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Teri Buford Undated Report on Meeting with Attorney Daniel Sheehan
[Transcriber’s note: There are numerous typographical errors and misspelled words in this document. For easier reading, they have been corrected.]
To: JJ
From: Teri
Re: Meeting with Sheehan in Washington
Note: Please take this in the context that he is only useful for information and given all the basic attributes of lawyers that he is arrogant—condescending—opinionated etc—The usual for lawyers:
MOST IMPORTANT POINTS:
Kidnapping of JJ: Sheehan said that knowing the operation of Interpol and the rest of these government agencies that they may be laying for to kidnap JJ and bring him back to the US to face charges. He said that he is not as worried about John [Victor Stoen] being kidnapped because they are only using John to get to Jim and that what they could do is kidnap JJ and bring him here for court. He said that kidnapping is no defense for a jurisdiction argument. That if you are in the US that is good enough because kidnapping or however you got to the US is no excuse— the fact is that you are within jurisdiction. He cited a case that proved the point on that issue. He feels that Interpol etc play first and foremost where they feel that a person has a personal attachment and where he is vulnerable. He said that John fit both of these criteria. He did say that were you to give John back to Grace [Stoen] that they would just start harassing someone else. They make it a point to play on relationships. He said that children and lovers are Interpols age old classic of hitting people where they hurt. He feels that they are playing Grace like a puppet and will play anyone else that they can get their hands on. He doesn’t share the Guyanese government optimism about John in that Guyana is refusing to aide that sooner or later they will give into them and ask for the return of John. He said that he was not saying all this stuff just to make a spook story but rather from first hand information on the operational tactics of these people.
EAST LANSING MICHIGAN: Sheehan would not give the how or the why or the who behind this information but he said that he was giving a strong word of advice “Learn everything you can about East Lansing Michigan. Check out everything. Jim’s name is on a computer up there and those peoples names that are on that computer are singled out for special things that they can do to.” That is all he said on the subject. He was not free to go any further. I think that we should check this out. Perhaps by telling Flesheimenr [likely investigator David Fechheimer] that we have reliable information about East Lansing Michigan and for him to find about it.
MORE ON SHEEHAN: background and other points mentioned in the conversation. Sheehan is about 30 or so. Dresses rather hip. Extremely bright===well education. Graduate of Harvard. Has worked on Wall Street. Jesuit. Lives in the monastery. Born in NY. He is the counsel (main) on the Karen Silkwood case regarding her death and information on the plutonium stealing. He said that this case gets more nightmarish every day. He is currently working on breaking the CIA domestic wiretapping. He will be on 60 Minutes next Sunday. He talks as though he has “operatives” in many avenues of government. He bumped Scientology off of his case load the morning that I was there because they had out and out lied to him on an issue so he refuses to deal with them further. (He was pissed). He organized the security for [assassinated Chilean ambassador to US Orlando] Letelier / He is slated to go to Argentina, Brazil and Peru for six months coming up soon. Was the counsel for Dan Berrigan. —- If you were to believe everything that he says— you would think that he has a hell of a lot of people in and out of government working for him in some clandestine thing (may or may not be the case)— he gets his
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work assignments for the group he works through called Don Quixote. They are a team of lawyers and investigators etc who take on strictly anti-government cases. He seems to feel that he is in a more evolved state of mind because he doesn’t have “attachments” and that kind of thing. He preaches about commitment to a cause aobe personal attachments and all. Later he got off of his high horse somewhat and he said that making decisions about children and the like was not easy however and he also said that a lot of people make the wrong decision. He also talked about the conflict over loyalty to people and sensitivity and an organization. Saying that it seems almost cold and inhuman to say that because you believe in a principle that you have to make sacrifices of people you care about and all and that it makes you almost wonder if the principle is any good if you can’t maintain sensitivity. His point was is that it is an organizational Interpol tactic to hit people in their sensitive areas thereby straining them on basic issues. Towards the end I did not feel that he was as condescending as it started out to be. He does feel that it is unwise to take a very offensive position when you are in a situation of being in complete defiance of the law because they have the upper hand and can make it worse for you than before in an act of retaliation. He mentioned hat he felt that you should get acquainted with a very strong Christian Socialist group of people in Paris who have a lot of contacts in Latin America—throughout in a radical left perspective. He said that if you wanted to meet someone from there that he would set it up that they could provide a valuable connection for you someday. He does feel that if you come back to the US you will get “creamed” and that you also should guard against kidnap. Although he talks with a lot of over-pride I do think he may have information to back that up on. He relies heavily on his investigators who he is very protective of. He talked about [American Indian Movement leader] Russell Means being so beaten down til now he is utterly worthless that all he does is go around getting drunk and talking about beating people up that he is utterly ineffective as an organizer any further. He talked about DINA [Chilean secret police] and the attack on Letelier and also of different run-ins that they have had with them. He feels that DINA is backed by the US and is very ruthless (almost uncontrollable group) that needs to be watched out for. He said that they are so bloodthirsty that it gives you the “willies”. He mentioned that they are trying to get SB through now that Connely is dead. I asked if he knew any lawyers for organizations that had turned state’s evidence in on them and if they were able to counter the lawyers with “confidentiality and lawyer client privilege”. He said for all practical purposes that that was not true because all the [Transcriber’s note: following portion is in all-caps] lawyer has to do is give all the information they want behind the scenes and then the prosecutor goes about getting supporting evidence in another way so that he can nail you and leave the attorney out of it. He said that the idea of hitting the lawyer with the privilege idea was nice but virtually ineffective since there were one hundred ways around it. [Transcriber’s note: all-caps ends] He knows of many instances where the lawyers have done that and he cited a few.
SUMMARY OF MEETING WITH SHEEHAN:
I feel the two most important things in this elongated talk were 1. East Lansing Michigan. 2. JJ not being taken—- I feel that he is well-educated. He has many good contacts. 3. That his information is reliable. 4. That our case is too messy for him to want to take on but to just get feedback he is good. 5. That he is arrogant and moralistic and not aged enough in that respect of understanding. 6. That he (in view of the magnitude of his caseload Karen Silkwood and CIA) and the results of the cases that when he does talk like he knows something that he probably does.
Sees himself as radical. Doesn’t like liberals because they always view radicals as impulsive and insane. Sees himself as a “revolutionary” of sorts. Big ego. Good information person but would not want him for our attorney.
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LAPD ARTICLE:
I am enclosing an article on the LAPD that I found in the Washington news. I should be helpful to you in that the LAPD is being investigated for unfair treatment and killing of minorities and all. Several copies will also be sent to Georgetown so that you can tell them what to do with it. It will make that thing in the letter look one hell of a lot better if they have a news story from the Washington Post about racism in the LAPD.
CIA DOLPHINS IN LATIN AMERICA:
Am sending you copies of an article on the CIA putting trained dolphins in Latin America[.] I am sure that they can do something with this in Georgetown. Dick [Tropp] could perhaps draft a letter about some thing and include this in it.
TAXI CAB DRIVER:
Just an idea but I wonder if we are buying extra cars down there if someone couldn’t be set up in the taxi cab business thereby getting our people where they have to go and at the same time charging $ for other riders. Just an idea. Probably no good.
PAMPHLETING:
One thing I learned talking to Sheehan is that it is unconstitutional to now allow religious organizations to pamphlet at airports. In New York and Washington people are pamphleting. I do wonder if in LA if we could try this or do you feel that it is too risky. If they can start in LA we will call this question ONE. yes or no. (from now on all my questions will be numbered.)
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Teri Buford Report, Fall 1977
[Transcriber’s note: There are numerous typographical errors and misspelled words in this document. For easier reading, they have been corrected. In addition, one of the names in this letter is likely in code. It is designated by red type.]
[Handwritten notation at top of page: “SAVE TILL TB COMES”]
Here are a few things that I would like to do right now. This is not with the approval of Dick [Tropp] because he doesn’t want to stir shit and I am sure that [Peoples Temple attorney Charles] Garry will not go along with it either.
- Get [George] Klineman [son-in-law of Temple critic David Conn] garbage despite the risk.
- Write a letter to the Treasury Department laying out the facts that we have and asking them for a response on all the charges. (if they don’t answer that is an admission—if they do answer neg. then we have caught them in a lie and if they answer positively then we have proof of our charges) anyway we go with that we can’t lose because we know that they are on this. I think that we should do this.
- Calls should go into the IRS, Treasury Department, State Department, Better Business Bureau, FDA, and ask them what they know about Peoples Temple[;] that I know some people that go there and am interested in your evaluation of the group (don’t misrepresent yourself but rather just fib.)
- Get an affidavit from Marsha at Jackson Travel as to the person who tried to find out our flight schedule (I asked Garry about doing this and he said not to bother with it)
- Write a letter to the Special Services staff of the IRS under reference of ideological and activists organizations and present them the facts that we have and ask them to respond to the charges.
- Get an affidavit from Guy Young who works as a probation officer and have the affidavit say that he is a member of Peoples Temple and that he finds this organization to be good etc.
- Write a letter to the post office asking them why our mail was not only open but that it also had foul smelling alcoholic beverages poured on it.
-Write to the PR firm that has been doing all this stuff. Include in it 50 affidavits to be filled out by members of the firm from the president on down: the affidavit would say that I declare under penalty of perjury that I knew nothing of the New West [Magazine] break-in or the advertising that surrounded it and that at the time of the break in [illegible word] believed that Peoples
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Temple had in fact done the break in. I was unaware that the break in was staged and had no part in the planning there of or the advertising with the media that took place after. To be signed by the president, vice president and all of the staff of that firm. —-Then get an employee list from the company and see who is not signing and find out why. See if anyone signs at all—the fact that they all may refuse to sign we can use against them by saying that we asked them to sign affidavits saying that they didn’t engineer the New West break in and they refused.
- Write a letter to [KTVU reporter] Jim Clancy and enclose an affidavit to be signed and returned to us by him (naturally we keep a copy of all affidavits so we can show to the media and court what people have refused to sign). This affidavit would say that he swears under penalty of perjury that his sole interest in PT was for its news value in keeping the public informed and that he was not part of a larger conspiracy involving agents and other persons who were interested in disrupting Peoples Temple and destroying it at its roots but rather that this was an endeavor that originated with me (Jim Clancy) and I carried on by myself for solely the news interest and not because either myself or any people working with me were interested in destroying the Peoples Temple.
– Write a letter to [San Francisco attorney Jeffrey] Haas and ask him to testify under penalty of perjury that he is working alone on this case solely to help Grace Stoen and he knows nothing of nor is involved in any large scale conspiracy. That he knows no one trying to destroy Peoples Temple and that the money that he is receiving for this Grace Stoen case is no more than any other lawyer would charge and that he has no reason to believe that anything other than Grace Stoen’s earnings of several hundred dollars a month are financing this campaign and that he has taken no money from any source outside of Grace Stoen.
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[Transcriber’s note: There appears to be a page missing here, as there is no transition from the prior page to what follows.]
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Carrol’s affidavit to this list. And putting that as the subject of one press release. One thing that even when some of this stuff makes it past Garry then it is World War Three getting it past Dick. Dick is duel as hell— he one day is pissed because we aren’t taking the offensive so you agree and finally go offensive and now he is worried about stirring up trouble and like he said to me this morning is that he doesn’t want to put out anything that would upset the Treasury Department because they can make life miserable for you and that we really should listen to Garry about these matters because after all Garry has worked for a long time on this kind of thing and he knows what he is doing.
-another place where I differ radically with Dick’s line of reasoning is that Dick wants to compile a source thing of various groups that have been hurt in the U.S. by the pigs etc. and use that in Guyana to prove our case- I don’t disagree with this strategy but it bothers me that Dick feels more of a necessity of proving how others have been harassed than to sticking to the issues of our case. – of course it is always nice to show how others have been treated but unless we crack how we are treated then we don’t prove a thing.
-I think that we should make up an affidavit from Dick on how he talked to this one reporter who claimed to be a college student and misrepresented himself and then we find out in the Progress that he is working with them and had for some time and that the man had come in under false pretenses. (people do take us for stupid.)
-I don’t like the idea of Garry going to Guyana once again—maybe only for the selfish reason that I was looking forward to getting away from his gross ego for the longest time and to think that I am going to be stuck with him en route and while there I find disgusting. I’ll do it but frankly I don’t like it. I do think that if you let
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if there is a weak side of Guyana that it would be in the police network and that you ought to keep a very wary eye on them. He made another point that I thought was interesting. We were talking about doing a thing in the press about PT investigates the PR firm and his feeling on that was go ahead and do it but also to pursue an investigation on them. He said that the reasoning that they use is that anyone who is on your case is basically bad—everyone had skeletons to hide so if you look you are bound to find something– and usually when an organization like that is on your case if you look far enough and deep enough and doing get off their case for a minute that you turn up some really wicked shit. He said that there was the premise that they took with Interpol. He also said that he did think that the Treasury Department was capable of putting up funds behind this. He mentions that a CIA type connection would be hard to prove because unfailingly you run into a dead end street of corporation putting up the funds—and you never can crack the corporation because it is a front. (Standard Oil or Levi-Strauss could be possibly operating as fronts in this thing) (my opinion only). He doesn’t understand why we don’t sue all these people and put them on the defensive. I understand the legal perspective but I agree that it is hard to swallow.)
PROPOSALS
I would like to do the following:
- In depth survey on Klindenst (Garry’s office goes too slow for us)
- G on Klindenst.
- Check on this guy Joker who supplies the initial contacat.
- Write to the Treasury Department and demand a response. I would like to put it on Garry stationery– but I know that he will raise hell so I would like to write it then on PT letterhead and ask what the fuck is going on.
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I would like to mention in the letter to the Treasury about the break in– include a copy of the police report— include the barb article and ask for a response. —– Garry will feel that we are stirring shit. And I know that that is how Dick feels but it seems to me that if people are going to fuck you over that you should ask them every question possible to either prove them a liar or to get a sincere answer. No response is an admission of guilt on their part just as it is on our part. I think that the Treasury Department should answer to this.
- Get out at least two press releases a week with new stuff in each one– just brief little clips exposing one bit at a time more.
- Bring out the bit of information about Grace being approached by agents.
- Consider getting a real private investigator on this mess—- like [Hal] Lipset or something— (but if he is as lazy as Garry, forget it)
- Find a way to release some of the information gotten from the “tunnel project” some of that stuff was meaningful— can we use that stuff about “guns that they can have on five minutes notice— high priority number” etc etc—- I would like for that stuff to come out. I think that there must be some way of coming out with it.
- I would like to sue both [Joe] Mazor—and Mertle and that PR firm for actively trying to discredit and ruin the church—I can understand reasoning for not doing this—but why can’t we don their tactic of suing and never serving any papers as seems to be the most fashionable mo. around this place.
- I agree that we should compliment the president on his stand and I think that we should slip in that we understand his situation being the victim of this same discrediting force ourselves.
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- If this has not already been done— Renee and Sebastian McMurry should write a gushy letter to Garry thanking him for talking their mother into letting them go to Guyana and mentioning that this is the nicest place that they have ever been in their lives and they never felt free before— etc etc—– the egomaniac would eat it up. Enclose a picture of Sebastian and Renee and Teddy and Eileen.
- Have learned how to work with Lillie’s [code name, likely Marie Katsaris] toys at this point and have every intention of doing so when the opportunity presents itself. I am utterly infuriated with the lackadaisical prostitute left and the pigs that are putting this on us. I have never been so infuriated in my life as I am now. This is sickening. Absolute evidence that we are being torn apart and people continue to go out to Chinese restaurants with their heroes and you know Garry dyed his hair to look young and further wants to raide his eye bags under his eyes for the appearance of youth. Shit. He is a pig too. Anyway our Maxine [Betts] is sufficiently low here that I am going to pull all that he has in the box for here because I would like for him to think that we spent that on a barge and I would like to start pulling stuff out of the trustee account into ours as we are having a hard time paying bills at this point. I don’t think that we can transfer any more down to Guyana as we are having a hard time keeping up with the bills as it is now. Although when we had more funds here both liquid and checking I thought it was necessary for to safeguard them I think the time is right to start pulling them out of his accounts and back into ours—
- I would like to send out letters to every country possible and ask them about possible immigration of numbers of people wishing to pursue an agricultural or productive lifestyle. They don’t need to be written in the name of the church but rather an individual— perhaps we could sign Don Beck’s name to them. Don Beck as an old time Vista worker could get away with it and ignorantly ask questions without bringing attention to it.
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BETTY CARROLL AFFIDAVIT: I am sending you a copy of the Betty Carroll affidavit: it is one more piece of evidence on the conspiracy. This should go with the conspiracy folder. It shows that [David] Conn was with the [Temple defectors Elmer and Deanna] Mertles while Mertles were still in the church.
JIM CLANCY AS TREASURY AGENT: I would like to send a letter to Jim Clancy on Charles Garry stationery mentioning that in view of Dennis’s [Banks, American Indian Movement leader] comment that the name of the agent that Conn was working for was Jim we would like in writing from him that he is or is not working with the Treasury Department and that we feel that no reply is an admission of participation and or in fact that he is an agent himself. I doubt Mr. Conservative Attorney will go along with this but I would like to pursue a strategy of forcing these guys to answer as many charges that we make as possible. Their not answering them plays into our hands because then we can say we asked him a direct question and he refused to answer. I think that we should actively try to catch these people in writing in a lie or admission or refusing to talk. By Clancy’s own admission he has worked with agents—let’s see what he is prepared to put in writing if anything. Anyway it goes we can use it against him because no response is guilt, a negative response is a lie by his own admission, and a positive response would prove our point—- it would piss him off but he is already pissed off so what.
RCA CB RADIO: You won it from an NAACP contest that they say that you won: (still sounds fishy to me)……I think it is bugged….but then I am paranoid (rightfully so).
FOI LETTERS: All 28 for each person are now ready to go and we are getting them out this weekend. It may take months to get answers on these things but I think if we bug them enough as have others that we will eventually turn up something.
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Teri Buford Report 1977
[Transcriber’s note: The following document consists of a single block of text, without paragraph or line breaks.]
RE: THE CLOSING OUT OF MORE ACTIVITIES HERE:
I seriously feel that we are going to start losing people who might have stayed if we don’t start shifting them over. Frankly I think that we should start more rapidly closing out the operation here. I see no need to really keep Dick Tropp any further than the next issue of the paper. He, in his own eyes, is becoming “successful” accepted in the liberal left community. I think that we are definitely headed for trouble there because now he[,] as did [Eugene] Chaikin and some others[,] feels that we aren’t quite “cool enough—sophisticated enough—worldly wise enough to deal with this stuff and in Dick’s own words “we make trouble for ourselves.” I don’t think that Dick respects you. Dick treats our organization like he is the “great white hope” come to pull us out of our backwards over reactive ways. He is doing us all a favor to stick by us—and help us because we are not so good enough to help ourselves. I don’t know the reason for the slowing down of people over there but if there is room to take them I think that we ought to send another bus and get some more people on their way—especially those who aren’t holding outside jobs but are capable of working. They valley should be almost closing out soon and I think that all of them should hop on a bus along with some others here and get going across country. I think that [KTVU reporter Jim] Clancy should get out a Xmas and Thanksgiving healing mailer and pack up his stuff and go over. He told me last night that Kathy Tropp is moody as hell. I am very very worried about our finances and how in five years we are going to support all these hungry mouths. I don’t know what our current earning capabilities but I frankly don’t know how we are going to support all these expenses. The expenses for products for the PL [Promised Land] is outrageous and I know that it is all needed but I am really worried that by some unfortunate mistake we may all be alive in 5 years how the fuck we have to pay for it. To me this whole thing is frightening. Hopefully someone who knows more about the capabilities of that project becoming self-sufficient will have a better perspective than I do here. Hopefully we have some people employed in jobs or they are getting them or something. By the sounds of people on the radio they all sound like they are eating very well so I guess that is not a problem though I personally think that a switch to stews and the like would beat half a chicken but then again I don’t know if they are just saying all that stuff for our ears to hear. I don’t know. When I talked to [Peoples Temple attorney Charles] Garry yesterday I told him that I was very worried about how we were going to pay for people but the main reason I said that is that he wants to hit us for more money and I don’t think that he deserves a penny neither for
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his work nor for anything else. He hasn’t done a thing to deserve any money so I let him know clearly that we are frankly worried about supporting these people if we don’t get the realities of self-sufficiency met soon. I know he wants more money but he doesn’t have the balls to ask for it and he should not get it in my opinion. And these people asking for 250 dollars to get clothes for the PL and this and that. Maybe it is necessary but if we keep up at this rate I am very worried. Marcy [Marceline Jones] doesn’t push for money when she is here. She does one offering and smiles her way through it so far as that goes the money is no different in fact last night we did better than she did. So that is not a factor there. I am really worried about the financial situation and am not sure if I am too worried about it or if it is a justifiable concern. Maybe because I don’t understand financial planning and also I have no idea how we are going to be earning funds I am rather worried. I have not unseriously considering ways of robbing a bank or less grandiose ways of getting money quick but have yet to see how we are going to feed all these people. Hopefully things will go better than I project. But I see our [illegible word fragment]ments here getting smaller and smaller and frankly we are only [illegible word fragment]taining on escrows and then we will be on a downhill run all the way. I think that the mailings have to get back into healing and as much as some people may feel that it is bad for our image and especially in poor taste—I have yet to see how we are going to feed 1,000 people on our good image. I also think that we should start pamphleting up against—especially in LA I don’t know why we can’t start that. They haven’t been so hard hit by publicity and they didn’t even run a story on the John Head situation. I think also that we should approach all major dealers in everything—tractors and all and machinery and ask them that when they put a piece of equipment into someone place if they could tell the person that rather than sell their old piece of equipment that they could give it to us and they could take the whole thing as a tax write-off and they wouldn’t lose any money. It is worth a try in my opinion. I talked with Clancy about it last night and he is looking into printing places to do that too and I am going to talk to Jack today about it and see if he can hit some bigger truck and other types of dealers. Andy [Silver] too might be able to find something. —- Anyway I think that the deterioration rate here is upping and our white PR people don’t make any difference and I think that maybe you ought to put them to work making some money at the University of Guyana or working at the free university in Grenada but not just left here to fall in love with the left. – I think that that is a mistake—I think that anyone who isn’t absolutely needed here should go to Guyana unless they are bringing in $ to support
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the project; I think that in keeping the project going that Vera [Young] and Laurie [Efrein] and Jean [Brown] should say—but those people who can pull out should like Dick—Ruby Carroll has been running around with Makeup all over here for two days running now—I don’t know where she is picking up the new awareness but I am worried about her too. I think that she should go. Don and Carol are at least pulling in money for right now so I am in favor of all money earners finishing the year out but also they should be getting applications in for comparable jobs in Guyana so that if possible where we can safely transfer job for job we could do it. I think that Mike Cartmell could start giving a little bit of money and others who think that they can come and go as they like should start giving too. Judy Flowers did us the pleasure of showing her face in church the other night—I said Hi to her and she did a Suzanne and didn’t answer. We don’t see her money coming through here and I don’t know where she lives. Leona [Collier] will eventually take her empire back over so it should be pretty much as it was when you walked into her empire three years ago. It was only a temporary takeover and Leona is now taking helm of this place. And with her ego involvement I am sure that she will bring in the money so in some sense in the phasing out period it is perhaps not unwise to put Leona in charge of this place. I think that Norman [Ijames] should get to Guyana as soon as possible. He wants to go and I think that he should. Provided that he can get a job over there. I do think that Guyana wants him and at this point he would like Guyana. I don’t know how long Norman is going to continue turning down big job offers. I think that someone should be assigned down there to becoming our international procurer and ask for donations and used products from major companies all over the world—we have a federal tax number—we should use it. Perhaps that could be the excuse for getting Dick down there. Let’s use his PR ability to feed all these people. I wish people would hold off on having babies till we are sure that we can feed them. That pisses me off slightly—one or two years and maybe we could make that decision but unless there is some strategy for this—I think that it is inconsiderate to bring in children when you don’t know if you are going to be able to support them or not. – I just saw a bill for 5,000 worth of radio equipment. That is insane too. I don’t know what to do but once again I am worried about all these bills and where the money is going to come from. I hope Richard Janaro can get a productive profit-making business going over there. Or something can be arranged. I do think that we should push on doing some healing stuff immediately. I do think that when Garry is there that something that should be pushed with him is the financial worry we have behind this whole thing. I think that he should
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to terms with your frugality. Like last night when we thought all those toys were stolen. I called Pat [Richartz, assistant to Temple attorney Charles Garry]’s house and she called me back because she wasn’t at home and I thought that she was at some party. She said for me to come see her and she gave me the address of the Sheraton by the airport. So I went there to explain the situation and she and Garry are spending the night there. Frankly I find that a waste of money and it really pissed me off. It seems to me that you can fuck at your own house or even a cheap hotel for less than the cost of that place. I was ready to puke to put it mildly. I think that we should start a good photography/printing shop in G-town. By the looks of the pictures that you all had developed there it is clear to me that they could use one. The state of affairs in the U.S. is going steadily downhill. The picture is getting more right wing all the time and we will not be tolerated here indefinitely though I am sure my more liberal-type counterparts won’t agree with me. They don’t believe that the country is really headed for trouble. We overreact once again. But [US President Jimmy] Carter is getting a lot of heat. Burt [OMB director Bert Lance] has already stepped down. Andrew Young there is talking of impeachment—Carter in my opinion could be out in no time—the Panama Canal treaty can’t go through—and they will do all they can to stop Carter from doing it—frankly I think that the military will stop at nothing. That is another reason that I am worried about the project—I wouldn’t put it past the government to set us up as some kind of an example of why the U.S. needs to tighten its fists. I wish there was some way of making a million dollars quick—but I don’t know how to do it though we have some ideas all of which you nixed in the past. The kidnapping of Patricia Hearst, dumb as it was, did make a lot of money—of course I am suggesting nothing of the kind. So I don’t know. One thing that is effective—that is to say that you have something is almost as good as having it as it is all bluff anyway.—Like access that I had on one occasion to that stuff that was being transferred at my old job—if you really get in a bind—you might say that you have a vial—enough to destroy the whole country if opened to the air.—a check will show that there was access at the time given and also that I worked there so maybe a bluff if it gets tight will work. They have no way of proving you wrong because the inventories are off on that stuff all over the country. I will certainly back up the fact that you have the stuff if need be, Garry bothers me because he never stops to think anything out.—Like I think that [Bob] Winslow made a very good point about not having someone at the hearing because it would be a big story that we showed up—I think that Garry should have thought of that. By the way—just a note—but I think that Maria [Katsaris] should get married to Larry [Schacht] just to
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keep problems more toned down with her parent. Marriage is a legitimate excuse to begin cutting some of the umbilical ties. I doubt that Maria wans to do it but I do feel rather strongly that where we can avoid trouble by some simple process we should do it because we have enough trouble without that and it makes her case that much harder to deal with. Another thing—one piece of advice that I was given from Scientology that I kind of poohpoohed at the time but now I wish I had been paying attention to. He said to watch out for people who get sick in time of crisis—it is a sure sign of internal conflict over the real issue. Naturally I passed that whole thing off as a bunch of religious nonsense but Chaikin and Tropp both fit that thing. Chaikin came down with pneumonia and Dick got a kink in his neck that he couldn’t get out. Dale [Parks] before he left was having extensive sinus trouble. I still don’t know that I believe it but maybe there is something to the idea of attitude and sickness. I realize that some sickness is unavoidable but it might be wise to keep a look out at people who are always complaining about their health or feeling tired and that kind of junk. Maybe there is something to it—I don’t know but thought I should pass it along. Anyway on a long-range plan I am kind of leaning towards giving this whole area back to Leona [Collier]. As you already know offerings are unchanged by MJ [Marceline Jones] and I think people who will give for an all-black staff won’t give because some of us are here. I wouldn’t be surprised if offerings went up if we weren’t here so that Leona’s crew would take it. I don’t know of the advisability of that but there may be something to look at some months from now. I think also we should make a small press statement-type booklet on the conspiracy as soon as we get some more stuff together. We have the Unita Blackwell Wright stuff tied up with supporting news clippings and letters from people and we also have some letters from the Treasury and also the Barb article and some other local articles, People’s World and the like that are legitimate. In about two weeks I think that we should get together a conspiracy booklet like we did for the agricultural report. We can include [American Indian Movement leader] Dennis Banks’ statement. Jim Randolph’s affidavit—pictures and the like of you, [Civil Rights activist] Unita Blackwell Wright. Put in a pic of Dennis by the letter that we wrote to him. I think that a small paperback booklet would give the whole concept a sense of legitimacy that you are unable to attain with a short speech and a handful of clippings put together in a disorganized fashion. I will work on this if you will give the go-ahead on it. All we will need in it to get Garry to clear it is a good picture of him and I am sure that he will love it. We could even draw some historical parallels to satisfy Tropp’s historic relevance ego but I do think that this should be done in a well-done fashion and it would
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not take more than 8 hours of solid work to get the thing together. If I get the time this weekend I think that I am going to hide out in Garry’s office and try to throw it together in a Xeroxed roughed out form so I can bring it down and you can see what I am talking about. We could also get that statement in the beginning about how we are investigating these people and this and that and we could give it to the media and whoever—everyone—and people will get the idea that not only are we on the offensive but also that we are more organized than we may appear. I haven’t started on that “perspectives letter” to Pat that I was going to get done before I left so that will be a priority first as that was already agreed upon doing. I called that [attorney] Daniel Sheehan today and got a different number and that number they said that he doesn’t work there anymore but there will be a man in the office tomorrow that knows him. So I will call tomorrow. Daniel Sheehan was the person who represented the Berrigan Brothers, Daniel Ellsberg, defended the Pentagon Papers and that kind of thing. He is pretty well-known in his area. I don’t know what he can do for us. I am willing to give it a try though I must admit that after dealing with Garry that the idea of even talking to a lawyer is irritating to me because they all treat you like you are a moron. Jean Brown went to [director of U.S. State Department’s San Francisco Reception Center] Joan Brann’s luncheon today—if by chance she didn’t write this up someone told her the other day that the thing behind this Joan Brann thing (I think [Sun-Reporter publisher Carlton] Goodlett told her this) was that there were some Jewish people who wanted the position and of course Goodlett says it was only by the strategy of a lot of prominent black people sending telegrams to the White House congratulating them on their appointment of Joan that saved her job—frankly I think it was just chance as I don’t believe that all this telegramming got organized though I do question why we can never get those kind of results and Joan can. – As far as that Flippin [likely Filipino] place goes that we found to be unlisted we checked the reverse directory on that and they don’t list it either—so one unlisted number leads to an unlisted address so we don’t know anything more than we did before except that that is leading nowhere. – Anyway the radio is due to come on and for once I don’t want to have to ask to get off to write up reports and the like. I hope everything is going well with you—I wish things were going better all the way around. I am glad that you didn’t have to worry about those missing toys because it was enough to worry the shit out of anyone. Anyway—take care—hope that you are able to get some rest and peace from time to time. —
Terri
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Teri Buford Report 1977
To: JJ From: Teri
US OFFENSIVE:
Tim Stoen is leaving his usual methodical trail to his dirty work. Regular as clockwork and lacking his usual lack of sophistication. I think that we need to play on this to the hilt. If we don’t stop him now red faced we will end up shooting him here (which is a nice possibility but not without organizational side effects)[.] I really feel that when we get our information that we should not sit on it. I think that we should organize a picket in front of his job. An old black woman could carry a sign saying Tim Stoen called me “nigger”. Different things just exposing TOS. A huge blow up of his list of sexual contacts including the one with [Peoples Temple antagonist David] Conn underlined. I mean a huge poster of that letter listing all that he has fucked. A huge blow up of his article of capture. A huge blow up of Grace [Stoen]’s order list. A huge blow up of I asked my pastor to fuck my wife. A huge blow up of the “getting mercenaries quote” then a number of places on this company if we are sure our information is straight. Why not enact our First Amendment rights of free speech and get out in front with it. Let’s get a press statement together on this side and get it back there for them. I really think that we have enough grounds to start yelling about something.
This may be another of my hairbrained ideas— but when we were in Washington both the president and wife had not time to see us (naturally) but if Marcy [Marceline Jones] were to go back to Washington with her black son and when refusal is gotten to see the president proceed to stand outside until someone will see her—you might get some results. I have been kicking around the idea of Marcie holding a press conference in SF and also suing people. I don’t know. I think that if pushed far enough she could get a letter out of the president’s office saying they won’t kill us and that might be helpful. Also the 600 Club [Mrs. DeRosa/Mr. Hirsch from Codebook Text] should know of the mercenaries. I doubt that this has been done.
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ID’s: we got a number of ID’s that would be useful if Clancy [Tim Clancey] can reproduce them. Several military retired or dead and, one defense supply, one immigration and naturalization worker, one post office, some janitorial and building maintenance things that would be useful in getting into a big building for Stoen’s garbage or something. Anyway—- we will see if Clancy can make some duplicates of these things—I imagine it will be difficult but not impossible. I was talking to Edith [Roller] this morning and she mentioned that guards are so inept that one of the trainees in her CIA class put a picture of Marilyn Monroe on their cards and got in for three weeks just to prove a point. Anyway—I don’t know what your plans are but if you should want to get a passport and copies of other ID’s with your picture on it I would suggest that you get photos to take your pictures and we can send that roll of film back to the US. Perhaps parting your hair differently or making it appear completely grey along with your tortoiseshell reading glasses slightly changing appearances. I am not pushing this but sometimes—if you want to look slightly different for it pictures will be needed on the other side—-so the task of picture taking (which I know you hate) is sometime ahead—-unless you want old pictures of yourself used.
GUY MITCHELL [Temple member]: will be getting going on the Guy Mitchell threats soon. I am asking different people to come up with some ideas for threats so that we can get some new ideas on tape. We should be able to do the tape within the next couple of days. ———— (I would like to make it appear that Guy is with some group in SF that is not part of the church but supportive of you.)————-
RETALIATION: I realize that if something were to happen to you (and I hope Larry’s [Schacht] observations are wrong) that you would not want the movement to fall apart here. On the other hand I also know that if something happened to you retaliation would be in order to politicize your life and also Stoen and some others could not be left around because they could do too much damage if you weren’t here. I also
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realize that if we start bumping people off left and right that they would hurt Jonestown and therefore what was done would have to be calculated so as not to bring anyone to Jonestown. There are some things that could be done—one a larger scale: I would think that in the event that something were to happen to you suddenly here. 1. It should be immediately blamed on CIA. 2. In order to prevent the whole project for getting arrested for conspiracy a Kamikaze team should be appointed. These people would have a statement prepared ahead of time saying that they were breaking off[,] that they could not accept nonviolence after this atrocity and each person would be assigned one person and kill themselves on the sight. The government can do nothing with the killers all there. I know that Jean [Brown] and June [Crym] and Tom [Adams] would do it and themselves too and that would take care of Stoen and Grace and Mertles [Temple defectors Elmer and Deanna Mertle] and several people from here could do the same. [Mississippi Sen. John C.] Stennis, and several other conservative fascists—-naturally if the project is to maintain here we would have to refrain from killing any local US officials. All I am trying to say [is] that it is kind of a dual thing of maintaining the project and retaliating and I know that you want both done so the only way that I can think of doing it with the least harm to the group is a Kamikaze team. I think there are enough people here to do it to prove a point. 8 well-placed killings would prove the point for life. Stoen, Grace, Elmer, Deanna, Stennis and three others like Stennis. But I think it should be made clear to all involved that you don’t run and you don’t get arrested—otherwise 1,000 people will pay for it. Random action would produce chaos: it would have to be planned and assigned.
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DICK TROPP: Told Vera Young that it might be two years before we closed down on this end and frankly that he thought that we were going to keep a base here for good. Naturally Vera freaked on that and didn’t like it at all. Dick of course expects this to be the case and I don’t think that Dick really likes to be around you and as far as Dick goes he would as soon leave it that way. I remember several years ago (1973/4) when you came back from Guyana and Dick met you backstage you commented that you didn’t think that Dick was glad to see you and I think that that is the case now. I don’t think that Dick misses you. He talks about staying here indefinitely as if not only is that the proper thing to do but like he kind of would like it that way and without one word of emotional hardship at any separation from you. I frankly don’t feel that Dick has any emotional feeling for you. He has his little politics game and that is what he wants to play. He writes and he writes well and this is his little empire: and he really likes it even better now with his only competition Mike Prokes being gone—I think that Dick really resented Mike.
On the other hand another thing that we are facing here is that some people are beginning to think that they aren’t going to be going for a long while (if ever) and we have a slight wave of depression setting in. Music and dance don’t cover it up. Our organization is depressed. Marthea [Hicks] is depressed. Laurie [Efrein] writes me a note daily about her elevil[?] and how she is only holding on by bits and pieces. People saw the people in the PL [Planning Land] the other night[,] their smiling faces and all and few reacted with joy for you guys there but rather like a wave of depression struck the place. The slides[,] although in some ways they were helpful[,] people are begging now to go and demanding to know why they can’t go. Lue Ester Lewis was doing it tonight. One counsel to the next why can’t I go and the whole line. Gina Severns went home and cried after the slides. Frankly I have not anticipated this reaction as I thought that people would be happy to see the people over there but there was clapping and all but afterwards there was just silence. I think that Lee is only one of many who will choose to act out because they know that we will send them over to keep down the trouble. Maxine Betts is gaining weight rapidly and Norman [likely Ijames] isn’t going to take maybes forever. He will I think get pissed in time. There are some like Sandy [Bradshaw] and Dick who don’t mind it here but the greater majority don’t feel that way.
I don’t know what kind of influx you can hold but if we can have some kind of idea of what your limitations are it would be helpful here. Teenagers that aren’t working who could be working there might be good to send. But not if there is not enough food to go around. We can’t make those kinds of value judgments.
I really appreciate your attitude about us back here. I know that when I was in Guyana all I wanted to do was to forget this place and just do my business there and forget that America ever existed. And it is easy to forget this place once you get over there. And I appreciate beyond words the fact that you come in every day to listen to our problems and not forget about us. I know when I was there the last thing that I wanted to do was worry about the States and I know if I were there again my tendency would be the same. I know that you hate thinking about the States too so anyway thanks a lot for the time.