[Editor’s note: Several of the subjects whose names are deleted in this serial are known to the editor. Those notations have been indicated by red type.]
P 232304Z NOV 78
FM OMAHA (89-84) (RUC)
TO BUREAU (89-4286) PRIORITY
SAN FRANCISCO PRIORITY
BT
UNCLAS EFTO
RYMUR
Re Bureau teletypes to all field offices, November 21, 1978, and November 22, 1978.
The following information is being set out for the information of the Bureau and San Francisco:
On November 21, 1978, [name and address withheld], Waterloo, Iowa, contacted FBI Waterloo RA and advised [name withheld] has been a member of the Peoples Temple of Christian Disciples of God from 1969 to 1972 and wished to talk to the FBI regarding the assassination of Congressman Ryan and the mass suicides at the compound in Guyana.
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On same date, [name withheld] was interviewed at her residence regarding her knowledge of the assassination of Congressman Leo J. Ryan and the mass suicides. [name withheld] was unable to furnish any specific information concerning the assassination of Congressman Ryan or the mass suicides. The following is a succinct summary of information furnished by [name withheld]:
[name withheld] advised she joined the Peoples Temple of Christian Disciples of God, more commonly known to her as the Peoples Temple, during 1969 at Los Angeles, California. At that time she was married to [name withheld] [Ronald Wayne Talley] who also joined the group at the same time. Both were heroin addicts and joined the group to seek aid in being cured of their drug addiction. The couple, along with their daughter, [name withheld] moved to San Francisco, CA., where they began their association with the group. Within a few weeks, they were told to move to Ukiah, CA., where they established residency and obtained employment. Accounting for the group was located at Redwood [Valley], CA., a short distance from Ukiah, CA.
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[name withheld] advised although the group on the surface appeared to be a religious group, it was actually politically oriented and Jim Jones, the leader, professed a political philosophy adhering to the teachings of Marx and Lennon [Lenin]. All members of the group had to attend closed instructional meetings two or three days a week, each lasting several hours. During these meetings, Jones or other assistant leaders of the group would read from the teachings of Marx and Lennon. The group’s primary purpose was to establish a socialistic-communist form of government in this country by the overthrow of the U.S. government. Initially Jones preached a peaceful overthrow which included having Jones and others assume influential political positions in the country and thereafter taking over the government. Additionally, the group had a philosophy that the white race was evil and attempted to convince all white members that they should try to consider themselves non-white.
[name withheld] and her former husband, [Ron Talley], had to contribute at least one-fourth of the total earnings to the group as was the requirement for all members. At a point of
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approximately one-half to one year after she joined the group, she signed a document during a meeting with Jones and several assistant leaders, referred to as counselors. This document was an acknowledgment that she was a participant in a socialist-communist revolutionary movement with a purpose to overthrow the U.S. government. She advised she signed this under threat of being expelled from the group.
Eventually she left the group during 1972 as she did not accept all of the teachings of Jones and his assistants. She was considered an unencouragable [incorrigible?] member and was allowed to leave the group and take her daughter with her. Her former husband remained with the group for an unspecified time but eventually separated and returned to Long Beach, CA., area where he again began to use drugs.
Subsequent to her separation from the Peoples Temple, she met her current husband, [name withheld], and they were eventually married in February, 1976. Although she did not
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maintain any contact with the Peoples Temple, she did maintain contact with friends who also officially separated from the group.
In July, 1978, and just prior to the [name withheld] leaving California to come to Iowa, [Ron Talley] contacted [name withheld] and advised he was returning to the Peoples Temple and that he was traveling to a newly constructed compound in Guyana, South America. He commented at that time that something big was going to happen but was not specific. He indicated movement was not successful following peaceful means and that it would be necessary for them to use violence to achieve their goals. That was the last time she had any conversation with [Ron Talley]. However, since that time her daughter, [name withheld] had received five or six letters from [Ron Talley], all of which appear similar in that he would always describe how wonderful it was at the commune in Guyana and what a wonderful life they were all sharing there.
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A letter arrived in Waterloo as recent as November 20, 1978, which was similar in content to the previous letters.
On the same date, she received a telephone call from a friend in California who she declined to identify. The friend indicated she had received information via a [name withheld] (phonetic) who had been a body guard for Jim Jones, that all former members of the Peoples Temple had been sent letters written by friends, family or associates at the commune in Guyana. The purpose for the letters were allegedly to determine the whereabouts of all former members.
[name withheld] advised she believed that only her former husband, [Ron Talley], was at the commune in Guyana at the time of the mass suicides, but also all of the known living members of [Talley] family, who included four sisters and their children.
[name withheld] advised she had no knowledge of any stockpiles of weapons or ammunition while she was a member of the
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group and that the only members who she knew carried firearms and who participated in firearms training regularly were the numerous body guards for Jim Jones.
[name withheld] advised the mass suicides coincided with the philosophy of the group and taught by Jones, that if the group and its people were threatened, they would eliminate anyone who threatened the group and then would all commit suicide.
When asked if she could identify other leaders and members of the Peoples Temple, [name withheld] furnished the following list of individuals:
Archie Imes [Ijames], believed to be second in command after Jones. Imes described as black male who [name withheld] saw on television being interviewed at the Peoples Temple in San Francisco, CA., November 20, 1978.
Jack Deam [Beam], white male, also very close associate of Jim Jones. Both Deam and Imes allegedly had come to
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California from Indiana with Jones to establish the Peoples Temple.
Tim Stone [Stoen], white male, who served as a lawyer for the group. Stone allegedly was an Assistant District Country for Mendocino County, California.
Grace Stone, wife of Tim Stone, who served as one of the counselors for the group. Stone was one of the participants in the meeting where [name withheld] was forced to sign the document professing loyalty to the group’s movement.
Larry Layton, white male, who served as counselor group.
Karen Layton, wife of Larry, white female, who served as a secretary for Jones as well as a counselor for the group.
Bonnie Beck, white female, who served as counselor and secretary for Jones.
[name withheld] identified the following individuals as having been body guards for Jones:
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Donald Beck, Bonnie Beck’s husband, white male and formerly elementary teacher, Ukiah, CA.
Mike [Lee] Ingram, black male; Jim Cobb, black male; Chris Johnson, black male, and Paul Farrel (phonetic) [likely Flowers], black male.
[name withheld] furnished the following information and physical description of her former husband, [name withheld], who she believes would have possibly participated in the mass suicides along with his four sisters and their children:
White male, born [Ronald Wayne Talley] at Long Beach, CA., 5 feet 7 inches tall, 140 pounds, [information withheld], medium build, had [2 lines deleted] and numerous needle marks on both arms as a result of his addiction to heroin. [2 lines deleted]
[Talley’s] four sisters believed to be with him in the
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compound are as follows:
[Michaeleen Brady] white female, age [deleted], 5 feet 2 inches tall, chunky build, two daughters, [Georgianne and Michelle], age [12] and [11].
[Info on remaining three almost completely withheld; Ron Talley’s other sisters were Maureen Fitch, Marlene Wheeler and Christine Talley. Marlene had two sons, Jeff and Darius. All died in Jonestown].
[name withheld] advised she believed there were two possible arguments of the recent events occurring at Guyana and these were that the remaining members of the Peoples Temple would unite and continue the movement or that additional mass suicides and murders would take place, including the elimination of all former members.
Consequently, [name withheld] requested her identity be protected
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but would continue to furnish information to the FBI. She believes that her friends in California were formerly members of the group would not be cooperative because of their fear of being assassinated, and therefore, she is doubtful she will be able to obtain any additional information.
BT