[Editor’s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 84 of the FBI’s RYMUR release.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978STATE296179_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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STATE 296179
ORIGIN ARA-15
INFO OCT-01 SCS-06 ISO-00 SSO-00 CA-01 FBIE-00 CIAE-00 PA-01 TRSE-00 INR-10 INRE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 USSS-00 H-01 AID-05 SS-15 NSCE-00 CCO-00 OC-06 JUSE-00 NSAE-00 ICAE-00 AS-02 CG-00 L-03 DOTE-00 /071 R
DRAFTED BY ARA:BRAMSEY:JE
APPROVED BY ARA:JABUSHNELL
CA/SCS:AGISE
S/S-O:TGMARTIN
CA/SCS/RAMCKENZIE
——————029165 230249Z /75
O 230055Z NOV 78
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2070
JCS WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1678
INFO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
FBI WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0040
CINCMAC IMMEDIATE
USCINCSOUTH QUARRY HTS CZ IMMEDIATE
HEW WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 296179
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CASC, OREP (RYAN, LEO), GY
SUBJECT: TRANSPORTATION OF JONESTOWN SURVIVORS
REF: (A) STATE 295410, (DTG 220524Z NOV)
1. Ref A alerted JCS [Joints Chiefs of Staff] of the possible need for the use of military aircraft to transport Jonestown survivors from Georgetown, Guyana, to the United States.
2. At the present time 68 survivors are in Georgetown and may desire to be transported to the United States. Request
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DOD provide air transportation for these survivors from Georgetown to Charleston AFB, South Carolina.
3. Due to personal security concerns expressed by some survivors as identified by Emb Georgetown, it may be necessary to segregate these survivors into two categories for travel purposes. Categories are as follows:
(a) “Lamar”, approximately 44 persons
(b) “Eve/Leary”, approximately 24 persons Group B has expressed personal security concerns.
4. Embassy Georgetown will assume responsibility for identifying and categorizing into appropriate groups the survivors for embarkation on US military aircraft, and will advise when all survivors are ready for movement from Georgetown. It is anticipated that Pax will not be ready for movement earlier than 25 Nov.
5. DOD will be responsible for transportation of survivors only. Survivors will be met at destination by representatives from hew and FBI, who will assume responsibility for further processing and onward movement of survivors.
6. Authorization is granted for US military to conduct search of survivors and their personal possessions for weapons/contraband prior to embarkation on US military aircraft.
7. In view of search operations in progress, it is possible that additional survivors will be found and
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require changes in numbers above. Potentially, further flights may be required.
Vance [Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State]
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