United States Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Memorandum
Date: 11/19/78
To: Mr. D. W. Moore (89-0)
From: Mr. Norbert H. Rascher
Subject: Unknown Subjects;
Rep. Leo Ryan (Calif.) – Victim
Possible Assassination
On 11/19/78, at approximately 2:35 a.m., [deleted name], Department of State, Washington, D. C., [Deleted information] advised that he received information that the Peoples Sect involved in the captioned incident has a mass suicide pact which may have been triggered by the shooting.
There are approximately 3000 members in the Los Angeles and San Francisco area and 1200 members in Guyana. [deleted name] stated that unsubstantiated reports from Guyana indicate that members of the temple in Georgetown, Guyana are killing themselves. The San Francisco Police Department has the local temple under observation and it appears they are burning records. [deleted name] stated he has no information concerning the situation in Los Angeles.
[deleted name] again called at approximately 3:00 a.m. and put us through to a caller by the name of [deleted name and address], Portland, Oregon, who stated that he is certainly with this sect and is certain that the suicide pact is a reality. [deleted name] stated that the pastor, JIM JONES, as a hypnotic hold on these people and that they will do anything JONES says – from murder to all forms of sexual deviation. [deleted name] advised that an opposition group known as the HUMAN FREEDOM CENTER, 3028 Regent St., Berkeley, California, was forced to pry members away from the Peoples Sect, whom [deleted name] considers a cross between the Mansons and the “Moonies”.
[deleted name] advised he had telephoned the San Francisco Police Department with the same information and would be available to swear to an affadavit [affidavit] concerning all aspects of this sect.
San Francisco and Los Angeles were telephonically advised by FBI HQ of the above.