[Editor’s notes: The letters on this page derive from several sources, principally FBI Section 126 • EE-1 • Letters to Dad (N-Z); FBI Section 130 • EE-2 • Letters to Jim Jones; and FBI Sections 121-123 • BB-31 – BB-32 • Tim Stoen, D Touchette.
[Insofar as possible, these letters have been arranged in alphabetical order of the writer’s last name. Unless otherwise noted, the letters retain their original spelling and grammar.
[Peoples Temple member often used old reports and documents as scratch paper, using the reverse side of these pages for their letters. We have labeled and transcribed those scratch pages which include information about Jonestown.]
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Undated Note to Jim Jones from Chris Talley
EE-2-s-8a – 8b
Dad;
I did try to cut my wrist after you talked to me – it was before I was on the floor with Thurman [Guy]. I only wrote you a letter after you talk to me so I would know what to do about Ricky, and that I was carrying broken glass with me and that I could have run. I told you those things to let you know that I have control of myself. I didn’t use anything or do anything after you talked to me.
Chris Talley
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Letter to Jim Jones from Ron Talley, July 1978
EE-2-s-1a
31/7/78
Dad;
In the last couple of weeks Christine has been negative around me a few times. It has been for petty gripes about things like being able to type the news or Edith Roller not wanting to allow any talking after 11:00 PM in the cottage where her & Christine live.
One important thing she told me was that she listened to the 2 engineers from Georgetown under the house. I thought that was very poor judgment to tell me that.
Christine is a very passive female and I’m sure she has an attraction for me. Some people have asked me if Christine is my girlfriend because they see me with her and I usually don’t spend time talking to women very much so it must be very noticeable. The female I am most attracted to is Shanda James but I don’t intend to pursue it. Not that it could possibly be a mutual attraction.
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EE-2-s-1b
I am very happy here in Jonestown and find my job on Vacuum Storage very challenging and satisfying. Once in a while every argue with someone over a paint and I feel it is my fault for being stubborn when I feel I’m right. I feel I can work harder at my job and will do so in the future. I need to be more humble in all aspects of my life here because I am so very lucky to be here with you. Thank you for giving me another chance in this cause and teaching me and the whole community about the world picture and socialism. Socialism isn’t completely structured in some countries but whatever socialism a country has is better than all the filthy shit capitalism has to offer. You have provided us with a very rewarding socialist experience and it is improving every day.
Thank You Dad
Ron Talley
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Letter to Jim Jones from Ron Talley, September 1978
EE-2-s-6a – 6b
Dad;
I was saddened to hear about the violence in town during the visit by Don Freed. I can’t seem to understand people and why they do shit like that. The first time I’ve had to catch up on things I’ve wanted to do since I got here and it’s really been nice. It’s too bad we have to be geared to the people who probably won’t ever get the idea of what you are teaching us here. It’s not your fault, they don’t get it, Dad, they just refuse to see. I don’t like all the structure needed to control this shit and I don’t feel I need as much as some because I do want to be here and this is my home but I’ll go along with whatever it takes. I’m thankful to be here no matter what happens.
I still like some decadent music and laugh and joke too much but I don’t think these things will hurt anyone or divert me from my work here. I’m very interested in food storage and planning.
This is a good life for a guy like me, Dad, so I want you to know that you’ve done more than anyone else ever did for me and I won’t forget it. I’m sure there are many who are grateful for what you’ve done for us, so there is a lot of success here even though some won’t try to line up.
Thank you again
Ron Talley
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Undated Letter to Jim Jones from Ron Talley
EE-2-s-7a – 7d
Dad;
Christine [Talley] spoke about Debbie Blakey and said she told the papers that we put kids on ant hills, that we locked them in a box, that there were speakers all over town & fields that play sermons about religion all day. She told how she got drunk on some wine in the SF Temple. Also how Rick Cordell was screwing up on a trip to Chicago & how Jack Beam had to punch him in the nose once. I told how Rick bothered me about my bus driving and then told me how he was sexually attracted to me later. She said her mother writes that she really doesn’t feel that Christine is free to come and go as she told her. We talked of what sm asshole David Wise turned out to be.
Christine’s input was mostly on these subjects and she had very little input when Penny & I spoke about Tim Stoen & Deanna Myrtle [Mertle] being traitors & mentioned a few shitty things they had done.
I think Christine does miss the States and when the subject comes up she doesn’t come up with much negative to say about the States & conditions there.
I think Christine as a sexual attraction toward Sebastian McMurray [McMurry] and myself but she does not come around Sebastian since he got confronted on the floor. She is very paranoid in general as though her every move might give something away. I will continue to talk to her and let you know what she says.
The reason I have been talking to her is that she has an electric coffee pot and sometimes would give me some coffee or heat some up for me.
I hope I have not let you down by talking with her. I usually talk for a few minutes every other day.
I enjoy my job working on the barrels and find it very rewarding to see how well I can do it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to live without looking for a drug or something to blank my mind out.
Thank you again
Ron Talley
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Undated Letter to Jim Jones from Bernice Thomas regarding Tim Stoen
EE-2-s-2
[Editor’s note: Spelling errors corrected throughout.]
dear Jim I think the reason you are sick because the way Tim Stone [Stoen] and all the rest of them that went up the church is doing and Tim Stone is the cause of it and the people here is not doing right they won’t do right they act like they hated one another and they act like they hate you and you do so much for us all and we all do so little to show you we do appreciate it Tim Stone is the cause of Chris [Lewis] being killed and that hurt you.
Bernice Thomas
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Confession of Gabriel Thomas, January 1978
EE-2-s-12a
[Editor’s note: Spelling errors corrected throughout.]
1-31-78
Dear Dad
This is my confession for holding up my hand last night when I did not understand all of the rules. I haven’t been here long now Dad and I am trying hard to learn all the rules. So please forgive me for this time, and I will try hard to be right the next time.
Thank you Dad
Gabriel Thomas
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Undated Confession to Jim Jones from Scott Thomas
EE-2-ij-11
To: Dad
c/o Maria K. [Katsaris]
Re: Russell Moton
Fr: Scott T. [Thomas]
(Fri night) Last night Russel & I had a homosexual affair in the Agriculture office. It was sometime after 12 midnight. After the entertainment last night, he came up by the PA. I told him I will meet him later. Then he said he would be in the agriculture office. When I came to the Agriculture office – it seem like he didn’t want to do it; I guess because he couldn’t find a place. Russell told me also that he had had an affair with Gary Tyler before. He thought I had already known about it from Gary. The agreement was I & him was supposed to meet in the tool shed in a house. I came there & waited for 20 minutes; so I left to check at the Agriculture office. All through the day when we came in contact, he smiled & spoke.
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Undated Letter to Jim Jones from Scott Thomas
EE-2-ij-12a
[Editor’s note: Spelling and grammatical errors corrected throughout.]
To: Dad
c/o Maria K. [Katsaris]
Fr: Scott Thomas, Junior
Re: Russell Moton
I told him that I have a problem which has been bothering me for several weeks. I told him I didn’t want to burden Dad with it, because I felt Dad would think badly of me, even though I really knew that he wouldn’t. I also told him that I didn’t want to write it up to Ava [Jones] or John [Moss Brown] because they might tell Dad. Told him of how Dad would say he’s tired of every fuckin complaints & why don’t peoples solve their own problems. Told him once when I told somebody my deep feelings – that person told me to write it up to someone else & that the person dissociated himself from me. Told him I was inhabited by people thoughts & what will people think of you after they found out about me. In response to all of this – this is what he said:
He told me about the time he had a homosexual affair with a guy outside the church & how it was mentioned publicly from the pulpit. He said he felt embarrassed. When it was mentioned, people who have thought of him as a good man, said “What…” (They was shocked by this). He told me that his friends didn’t treat him different after that. But for a couple of days he was at a low point. He said people forget what somebody has done in a day or two because other people are brought up on the floor, and there’s meetings after meetings; so a person tried to forget what you have done on the floor. He told me that Dad was tired of people who complain time after time about petty things. He said Dad wasn’t talking about the people who don’t ever complain who write things up. I told him I was a homosexual & I was attracted to him for some reason or another. He said I was attractive. Told him I wanted to have an affair (sex) with him. He asked me about Linda – what about her? I told him that Linda knows I mess around with guys & that she understood the problem I had and that she didn’t think of me any different than anybody else. He told me that Gary Tyler likes me. In response to this
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EE-2-ij-12b
I told him that before I went to Georgetown – 2 or 3 months before, I had an affair with him. I also told him that I told Gary in a nice way not to hurt his feelings that I don’t like him.
After all of this – he said he would go to bed & sleep on it. Also, last night – he said he will talk to me tomorrow night. Today when he came through the pavilion, he turned to me & smiled.
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Undated Letter of Apology to Jim Jones from Charlie Touchette
EE-2-s-10-a
To: Dad
From: C. [Charlie] Touchette
I am very sorry about the confusion at the airport last night. I feel that I have let you down very much and have placed you in much danger. I feel very much guilt about this and will never forget that once again I have disappointed you.
I feel the goof was mostly my fault, I was the older brother on the job and should have done a better job at asserting myself in keeping an alert mind and body. With foul-ups like me around I make your load heavier than what it already is.
Once again my profound apology.
Charlie T.
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Undated Note to Jim Jones from La Flora Townes
EE-2-s-11
I think you worry more about your children being kidnap from you.
How to make money. Sell peanuts chicken or rice.
La Flora Townes
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Harriet Sarah Tropp Note on Uglification of Jonestown
EE-2-s-13a – 13b
To: Jim
Subject: The uglification of Jonestown
From: Sarah
I hope this doesn’t sound like an “I told you so” document but here goes.
Before we started the fiasco of beautifying Jonestown for upcoming guests, advice was given on several different occasions, advice that was the product of several meetings and consultations with people who have lived here for several years, as well as Guyanese, to the effect that any attempt to fix the road or haul pines in for the paths would only result in a worsening of the situation if done during the rainy season.
Notwithstanding this advice, we decided to go ahead (and I certainly participated in that decision) and try it anyway because – Dad wants it done – and “there must be a way.” Well, there wasn’t a way. If you look at the road now, it is worse looking than when we started. If you look at the area by the garden shed, you will see we have managed to put manganese pines on a path that didn’t look bad in the first place, at the expense of destroying what was once one of the prettiest parts of the project. We just may be able to haul enough dirt in there to patch it up, but probably not before [Don] Freed comes, and certainly it will not be done properly because of the weather. We have created more ugliness in the attempt to beautify, simply because we went against all the experience and sound advice regarding such projects being attempted in the rainy season. (It was pointed out, as well, that the manganese would result in a mess from being tracked all over the place in the wet weather. Again we ignored that advice.)
I think the above just serves to highlight a problem we have in decision making. That is, if you say you want something done, we ignore any advice we’ve been given and we go against our own judgment, and go ahead. I know you think that this should not be, but despite what you may think about it, this is what happens. We may raise objections, but naturally, because we all follow the proceedure [procedure] of collective decision-making, once a decision is made, even if the wrong one, we try to make it work. But the truth of the matter is that no matter how much you, me, or anyone wants something to happen, there are times when it cannot be done because of objective conditions.
The cardinal objective condition in the tropics is the weather. You can’t fight it. I’m sorry if any of this sounds intemperate, but I am extremely upset at the ugly mess I see we’ve made of this project, especially with guests coming. And it was all unnecessary, if we’d just followed advice.
All of this coming on top of the legal mess (which we created for ourselves by opening our fat mouths on the radio) really has me upset. I mean, we can kick ourselves about it now, but I know that the next time a similar situation comes up – where its [it’s] a choice between a phone call and passing sensitive legaal [legal] stuff over the radio – you, we, will opt for putting it over the radio. And think we can make it O.K. by coding it. Bullshit. I think the essence of the problem, or at least one aspect of it, is that no one is willing to oppose your opinion in certain matters. And I frankly think that some times you are wrong, and no one is willing to say so. I realize this is quite a volatile statement, but I think it is one factor in the dynamics of how this organization functions that gets us in trouble.
Well, enough.
Sarah
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Letter to Jim Jones from Richard Tropp on Elitism, May 1978
EE-2-s-4
To Dad – From Dick Tropp
Today Paula [Adams] asked me about a comment I made last night to you in reference to a possible newsman’s questions about the wisdom of giving up John [Victor Stoen] if it meant that the cause was to go down. She said that my emotional asking of the question, she felt, reveal that I was resentful in some way about that decision. I assured her I was not, that I understand that your commitment to John and your commitment to ‘the cause’ are inextricable, and it is precisely that personal loyalty that is the cause… something I didn’t fully appreciate during that crisis a year ago when, as I confided to Paula, I didn’t really understand your stand. But that is past. I do think that you should know that I am too influenced by Carolyn Looman, and it was that very question that she raised yesterday when we were going over the press conference material – she said that the media might ask some tougher questions, and I was parroting her concern, down to the very question. I think my emotionalism in asking that comes out of a frustration that we haven’t really put ourselves (as “devil’s advocates”) into the diabolical way that the media could question you. [Last half paragraph bracketed, with notation: “Settled last nite!”]
I appreciate Paula’s probing of me on that point. I have not been challenged enough in my thinking – especially as a person with a strong intellectualist background. Years before I became a part of the Temple, I developed a kind of mental escapism where I can turn into the “integrity” of my own thoughts, and defend myself against practically anything. This still persists, because somewhere in my mind, I remain an independent person, somewhere I am untouched. This is a very dangerous kind of thing, and I have often felt that because of it I am a traitor. For a couple of years I have seriously thought of writing – for your benefit – a kind of fantasy that would explore the psychology of the traitor. I have felt very trepeditious about it – what I mean is that, if I want to, I can mentally project myself into that “independent” part of my mind, and explore traitorous thoughts. I have felt somewhere that all people in the Temple are traitors, and if each were to allow himself to let his mind move in a certain direction, they would be surrounded with treasonous thoughts… though they might not move from thought to action.
I feel some guilt here because had I tried to write that fantasy, that “diary of a traitor” years ago, when I first conceived of it, it might have helped you. I would say this based upon an observation that I want to share with you – I have never really understood how, over the years, you have many times professed not to understand why people would turn against you, and leave the cause. To me, it was not a mystery. I said to myself – Dad is so pure of motive that he doesn’t really appreciate the depths of selfishness of people. At other times I’ve said – no, he understands. He knows about it. But then I go back and say – no, you have so completely conquered the temptations of capitalism that you don’t see how a Debbie Blakey could be caught in it.
I have never felt, in all my years, that I could fully identify with anything outside myself – in that sense, I am dangerous. But, there is another side that has always sought for that identification, and was deeply pained for years ar never having found it – and it is through you and this movement that I have found it – it is just that nasty persistence of mental independence that won’t completely die in me. People of my background should be watched. I’ve often had the thought that at some point, people like myself should, after they have outgrown their usefulness, be shot.
Thank you Dad
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Undated Note to Jim Jones from Rita Tupper
EE-2-k-3
Jim,
If there is anything I can do to help out in the Jim McElvane situation please know I am willing to do so. He has been a good socialist friend to me, and did help me one time when I was sick, and could not walk for some time. He stayed and helped me while others in the household went to movies, and left me alone, and I literally could not walk (due to my leg and back). When he saw this happening, he came and helped with phone answering etc. so I feel I owe him something for his kindness shown to me. My life means nothing to me, and I would gladly give it up to save him or anyone else that needed it. If he gets arrested I would like to be considered one to help go back and make amends (you understand) blow them and me up or whatever.
/s/ Rita Lenin [Tupper]
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Undated Suggestion from Rita Tupper
EE-2-k-10a
C.L.
What about letter writing while Norman [Ijames] is here. He perhaps should not see opened mail – should letter writing be held any differently?
Rita Lenin [Tupper]
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Undated Note to Jim Jones from Ruth Tupper
EE-2-s-14a – 14b, 14d
[Editor’s note: The last two pages of this four-page document are in reverse order on the PDF.]
Dear Dad;
After Joyce Touchette served rice and gravy for dinner when she knew Mazer [Joe Mazor] was going to be here for dinner and she had repeatedly been told to prepare the best when he was here, I first thought it was just direct hostility towards you. But the more I think about it I think it goes deeper than that. I think the serving of rice and gravy was intentional. Charlie [Touchette] once turned you & us into the FBI. Well maybe Joyce and Charlie never got out. It all fits in. They’ve never had to give up anything to be a part of this cause. They’ve always had the new clothes, special foods, sodas & all things they’d get as capitalists on the outside. Even while they were so-called communal in the Valley, they had all this. They have never really put out any hard work here or in the States. Hardly no progress was made in Jonestown continue came down here & they were in leadership. There [Their] elitism caused people to be hostile and to leave this project before you came. They’d have everybody else working and would just sit around & do nothing for the most part, causing people to be very hostile. That’s why I believe there was a plan made to hold the Touchettes under guard until you came. It’s a perfect CIA set up. They have always got what they wanted, didn’t have to work, they slowed down the progress of the project and they’ve caused people to be so hostile they leave. There is of course no excuse for anyone leaving, no matter what they should have stayed. They cause division & I think a lot of our people acting out (such as stealing, etc.) because they are so bold as to flash their special foods & other special privileges they take in front of people. I at 1st couldn’t understand how they could do it & be so bold if they’re CIA it all fits in. I understand people have to be given and treated certain ways for the betterment of the cause, to save trouble before it’s time to have that trouble. Another thing that fits in is that they are so self-righteous about everyone else doing even the littlest thing wrong (which I agree people should be corrected) but do so much themselves. I understand if nothing is done about them because as I said before I know people have to be treated specially. I know you do this for us, and it proves your dedication to communism by your doing so. If you have given everything & done everything possible to help further this cause and I thank you, but I know I just have to show it in my work. I may be totally wrong but I just thought I’d give you my opinion.
Thank you, Ruth Tupper
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EE-2-s-14c
Tues Spt 12
Maria
Ruth brought this to the house this morning. She said Dad doesn’t really have to see it, it is just her opinion. She was not going to turn it in but Ava Jones kept asking to read it, and when she did, Ruth felt she must turn it in (because Ava & Joyce are close & she’s afraid this may get back to Joyce). But Ruth wants you to see it.