it done, and that– it’s the biggest mess there ever was. Two self-centred, narcissistic people lolly-gagging. So I’m not gonna go around and police the bedrooms. And that’s exactly what you’d have to do. Say, don’t– Some of these folks who haven’t been able to do it in ten years, would start doing it. Minute you said, Don’t, they’d do a, Well, I’m gonna do it, [or] die trying.
Rick: Unintelligible
Jones: (Deliberate) Every form of treason that’s happened in this room has started with somebody wanting something they didn’t– uh, acting like they wanted something that they didn’t. Sex. Every form of treason that’s happened here has happened over sex.
Rick: If I could say one more thing too. What we saw tonight was an example of what can be done when just a real small, minute country.
Jones: (Off mic) Patricia. Go ahead.
Rick: If we– If we realise that this man sitting up here represents the destruction of capitalism, if we follow him in this country, which will free countries all over the world from our grips. So if we accomplish this here, it’ll bring about that type what we saw tonight possible, all over the world. Not just in this country, but all over. So we have a greater task to perform here, and a much more beautiful ending if we will follow him.
Long pause
Jones: I– I missed that. I had some discernment that had to be taken care of right now.
Unidentified female 4: I thought it was marvellous how well the races got on, that you couldn’t see any friction between them.
Jones: Ah, isn’t that just beautiful– just beautiful? Nothing superficial. Anytime you integrate some school in America, it’s– you can tell the falseness of it. When it just flowed. And that little white child taking that– that– that tray to the little black child so naturally, so beautifully. Just come– That’s– Only socialism can do that. We got some of these people in here that’s so foolish they– Well, we need to get out there and struggle more for racism and quit talking about socialism. And they’re not here, ones that should be getting this, not here, they’re not here. We need to show this film, it’s gotta be shown again, and uh, discuss it again. You can’t get rid of racism until you get rid of the things that divide people. Only reason people hate each other is because some got more’n others. So it’s easy to hate people on the basis of colour because you can see colour. But hate stops when people are equal. You don’t have to have any reason to hate anymore. When everybody’s got equal opportunity, you don’t hate anymore. The only reason whites hate black, vice versa is because the poor white feels threatened. People ought to love each other more, is the poor white niggers and the poor black niggers, but they– they hate each other. So the system works it that way. You get them fighting amongst themselves instead of the rich man that’s keeping them down. It’s always (stumbles over words) Okie rednecks. But a little bit of change has come. What was this group in Chicago? It was interesting how those white haters there joined hands with the Black Panthers. What was the name of that group? The uh–
Voice in congregation: (unintelligible)
Jones: The what? The Young Patriots? A group of Oklahoma people that were also poverty stricken. They got the– They got the idea, said we’ll– we’ll quit this fighting amongst ourselves, and so those white southerners went over and joined the Black Panthers, and they started fighting together. Now when things get bad enough, that’s what will happen too. Uh– Bad enough, people will realise where it’s at. But it’s gotta get a lot worse than it is here. Of course, some of you say, Well, America’s so good! Why is it? If you would– If you were out robbing 60 percent of the people, you ought to be able to have things fairly decent, wouldn’t you? That’s the reason we got things good. That’s why we can get this, and that and the other thing. But yet it’s so bad, when one out of four patients– patients, according to Time Magazine, gets a wrong dosage of medicine, every day in a hospital. One out of six surgeries are wrong or unnecessary. In rich America. (Pause) Many a patient died, I’ve seen them– I’ve seen them given– I saw a patient die, penicillin reaction, died right quickly, she wasn’t even supposed to get penicillin. Young, 22-year-old mother, pregnant. Died. Chart didn’t show it. Said she had heart failure. She did. Penicillin caused it. But her family never knew the difference. (Pause) But we just don’t have it bad enough. You oughta, uh– Any of you remember the days of the– what was that show, painful show, that described the– that showed the p– poor people coming to the West? Grapes of Wrath. People travelling through the desert, and their folks dying in the desert and having to bury them right out, and (Stumbles over words) let them lay and let the vultures get them. The Great Depression almost brought socialism. Almost. My dad [James Thurman Jones], he was a bigot, but he marched on Washington during those days. But the army loved him, he always thought the army loved him, till that time [Gen. Douglas] MacArthur fired on him. And my dad was an officer, but they fired on him. They went to get their pensions from World War One and they– General MacArthur ordered them shot at right– and they were– some of them killed. Things’ll have to get that bad. And that’s why we talk about leaving, Christine, sometimes, you see that things are so bad that uh, uh, if we sit here, if we sit here and don’t have a structure, if we– and if building a structure kills off its leadership, the best thing to do then is get your people out till they’re ready to come back.
Unidentified female (Christine?): unintelligible
Jones: I– I understand what– I think what you’re saying. We– We should get on the ball and do all we can. Any other comment, Mother? Ten minutes we’ll quit. (Pause) I’d like to hear from some others who haven’t talked, if I could.
Unidentified male 4: Uh, the point that you missed that Rick uh, brought up was that because the United States controls so much of the world, it would be better to try to establish (tape fade for one second) benefit the whole world rather than leave and go somewhere else where it’s already been established.
Jones: Yeah, we wouldn’t feel too good about kicking out. Some of us older folks wouldn’t. I don’t wanna tell you what I’d do if I got all of you to safety, my mothers and my sisters and little brothers, little children, if I got ‘em all to safety. I’m not gonna tell you what I’d do. But I’m gonna say, it’d be something like that song, You’re gonna hear from me. That’s what it’d be. If I ever got all of our folk to safety, there’d never be so much mention of Jim Jones’ name, for a little while at least, it wouldn’t– might not last long, but for a little while, there’d be a whole lot of mention of Jim Jones’ name. He might be out healing the sick and casting out devils. Ha ha. Ha ha. (Pause) If you read me– Be a whole lot of devils that’d be cast out for a while. Oh, I wish I didn’t have to concern myself so much over little– little people, but I know what they can do to little people. I know what we did in Brazil when we took over that country. I saw it happen, boy, I saw the generals walking right into the embassy. Businessman right across the way said what was gonna happen, and it sure (unintelligible word) did. Same generals. And now they cut off the breasts of people, our CIA has cut off the breasts of nuns who’ve resisted, plucked out the eyes, pulled out the fingernails. I know what they can do to children, and they won’t spare a minute. They’ll do anything. And that’s where they got you. (Stumbles over words) I mean Brazil, South America, was trained by our government in all this torture. Putting electrodes up a woman’s vagina and giving them so much charge that they’d faint and bleed and haemorrhage to death. We got some devils in this country, the like of which– Well, you know the devils, when they– how they murdered Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. You know they’re there. They just haven’t had to come out too much. Who knows, uh, who knows how many people they really killed. Who knows someone didn’t give uh, Father Divine something that he shouldna had earlier in his days, some kind of stuff that muss– made his brain go wrong. Hm? He used to be a socialist. Used to march with the socialists in uh, Harlem to work for the people and feed the people. He sure wasn’t run– he wasn’t running around in Cadillacs then. And that’s– And you know how many times they tried to poison me. I just happened to have more power than he did as a metaphysician. I’m the most powerful metaphysician there ever was, but you saw they put enough in here and they took it right over to this general hospital, they said it would kill – how many horses? Ten horses. Something like that. Ten horses. They got poisons they can give you till you don’t know which– which end’s up. That’s why I have to watch, I watch– that’s why everything’s covered here, everything’s covered so that you don’t get anything in me. (Stumbles over words) I would like to think that’s what had happened to him, that he was poisoned, I hope that that was the case, and they admit it wasn’t the case, but uh, anyway, uh, a lot of good people’ve been eliminated. And when too many get out, to threaten the system, they’ll get to ya. They’ll get to you. Or, who knows– who knows, maybe someone come to Father Divine some night and said, Your movement’s getting too big, now it’s either this or we’re gonna cut all your throats. You stop doing this, and start doing this. They’ve come to me and threatened me. I just haven’t yielded. And I never would for me, and I won’t for you, ‘cause I’ve gone through it. I figured that if I sell out, that’s the worst kind of death I could give you. But I dread the thought of you ever being tortured. I’m not ready to be able to accept the thought that you would have to be tortured for my beliefs. ‘Cause– And I say my beliefs, because too many cases it’s my beliefs that they’d be tortured for. They wouldn’t even know what they were being tortured for. So if suddenly some night (unintelligible word) there’s a breakdown, and I say Get– We gotta get ready and get moving, please move. Do what I– Do what I’ve told you. I’ve made alliances all over the world to get you free. And don’t make me have to follow you if I don’t want to. Because I was born to live and serve (tape malfunction). And you know I couldn’t do it comfortably, if my older women, and brothers, and little babies were being– were being– being tortured. I couldn’t do that very well. It’s– I’m just not– I– I couldn’t do it. I– I– I don’t want to talk about it. Too many people listen. You wanna say something, my son?
Unidentified male 5: Uh, before I say this, I realise that I– I do have a lot of false selfishness and prejudice and all that, but, uh, I like, I– before I came up here, I used to wonder why there’re ghettoes and stuff like that, but now I wa– I– I watch, and uh, more whites come up here and talk about it than you blacks. You just sit there, you have to be led, you don’t– you never speak up or nothing. You just sit there, you know, I don’t never, you know. You don’t– And I find out that religion, you are more in that. You have more, you know, about that by-and-by, you– you are still in it, you know, more than other people. That’s the way I see it, you know. And that’s all I wanted to say.
Jones: Thank you. (pause) [Karl] Marx said religion’s an opiate to the people, and it’s a two-way street. Not only is it an opiate to keep you asleep, but it’s a necessary opiate because the hell around them’s so miserable they can’t face it, so they take it. And so, naturally the blacks had the worst kind of life, so they take more of the opiate. Yet they’ll listen to me tear it down more than anybody else. The whites that get in the movement – it’s true, he made a very keen observation – the inner core workers, hard workers, a lot of them are white. Strange, you can’t get them to come into meetings hardly, but the– when they do come, they’ll stick, and become really sold out. Some of the people working their hind ends off here are white. I mean, you know, we say light-complected, dark-complected, but just for definition. That’s very strange, isn’t it, but in the public meetings, you won’t see three percent white. In fact, the white congregation would actually come and tar and feather me for what I preach. Maybe a lot of the blacks don’t understand what I’m saying. That could be too. Maybe that’s the fact, if they don’t understand all I’m saying. Some of them would tar and feather me. But even the little woman I argued with Saturday night, she disagreed with me, she talking about the Lord-this, and the Lord-that, but she said, I can’t help but like you, Brother. (chuckles). She understood what I was saying. I– I– I come at her, I did one thing I shouldna done, but she was coming at me with that silly tongues they hide behind, and she went (Mock glossolalia) and I said (Mock glossolalia)–
Congregation: Laughs
Jones: She said, Ahhhh. She said, that’s not real, that’s not real. She took that. I– I– the only thing I wish I hadn’t done, but she just started this stuff you know, they always want to – as soon as they start thinking, or talking, they want to start that. (Mock glossolalia) So I jumped back at her, and she took that so graciously. Why, if that’da been a white person (whistles softly). (Chuckles) And she left friendly, she asked me for a prayer cloth before she left. (laughs)
Congregation: Laughs
Jones: That was some evening.
Voice in Congregation: unintelligible, too soft
Jones: (Chews on ice ) Mhm-hh [Yes]. Strange woman. But she didn’t want me messin’ with her Lord.
Congregation: laughs
Jones: We live and learn. And that’s the sacrifice, I guess, that we– we will stay in religion. That’s the proof of our dedication, it’s our duty to keep a group together, to keep resources together, to keep strength that could be used on a moment’s notice. So we suffer religion to be so. May even have to do more than that, I thought sometimes, why, you know if I go out on a campaign, how much money I could send back here for work, or how much I could send to build us facilities abroad, if we were forced to leave? Or to provide our c– our cave? If I could only get my– I’d do it. The right thing would be to do it, but my blood pressure goes up, and I endan– endanger my health, which endangers you. But if I could go out there and preach a straight Jesus doctrine, with my gift, (breathless) thousands, they’d just thousands would pack in on me. Why, you couldn’t– why, if I just shut my mouth about these issues and uh, just preached the straight old religious crap, I– And that might have to be someday, but I just can’t get my blood pressure to agree with it.
Voice in Congregation: unintelligible
Jones: Oh, why, yeah, I think two– two thousands outside in the yard. They climbed through the building, (stumbles over words) in Cincinnati, they climbed– in Cincinnati, Ohio, two thousand people out in the yard. Thousands inside, two thousand out. And I remember when a woman getting healed of cancer, I called her out, and she climbed right through a window, she’s 300 pounds, and she come right smack through a window. Fear of God was on that place. You could hear a pin drop in my meeting. But I made myself too real, too honest, (Pause) I’d sit in my chair and look at you very quietly, you know, and keep that religious demeanour. Look holy, yeah. I always wished I could develop what Father [Divine] had on that, he could just look at them and then say “Aren’t you glad!” “So glad!” they’d say. (laughs)
Congregation: Laughs
Jones: But I never– I never– (laughs) I just don’t have it. In the office, he’d relax. He’d relax, and he could say some pretty straight things in the office. But he had it going for him there. But familiarity breeds what? Contempt. Should br– breed uh, respect, but it breeds contempt. We like our gods to be alo– aloof– aloof from us. Uh, not as human as we are. Different from us. Uh, when– when they get too human– Today, I don’t like shorts, but I had to do some work, and I thought, I’m not gonna wear those shorts, I’m gonna find me an old pair of pants. And I thought, well, that’ll– I’ve only– I’ve only got a couple of pants, so I put on an old swimming suit. And I knew that wasn’t the thing to do, some of you folk don’t like, uh, woof, don’t see God in a swimming suit. That’s too much. Too much to see God in a swimming suit. And I– And I don’t care for ‘em in the first place, I don’t like to go tripping around in shorts. Uh– But I had to do it. I knew that I needed to– to humanise. Some of you. That’s false, and it’s uh, been my conclusion that we’ve come this far, we might as well go all the way with honesty. We might as well kill any kind of false image that you’ve got. And if I don’t kill it, nobody can. I either cuss it out or do something to get it out. But if we don’t talk to the masses, it might be your necessity sometime to hold the fort while I go, if I could ever get my blood pressure to agree, ‘cause I could go out and have a campaign someplace in the East where they didn’t know me, or in the South, and I could bring in ten thousand dollars a night. Ten thousand dollars a night. And probably when I got back here in three weeks, there’d be hell-raising.
Voice in Congregation: unintelligible
Jones: We’ve got to get so solidified and unified that we can uh, free me to do what’s the best for the good– greatest number. Of course these are all ifs and ands. Frankly I don’t think you’re gonna be faced with a lot of things I’m portraying here, ‘cause I think there is a crisis coming that’s going to uh, make it easy for you, because there’ll be a cataclysm. But you shouldn’t have to have that. You should face every alternative. If I was so sure, well, I’m going to the cave, and that’s the way it’s going to be. You should have to face– Well, maybe it’ll be a concentration camp, maybe we’ll have to run to Canada, and then to some other place. Uh– All those things we should face, all those to be really perfected, we shouldn’t have it all mapped out for us. When you got all your guidelines, what does that– That don’t take any growth, if you got everything staked out for you. That’s what I used to couldn’t take about that Jesus story. Said he knew he was born to die. Why, hell, if I knew I was born to die and gonna raise in three days, I’d just say, Come on, get it over with! Easy. That always– That always bugged me about that story. He knew he was God, and he knew he was gone– gonna die and be resurrected. (Mark 8;31-32, 9:31, 10:33-34.) Well, that don’t take any effort. If you know you’re going to get resurrected, that don’t take any pains, does it? I like to use the bad grammar, some of you folk, to– That’s hard on your image of God. Yes, born with a silver spoon in the mouth. I don’t know. Jesus wasn’t born with no silver spoon in his mouth. History made him that way. He was a first class revolutionary. He wasn’t as evolved as we are today, but in his day, he didn’t know which alternative was going to happen. He just lived the best he knew how for what he believed. And when he died, he died. That’s the mystery. Somebody else took the spirit on. But it wasn’t like you been told. He didn’t know when he got on no cross that he was going to come off a cross. That’s why I respect Jesus more than these Christians do. I couldn’t respect anybody that knew that they were going to a cross, and uh, gonna be raised in three days. That’s no trouble. Why, it wouldn’t be no effort for any of you, could– would– would it be for any of you? If you knew I was– I’m gonna die and on Friday, I’m gonna– they’re gonna nail me to the tree, but on Sunday, I’m gonna raise up and fly away. Why, you’d say, that’s good, let’s get on with it, get on with the show. Silly business. Silly business. Used to say to me, Father didn’t have any blood in his veins. He can’t– he– he doesn’t feel pain. And I thought, well, if he don’t feel pain, then he’s no– no effort for– uh, no effort for him to be here. He said– I said, You got blood in your veins, haven’t you? And he said, Yes, I got blood in my veins. But you know the argument used to be in the movement. They didn’t– Uh, some of them didn’t believe he had blood in his veins, didn’t believe he could die, didn’t believe he could suffer, didn’t believe he could have a disease, or anything else. Silly stuff. He suffered just like anybody else.
Unidentified male 6: Unintelligible
Jones: He had diabetes, badly. I– Hm?
Unidentified male 6: Unintelligible about Father Divine being rushed to a hospital
Jones: Mhm [yes]. I knew, ‘cause I gave him a message once. Oh, many years ago, about– in May, before he was going into a coma, he was going into a coma in May. And I’d sent it, and they said– said, Don’t– Don’t want your messages, don’t want your negation. I said, I’m not trying to give you any negation, I’m trying to help Father. And they didn’t appreciate that. Well, he went into a coma. Several days. ‘Cause they thought he couldn’t suffer. He– Oh my, I wish we coulda united in Harlem, the movement wouldn’t be in a mess that it would’ve been. If I’da come along then, things’d been better, but such wasn’t the case. And here we are, and there’s nothing left out there, we gotta do the job. It’s on our shoulders now. Peace Mission’s here. Best of you folk are out of it, and that’s– it’s a sad thing to have to look out here and say, only about a dozen of you made it. Isn’t that sad? Only about a dozen of you made it. There’s some good folk over there, but they haven’t got enough strength to study a matter. As Purity was saying today, she stood alone in meetings defending me. Here a man that come with 200 children and kept them all sweet and calm. Surely someone oughtta been able to say a good word for that? And I understand you, Purity, to say, that you’d– you’d stand up and there were nobody else to stand up with you? Hmm?
Purity: Unintelligible
Jones: Nobody else’d stand. ‘Cause everybody afraid. Well, I’m glad that you folk are here, every one of you that are here, you weren’t afraid. (Pause) I’m glad.
Congregation: Sustained applause
Jones: Okay, anybody has a last parting word, we’ll say so, but otherwise uh, we shall conclude. Over here, yes, (unintelligible name)?
Unidentified male 7: I wanted to say something about the CIA. Uh, this is the most, uh– these are the most rudest people that you could even come in contact with. And really, what they are, they’re nothing but suckers. Uh, they’ll do anything. Normally they’re young people. (Off mic) Huh? (Pause) (Returns to mic) Normally they are young people, young men, and, uh, if they come in– men with a Bible in their hand, and a smile on their face, and praising the Lord. We had this happen in Seattle, the two that come in up there. I had worked for about a year and a half with these men right across the street in front of my office, to where I could watch their comings and goings each and every day. They’d come in the building, and each one of them had a Bible in their hand. I stood there and I watched them take their seat, and then I notified the other people that these people had entered the building. Now, don’t ever get it in your mind that the CIA is all white. You’ve got many, many blacks in the CIA, and I can’t understand, to save me, why they would wanna do such job. And they do some rude things to people. During the time that I was in the Army, as a PFC [Private First Class], I stood up and had to defy a major, because he made the statement that we could go into Korea or Vietnam, and kill women and babies at our own discretion. No mercy whatsoever. Do as we so choose. Just to win that war. It was pitiful.
Jones: [Isn’t] That something? (Pause) Well, the temptation, when you’re faced with such odds, is to pray. But praying won’t do any good, baby. Working’s the only thing that’ll do any good.
Voice in crowd: Unintelligible
Jones: Mhm [Yes]. The temptation to pray is strong. The old tendency to revert to religion will be there. Everybody likes a scapegoat, like somebody to lean on. But there nobody to lean on, honey, but us’s. Just look at history. God’s chosen people, the Jews, nearly all of them were murdered in Germany. They’re supposed to be God’s chosen people. Now we don’t have to review what’s happened to the best of our blacks and Indians. The best of our whites, for that matter. Thomas Paine, who told the truth about the Bible, laid seven years in a jail without a trial. Now they mem– They memorialise him as a great hero. But he wasn’t no hero then. (Pause) And we’re not going to be any hero, and I don’t give a damn about being a hero anymore, I’d just like to have peace, wouldn’t you?
Congregation: Affirmation
Jones: Just have peace. And we’ll get that peace, if we work together. That’s why I’m a safe leader. I don’t have any ego in me. I’m the only person I know anywhere yet that I’ve been, in experience, that doesn’t have any ego in them. I don’t need anything but to see a world free of want, poverty, war, and injustice, capitalist exploitation. I don’t need anything but that. And that’s why I’m safe. And if I didn’t have that ability, I wouldn’t be safe. My healings don’t make me the person that I am. It’s that ability to be what is needed. No matter what I think I’m talented for – know what I’m talented to do – I’ve got– I’ve got some talents that you’ve never seen. [I] Know I’ve got certain talents, but they’re not called for, so I do what I can do. And that’s what makes me a safe leader. But you become like me, then’s when they’re gonna have trouble. If we all get the strengths of each other. If you get my strength, and we get each other’s strengths, and we all become like each other, then we become a Gideon’s army (Judges 6-7) that nobody can counteract. But there’s just one leader, they can get rid of that leader, throw the people into confusion. But if everybody stands tall in the same principles and stamina, and develops the same inner resources, the same ability to take pain– That’s why I can never understand anybody worrying about pain. I’ve got the power to use right now, if I were willing to neglect socialism, to stop the pain, as I showed the ladies this afternoon, I could stop the pain in that arm right this minute. No pain. But if I concentrate a second or two, I’m afraid, ‘cause I gotta put all my mind on that, to stop that pain. If I’m putting all my mind on that, it’s not someplace else where it’s needed, so I can’t put it on me. That’s why I don’t understand you people asking for pain, ‘cause I’ve got more pain than you know. You don’t know the pain I feel all the time. It’s a horrible pain. It’s a pain that, uh, I only can describe it, I– it uh– near nausea. I take– I take a lot of uh, uh, diet Seven-Up just to keep my stomach calm, because there’s so much pain and it’s near nausea. But no one last night woulda been healed if I hadn’t taken it into the body. That’s the key. Just getting around people and their problems, I get it. And the minute I get away from people and their problems, it’s gone. But unfortunately there’s no way to get away from people and their problems and do what’s right, so I’m gonna stay where I’m at. Anybody has any thought– uh, last thought? All right. (Pause) Mhm [yes]. You take care of that. What is it? What is it?
Unidentified male congregant 8: unintelligible
Jones: Fine, what– what kind of letters do you– you wanted me to get– keep all the people here to give them–
Voice in crowd: unintelligible
Jones: Senior citizens may leave when she gets ready to do this. Let’s uh– let’s sing a little song before we go, and then the senior citizens may leave. But please stay, there’s some vital letters to our security that the rest of you need to write. But she uh– I’d like for those that are older to be able to go home and rest. But the rest of you stay. If you consider yourself young, stay, you– you can be useful too.
Jones begins singing “Le Internationale,” congregation joins in: Arise, ye prisoners of starvation/ Arise, ye wretched of the Earth/ For justice thunders condemnation / A better world’s in birth / Arise, ye prisoners of starvation / Arise ye wretched of the Earth / For justice thunders condemnation/ A better world’s in birth.
Jones: Once again, learn that verse.
Jones and Congregation: Arise, ye prisoners of starvation / Arise, ye wretched of the Earth / For justice thunders condemnation / A better world’s in birth–
End of tape.