Concurrently with issuing a press release protesting Congressman Leo Ryan’s stated intent to enter Jonestown, and collecting signatures from Jonestown residents on a petition to the same effect, the Board of Directors of Peoples Temple wrote a formal resolution in November 1978 declaring that the land lease issued by the Government of Guyana gave authority to “members of the Jonestown community [to] exert their right … to exclude therefrom all persons who presence is not considered desirable.” Those persons included Congressman Ryan and “member[s] of the so-called ‘Concerned Relatives’ organization.”
The resolution continues that members of the congressional party will not be allowed entry, and asks for “police assistance from the Government of Guyana to protect their community from unwanted trespasses.”
There are two drafts of this resolution. Both drafts seem incomplete, and neither may be the final version.
Resolution of Peoples Temple to Block Rep. Ryan from Entering Jonestown [Draft #1] RYMUR 89-4286-AA-1-Q-1
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Resolution of Peoples Temple to Block Rep. Ryan from Entering Jonestown [Draft #2] RYMUR 89-4286-1894
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