[Editor’s note: Portions of the text below appear at Serial 500 and Serial 730.]
0 222147Z NOV 78
FM SAN FRANCISCO (89-250) (P)
TO DIRECTOR IMMEDIATE
TO ALL OFFICES VIA FBIHQ
BT
UNCLAS
RYMUR
Reverend James Warren Jones, also known as Jim Jones, founder of the People’s Temple Christian Church, Disciples of Christ (PT), founded the cult group in Indiana in the late 1960’s and moved with some of his followers to the Ukiah, California area in approximately 1966, where he founded the first Temple known as the Redwood Valley Temple on East Road, Redwood Valley, California, near Ukiah. Subsequent Temples were established at the intersection of Hoover and Alvarado in Los Angeles. The only Temple now open is the one in San Francisco.
Members of the PT were coerced into making written statements confessing illegal and immoral acts such as vowing to
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kill government officials which were then picked up at open meetings of the Temple by the inner core members known as the Planning Commission (PC) members. These statements were then delivered to the Reverend Jones, who used these statements to insure the members involvement in the PT movement.
Information to date indicates four types of persons involved in this investigation: ex-members, current members, members of the Planning Commission (the “inner circle” of the People’s Temple) and “the Angels” or “staff” who were the “inner circle of the Planning Commission”. The Angels have been characterized as the “hit men” by ex-members who have been interviewed.
Ex-members have also indicated the existence of a “contingency plan” which would go into effect under the following circumstances with the following results:
If a public official attempted to expose the PT, Angels were to kidnap the public official’s children, kill those children, kill their own children, and then commit suicide.
If the head of the PT, Jim Jones, was arrested, public officials (not further identified) would be kidnapped and held
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hostage until Jones was released.
If the church fell, the following persons are to be assassinated: San Francisco Mayor Moscone, due to his withdrawal of support for PT, governor of California, the president of the United States, and then those in line for the succession to the presidency. Appropriate officials have been advised.
In interviewing any of the people associated with the PT, the following information should be obtained:
Any specific knowledge that trouble of any type would occur during Congressman Ryan’s visit to Guyana.
Any specific knowledge of the acquisition, licensing or shipment of weapons by PT numbers.
Any specific knowledge of firearms training received by PT members, including specific dates, places and by whom given.
Any direct knowledge of threats to harm any public official or current or former PT members as a result of persons attempting to expose the PT, infiltrate the PT or inducing a member to leave the PT.
Any cacheing of weapons or monies.
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Any information concerning any contingency plans.
Names of ex-members or members of the PT to include physical description and location, if known.
A physical description of the interviewee.
This requested information is not all-inclusive. If leaves are developed for the interview, they should be set up telephonically, followed by an immediate teletype directed to FBI HQ and San Francisco. Results of interviews should be reported via FD-302.
“Armed and dangerous. Suicidal tendencies”.
BT