This page lists articles, tapes, documents and resources which have been added to this website within the past 15 months. Previous pages with substantive revisions are listed in italics. (Note: This does not include entries from the jonestown report, an annual publication featuring articles, remembrances, personal reflections, and artistic interpretations of Peoples Temple.)
Website News
Wikileaks Fragility Affects Jonestown FOIA Releases (December 2022)
Peoples Temple in the News
MGM Acquires Option to Road to Jonestown, DiCaprio Slated to Star as Jones, by Jeff Guinn (February 2023)
Personal Reflections
The Military Assignment That Turned Historic, by Paul Storm (April 2023)
Jonestown Research
Four Investigations by Joel X. Thomas (November 2022)
Jonestown in the Arts
Six Unique Books, by Jolene McDonald (January 2023)
Shedding Light on Jonestown: The Forensic Photos, by Jolene McDonald (April 2023)
Jonestown: The Forensic Photos: A review, by Jason Schwechter (February 2023)
Szürke Zóna Podcast (“Grey Area Podcast”) presents “A jonestowni tömeges szektaöngyilkosság” (“The Jonestown mass cult-suicide”) A Hungarian (Magyarországról) Podcast (2022)
Part 1
Part 2
Articles
Translations of Q 042 (The Death Tape), prepared by Russell Urbaine (January 2023)
Suicide for socialism?, by Maurice Brinton (1979; republished January 2023)
The Hidden Role of Malignant Narcissists in History, by Bazil Cunningham (April 2023)
Was the CIA Behind the Jonestown Massacre?, by Jeremy Kuzmarov, CovertAction Magazine (October 2022)
Making Sense of the Nonsensical: An Analysis of Jonestown, by Neal Osherow (December 2022 [originally published 2003])
People’s Temple and Jonestown: A Corrective Comparison and Critique, James T. Richardson (January 2023 [originally published 1979])
“Verbal Orders Don’t Go—Write It!”: Building and Maintaining the Promised Land, by Heather Shearer (2018; republished January 2023)
Articles and Podcasts by Shannon Howard (August 2022)
Commentary and Opinion
Beyond Lynetta, by Jolene McDonald (March 2023)
Two Commentaries by David Ballard
Meet the New Boss (January 2023)
One Must Consider Context (January 2023)
You Meet the Strangest People…, by Gregory Curtis (November 2022)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Jim Jones wear sunglasses? (January 2023)
Where did Peoples Temple get its start? Was it always known by that name? (January 2023)
Did the recording of Temple services or Jonestown meetings affect how people participated in them? (May 2022)
Were cattle prods used for discipline in Peoples Temple? (January 2023)
Were members of Peoples Temple forced to go to Jonestown against their will? (January 2023)
Were any holidays celebrated in Jonestown? Were people given time off on other days? (January 2023)
Who was Chris Lewis? (March 2022)
Primary Sources
Proposed timeline and plans for exodus [1973] (March 2023)
The Letters, Reports and Diaries of Paula Adams (March 2022)
Peoples Temple Acquires the Albatross (April 2023)
Organizational Charts, Rosters & Listings, Jonestown 1978 (March 2023)
Meetings of Commissions and Analysts, Peoples Rallies, Summer 1978 (March 2023)
Instructions for Talking to Outsiders (July 31, 1978) (April 2023)
Interviews with Survivors in Georgetown (May 2023)
The Prosecutions of Larry Layton (August 2022)
Log of Individual Affidavits on Grace Stoen (April 2023)
Histories of Peoples Temple, Biographies of Jim Jones (June 2022)
The Freedom of Information Act and Jonestown
FBI Sections
Section 43 • A-1 • Financial (June 2022)
Section 44 • A-2 • Financial (January 2023)
Section 45 • A-3 • Financial (January 2023)
Section 57 • A-31 • Financial (February 2023)
Section 64 • B-2 • Legal (April 2023)
Section 65 • B-3 • Legal (August 2022)
Section 75 • C-7 • Daily Operations (March 2023)
Section 75 • C-8 • Administrative Functions (March 2023)
Section 89 • H-1 • Weapons (February 2023)
Section 95 • M-1 • Letters from PT (May 2022)
Section 95 • N-1 • Letters to Jim Jones (March 2022)
Section 96 • P-1 • State Dept Contacts (February 2023)
Section 97 • Q-1 • Paula Adams (March 2022)
Section 97 • R-1 • Terri Buford (April 2022)
Section 109 • BB-1 • Paula Adams (March 2022)
Section 117 • BB-18 – BB-21 • Marceline, Stephan, Suzanne, Tim Tupper Jones (June 2022)
Section 132 • EE-4 – EE-5 • Letters to Jonestown & Censor Examples (June 2022)
Section 133 • FF-1 • Affidavits re: Grace Stoen (April 2023)
Section 147 • LL-1–LL-7 • CA State Depts (May 2022)
Section 160 • SS-1 • Counter Conspiracy (April 2023)
The State Department Cables 1980-1981 (June 2022)
Tapes
1977 Phone Call between Jim Jones and Housing Commissioner Tony Ubalde, C-7-h-12a – h-12h (March 2023)
Transcripts of Jean Brown calls with Daniel Sheehan, Mark Lane (September 1978) (April 2022)
Transcript, notes of Marceline Jones call to daughter Suzanne (September 1978) (June 2022)
Q 351 News and commentary, Jonestown community meeting (7/10/78) (May 2022)
Q 361 News and commentary, early September 1978 (May 2022)
Q 373 Jones reads Guyana history in Jonestown community meeting (May 2022)
Q 409 Jonestown Express performance, 1978 (December 2022)
Q 421 Jonestown Express performance, 1978 (December 2022)
Q 435 Jones reads news (Aug 26, 1978) (December 2022)
Q 438 Jonestown Express performance, 1978 (May 2022)
Q 497 Dedication of LA Temple, September 1972 (May 2022)
Q 580 Jones interview defends Temple against Kinsolving, 9/72 (May 2022)
Q 585 Telephone calls, Spring 1977 (December 2022)
Q 652 Audio letter to Temple member (May 2022)
Q 785 Dub of He’s Able (December 2022)
Q 794 Jones in press conference on Eldrige Cleaver, 6/76 (December 2022)
Q 851 Jones receives MLK Humanitarian Award, January 1977 (May 2022)
Q 871 Elderly woman wishes to remain in Jonestown, 7/4/78 (May 2022)
Q 894 Relatives speak to JT residents on HAM radio (December 2022)
Q 938 Jonestown meeting, Christmas 1977 (December 2022)
Q 948 Jonestown meeting, Christmas 1977 (December 2022)
Q 950 Redwood Valley sermon (May 1972) (December 2022)
Q 976 Jones reads news, 6/20/78 (May 2022)
Q 982 Jonestown community meeting, winter 1978 (May 2022)
Q 1029 Two LA sermons, late 1972 (May 2022)