BB-5-G-1
Memo of September 1975 to Jean Brown
Wednesday, Sept. 3, 1975
Charlie/Joyce
Attn: Jean Brown
SAVE and return to me
A man by the name of Mr. Frank Newman had the interior development officer call me to find out if he could visit our project at Port Kaituma. I talked to Mr. Newman also. Facts about Mr. Frank Newman
- He is from the U.S.
- He and his wife are school teachers doing a study of education in the Caribbean (Eastern portion). They have now visited 22 islands in the Caribbean.
- They first found out about us by reading about us in an American magazine called Travel, about one year ago.
- They met Henry Cameron at Montserrat, where Henry is now based, and Henry told him the he knew about us and, in fact, was working at the complex where our program started, and encouraged him to come and have a look at our project.
- Newman and his wife are on a tour that began last January and will end next January. They are going to Surinam next. They would be on a sabbatical, except that with all of the cutbacks in New York, there is no funds for a sabbatical. 6. Newman’s address is 65 Woodbridge, Buffalo, New York 14214
- I asked him how he got my phone number, but I can’t remember what he said. I think he said Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The man is not originally from New York. At least, he didn’t have a New York accent.
- Will let you know more when we come in contact with him, and can think of questions that I want to ask him.
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Undated note
[Handwritten note at head of letter] We’d certainly love to get pictures and document all. We’d love to have them sign our guest book too.
Charlie, Joyce [Touchette]
- There is going to be this Newman fellow and his wife coming through in the next few days. They really want to see our place, so I am sure they will be in to see us, if they can’t get into the interior. Also, they will want to see J/tn and they are quite willing to stand any inconvenience, like only going in at 5:00a.m., so I am sure that they will want to go in and see Jonestown. They are likely going to write something up about us (it may only be a short piece in a long thesis, but never-the-less) so everyone will have to be prepared to be on their “Jim Jones” behaviour.
- I saw Lennox George, who is a writer for the Daily Chronicle, and he is anxious to go into see our places; he is quite positive to us, and wrote the good article about us in the Chronicle before.
- Elizabeth Phipps and her husband (she is in the American Women’s Group with me) are having a guest from the U.S. in the middle of this month and have asked before about coming up to see our place. She asked me again about coming up towards the end of this month. They are the ones who are coming up in the cabin cruiser which sleeps ten people. Her husband is a consulting engineer (I believe) in the Essequibo water project, which is determining if the Essequibo could have a dock built on it. If that is his profession, perhaps you can think of some questions that we could use a hydro-engineer to answer, like Tim’s dam.
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BB-5-G-3
P.S. Could you ask this Newman fellow the following questions in a conversational manner.
- What did they magazine called, Travel say about Peoples Temple?
- How did he locate (specifically) Paula Adams and her telephone number in Georgetown.
- What schools do they teach at?
- Are they from New York, or just moved there to teach?
- Any questions that may be good to know. 6. What made him specifically interested in the Peoples Temple agricultural project, as well how much he knows about it. Give him the details of how Pastor Jones out of his concern for starving people all over the world wanted to start an agricultural mission station to try to alleviate some of that starvation, etc. Newman said that Henry Cameron told him to look up Archie Ijames, which is why I am wondering how he got my name. I was so overwhelmed by the unexpected call that I forgot to enquire some very basic questions about his background and the above curiosity questions.
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BB-5-E-1
Letter from Paula Adams to Jean Brown, May 23, 1976
To: Jean Brown
From: Paula Adams
Sunday, May 23, 1976
Dear Jean, Thank you for the considerate letter. It surprised me that you apologized. For what? I know you are pressed for time and I have not been under any paranoic delusions that you aren’t attempting to respond to my reports or requests. Knowing Charlie [Touchette] read your letter to me (it was on top of all the mail on my desk without envelope when I returned from Jonestown), I was relieved to see nothing in the letter he couldn’t read. He made an unplanned trip to Georgetown which I shall mention below.
This is the weekend of the Spiritual Jubilee with Muhammed. I am anxious to hear about it. I am sure it will be a smashing success as no one but Jim could make it. I hope it brings even more cooperation between different avenues. I wish I could be there, but will wait patiently to hear about it. It sounds as if Jim has absolutely no time for rest at all. This isn’t sounding the way I want it to, so suffice it to say that we miss him very much, but appreciate his consistent demonstration of principle.
I wish to apologize to you for my curt and nasty attitude on the radio about the typewriters. You have done nothing to deserve that from me and I had no right to act as I did. I would like the portable to be electric and the long carriage one can be manual. I am disappointed in the quality of the typewriters sent to us so far. The Royal electric was a terrible choice (D. Wise [David Wise] made it). Karen L. [Layton] said Tim C. [Carter] had one just like it and it gave him trouble all the time. The IBM selectric was a dream and worked beautifully until a certain b… d assisted it in being smashed to bits. The electric Smith-Corona portable works all right except the period sticks (which it did in the U.S. according to S.B. [Sandy Bradshaw] when she brought it down to me) and now other letters are starting to repeat as well. It needs repaired before it is too late, but I don’t have a relief
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typewriter and can’t possibly be without one for one month to six weeks, which is how long it will be in the shop. Joyce Touchette] said there had been three sent to Jonestown. None worked well from the start. I take that back, one of them did. The other two barely worked and died almost immediately after arrival. The one she is using which is giving trouble now, she likes real well, but she is in the same position as me. It needs repaired, keeps getting worse, (because she has no replacement typewriter) and she can’t do without it. Hers is a portable manual, but heavier than most. She wants a very heavy duty manual or electric. I don’t think she cares as long as it is heavy and reliable. (she has strong fingers and really hits the keys)
On to other business…
1. Attached is the social security information sent for the Jackson’s. This is not retroactive, nor is it being deposited to an account for them there. This may be the response to their application sent in some time ago by me. When we got no response, you took over(not to take away from the fact that I was thoroughly stupid-for not making sure it got processed from you end long before I did).
2. The p.r. files which I listed in that one letter are the ones I need. I am using them more in p.r. now than before. When I meet someone, or haven’t seen them for some time, I give them a p.r. set of leaflets. It saves time if I’m in a hurry; and also gives persons I don’t have time to talk to at all some kind of background of the group and of our example of integrity so consistently demonstrated. I also send them out in letters of interest or to persons writing asking for healings (the letters I forward on to you). The ones I asked for large numbers of are for general mailings (if o.k.ed by you there). If not o.k.ed, I indicated a quantity for simply p.r. use.
3. You can tell Wanda [Swinney] that toys cannot be imported here. They are encouraging local production of toys and have therefore restricted importation. Actually, an unsolicited gift like that could maybe come in (I’m not sure though),
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but I don’t think it would be fair to the others here because they do get equal birthday presents from Our Friend and also sending individual personal gift would be taking from that and making the individual more important than Our Friend. I don’t know if Wanda is reasonable enough to see that. If not, tell her they are banned items. To clarify for you… if toys were part of family personal effects (used) shipped with several other things, they could come in, but not alone.
4. The radio strategy would have worked fine and everything was straightened out as we planned… but… my equipment was faulty the first time, so I replated the experiment using a different approach and that time I had a faulty battery. I was concerned that a third attempt might make things worse than they already are. I am thoroughly disgusted. The machine worked fine when I tried it before and the battery was fine last time I had used it. I hope that the man Mike called will be able to help.
5. The flyers that corrections were made on to send out were not mailed in time. I am quite angry about the whole thing and can say no more than “Charlie, you forgot to mail the flyers”. I was going to come back to Georgetown early enough before Independence Day to give the mailers enough time to arrive (it takes seven days for something in Georgetown to reach someone in Georgetown). Charlie said he needed to go to G/tn [Georgetown] to get some boat part because the trawler can’t go to G/tn until something gets fixed. It seemed needless for me to hurry back to town when the flyers were all ready and only needed mailed, so I asked C.T. to mail them for me just as soon as he got to town. He did not do so and when I got to town, they were still sitting on the bookshelf. I do not like to have to come in to G/tn unless necessary, but I don’t faith in anyone’s follow-through here. Something more important can always come up and it is simply a matter of perspective as to what is more important. Obviously, to him the flyers lacked the necessary importance.
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6. Charlie came in G/tn for an urgent boat part and the boat is not scheduled to make any trips for quite some time, so I think it was simply an excuse to go to G/tn; and especially at the imparticular time – I wasn’t in Georgetown. I am quite disturbed by C.T.’s choice of travel buddy: Jeff. Ben made a good point about no male or males should be alone in G/tn. Also, C.T. has absolute check signing privileges (ask Helen for details) and I don’t believe Jeff has changed, but is rather manipulating (which is o.k. as long as he is at Jonestown and works well). C.T. gets negative so easily and then lets things get exaggerated in his mind. Joyce can handle those moods pretty well, but Jeff is not Joyce (what an understatement) and I think he should add to that negativity. Jeff is very divisive… Anyway, I don’t think we should let anymore situations like that happen. If that means me coming back early, I think I should. The peace with Charlie in town was beautiful, but I don’t trust him without someone to watch him when he is in town controlling money of P.T. and there are only three persons I would trust to watch him: Joyce, Debbie [likely Touchette], or me.
7. Joyce and I discussed Debbie and I staying in Jonestown more often and transferring all of my files and correspondence materials there. I think this would give us an opportunity to spend more time there. The problem with that idea right now is that we have no place to work. The office is not really an office at all. It is, rather, Charlie’s domain and we would cause a number of problems working there (Joyce and I both agree with that). We cannot have a building built and called an office or that would threaten Charlie also, so we thought we should call it is a “files and correspondence” building. We could just build one of the regular buildings and section off a part for us as an office. There are a number of suggested buildings to go up and if the program could get speeded up and one of those buildings go up right away, we could move a great deal of general work out there, but I don’t want to do it until we have some place to work or it will get backed up too far. (Debbie
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has straightened out the mailing files, which alone I had not gotten around to), but there always seems to be work to do on them and I don’t want to let them get in disorder or out-of-date. Debbie needs to spend more time with Mike so we need to get this in motion right away. Joyce is going to approach Charlie about it, but want to keep you informed what we have in mind. There is another consideration which will have to be discussed and guidelines considered from your end. That is, that once in the interior we are cut off from everything. We don’t even get the news up here. I have no way of following trends (because much of that is from conversations rather than newspapers), but perhaps I am overestimating my importance in that area. I don’t know. I will not be able to do either p.r. or visitations (religious)—which neither to regret getting away from, but how necessary are they. Of course, I would still have to come in for customs or odds and ends of work now then and could take care of some of those things while I am in town, but that isn’t with any kind of regularity. I am really in a corner. I feel guilty not being in Georgetown doing my work and I feel guilty not being in Jonestown to help with the ever-growing amount of work there, as well as making it possible for Debbie to be of help to Mike.
8. You asked if I received a p.r. package awhile back. I need more specific information to answer that. When? What was in it?
9. The letter to Llewelyn John is not necessary now as I’m fairly sure the matter has taken a different course, however, I think suspicions are lessened when people know what you are doing and if (beings we have get him) we do send him a greeting card now and then just let him know how much we love Guyana and how we are working hard to assist the FCH program and how much progress has been made, I don’t think it would hurt. If something ever came up in the future, perhaps it could be avoided. You can decide there what you want to do with it. I did not want a gift sent to him (that would be a bit too much) and I don’t remember requesting a gift to be sent to J. Leila either. I do think a card should be sent to Leila, though.
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BB-5-H-1
Note to Jean Brown from Paula Adams, May 1976
May 26, 1976
To: Jean Brown
From: Paula Adams
SUBJECT V.H.
From my talks with Charlie and V.H., I’ve drawn one conclusion: I don’t know what’s going on!
Here is a little background information on V.H. that might be useful in assessing the worth of his assistance. He is overzealous when it comes to spending someone else’s money on machines. He just loves machines. It isn’t that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to that specific machine that you’re interested in, but he will try to get you interested in things you don’t need. He does know about machines and often finds very good deals on equipment, but I am the one who stands over the whole thing and if it isn’t up to the quality he claims, he either refunds the money or replaces or fixes the item. (That is one aspect of the role I play in this). He does not stick to one opinion about what is best suited for our needs. For example, he thought that the Ball community canning center was ideal for our needs when I first talked to him. I suggested looking into tin cans for food preservation and he thought that it would be too involved. Now, from what I am getting feedback on from C.T. and V.H., he is convinced that tin cans is way to go. There must be a machine involved in the tin canning that he wants to get his hands on.
Charlie is really upset about the discussions with V.H. I think his ego is what is upset! He claims to be concerned about what I would have to do to get all of these things followed through from V.H. That is pure rubbish. He could care less. His ego is threatened because V.H. is being listened to without C.T.’s comments. It is a fact that it puts pressure on me, so I want to know if what is going on is worth it. I’ve done it for less, but I sure don’t want to get into anything if it isn’t necessary. I don’t know if you even know what I am talking
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about. He is an engineer, which we don’t have, and he is quite willing to put his time in free(that is not my opinion, but I’m speaking in terms of dollars). I think he has been quite useful in the project and he has been generous and still is. I am writing in straight terms avoiding cynical comments. What good does it do. I do think that the whole thing is becoming a problem to Charlie. He would rather, from a comment he made to me, listen to someone who is in the family than someone who is outside. I agree with this when it comes to policy, but we need to tap from every source we can get if the knowledge is useful. I don’t think Charlie agrees with that theory anyway. He is so threatened by anyone who makes suggestions about the project. Smitty [Walter Jones] didn’t set right with him at all. I do agree that Smitty needs to say he doesn’t know something when he doesn’t know. But for the most part, Charlie just didn’t like sharing the king-cheese role, and I think that the meeting with V.H. made him even more threatened. Frankly. I don’t see that there is so much difference between C.T. and V.H. when it comes to their commitment to [P.T.] Both are in it for the same reason just different faces.
I wrote the above before our first conversation and have not yet heard a reply about the subject, but I am going to go ahead and mail this with everything else.
V.H. has come over several times since his return and Debbie’s presence has been an invaluable blessing. Frankly, I don’t know if I could go through this thing if it were decided as necessary. I sounded very noble indeed before he returned, about doing anything necessary, but now that I have seen him again a few times, I don’t know. Not only is he repulsive, but his condescending comments are getting hot biting responses from me. This could make things worse if I were to start up another friendship and then make sarcastic remarks, than to just cut from him completely.
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BB-5-D-1 – D-3
Report to Paula Adams from Jean Brown, May 31, 1976
May 31, 1976
To Jean Brown
From Paula Adams
1. The radio interview done with the Ministry of Information has never been broadcast. We were told by CBS radio station that the reason was because the program “Rural Roundup” which the interview was to be aired on, has had producer problems. They have the interview, but no one presently to edit and emcee the program over CBS. Staff shortage of a radio program emcees at the station. We are going to try to track down the Ministry of Information officer who did the interview and ask him if it will go on another (Freudian slip) program. He tours the entire N.W.D. so it might take some time to locate him to talk to him.
2. Max Krebs, the U.S. Ambassador here, is retiring from the foreign service. He will be leaving Guyana about June 15th to go into retirement. I don’t know where he’ll be going but if you send a p.r. letter to the U.S. embassy here, they’ll forward it on to him probably. Thank him for his interest and assistance to our mission here. Also mention what a loss it is to lose Mrs. Krebs (Esther) as the chairwoman of the American Women’s Group (which P.A. and Deb are members of.) She (Mrs. Krebs) has actively participated in humanitarian cases of need (thank her for something like that.) She was active in “charity work.”
P.R.
Mr. Maurice King
Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Agriculture
P.O. Box 1001
Georgetown, Guyana
Maurice King was recently appointed the new P.S. [Permanent Secretary] taking Bertie Orderson’s place. This is the top administration post in the ministries. The minister is a political appointment, whereas the P.S. handles most of the ministry’s business. We are in constant association with the P.S. of the Ministry of Agriculture. Bertie Orderson was a great friend to us when he was in that post. I hated to see him leave. Bertie is now the secretary to President [Arthur] Chung. It is sort of an interim appointment, not a promotion. He is going into the foreign service (so I’ve heard) and may join Claude Worrell in Washington. Bertie and Claude are good friends, anyway. I hate to see our two finest friends out of the country, but what can we do? If you ever have Orderson in your company, you can talk straight with him and keep in mind his many kindnesses and friends. He is a teacher by profession and loves that field, but his loyalty to Prime Minister Burnham and belief in a socialist philosophy/economic order took him into government service. He is writing (or at this stage, may still be gathering material) a book on Prime Minister Burnham. Ironically, as it is, Bertie and V.H. are good friends, too. V.H. and his commitment to himself, and Bertie and his commitment to Guyana. The odd couple.
Back to the subject, write a congratulatory p.r. letter to Maurice King. He is a highly qualified man, very efficient and well respected by members of P.T. in Guyana. We have always been impressed by and grateful for the cooperation and assistance the Ministry of Agriculture has given our agricultural project.
4. Your last comment in that short note attached to the back of Mike C’s [likely Cartmell] letter: “In regards to sending pictures to Dr. Reid, it was mentioned that it sounds like he has seen the truth, and that he is close to Worrell.”
I’ve looked over my letters and I don’t know what this is in reference to.
The pictures I wanted of the farm to give to Dr. Reid (if I am guessing correctly at your frame of reference) was requested by Claude Worrell as a duplicate layout that C.W. was going to use to get a news article published in the newspaper here about us. He thought courtesy necessitated Dr. Reid get a duplicate set. Or, if you are referring to the photo album and not the pictures? If so, I understand.
5. I just got a letter from the Social Security administration stating that a check for $3,012.60 is being sent to Jackson’s for back s.s. between March, 1975 and February 1976. I already have the $424.50 check. Do you want me to send it back there, open an account in their name with Joyce [Touchette] and I as the power-of-attorney’s, or just have Joyce and I sign as their power-of-attorneys and take the money in cash. The Jackson’s, of course, don’t care how we do it for them, although they would like to avoid having it sent up to the interior for them to sign. The back-pay check is also being sent here. Are you going to change the address to a deposit account up there? Let me know.
6. The radio in Georgetown is broken down. It must be raining quite a lot up there, because I have been waiting for the part to come from the interior, but it hasn’t been sent yet. Anyway, we called G.A.S several times and nothing has come in for us yet.
7. P.R.
Dr. Sirpaul Jagan
199 Charlotte St, Lacytown
Georgetown, Guyana
Thank him for his kindness in taking our members quickly in his dental office. Whenever we have people in from the interior on a tight schedule, he will try to take care of all their dental needs as quickly as possible. He said he would try to wire Jan’s [Jann Gurvich] teeth together (but we have not had any need to do it since Jan has been staying on her diet). None of the other dentists we talked to would even try. He is Cheddi Jagan’s brother although Sirpaul is quite different from his brother. I have heard that Sirpaul makes more money playing poker or gambling then in his flourishing dental practice. Sirpaul does advocate his brother’s literature in his office, but I don’t think his support goes beyond blood ties. Blood ties among East Indians in Guyana are very tight normally and I imagine their relationship isn’t much different. Anyway, I’ve never heard anything different and Cheddie takes Sirpaul’s practice when Sirpaul is out of the country or on vacation. Cheddi is a dentist also (I’m sure you already knew that). From this brief background, I’ll let you decide how you want to handle this. I have mixed views as to just how far to go with this. I would like to have him see some of our literature on our humanitarian programs, but I don’t know if we want to chance him being in possession of it. However, he could easily get literature from anyone who might be on our mailing list.
Speaking of Cheddi Jagan. Today he was officially sworn in by the President of Guyana as the Leader of the Opposition. This supplanted Fielden Singh. We may at some later date want to get a letter of introduction to Cheddi Jagan from [San Francisco publisher] Dr. Carlton Goodlett, when Jagan is firmly established to be supportive of the PNC government. Jagan is back in Parliament (he couldn’t be leader of the Opposition in Parliament if he wasn’t) and rumor has it that he may be the new minister close to our mission’s “agricultural” program. I have no more than hearsay to go on. Will let you know when I read it in the Chronicle.
- P.R.–
Mr. Roberts
Civil Aviation Department
G.P.O Building
Georgetown, Guyana
He is sarcastic and cynical about our group and us getting a DC8 jet. He is Portuguese and black, with emphasis on the former. He took time out to be nasty to us. Seriously, thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk with us and giving us information and assistance, which has been great use to us. Tell him about our humanitarian and activist activities in the U.S. I think he is Catholic, but he has given me the impression that he doesn’t like churches (which may account for his cynicism). You might mention racism in the U.S. and how nice it is here (although I’m not sure if he’ll be moved). My previous experience with him before the first charter came down was that he didn’t like evangelists and didn’t want to grant a charter of holy rollers to come in. I assured him that he had us all wrong, that we weren’t evangelists coming to proselytize, but rather, humanitarians who were concerned about the world food shortage… then… we had the healing service fiasco, we all of the sensational publicity. I think that is what he is cynical about. He probably thinks he was deceived. I have spoken to him, but he remembers what he wants to. I think in the future, it should be a man that deals with him, because he has no respect for women (in the sense that they have any brains).
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BB-5-W-1
Undated report from Jean Brown on San Francisco staff, likely fall 1977
Thursday
Dear Dad,
There are lots of things I want to tell you so I’ll attempt to write them down. For all the problems in San Francisco, there is a lot of strength [and] tenacity in people. I will write a summary of each person, how I think each is doing in this report. Marceline made many phone calls to people all over the Bay Area and found a positive attitude towards the Temple and from most people the idea that we are still around in strength. That is an accomplishment that lots of people working together have done. I don’t want to minimize the positive aspects because there are many. But many mistakes have been made and problems that have come up I really do [not] know how to get around. And those are what I want to try to describe.
Terri [Buford] and I talked about them when she arrived, and she told me some things I did not know. One is that some phone patch messages were not getting through to me and another that Sandy [Bradshaw] was talking to Leona [Collier] behind my back. So I’ll start with Sandy. For months I was satisfied that things were going pretty well. Sandy spent lots of time with Leona and they built up what seemed to be a good communication; Sandy waited on Leona hand and foot and I spent most of my time trying to get radio traffic done. Leona was cooperative and we made collective decisions in most instances that worked pretty well. That all changed when the crisis over Leona’s sister came up. Leona took all of us on over that, including Sandy. Since that time, or increasingly since that time, Sandy has cut herself from everything and everybody. She gave up trying to maintain the relationship with Leona and started “sandbagging” herself in her room hours and days at a time. This is going on currently. She told Terri already that she expects to die within not too many years and that she is really sick. She said she will not go to the doctor because he will tell her there is nothing is wrong. All I know is that she complains constantly of having no energy and goes to sleep in her room, opting out of all responsibilities.
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Re. her ailment, which Debbie Evans says is potassium deficiency, Sandy said that you know. I recall that you had told her to keep drinking water. Terri explained to me that Sandy had taken us all on [a] ride with that one – that was strategy to cover for a message given about “Bibles” and was necessary to keep up the context in radio conversations. So Sandy goes all over the Temple with a bottle of water and drinks gallons. I had always thought that was literal, and Sandy took me for a dummy, using sickness as an out. She is absolutely no help. She doesn’t so much as make a phone call. In a crisis she can really produce, and her mind is fantastic for radio codes. But when I am on the radio she leaves the room, figuring that I will do the work. For a while I stayed away from the radio – then I never heard anything that was going on and little got done. I cannot give her assignments, either, as I am not in a position in her eyes to do so. What Terri told me she was doing to work against me was say such things to Leona as “Why is Jean the only one who has keys to the money?” To my face she has been friendly and supportive, and we have had no friction. But then I ask nothing of her. Terri also told me there have been phone patch messages when I was out of the building that I never got word of. I feel that I am constantly left to fend for myself by Sandy, and also undercut.
She handles the petty cash and while I am out of the building; people come to her for small amounts. Usually she doesn’t have more than $150.00 at a time and does turn in the receipts. Lately she has asked for $500.00 for tonic which she describes as a special kind of supply for you, which I presume is legitimate. However, I am not allowed to see it or know where she goes for it – she cuts all the information off the receipt but the total amount. This has happened to the total amount of $500.00. Now she is ready to come over – I would encourage it as she is of no help in San Francisco. She plans to come in October.
My problems with Leona started when out of the blue she jumped me for holding out information on her – that was the Kwan case which I described in one of my write-ups. She and Mack [Jim McElvane] both jumped me. My paranoia of her since then has made it hard for me to deal with her, and I am sure
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that has made matters worse. I live in constant fear of being in a situation where I will be confronted for not communicating something or for having made a decision without consulting her first. I really need to know how to deal with the situation. When instructions come over the radio, they are often met with opposition from Leona (and from June [Crym], also, which I will get to next). I feel the opposition may not even be so much to the radio instructions, per se, as to me. That gets so damn hard – to get work done is one thing, and to steel my nerves to the point I don’t feel personal attack each time I open my mouth is another. I feel like it is a no-win situation. I believe that input from people is good in most situations – my own judgement is naive and often I do things without thinking them thru first. But the input in recent months has not been constructive from Leona-it has been personal attack. This is what has caused me such emotional problems. I can deal with people and problems in a systematic, rational and dogmatic fashion. But when reason fails and everything is irrational, like Leona’s actions since her crisis over her sister – I am lost. And I have experienced paranoia like never before. When we go see [Temple attorney Charles] Garry, which Leona has included herself in on since Terri left last time, we go over all radio instructions together first. For awhile we did well – came up with reasonable approaches to get our points across. Leona can be terrific in that regard. But since her sister’s situation again, it seems to me that she uses every occasion to justify her position. If Garry is pissed because we changed instructions on him, or want to manipulate him in some way – she just says, “You can’t trust people on the outside that way,” or some such things. She makes is clear she is not defending Garry, but attacks me – Terri, the radio – whoever is the responsible party for the message. It has become an impossible situation, and you brought change to us when it was badly needed. I need to know how to deal with Leona before I go back: whether to acquiesce and apologize and all that; and how to get things done at the same time.
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I am sure that I have my part in this. I am closed with information, and many times I am sure I have made stupid judgements and omissions. What I fear is the feeling that there is no way out of it – that there isn’t some change I can make or some technique I can learn to avoid such a stalemate happening again. I believe she is on a power trip. She accepts no countering to her opinions and demands allegiance and instant follow-through. I am not the only one to feel this: Tom [Adams], [Tim] Clancey, Sandy for others. Also [Jim] Randolph. But when being acquiescent to her demands means a conflict with radio instructions, I do not know what to do.
When I said earlier that June expresses opposition to radio instructions, I talked to Terri about it and she said to be sure to tell you. June did not express to you the conflict that I have seen in her many times. She feels, often, that instructions are an imposition or not legally sensible and gets hostile. She often walks out of the radio room mad. Then she gets guilt because she feels it is disloyal to question and clams up about her feelings. This has happened many times. She mentioned something to Marcie about it when she was in S.F. the last time. About two weeks before June went over to Jonestown, I finally confronted her. She was pissed with me because I asked her opinion on some instruction for Garry which she disagreed with. (June has no love for Garry, but she has little tolerance for any sort of maneuvering or manipulation to get points in or get responses from him.) I told her something was going to have to give because we had to work together or everything would fall apart. I told her that her input was valuable because to just put things to people without discussing it first was not what Dad desired, either. We are supposed to use our collective head. She just said, “I am a negative person; just call me Leona the Second: I cannot stand positive people like you (Jean) and Laura Johnston etc.” We talked it out and I think made some sense of it. Her attitude improved and I have not seen her since she returned. Part of it was just needing a rest
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I think. But this conflict of June’s has on several occasions put her in the position of backing Leona against instructions. The night of the event with Don Freed and [Joe] Mazor when June, Mac, Clancey, and I were at the hotel, Sandy called to reinforce the need for a press conference. While I was still on the phone, June asked what Sandy was saying. I told her that the feedback from Guyana was to go ahead and have a press conference that night – and she openly and loudly put the idea down in front of Pat [Richartz], the legal secretary from Garry’s office, Mac some others.
I feel that most of the time she tries to work with things and cooperate to find the best solution. Her work is steady and speaks for itself. When I explained to her that things that come across the radio for Garry are not necessarily legal points – but sometimes thoughts to motivate him or encourage him to look further down the road etc – she said she could see that and we have made some headway. But before her trip here she had reached a real low point and her negativity about some of what comes across the radio is a real obstacle to getting things done. Terri told me June said when she was here she did not know anything about your ill health. Yet I told her myself in the radio room right after I had heard it that you had lung cancer. I don’t understand why she said that and will ask her when I return.
I think the mess-up with Mazor could have all been prevented if we in San Francisco had been working together instead of at odds. We should have reserved judgement instead of jumping for Freed’s and Pat’s conclusion: we should have listened to the tapes for ourselves and given you our collective opinion on what was said in the St. Francis meeting. But Leona was not on good terms during that time in view of her upset over her sister and did not participate. Mac was suspicious of the whole thing. When we went over the plan with him the evening before, he only took the contract to look at with his fingernails and would not touch it, and for the first time (after having been in my room many times) asked if the loudspeaker in the ceiling were some sort of electronic device. And I was content,
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BB-5-W-6
after reading report to us, to listen to [Don] Freed spin tales about [Tim] Stoen and sip a glass of wine rather than begin work listening to the tapes right away that night. So by the next day when Clancey copied the tapes and I started transcribing, it was already too late to register our misgivings because Charles was getting ahold of Mazor to get him to go to Guyana right away and then the problem became dealing with Garry about Mazor. We in San Francisco bear the full responsibility of landing Mazor in your lap the way he did. I know there have been other problems resulting from bad decisions or lack of follow through from San Francisco. The shame of it is that as a group we have the ability to do so much better but instead we succumb to hostility and paranoia.
The assumption that seems to underlie the trouble there is one of race – one that I think Leona capsulized when she said that no black people (in Peoples Temple) are listened to unless they talk up. I get this from Archei [Archie Ijames] who immediately, when he is not consulted on something, assumes he is being patronized. He told me as much. I attribute Vera’s [Inghram] (and also Dennis Allen’s) attitude to the same thing. When Paula [Adams] first arrived, she made a thoughtless statement when a question was directed to her in finance meeting. Someone asked her about the soles of boots and whether a certain type held up in the rain. Paula answered that she didn’t know, the question should be referred to Hue because he worked in the mud more than she did. Vera instantly shot the statement to Maxine [Betts] sitting a few seats over and asked, “Did you hear that?” Paula didn’t know what was going on, but that is what constantly plagues us there – There is an attitude of looking for fault in white leadership, and of course there is plenty to find.
Archie told me before I left to tell you that if you need him, he will come. He works very, very hard and at least with AJ, though he gets way out sometimes, I can still talk to him with the hope of working thing out. I think his leaving would be a sore loss to our crafting efforts because he is black leadership which the crew respects and follows. In that
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regard, there is no one to replace him. But I think that when he says he is ready to come, he probably means it. Rosie [Ijames] has been having trouble with blood pressure. It has stabilized now, but was way up.
The publications department have been going through some ups and downs. Patty Chastain and Kathy Tropp have had difficulties, probably from working together for so long in that same place, as much as anything else. Kathy Tropp went out and got temporary work without asking anyone. Her note to counsel about it a day later (she worked for a temporary employment agency at a bank) she said she resented Tom Clancey for not teaching her to run the presses and she couldn’t stand working with Patty any more. Sandy, Leona and I talked to Tim and then to Kathy. Tim taught her to run the presses within a week and the situation seems to have smoothed out. Patty pulled me askide the day before I left and said she had to talk to somebody because she was getting so negative. I really think that the turn of events with the Peoples Forum coming up, and the hopes of good press will pick things up in that department. Patty loves working on the Forum and feels it is a real contribution she is making. Tim seems to hold up with a real positive attitude. I have sought him out more than once as someone who keeps his head and a positive perspective when I needed to sort things out with someone.
Randolph keeps on very steadily. He said something that alarmed me a few days before I left. Said he had adopted a new identity – a non-identity, a non-person. Like he had resigned himself to a life of work only and no illusions to rely on. I don’t know if that is an accurate interpretation, but he somehow keeps on with a lot of tenacity and usually a good attitude. Marcie said she would talk to him.
Maxine Betts works very hard and tries to be of help in lots of different departments. She helps in Publications, in accounting work for me, in packing, in counselling and of course in the kitchen. She is going to school again for dentistry and keeps a very hard schedule much of the time. She is a great help there, and one who does not let the race thing dominate her thinking. She is a real support.
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Andy [Silver] and Tom seem to keep plugging with no complications. Tom has developed a liking for Hattie [Newell] but it does not run interference with his work, which he will do whenever asked. He too is paranoid of Leona. He said she put her hand on his shoulder and said she used to have Johnny [Moss Brown] as a son, then Hue [Fortson], and now Tom was her son. Tom of course is wondering what that will entail, to have been duly anointed. Tom works wherever he is asked, and that includes the back lot crating and the kitchen, both of which help a great deal. Andy continues to with procuring and PR – wherever there are calls to be made in the community he persists to the last degree. He seems to have learned something about consulting before acting, though he still gets in some tight spots.
Irvin is another person who can be counted on to help out in any number of situations. He is very cooperative and like Maxine, his pre-occupation is not with race. He is very level-headed and works extremely hard.
Doxsee Swaney has her ups and downs in moods, but I think has a lot of staying power. She recently volunteered to help Kathy Richardson outin the letters office. She usually is very willing to help in any capacity and keeps at it. Laurie Efrein, too. She works amazingly hard and consistently!
Phyllis Houston is in good shape, I think, but then she is so quite and repressed that it is hard to tell what she really thinks. As long as she is involved in things, such as PR, community events and some of what is going on, she seems ok. She stays very close to the Temple – is always on hand, even during much of her workday, if that is any indication. Pictures, letters and radio conversations with her children help a great deal. Bonnie Beck wrote up a report on Claire [Janaro] saying she was real depressed. Marcie, Terri and I read it and wondered how much of it was really Bonnie [Beck] talking. She is definitely deeply involved in the work she is doing in the field as program director [for] the ranch. Enjoys the acclaim she gets for her work by professionals in the community.
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Summary: There is a lot of resolve in San Francisco, and I think most people will hold out OK. I know it is staggeringly expensive, but if people who will be there to maintain operations [for] a long time can have the chance to come, it would do wonders. People could be prevailed upon to ask their relatives under some pretense (I asked my parents to pay half my trip, no results as yet). Marcie coming back is good – it keeps the spirit up in the congregation, but her visits only need to be short. What in my opinion tears on her most there is anxiety about what is happening here (in Jonestown) and with you. Marcie and Terri were going to try to set up some regular meeting with leadership there, to get around this non-communication mess. I have not been in a position to call such meetings – it has largely been up to Leona and Vera, but for whatever reasons, they have not consistently done that. Hopefully that will get worked out, and we can maintain better as a united group. As for my position, it is not working out very well doing the financed job (having to be on hand most of the day for money matters and being on the receiving end of the hostility that goes automatically with that position) and the radio, to get that work done. I hope it can be worked out for someone to be there to help – not Terri because she is invaluable here in Jonestown. But somebody to help take the radio notes and dispatch the work. Someone who can relate to Leona too. That’s what would help me the most. Sandy could ideally fit the role, but she has not.
Thank you for the chance to be here again. I want to be more reliable help to you in San Francisco. I hope articulating these problems can help sort things out. Thank you, Dad.
Jean
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BB-5-T-1
Report of Temple staff meeting with Charles Garry, November 1977
[Editorial note: The reference to Hill is a code name for Jim Jones.]
REPORTS THURSDAY, NOV. 17 JEAN, MARCIE, JUNE [Crym] – VISIT WITH C.G. [Charles Garry]
1 RE: [Stoen attorney Jeff] HAAS. Eric described phone conversation: “This is the fascist calling.”
E: “Don’t say that, I know what fascism is and doesn’t apply.”
H: “People have been saying you call me that.”
G: “I may have called you pig, but not fascist.”
Talked about Guyana, how Muggs had pissed on the marshall.
G: “Where did you get the money to pay a lawyer in Georgetown… ”
H: “Horseshit, we have no money. Grace has none, is broke. No Money from the outside.”
G: “Where is TOS? Tell him I want to talk to him.”
H: “People look on you as a champion of the underdog, but this time you are on the side of power/my client is the underdog.”
G challenges that.
H: “No, she has not lined herself up with Mazor, Mertles. What she did was talk to Mazor for 1/2 hour. Won’t have anything more to do with him.
G: “I have a lot of misgivings about what she is doing. TOS [crossed out word]
H: “She is a lovely person. TOS will tell you that… … TOS is not coming forth, he should and tell the “truth”. Grace has nothing left, her child has been taken away from her.”
G: “She may be a most wonderful person, but people I have talked to say she is a bitch and is lined up with the enemy. I have been told she isn’t in the slightest interested in the child and he is being used. She is vindictive.”
H: “He took the child away from her in L.A..”
G: “My understanding is that she said, “here, take him, he’s yours,” and left him with Hill. Why doesn’t your client go to Guyana and straighten this thing out? We’ll pay her way to go there.” (G. asked us what were the actual circumstances of parting. Marcie, June and I all declined knowing, but said it was in L.A. and she had left him with Hill.)
H: “I don’t think it will work.”
G: “Said Thursday (tomorrow) he planned to take default on Hill. “I do not accept the court’s jurisdiction over my client.” “Have her go down to Guyana, aeet face-to-face. He is not coming back as long as the child is an issue. She’s going to be safe. And the return ticket will not be cashable (funny.)” Then he said he didn’t think H would tell her a damn thing.
RE: the hearing tomorrow. We plan to have someone there to observe, perhaps Sandy. But it should be somebody who can meet TOS face-to-face and talk. We will discuss it later on tonight.
RE: SCIENTOLOGISTS” FRIEND TYPED LETTER: The one which is 4 in G/town read: Asked id they got a copy of the letter. No, he would only let them read it, not copy it. Who was the official who showed it to them? Nobody knew. Luckhoo should get a copy of the letter and let us have a copy. He is very powerful, can get anything done there. Learn to work with that lawyer down there. Let TOS know, per fact this letter will show, that Minnie has been a bitch. We will look into it when we get more info. Nothing Pat’s friend can do with it without more information (even the # which we provided wouls not be enough, acc. to Eric.) We need more input as to what this means. We need a copy of the letter.
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RE: SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS
He passed it back on us. He said we should get to Burton’s office with a copy of it right away (June will do it tomorrow).
RE: SANDY ROZYNKO:
Marcie asked that the call be made from Eric’s office. She could shriek anything out over the radio.
Eric said, let her say what she wants. What do we care. Besides, we’ll tape her. It is important that she get to talk. That these people get to talk. You will have to be sweet to them, and I mean it. It is part of our program. Tell them in Jonestown not to have a chip when they talk. Say how happy they are. We should tape on this end.
RE: MEETING WITH RICHARD KORN:
This is the Jewish man Eric is so impressed with, the one who has worked in prisons. Eric wants us to attend a meeting where he will speak, takes lots of people. Andy will organize it. They are planning to go to Jonestown this Christmas. The man, his wife, their child and another Unitarian Minister.
RE: DON BECK receiving a visit from a hostile social worker asking him avouot Danny Beck, his whereabouts, and also about Tyrone Duncan. Another social worker had showed up at the ranch several to meet the first social worker, as though he had an appointment. The first one never showed. This one asked the same questions. Don was concerned. Eric said forget. Nothing they can do to take away a fully adopted child. People send their children away for school all the time, for years at a time. None of their business.
RE: Article in EXAMINER
The article compensates for what we did yesterday. Not only did it have good effect on the outside, it also was a real morale boost for the inside. He said it was beautiful, the most well-organized demonstration he had ever seen. He was proud.
RE: NEW WEST ARTICLE, POTENTIAL SUIT
He is still looking into it. June thinks there is little chance, since there are not charages or accusations. He was adamant, when it came up in the beginning, that we not tell you of the plan until he had decided it was worht going into. Said he didn’t want you to get excited about it if it didn’t turn out to be possible. Said he didn’t want a “phony lawsuit”. He has got someone studying Sunday’s examiner article to see if there is an invasion of privacy lawsuit, Phyllis would be plaintiff. We wondered who would be plaintiff if there were a New West lawsuit.
What he said, in the final analysis, about the EX article today, the slightly fair article to “compensate” (hardly) for the smear, was that it was a good thing to be in dialogue with the media. (Not sure what this is supposed to mean.)
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BB-5-B
Undated note to Jim Jones from Jean Brown, likely spring 1978
Interoffice Memorandum
To Dad
From Jean
One point I have not written and still am hesitant about is with something that happened right when Debbie Blakey was leaving here and Teri [Buford] was arriving back. I have told Teri this and yet I still am not sure my judgement is correct. Here it is, for what it is worth.
Debbie and Leona [Collier] had an enormous conflict. It was always Leona’s fault, at least as I heard things from Debbie’s side. But as it became clear Debbie was going over, suddenly her “conflict” with Leona ballooned into an all out war, again from Debbie’s point of view. Several times a day I would hear wild stories about how Leona was trying to get into the finances or how, when Debbie was gone, we should all look out for Robin [likely Tschetter] because Leona was going to “kill” her. At the time I thought it was overdone, over dramatized on Debbie’s part. My inclination was to think that she felt guilty about going over and leaving us, especially Robin, here with the responsibility. And so she built an huge case to rationalize, in her own mind or for the rest of the third floor, why she had to go.
My logic breaks down here, because I can’t figure why building such a case would be likely to insure her trip to Guyana. Maybe it was just over-excitement. I know that when Teri returned Debbie made it very clear to me that she wanted to pick Teri up alone at the airport. I consented and Teri tells me Debbie painted a picture of a terrible race situation about to break out in the Temple. True, things were bad before Marcie [Marceline Jones] especially got back. But I can’t help thinking Debbie played her part in the fanning this thing with Leona. I am slow to credit Debbie with that kind of manipulation, but in the back of my mind I think it was the case. It is a serious thing to say, but the thought remains there and I keep coming back to it. (Again, maybe Debbie just couldn’t handle Leona’s hostility. And she DOES have it. I don’t know how I would handle it either – as of yet she has not targeted me.)
I am reading a book now which I have tried to read several years ago and had no understanding for. Now I am inspired by it: Reminiscences of VL [Vladimir Lenin] by [N.K.] Krupskaya. It came along at a good time. I appreciate the perspective. I am moved by a deeper understanding of life by principle and see us, you, working it out all over again. I am committed to this struggle. Thank you for the opportunity to live life by principle.
Your daughter Jean.
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Report on Charles Garry from Jean Brown, May 18, 1978
Report on Conversation with Charles
Jean
5/18/78
He started off evaluating the suite by saying he had told us to ignore these bastards, that they had run out in the press. Had advised us to rise above and go on about our business.
“I don’t like it. Accuse a guy of incest. Bad enough to quote her. If Ingram has been properly quoted, she made a serious mistake. It is libelous.”
Mac [Jim McElvane] said, “What if it’s true?”
“If it’s true, that’s another ball game. But how are you going to prove it? It is her word against his. Besides, if it is true, the charge against the Temple is malice. You published with intent to hurt. Punitive damages. The element of malice is an important aspect of it.”
He wanted to know if SB [Sandy Bradshaw] had taken it on herself to respond, or whether she had been officially speaking for the church… was she told to say that? I said I don’t know [handwritten addition: “unofficially”.]
“This opens pandora’s box. Records and all. Stoen cannot be the attorney because of a conflict of interest. Confidential stuff he was privy to… But this is entirely uncalled for. You gave him solid ground for a suit. He can stay in business with this. He can probably contest that this is a separate matter, not relating to anything he was privy to as Temple atty. Or, he could easily get another attorney to do it. This is why I never filed anything, though. This opens pandora’s box.”
Mac asked about freezing assets.
“No, not possible to hold assets on a libel suit. Have to have a judgement first.”
At first he said SB should get over. Then he said no, that causes too many headaches to have someone over. She should stay under house arrest – meaning she is absolutely not to get served. We will have to disown her role as official Temple spokesperson.”
Re. Stoen, he said: “This is very frowned upon, what he is doing.” He asked again for the Ukiah Daily Journal article. He does not intend to press charges against Stoen, but in a lawyer-like manner to go after him. He said, “I am not going to let this little shit-ass piss on us. Possibly get him thru the State Bar, challenge him in court. Put TOS on witness stand and inquire about his state of mind (he used some legal term to describe this process.)
Mac asked about the time frame. He said he had 30 days to respond after the official service. Pissed at having to go to Mendo [Mendocino] County where he is out of his element. Talked briefly about having it changed to Sonoma or S.F. But since we mailed the stuff out all over the state, we are just as likely to have to stand in Mendocino County.
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BB-5-A-1 – A-2
Report to Charles Garry from Jean Brown, August 10, 1978
Garry 8/10/78
Report from Jean
1. Ramirez. Said he called this morning to talk to Ramirez and that he was “friendly.” Mentioned to Charles that he wanted to meet Laurie Efrein, the he was impressed with her informative letters. Wants to come by P.T. in San Francisco, see the building and programs. Wants to talk to Vee and Florida, did not mention Dotsons. Charles set a tentative meeting with him for Vee, Florida and himself in Los Angeles for September 1, 10:00 am.
Charles’ opinion that there is something to be gained by talking to him, to having him to see P.T. “As long as we can keep him talking, we can stay on top of it.” Charles would also like for him to meet and talk with Mac [Jim McElvane]. This is still undecided. Not an immediate business. Mac, of course, will state his truthful and complete denial of everything which might be construed as wrong doing.
2. He was upset that Hallinan had filed the letter he did, addressing it Mr. Garry. Said Pat [Richartz, Garry’s assistant]has taken an antagonistic position and he does not understand why. Wants affidavits for the preliminary injunction, they will probably be sufficient. Wants to talk to [Temple attorney Gene] Chaikin, wants an answer on our decision whether Maria [Katsaris] to appear for depositions. A lot of particulars were let go when it was decided he should go to Jonestown and settled on a tentative schedule of September 7-16.
3. Kay mentioned that Jimmie Nelson had asked him why Medlock was doing all of this because he had overheard Medlock virtually beg Kay Nelson to take the listing on his property. Should we consider taking Jimmie Nelson with us to the D.A., Charles asked? (He does not know the background of hostility in face of Kay’s absence??)
4. Re. Mac staying around here, Garry reiterated that he needs Mac in court, that he makes a tremendous impression.
5. Wants affidavits from any and everyone, both here and in Guyana, who can state (in court, if necessary, though he does not want to have to bring people back and would rather choose people who are here to show in court) that TOS had functions as general counsel for the church. Anything to witness he solicited any of the cases? That he had direct dealings on the Medlock or Cobb or Katsaris suits that they can testify to. June and Jean should schedule people from the congregation who would be able to come and talk to Nancy and Pat re. Stoen’s involvement-either as general counsel or as a personal attorney as church attorney. Wants affidavits from anyone who might have been in on Medlock property consultations where TOS was involved.
6. Interested in having Guy Young talk to George. Wants Guy to get an attorney in Reno, will talk to Guy and help him get an attorney – told him not to worry. Wants to get it documented that TOS talked to Guy’s ex-wife and trying to get Guy to quit the church to see his child. Said that in the Walter Duncan affidavit TOS had perjured himself because he admitted a vendetta to Duncan and W.D. will testify to this in court.
7. Will write the court (or call Hallinan, not sure which) and ask that the September 7 date be put over to October sometime. This regards the Stoen injunction hearing. Then Garry can go to Guyana, plan his responses.
8. Garry needs a full schedule of plane routes through NY and through Miami so he can plan his trip right away.
9. Archie [Ijames] to come in and talk to Nancy and Pat – originally set for Friday, but changed to Tuesday of next week.