[Editor’s note: The pages of this pdf have been arranged in sequential order, not numerical.]
BB-2-i-3
Sharon Amos
Mingo
6/4/78
Mike, Sharon, Debbie
-I asked him about the Executive Committee Meeting where Peoples Temple was discussed/ he said that so many people were “bombarded” by us, People in the executive committee/ they were wondering what to do or say
-he said we have a public relations campaign – he’s never seen the like of it/ people are concerned about it because we have approached quite a few people
-they wondered what should be the attitude towards PT
-he said there is an intensity to the PR, in touch with so many people
-that we had approached Viola Burnham so she was the one that brought it up
-Mingo things our PR is acceptable – he is not saying that we should reduce our PR/ it was he who encouraged us to invite people up to Jonestown
-but people are afraid of heavy PR and there was some adverse comments there, (he wouldn’t say who was adverse, she he’d be more comfortable talking to us if we didn’t have to get into names)
VERY CONFIDENTIAL: (CON’T QUOTE THIS) – Mingo said this following is very confidential and he wasn’t supposed to tell us but Viola Burnham asked what to do about the meeting with JJ and she was advised that it was not necessary to see us if she didn’t want to. She was told to let the burden fall on Minister Mingo for this. (He wasn’t supposed to tell us that)
-she was told she shouldn’t concern herself with that kind of thing
-Mingo said he defended our PR campaign. He said our campaign was stepped up because of this Stoen case and that we were uncertain of the future of our movement-
-Dr. Reid explained how we were welcomed into Guyana, we were recommended by Cde. Worrell, he said Mingo was the one dealing with us
-someone said we were peddling dope/ Mingo said that was totally untrue and that they were mixing us up with another group
-someone brought up our boat and he said we check in with the police and there is no truth to that rumor
-Dr Reid said that all rumors about usi have been found to be untrue
-someone said that a plane (from the states) flies directly into our project (bypassing immigration) and Mingo explained we come in to Timari just like everyone else
-someone said people can’t get into our project. Dr Reid said in the US all farms have gates
(prokes explained that we have taken down our gates and just today someone said they were a police officer and proceeded to steal 2 100 bags of rice, Mingo said to make an official police report of it
-it was said that we have approached all the govt. ministers
-Mingo said the true facts were made clear, The government’s position is that we are welcome. Reid said he welcomed us when he was Minister of Agriculture
-officially he said there is nothing against PT
Re guidelines and parameters (and what Ron Van Dyke said about guidelines), he agreed we should have been given guidelines a long time ago
-we asked if he has spoke to Van Dyke as Ron said he had talked to Mingo, but Mingo claimed that was not true that Van Dyke had spoken to him
OLIVER SITUATION: (he had read about it in our recent letter, and we told him of the recent incident when Clive came and was in our house bending over one of our women) O he said we should make out a formal complaint and it will go to the Commissioner of police
IMMIGRATION RULE ABOUT JOHN: he has never heard of this, he said it could be a lie or maybe McCoy approached Immigration to get the normal practice on a situation when a case is in process (He made some negative comment I’m not quite sure of it, but something to the effect that this is the kind of contacts McCoy makes
(over)
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BB-2-i-4
I asked if we could be of any help to him, told him we had helped mobilize for the party last night ((I went door to door with other party members to get people to come to the doorstep meeting where Min. Jack was to discuss with the people the problems of blackout and no water etc.)
-we had offered our help in a prior meeting so I asked again
-he said that this again is confidential but people will go to the polls for a referendum to decide whether we should have a new constitution or not/ Cabinet (or Parliament will discuss it next Monday)
-Mingo runs the election
-they may have an acceptance of the new constitution without a referendum
-in regard to his statement that as long as the present govt is in power, he thinks we have nothing to fear, I asked if he thought there was some danger for the present govt. was in any danger (because that is where we put our faith) – he said you never can tell, elections are due, anything can happen
-re contacts, I told h[i]m we had been in contact with a lot of these people to invite them to our project, like Rashid. He said Rashid wasn’t at the Executive Committee meeting when we were discussed and it was good we invited him to Jonestown
CUSTOMS:
-Mike asked him about customs and asked if Hope had anything personal against us/ he said Hope can be difficult to deal with..
-he called Hope while we were there/ said to Hope “one of the responsibilities I’ve got is to look after the PT”
-he asked Hope to expedite our things in customs (Hope said agricultural supplies should be no difficulty but medical things need special processing
When we mentioned an assistant to a Minister who had spoken negatively about the govt to us, and said they were testing us etc. He said that’s what makes him distressed that we are questioned in this way/ he said that people against the govt would be against us. He said he doesn’t think that person is a friend of the govt.
(he said that at the Exec. Committee when we were discussed, Reid brought up the subject of the rumor of people held against their will and said it wasn’t true ) -he brought it up as an exampple of untrue rumors
Margaret Ackman (6/4/78 Mike, Debbie T, Sharon)
-went by to invite her for dinner, she’s very busy but will take us up on it soon
– gave her the new printed matter (Jonestown, a Model Community) and she was intranced by the children and interested in the medical program/ wondered if our doctor looks at eyes/ she’s working on some medical case right now where someone hasn’t be given adequate care
-we said anytime we could be of help we’d be glad to/ she’s getting Hamilton Green (she calls him Hamie) to push on this case
-we told him about Amerindian people staying in our house here for care and Larry’s work in Kaituma and the people who stay in Jonestown for care
-she said she would like to visit Jonestown
-we asked if there was anything she knew we could improve on and she said no/ she said something about people shouldn’t judge others but should see what they are doing, she doesn’t care where a person comes from, she feels people should love each other
-Mike talked to her about Customs and she suggested we write Hope another letter
-we gave her our phone number if she ever has any emergency cases she wanted help with
-her desire she says is to establish a home for children
RON VAN DYKE (6/4/78)
-Debbie, Sharon and Mike
-in order to cover for our last meeting in case we made a mistake listening to some of the negative things he said, I said that we had been a little surprised the last time we talked to him about some of the negative things he said, that we had
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BB-2-i-1
Ron Van Dyke cont
6/4/78
listened but we were surprised/ he said “you have to be critical”
-he said he had a ticklish problem, he had to present the views on Surinam for Cabinet and he was committed to being honest but he was worried about offending someone/ he says he tries to tell the truth at all times
-he said there is [crossed out: stepping up of pressure in Surinam and there are troops now] to be a stepping up of pressure in Surinam, troops in the area and the past history with Surinam has always been friendly so this is a problem
-Guyana has recalled her Ambassador to Surinam
-there is a problem because they use the water from the rivers of Guyana for a source of electric power
-by International Law if there is a river which is the border to a country, that river is to be freely accessable to both sides
-he claimed he talked to Min. Mingo about us (Min Mingo said this is not true)
-Mike P. showed him the article Mike wrote about the cultural show and he said it wasn’t bad/ we will have to find out from the editor if it will get in
-he wants an article by Debbie T. about what our women do in the organization
Wills
6/4/78
Debbie, Sharon, Mike
-I asked ifhe knew Ron Van Dyke since Ron said Wills was his teacher/ Wills said he couldn’t recall Ron off hand but he may have been his teacher at Enterprise High School
-he said there was a lot of corruption in the govt. he was upset about it and upset it couldn’t do anything about it
-something about the plentiness of toilet paper but some man had arranged a deal and had gotten the profits of toilet paper sales and it was corrupt
-he said that he had heard reports of the terrible situation with the children’s ward in Public Hospital and he was checking on it/ he said Hamilton Green gives money to be used and workers in the hsopital rip off the food and supplies for the children and the people
-Stanely Moore came in (he’s a commentator, a lawyer, a commentator on the radio) and he’s a friend of Rex McCabe who’s a friend of Bunny Mann/ Stanley is a past student tho of Wills and Wills thinks Stanley is very loyal to him/ Wills asked Stanley to talk to Aubrey Bishop tomorrow and expedite the PT situation (we were there when he asked)
-a young man “Nasi” came in who Wills said works for Mingo but who also works for Mentor (but this man tells Wills things he’s not supposed to tell and Wills doesn’t want to lose his contact) – Wills said to Nasi, while we were there, that he wanted Nasi to expedite the PT situation/ Nasi said Mingo is handling PT, but Wills told Nasi to expedite it (Nasi was friendly and we always see him around Home Affairs when we go in)
-Wills said there is no problem on John’s case as Reid, Mingo and Wills were on our side when we had a problem at the airport with Tim Stoen/ he asked again tho what we were doing that night, why were we at the airport and we explained again that we were there because people come in all the time at the airport – He said to Debbie “When were you last at the airport” and she said she was there a few days ago
-he said that some people talk socialism but don’t practice it/ he said that some children today hadn’t been able to wash their uniforms for school because of the water shortage but Teekah sent them home from school for not wearing uniofrms
RE PT
-he said that it is still positive
-n o PT person has been put out of the country or arrested
-this is the only case ever for PT that went to court
-American government officials have moved from hostility to downright friendliness
-PT has integrated itself in a 3 dimmentional way
A-Party (we were the stars of the Georgetown conference which has lost the most members – showed commitment
B-local in Kaituma, cultural and production moves
C-cultural impact on Scene in Georgetown with our program
-he said that regarding the blackout, the govt. should tell the people the real reason for it – that the govt doesn’t have enough foreign exchange to buy some essential part it needs, can’t buy it from Eric Williams
-at this time with all the problems, he still thinks the decision will go in favor
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BB-2-i-2
of PT
-we asked him how much it matters that Reid supports us/ he said it was Reid’s decision to do surgery on Wills (pay for it)
-Reid also arranged for Will’s pension and to put Wills on the election commission
-but Reid doesn’t like to be badgered
VIOLA BURNHAM: why she cancelled her appt
-the way things are decided “Palace politics” it’s called, if there is no unanimity the answer is no/ Hoyte probably said no and Green said yes
-Jagan: he is hoping the Soviets will do the work for Guyana, he doesn’t believe the West will help. But the Soviets will never help Burnham unless he shares power with Jagan
-Jagan doesn’t realize that there is a Chinese option/ they could help not in case but they are willing to help in other ways
-US option, will help as long as they don’t think you’re lost to the USSR (you don’t have to take the strings that are attached)
Kortenev: he has a situation on his hands with PT, if he doesn’t use the situation of 1000 dissadents he could miss an opportunity but doesn’t want to blow it
-will send his first Sect first Corval (KGB) and then mabye Kachenko (Victor Kachenko) Charge D’Affairs (also first sect)
-Wills said that they all know all about us as they televise the room (when we talk, he hasn’t seen that opporation [operation] here but has seen it in other countries and they have to rely on such things in non-developed countries where there are not sophisticated means of observing
Hosari came after us (he’s one of Reid’s men)