[Editor’s note: BB-17-ll-1 – ll-2 is a version of remarks which Jim Jones gave in November 1975 during a testimonial program given in honor of Rev. Cecil Williams on the tenth anniversary of his ministry at Glide United Methodist Church in San Francisco. The remarks also appear in slightly different form on Tape 784.]
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GLIDE MEMORIAL CHURCH
11/76 [Editor’s note: The year was 1975, not 1976.]
INTRODUCTION
From the religious community, a young man came upon the scene, became an inspiration to a whole lot of people and has done fantastic things, and that’s what I love about this great city, and now there is in fact somebody who responds anytime to any need. Cecil with regularity, just as he has been called upon, he has to call upon Peoples Temple, and even the rest of us had to call on Peoples Temple. The man who is in fact Peoples Temple. Let me introduce to you the man who bought 1000 tickets to tonight’s concert as a part of Cecil’s celebration, Reverend Jim Jones.
JIM JONES
We bring greetings and praise for Cecil’s work. I think it’s time that this country realizes not only on the format represented, needs not being met. No one is really safe in this land even with its great heritage unless we come together and do some real correctional therapy to our own homeland in this difficult time. I was just thinking about the [Randolph] Hearst situation, his own daughter [Patricia Hearst] by whatever means involved in political activities that may be considered terrorism. With all his money and resources he’s not able to protect his daughter. His daughter has been undergoing the same kinds of attacks minorities have undergone for years, and I hope that the rich will soon realize, those who feel they are particularly advantaged, this country will not be safe until we do something to share the wealth and share completely and fairly. No one is safe. The only person we find that has been saved in this country in the last few years is Richard Nixon, he’s walking safely around. The system never awakens to the fact that people like Cecil Williams and Angela Davis who are attempting to bring about change. Terrorism was not invented by the poor. We have been meeting of the terrorism of leaders of government against such people as Martin Luther King and this week [syndicated columnist] Carl Rowan suggests through some sources he has that undoubtedly agents of government were involved in the extermination. Terrorism has been bred by this great country with all its wealth and resources and heritage from Chile, Vietnam, Portugal and I heard on BBC just the other day that 25 Communist leaders have been assassinated in Portugal. So terrorism is not the creation of the poor. It’s the reaction to the terrorism we’ve been living under for years being minorities, Indians and disenfranchised.
We owe a great deal of gratitude to the press, because it was due to the exposing of Watergate, the fine work of the press, that we perhaps avoided fascism for a while. But they are still here. Senate Bill 1 is lurking on the scene. The District Attorney, a member of our church, said that he had communique from high government officials, who say they expect great activities this year, terrorist activities and bills like Senate Bill 1 will pass through Senate approval. And Senate Bill 1 is just beginning of a police state. I think the press and all people of goodwill, even upper-class people like Mr. Hearst have to realize that this country has too long been in the hands of a few. The ruling class is [has] a very limited view, and it doesn’t make a difference if you own a few newspapers and happen to have several million dollars and assets, if you want to stand up for your daughter and want to defend her, you’re going to [be] maligned and you’re going to be persecuted like all the rest of us poor Niggers have been for many, many years! I’m not talking about the suspicions of the people of the left, I am saying what it did to the press. The terror of Chile that we’ve admitted to. The attempted assassination of Dr. [name supplied by Tape 784: “Fidel Castro”]. The assassinations of different leaders throughout the world. Denials to overthrow duly elected governments, murder incorporated at home and abroad. And all thinking people should come together around those that are recommending peace because if they don’t we will find out that no one is safe unless they united with Asians, blacks and poor whites. Mr. Hearst is going to have to recognize along with all the people that we are Niggers in this country unless we unite under people sharing some form of democratic socialism. Churches too often have been destitute of the problems. I hope America listens, and listens while there is still time because the attitude of the nation lacks much concern. There is still a great deal of apathy. Blacks being run
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out, Indians run out of every rural area. The University of California says that racism is running rampant not amongst the old traditionalists but amongst America’s youth. We must come together and we want to come together. But don’t blame the activists for the terror. And even if you are rich and you want to defend her daughter and recognize that something is wrong in America as Mr. Hearst did, you can find no sympathy. And no one should be blamed for acts of terror which we do not condone. No one should be blamed for acts of terror as long as agents of government or networks have admitted interrupting peaceful assemblies, setting houses on fire, risked lives, sent hate letters and coerced people to commit suicide, and before it’s over with you will find that they had been involved in murder. So until the agencies of government have stopped their terror, you can expect the terror of those who continue by–
I feel that the churches are somewhat afraid of Christ. He was one of the first to recommend equality, and he was one of the first to speak out against money changers, and perhaps he might have been called a terrorist because he whipped their posteriors out of the temple. When we look back over the list of those who have been assassinated and the strange coincidences of those witnesses that have died around Senator [Robert] Kennedy, President [John] Kennedy. President Kennedy is about as rich as you can become in this country, but he chose to be too independent for whatever the ruling class interest was, and he is now dead. It ought to speak to all of you, some of you who think that you may be upper-class, you are in danger, your wife is in danger. If Senate Bill 1 and other laws are passed we are going to be in a fascist state. I don’t know what else to say other than we listen to people like Cecil who are trying to do it peacefully, that’s trying to help this community and every facet of it and now is pronounced that it even wants to help the rich realize that you too are Niggers and need representation.
We’ve brought about 3000 people here today. Unfortunately most of them couldn’t fit into this building, as a testimonial to this spokesman and what he has done for our community, and as a testimony to his activism and peaceful approach to change in this country. Listen. America. It’s amazing that we are still peaceful. Before coming here today I received 3 assassination threats on my life and they had me under some stupid kind of bulletproof vest and I look like a monster so I laid it aside. But what kind of world is this that we cannot even come together without assassination threats. We have helped political prisoners. Those that have protested for the rights and demonstrated for equality. From Angela Davis and even people who were conservative, and after each time we have been harassed to such measurable degree that it is amazing that we are not terrorists. But as of today Jim Jones and the thousands from Peoples Temple are still peaceful activists. But change America. There is one thing we want to tell you, and I speak for more than Peoples Temple: IF YOU COME FOR ONE, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER COME FOR ALL OF US!