[Editor’s note: These reports have been placed in chronological order.]
BB-7-D28
Marceline Jones Administrative Report
Sept. 28, 1978
To: Jim
From; Marcie
1.I called [defense attorney] William Kunstler. I told him of our organization. He didn’t respond when I asked him if her had heard of us or not. He was not unfriendly. In fact I thought he was, When I told him of our project very interested. He asked me if I was familiar with Micel X Malex’ wife, Desiree. Evidently, she lives in Georgetown. I told her I didn’t know of her but some of our people might. He asked that I send him material on the project. He was friendly and explained that he was pushed for time because of a deadline he had for getting some legal work done. [Handwritten addition]: Material will be sent & a cover letter from me.
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BB-7-AA67
Eugene Chaikin Letter to Teri Buford, October 1978
Copy
Oct. 8, 1978
Terri-
This is a list of incidents that we feel is relatively complete. They are marked in the margin “good,” “possible,” “no.” Good means that we believe that they can be validated-by police reports, or whatever. Possible means it is worth a try to get some external verification. No means not available for use. We feel that the rest are just not probative of conspiracy.
Basically, we feel that incidents that are attributable to redneck mentality, rural racism and the like, aren’t of value. We feel we are better off getting materials on the few good items and using those.
Talk to Mark [Lane, Temple attorney], and see what you want us to do. If you want to go through the radio you can use the numbers for references. If you can think of others, please send them down with numbers so we can add them to the list.
Jean [Brown] is bringing a set of biographies for you. We should have a brief history done in about 4 weeks.
We need the forms sent down for federal affidavits. Please remember that it is a terrible hassle getting stuff signed in front of a Consular Officer. Mark might try to validate the route of using a Guyanese Notary or other govt. official and have the Consular Officer validate that procedure. We certainly don’t want to do more work. Also we need a “copious” supply of the kinds of paper Mark wants us to type the affidavits on-posthaste-if we are to get them done.
Gene [two illegible words]
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BB-7-A58
James McElvane Administrative Report
From Jim McElvane – 10/17/78
To: Dad
Re: Bill Russell
Bill is now a special commentator on Channel 7 in Los Angeles.
Bill was a 3 time all American basketball player and outstanding pro. He was the first black NBA coach and the first black general manager of an NBA team. He is very well known.
He prides himself on being outspoken.
I played with him and against him in high school and later in various leagues and knew him fairly well.
He is a capitalist but has done black pride programs. Francis Johnson [Peoples Temple member] says he was one of the few black athletes that would respond to black fund raising with time and money.
My suggestion is to approach Bill about doing a story on Jonestown if he’s interested.
If you think it is a good idea, I will follow through. If not, okay by me.
Mack
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BB-7-A38
June Crym Administrative Report, October 19, 1978
Terry
Re Washington Sanders
He was cleared to go, but we have to terminate his conservatorship first, because there is a bank account in the name of Garrison, his conservator, and since Garrisin is so unpredictable, it was thought better to terminate the whole thing so Washington could be free on his own.
Washington’s nephews attorney is a friend of Charles [Garry, Peoples Temple attorney], and Charles talked to him, and I talked to him also, and he said he wiould be willing to terminate the conservatorship for us, kind of as a personal favor out of his friendship with Charles.
So before I went overseas I kept in regular communication and sent him the necessary papers and he told me he would get a court date after I got back.
Now that I’m back he’s been evading every phone call I put through to him, which is loke every other day, and today his secretary told me he goes to the hospital next month and he just hasnt gotten to the thing and maybe it would be best to write him a letter and ask him to refer the thing to another attorney.
I asked to talk to him directly about it and the message was that he wasnt available for the call.
So, maybe [Tim] Stoen has gotten to him too?
I would like to call Charles tomorrow and see if he could call the attorney and find out what’s going on.
June
10/19
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BB-7-A37
June Crym Administrative Report, October 23, 1978
Jean
Rob Tarver called Jim Williams of Redwood Auto – Jim Williams does not ever remember selling us an air compressor. He had soldus something else but nothing like an air compressor. So we’re back where we started from.
If [attorney Marshall] Bentzman tells us that it is a matter of ownership and we do need the receipt, then I’ll send a message overseas for them to search, but if he says snot, I’d rather not get them started because that stuff is still unpacked and it would be a lot of extra work for some poor soul…
Washington Sanders – the attorney for the newphew has been stalling all these weeks and I finally called Charles [Garry, Peoples Temple attorney] for sugeestions – Charles suggests we have [attorney] Jim Herndon do it and forget about [attorney Henry] Gross. So I have to write a letter to Gross and get the papers back and go see Herndon. Meanwhile, someone’s been talking to Washington cause he told Andy [Silver] today that his papers were held up, that the attorney didn’t get them. Now that goes way back about 4 months ago when I originally sent the papers signed by [Eugene] Chaikin to Gross, and Gross claimed he never got them in the mail, so I sent a duplicate signed set about 3 weeks later. I never told Andy – and never told Wash – so how did Wash find out about it? There’s somehting fishy here – I think Gross has had his mind changed, either by the nephew or what he’s been reading in papers or TOS – perhaps the nephew influenced by [Tim] Stoen. Wash was upset tonight because he knew Cynthia was going and he had thought he would be going with Cynthia with Jennie; then found out that Cynthia going with her mom… and Jennie not going yet. Andy talked to him, well be seeing him more tomorrow to cash some checks. Andy should be bringing $620 to you tomorrow from Wash’s account.
June
10/23
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BB-7-A35
June Crym Administrative Report, October 27, 1978
10/27/78
from June
Jean/Terry
I talked to Neil Rosenbaum on the phone after Jean told me he had called wanting me to sign papers in the [Wade and Mabel] Medlock suit.
Charles [Garry, Peoples Temple attorney] and Rosenbaum filed a petition for writ of mandate, which is something I cant define except it’s a procedural paper appealing the previous decision against our motion for change of venue.
Charles and Pat [Richartz, Garry’s assistant] went to LA today to file the petition for writ of mandate.
Rosenbaum forgot to include my verification (the declaration I sign on behalf of the corporation saying I’ve read the contents and believe them to be true) and w hen that was discovered, Charles was already on his way to LA. But they had me come in anyway because they dnt know how Charles will want to handle it, and since the papers were being filed today, they wanted me to sign the verification today. Charles will be back Sunday.
I read the petition for writ of mandate – among other things it says that at the hearing on our motion for change of venue our counsel never showed up in court in time, because of difficulties in flights between SF and LA, and the judge ruled against our motion because of no appearance. The attorney got there late and talked to the judge, presenting the argument that all the parties did not live in LA, that Enola [Kay] Nelson and JJ [Jim Jones] were out of the states and [James] McElvane’s official residence was SF, etc. The judge ruled against the motion.
So the next step was the petition for writ of mandate. There’s a lot of legal discussion in it about why Enola Nelson Realty doesnt technically qualify as an association established in L.A. – the law says that if a business is a corporation in the county, then that qualifies it as centralized as a business in that county, but Nelson Realty is not a corporation. Nelson Realty is a sole proprietorship owned by Enola Nelson. In other words, technically none of us reside or do business in LA so the action should be moved to SF.
Rosenbaum is a young guy, probably early 30’s, a part-time employee there, a lawyer licensed to do law in New York and Pennsylvania. In a few months he will leave to work for a judge then he’ll return to Garry’s. He’s friendly enough and not too pushy but I had to keep talking or he would not bother to talk. Considering the fact that I came there at 4:30 after having talked to him at 2 and the papers were still being typed for my signature, and I had to wait about 45 minutes – he still seemed oblivious of any discomfort on my part – well, athat’s an attorye for you a
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BB-7-A36
While I was waiting for the Medlock verification to sign, [attorney] Jim Herndon came by and stopped – he said a court investigator called him and asked him some questions about Vincent Lopez. The investigator asked if he knew if Vincent was with a church group in South America; Herndon said he didnt know. The investigator asked if he knew anyone with Peoples Temple. Herndon said he might.
Herndon asked me what he should say. He said as far as he knew up til now, for the record, he did nt know exactly where Vincent is – (to cover his ass, of course)… he wanted me to tell him what to say.
I told him I would have to talk it over with others at home – and he didn’t like that, raised his eyebrows, said it’s no matter, and I tried to cover it over by saying wl I dont see what’s wrong with your telling them straight but then he said again that he didnt know where Vincent was – in other words, it was for me to tell him.
I said I would get back to him, and he said no matter, that he could always just not return the investigator’s call if necessary. But Herndon does not like situations like this, he is conservative and likes to be straight, so I think it’s just a matter of time til he’ll have to tell the investigator once he gets the okay from us to do it.
[Joe] Mazor has been in this, I bet – when he was over there he did say that he had been sent by the court. I doubt that but who knows who he talked to when he got back…