United States Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Memorandum
Date: 11/22/78
To: Mr. Moore
From: J. O. Ingram
Subject: RYMUR
Daily Summary
The FBI Disaster Squad will depart Washington, D.C. by automobile en route to Dover Air Force Base (DAFB), Dover, Delaware, at 4:00 p.m. today, 11/23/78. DAFB officials advise that the body tentatively identified as Jim Jones, along with the corpses of 80 other individuals, will arrive at DAFB 7:30 p.m., EST, tonight. Inspector-Deputy Assistant Director Conrad S. Banner, Identification Division, has been advised and has agreed that the identification procedure will commence upon the body of Jim Jones immediately after removal from the aircraft and the FBIHQ Command Post will be advised telephonically of the results of this investigation.
State Department Command Post has advised that SA Robert Oglesby, Legat, Georgetown, Guyana, is forwarding a teletype to FBIHQ indicating that FBI Agents probably will be allowed to enter the country of Guyana in the near future. In this regard, SAC Bill D. Williams and his team are on immediate standby at Miami, Florida, and will be sent to Guyana by military transport when such travel is approved.
The Department of Defense Command Post has expressed concern for the security of the military airlift of Americans to be repatriated from Guyana to the United States. Military authorities have requested civilian law enforcement personnel to provide for security aboard the military transport aircraft. It is noted that military aircraft are covered by the provisions of Title 49, U. S. Code, Section 1472 (Crime Aboard Aircraft). Any violent act that would be a violation of the statute would be prosecutable in the United States and the FBI has investigative jurisdiction. This statute covers all military aircraft in flight anywhere in the world. With regard to these responsibilities, the Justice Department was contacted and [deleted name], Liaison Attorney to the FBI HQ Command Post, agreed that the FBI could request assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service to provide civilian law enforcement direction to military personnel who would have overall responsibility for the security of the aircraft in flight. U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group was contacted
DES:wss (6)
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Ingram to Moore Memorandum
RE: RYMUR
and arrangements are being made at this time to have representatives of the Marshals Service transported to Guyana by military aircraft to accompany the returning flight bringing Americans back to the United States.
The State Department has advised that approximately 68 Americans will be flown to Charleston Air Force Base (CAFB), Charleston, South Carolina, on either Friday or Saturday next. The Columbia Office is coordinating the interviews of all returning Americans. In this regard, the conference will be held at Columbia, South Carolina, tomorrow, 11/24/78, between the FBI, Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), State Department, Customs, Immigration, U.S. Marshals Service and local authorities of Charleston, South Carolina. The following contingency plan has been tentatively devised: HEW will service a staging area for returning Americans and will provide food, housing, clothing, and medical care. An entire motel will be rented by HEW and returning Americans will deplane and be placed upon HEW rented buses which will be secured by representatives of the U.S. Marshals Service. A police escort will be provided for the buses which will take the group immediately to the motel which has been rented for them. Returning individuals will be provided an opportunity to bathe, eat, and take care of immediate personal necessities. They will thereafter be interviewed individually in their rooms by teams of FBI Agents. Following interviews, HEW will process all individuals through Customs and Immigration and thereafter provide for their reunification with their families. Inasmuch as all returning individuals are considered to be potential witnesses and/or subjects of a violation of the Congressional Assassination Statute, this matter is considered to be a critical stage of an ongoing law enforcement action and, as such, a sterile area surrounding the motel and its property will be provided by local law enforcement and representatives of the U.S. Marshals Service. All non-authorized personnel, including all members of the news media, will be barred from crossing the police line.
Investigation is continuing.